On the 2nd October 2009 I will face an opponent in the ring at
the Suntec Convention Center in Singapore for three rounds of boxing.
About 2 weeks ago I signed up for this event with Vanda Promotions here in Singapore. It’s called White Collar Boxing:
White Collar Boxing™ is so-called because
its many participants come mainly from the white collar professions. It is a
fast growing sport for men and women between the ages of 25 and 55 who look to
challenge themselves in a controlled boxing environment. With an emphasis on
safety, boxers are professionally trained in a 12-week program, to go on to
participate in a 3-round bout in white collar events sanctioned by the World
White Collar Boxing Association (WWCBA).
I suppose for a few months now I have wanted to do something that would get me fit and then a friend, Jeff (a very fit and inspiring guy) suggested I have a go at this. He has been to three of the dinners when they have the bouts and has at least two friends I think who have taken part.
I was in Europe a couple of weeks ago and raised my idea of signing up with members of my family. I suppose the reactions were diverse whilst not surprising to me. All agreed that the training and fitness side of things would be good for me. It was the hitting and punching bit where there was some disagreement.
My mother, I think, hates all sorts of violence and she was
quite concerned at the ‘in the ring’ bit.
My older brother was concerned that my head being hit could cause
damage. (He didn’t seem concerned about
my opponent’s head which I hope is not indicative of how well he thinks I might
perform in the ring!) My father, of
course, was 100% behind the whole deal.
He, in fact, tried to get me interested in boxing when I was quite
young. It is sometimes talked about in
my family that my father once said that I was not yet a ‘proper man’ because I
had not had a fight. My father has
terminal cancer and won’t be around for much longer and one or two of my
brothers seem convinced that all this has conspired to cause me to embark on
this challenge at this time. I am
prepared to accept this might be the case whilst, at the same time, thinking it
doesn’t really matter. For me it feels
more about wanting to get fit, losing weight and, I don’t mind admitting it,
pitting myself against another man in the ring.
It’s very important to me that I am extremely well prepared and that I look really good. When I say look good I mean look lean, fit and that I move well in the ring and box the best I can. Jeff and I were looking at some photos from past events and some of the fighters, particularly the heavier guys, don’t look in great shape.
For the three months running up to the event I will train at
the boxing gym two or three times a week doing a combination of fitness and
learning to box I suppose. So that
should start around the beginning of July.
As of yesterday I started my own preliminary three months of training –
basically three months of three or four times a week to my regular Fitness
First Gym combined with some pretty serious dieting. My goal is to lose 12 kg before the beginning
of July.
So my journey has started. It feels like a great challenge and I am embracing it with passion and purpose. It also scares me a little – I have never been a fighter and getting my nose broken and other bits of me hurt worries me a bit however, for this reason, the challenge feels even more alluring.
By the way, it's all about rasing money for charity. You can read about this bit here.
Check back here to see how I am getting on or, better still, sign up for the email so you’ll know when there’s something more to read.
Details for the weigh-in for the next event in Singapore are on facebook.
The photos in this article are from the Vanda Promotions Website - I hope you guys are OK with that!
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