Taking white collar boxing by the scruff of the neck

So you think you can pack a punch, do ya? Prove it. White collar boxing, if you aren’t already aware, is one of the biggest adrenaline junkie crazes to hit Ireland in recent times. JOE has caught up with one such thrill-seeker.

By William Nestor

Let’s break it down for you before we get into the ring proper. White collar boxing originated in New York in the mid-1990s . It allows men and women of white collar professions to train and fight as boxers. However, in today’s Ireland the term ‘white collar’ has been stretched to incorporate people from many different walks of life.

Majority of these fighters have no experience inside the ring but the opportunity to contest three two-minute rounds seems to be a temptation which makes an extraordinary appeal to some.

Mark Patterson (pictured below) first heard about white collar boxing at the Toys for Big Boys event at the RDS Arena in 2006 and signed up on the spot with one of Ireland’s main trainers, Cathal O’Grady.

“I went along and trained for a week or so in the National Stadium and then signed up officially. Cathal had fought professionally himself. Nicolas Cruz Hernandez was one of the main guys there too, he trained Michael Carruth and Wayne McCullough for the ’92 Olympics.”

Razzle Dazzle

Mark, who is a Health & Safety Manager for a precast concrete firm in Galway, has fought in three bouts. One win, one draw and one loss is the Mayo man’s record to date. He explains the different types of animal you come across in the gym and on fight night.

“I was coming out of the football season before I went into training so I was relatively fit compared to the other guys that were there. You had office people, typically fellas who were primarily there to lose weight and had never boxed before. My motivation was to box.

“Cathal said to me there was a fight coming up in three weeks in Galway and he asked me would I fight in that. I told him he was mad, and that I’d get killed, but he said I’d be grand. So I went down and fought with a guy and drew.”

Everything is as professional as it can be…apart from the quality of boxing! It can be horrendous at times.

Of course stepping into a ring isn’t everyone’s idea of blowing off some steam but for Mark it has always been a personal desire since his brief encounters with the sport in his early teens. The appeal and love for the sport has always lingered in the back of his mind and once he got into the gym the buzz was on.

“I love boxing. I love watching boxing. I liked the way they build you up in training. They start you off in the first fortnight working on the bag and general exercises and then they build you up to the sparring. That’s a super buzz. You’re in there pitting your wits against guys…baring your soul.”

“The fight night razzle dazzle is incredible. They exaggerate the whole night with card girls, the MC, the music. It’s the real deal. Everything is as professional as it can be…apart from the quality of boxing! It can be horrendous at times.”

“You might get a bloody nose, but that’s about it.”

Main motivation

Injuries are not common in the sport as all protective gear available is used. 16 oz. gloves are standard, headgear, groin protectors, and mouth guards are essential requirements inside the ring. Mark had chipped a bone in his thumb from his second sparring fight and thought he wouldn’t be able to fight.

You don’t want to be made look like a fool. You’re striving for that. Everything else comes second best.

“I was talking to one the Olympic boxers in the gym (National Stadium). He said to me ‘Look if your hand was broken on the night, you wouldn’t feel it with the adrenaline.’ I was saying I wouldn’t be able to fight. He was right though. The day after the fight I was never as sore in all my life but during it I couldn’t feel a thing. It’s perfectly safe tough. You might get a bloody nose, but that’s about it.”

When it boils down to it, however, pride is what is at stake for every white collar boxer. After intense training, eating the right foods and mentally preparing yourself, the last thing you want to happen is to be made look silly. In Mark’s case this is vividly apparent.

“They give you diets to follow. It’s a big deal. The main motivation is that you don’t want to get put on your hole in front of your family and friends on the night. You don’t want to be made look like a fool. You’re striving for that. Everything else comes second best. Winning or losing doesn’t really matter. It didn’t matter to me in the Galway fight, so as long as I wasn’t humiliated.”

For those of you who think the aforementioned experience could be a doddle for you then don’t be deterred by cost or your age. The training and equipment all comes at affordable rates in whichever part of the country you are located.

“The latest fight I did was in Galway with Pete Foley’s gym and I won. That was only €300 for a ten-week course and the fight. For that, you got everything. You got your head protection, your gloves, all the gear. Ages range from late teens up to 50s.”

If you’re in Dublin we suggest you head for the National Stadium where some of the best training and facilities are available. Go to www.whitecollarboxing.ie

In the west, Pete Foley in Galway is your man. Visit www.balckdragon.ie