White Collar Boxing

JW and JJ were in China  (JW in Xian for 7 days while JJ was in Shanghai for 10 days). Dad had taken a week off so it was one of those rare occasions when mum and dad were alone without the kids. Plans to go to Bangkok, Malaysia and even Macau did not materialise (couldn't get tickets at the last minute, too expensive, etc, etc) so we just stayed in Hong Kong.

Not a bad idea after all since we have not really explored Hong Kong or enjoyed simple weekday activities together. Simple things like long relaxing lunches, going to the movies....

The highlight of the week for me was the White Collar Boxing event (and the Hong Kong Sevens - another great event synonymous with Hong Kong) And that's the thing about Hong Kong. There are so many interesting events here that we don't get in Singapore.

A charity event, the White Collar Boxing is organised by and for the financial industry. It is a black-tie event where working professionals - brokers, traders, etc, from the financial industry train for months to fight for one night. Mind you, this wasn't just some fun and entertainment where everyone's there just for the food and socialising. These boxers take the event very seriously and have to be fighting fit on the day itself. We heard that one guy had to withdraw from the fight as he had broken six ribs while training!

With a ringside seat, I had full view of all the action. The evening was adrenalin-charged and the fights were as good as any professional fights I've watched on TV. There was blood (really, really), sweat and a lot of cheering (and jeering too, of course).


To further raise money for the beneficiary, the Children's Surgical Centre in Cambodia, a live auction was also held. So you had items like a signed limited edition of the exact replica of the ice axe used by Sir Edmund Hillary when he conquered Mount Everest, Usain Bolt's personally signed Golden Puma running spike as well as a Fender electric guitar signed by the 2 surviving members of the greatest band of all time, Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. There was even a Barack Obama signed book "The Audacity of Hope" framed with a US Presidential Seal. An incredible item of the World's most powerful man which sadly received a rather low bid.


But what is boxing without some form of betting, right? To make it befitting of a professional event, each table made their predictions on the winner of each bout (7 in all) before the fights started. Each person contributed HK$200 to take part. The table that had the highest number of correct predictions would take the pool money. The total at stake was about HK$50,000.


How did our table fare? Miserably, to say the least. We only got 2 out of 7 right :(. Four tables eventually tied for the pool money so lots were drawn. But the joy of winning soon dissipated, I think, when the winning table was asked if they wanted to donate their winnings. Could they possible say no when this was a charity event?


So we lost HK$400 in total. But it's OK, it's for charity after all. And a small price to pay considering the enjoyable experience and the memories I'll bring back to Singapore.
 
All in all, what a week! So, what will it be next, Hong Kong?