City professionals let off steam at Birmingham's Fight Club
Phil Vinter discovers a craze that is sweeping Birmingham's professional community. And it hurts.
A powerful, hard-hitting, revolution is taking place in Birmingham. Every weekday, as the clock strikes five, dozens of professional men and women are powering down their computers and swapping suits and briefcases for padded gloves and gum shields to spend an evening partaking in some of the most exhausting physical exercise there is – exchanging punches with fellow professionals.
Welcome to Birmingham’s answer to Fight Club. Welcome to the world of white-collar boxing.
In the past, boxing gyms have been seen as the domain of tough men, who carry out tough physical jobs – the blue-collar brawlers. But over the course of the last decade there has been a shift in attitudes among professionals in the city.
While the recession has bit in Birmingham harder than in almost any other UK city, in the Jewellery Quarter’s Fighting Fit boxing gym business is booming.
Since it opened just two years ago, the gym’s membership has swelled to more than 300. According to managing director Neil Perkins, almost all come from the corporate world.
“There has been a massive upsurge in membership in the last 12 months,” said Mr Perkins, a Midlands amateur boxing champion and heavyweight professional.
“I knew that a white collar gym would be popular I just had to get a city centre location that was close to businesses and to where a lot of professionals live.
“The gym industry is saturated with stereotypical corporate gyms with watered down set-ups – exercise machines and an easy opportunity to slack off. People are looking for something more. With us they get the real deal. Every one of our trainers is an ex or current boxer. There’s not one of them who hasn’t fought at professional or amateur level.”
Boxing is considered to be one of the most gruelling and physically-demanding sports there is, but the rush for the ring among the Birmingham elite does not come solely from a desire for a fresh fitness fix. Many are also attracted to the sport through its benefits not just for the body but also the mind.
Business development manager Ben Eason, who works for Wragge and Co solicitors, says that since taking up boxing last year he has seen a noticeable improvement in not only his energy levels but also his focus in the workplace.
“There is a lot more skill involved in the sport than I imagined and to train for a fight requires more dedication than anything I’ve ever done,” said Mr Eason. “I think taking up boxing has been massively helpful for me in the workplace.
"Things don’t get me as upset as they used to and I’m much more relaxed because I know that when I go to the gym I can really release any tension and frustration there. At work I get on with my job now whereas in the past I’d set unrealistic goals and over-analyse things.”
Broad Street manager Mike Olley, a fellow Fighting Fit gym member, who recently fought former West Midlands Police deputy chief constable Stuart Hyde in a charity bout, said the competitive, tough nature of a sport where there is no place to hide builds confidence which spills over to the workplace.
He said: “Boxing empowers you as a person, and not only gives you a physical advantage but also a psychological edge.
