[First published on Yorkshire Voice – 11th October 2019]
The charity boxing organisation White Collar Fighter raised over £14,000 for various charities at their latest event in Leeds on October 5.
White Collar Fighter takes beginners who have never boxed before and trains them for an eight-week period to prepare them for fight night.
They’ve been in operation for over four years now and have recently surpassed £700,000 in donations to charity.
Ian Goehler, Director of White Collar Fighter said:
“In our first year of operation we only raised £60,000 for our charities which at the time we thought was amazing and now after four years we’ve surpassed £700,000 at the very least.”
The city of Leeds hosts five White Collar Fighter events each year with the most recent show being held at the John Charles Centre for Sport in Middleton last weekend.
Zac Campsall, 25, who boxed in last weekend’s Middleton show, said:
“I’m happy to have been involved with the event and would recommend doing the training to anybody that wants to work towards a positive goal.”
There was a total of 25 bouts that took place on the evening, all of which were scheduled for three two-minute rounds.
Amateur boxing rules apply during the bouts with experienced referees ensuring they are adhered to.
Keyanur Bennett, 25, was a spectator at the event and said: “There’s quite a funny vibe to the event because all of the fighters aren’t even amateur, so it’s new seeing my friend walk to the ring to 50 Cent, P.I.M.P.”
White Collar Fighter aims to improve the lives of everybody involved by providing participants with access to personal training, dietary experts and world class coaching.
Mr Goehler added: “Our training and the overall experience does change lives; we’ve had people join the programme who suffer from anxiety and now one of the women that suffered from anxiety before joining the programme actually works for us!”
The emphasis on health and well-being by White Collar Fighter was also echoed by Mr Campsall: “From the first day I started training I was encouraged to believe in myself and feel confident.”
White Collar Fighter also provides the same level of training for Kickboxing.
