It started out as a way to get back in shape for one North Kenwood professional.
Bored by aerobics and unmotivated during spinning classes, 33-year-old Rosalind Brumant was turned onto “boxers’ workouts” by her husband.
Brumant, an outside saleswoman, began taking classes at JABB Boxing Gym in West Town with him two years ago, but he dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
She kept at it.
Now, Brumant is taking her chosen sport a step further: into the ring. Brumant is among a growing number of local professionals bitten by the bug of “white-collar boxing.” Unlike their fitness-focused classmates, these fighters are looking for more than just buff bodies. They want the bragging rights that come from beating an actual opponent.
During the past several years, local professionals have been able to achieve just that by participating in citywide bouts that pit working professionals against each other in front of judges and screaming crowds. Wearing 10-, 12- or 16-ounce gloves–compared to about 8 to 10 ounces of glove padding for pros– white-collar boxers brave the occasional bruise or black eye from opponents even though headgear, mouth guards and protective cups are required, trainers said.
“There is nothing like getting into the ring,” said Carlos Castaneda, a 37-year-old retail manager and part owner of Rosebud Farm Inc. Castaneda has won four of his five fights and said he is hungry for more.
“Even when you lose, it’s still great,” Castaneda said.
Most of the fighters are men, according to local trainers and boxers, but more women are getting involved.
“It’s empowering, it gives you such great focus, and it’s great for anybody,” said 33-year-old Marisa Molinaro, who works in book publishing and TV production. Molinaro fought in her first bout at Park West in June 2005, after only four months of training. She was proud that she was only narrowly beaten, Molinaro said.
“I’m no street rat and my natural instinct is to back away if someone swings at me, but this sport has given me drive, ” Molinaro said. “It’s made me braver.”
White-collar boxers don’t only dodge punches. They also deal with disapproval from friends and family who fear they could be seriously injured in a sport that some still regard as brutal, Molinaro and Castaneda said. But injuries are rare, and the adrenaline rush of facing an opponent is addictive.
“It just gets into them like a fever,” said Michael Garcia, who along with partner Dominic Pesoli opened JABB three years ago with a focus on training professional fighters. That focus quickly blurred as attorneys, accountants and traders joined the gym and petitioned to participate in bouts.
JABB promotes white-collar matches called “Fight Club Chicago” on a regular basis, featuring fighters mainly ranging in age from 18 to 30, but occasionally as old as 68, Garcia said.
“We once had a 68-year-old lawyer fight a 64-year-old dentist from Chicago,” Garcia said. “These were tough guys who were in it to win it.”
All fighters are required to purchase a $35 license from USA Boxing in order to participate, Garcia said. There are no financial rewards as in the professional boxing world, but white-collar fighters win a sense of accomplishment that can be addictive, Garcia said.
“These boxers start off content working out, running the drills and taking the classes,” Garcia said. “But then they see the pros here sparring and decide they want to try fighting too.”
Only a handful of local gyms–including JABB, Old Town Fit Plex, Evanston Boxing Club and East Bank Club–offer specific white-collar boxing training and paths to matches, but the trend continues to grow, local trainers and boxers said.
Garcia said the popularity of boxing has been boosted by the release of films such as “Million Dollar Baby” and “Cinderella Man.” Both showed how disciplined boxers need to be and how fit they can get, he said.
“I had women come in here specifically saying they wanted to be defined like Hilary Swank,” Garcia said of “Million Dollar Baby.” “And then, sometimes, they’d want to move on and get in the ring.”
Joe Kaehn, who spent 25 years coaching professional fighters, has moved from working mainly with pros to training white-collar boxers at Old Town Fit Plex. A number of the roughly 12 to 14 team members are professionals, some with advanced degrees who enjoy the competitive spirit of the sport, Kaehn said.
Boxing competitively also can improve workplace performance, local fighters said.
“I am more strategic and stronger about the decisions I make,” Castaneda said. “It’s beyond a physical transformation. Boxing is mental.”
The training also helps with self defense.
“I feel confident that if I needed to, I could get a couple of good licks on if someone were to attack me,” Brumant said. That’s not to say that she doesn’t sometimes get bumps and bruises that raise questions from clients.
“I’ve never had a black eye, but I have had to limp around before or had a visible bruise,” Brumant said.
Molinaro, too, has taken it on the chin–literally. “I’ve also gotten a tender nose on occasion,” Molinaro said.
Castaneda has been luckier.
“I’ve not gotten injured boxing,” he said. “Though I did get hurt running once. With a good defense, you are very safe. And there’s no better workout.”
WANT TO JOIN THE FIGHT CLUB?
One investment banker-turned-boxing enthusiast can tell you how to do it. John Oden, a money manager in New York, chronicled his transformation from an out-of-shape executive to an internationally respected fighter in “White Collar Boxing: One Man’s Journey from the Office to the Ring.”
RedEye picked Oden’s boxing brain for tips on enjoying the sport while avoiding injuries:
– Select a good trainer. Oden said good trainers make sure their fighters are skilled at defense and are well protected by headgear, protective cups and thickly padded gloves.
– Follow a fitness regimen. “Boxing takes dedication,” Oden said. “You have to be mentally prepared, focused and disciplined.” Oden achieves that balance by running, lifting weights and eating properly to keep in shape for the demanding sport.
– Meet your match. Oden–who describes his age as the “dark side of 50”–said he’s beaten opponents 20 pounds heavier and younger than he is, but it’s important that you get matched up with a fighter near your weight and experience level. This goes double for sparring partners during practice.
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