Managers step into the ring for CEO Boxing

Vojtěch Steiner, 41, can usually be found in expensive suits, befitting the owner of Adam Steiner, his family's tailored-suit business, which has counted both Václav Klaus and Václav Havel as clients and has been present in central Prague since the 1930s.

On May 30, he wore headgear, knee pads, boxing gloves and the handle "The Beast" to fight against Armen "The Mighty" Argasyan, a private entrepreneur, in a kickboxing match that became so aggressive the opponents ignored the referee's efforts to slow the fight, which had to be called off before the bouts were through.

"My trainers told me to go 100 percent, and that's what everyone did," Steiner said after the match, sitting in a back room at Delroy's Gym in Smíchov. "It's a strange balance to try and not hurt the other guy when you can see in his eyes that he wants to hurt you."

Argasyan "doesn't like interviews" and declined a post-match comment.

The match was part of the inaugural CEO/White Collar Fight Club put on by gym owner and martial arts trainer Delroy Scarlett, which included seven matches of either traditional boxing or kickboxing between office workers over the age of 30 who have no professional fighting experience.

"We thought it would be a small, private show with these guys from companies that could network," said Scarlett, who refereed the fights and expressed surprise at both the audience turnout and fighters' enthusiasm. "They listen in training, but you get the audience and the adrenaline, and they forget about 60 percent of the discipline," he laughed.

The fictional Fight Club made famous by Chuck Palahniuk and Brad Pitt was a much bloodier affair - held in basements, kept secret and engaged in without pads, gloves or mercy. But the motivation, if not the resulting injuries, could be the same for the Delroy's event, as office workers, frustrated by paperwork, meetings and corporate etiquette, seek a more primal outlet. Similar bouts, billed as white-collar boxing, have grown in popularity in the United States and the United Kingdom with professionals who either want to add an edge to their workout or are wooed by the street fighter alter-ego personified by Pitt.

"My clients have no idea I do this," said Steiner, who began practicing judo when he was young and took up kickboxing at Delroy's five years ago.

'No broken bones'

Scarlett, who keeps his clients' well-being as a priority, kept the matches as controlled and friendly as possible, reminding several competitors before the matches that come "Monday morning, you've got work, so no broken noses, no broken bones."

Both Scarlett and friend and trainer Luther Jones, a New York native in Prague for two years in sports development, yelled during the bouts for fighters to "jab and move," encouraging technique over pure aggression.

"I told them to keep it at 30 percent," Jones said, adding that some of the participants were fighting at "about 110 percent" after getting caught up in the adrenaline rush of a live match. "This is meant to be an enjoyable event where people can work on technique. Go back to the olden days; it's the idea of the 'gentleman boxer' who practices it as an art form."

The competitors brought varying levels of training, though none had ever fought professionally - one of the requirements, along with a minimum age of 30 - and a "somewhat high position" in an office, according to Scarlett. Some participants had practiced different martial arts forms, but all had at least a couple of boxing sessions under their belts at Delroy's.

Spiritual side

David "Mean" Gerard, 38, an IT manager at HSBC bank in Prague, has practiced taekwondo for years, and spent three weeks leading up to his match converting the techniques to use in kickboxing. While his opponent was heavier on the punches, Gerard said he'd gladly do it again, given more time to train.

"It's good for people in these types of positions, because you're doing something quite competitive in business anyway. So, even if you're only sparring in class, it's a highly competitive environment and suits people with that mentality who don't mind taking a few knocks while they're getting in shape," he said.

The gym specializes in boxing, kickboxing and Thai boxing for both men and women. Scarlett, born in Jamaica, had a previous life as a professional boxer in New York City and studied Thai boxing in Thailand. When he opened his first gym in Prague in 1993, the sport was something of a novelty for the Czech Republic, but, since then, he's seen interest skyrocket at his own business. The sport is ideal for white-collar workers in high-stress work environments, fitting both their personalities and their need for an outlet, said Scarlett's wife and business partner Tereza.

"It shifts the concentration. You're running on a treadmill, and you're still thinking about work. In the ring, you can't do that; there's no space for work," she said.

Boxing and martial arts are not necessarily about aggression, and Steiner said he prefers the "spiritual" side of his practice, a sentiment he doesn't believe everyone shares, he admitted.

"I've never really fought like this. I'm really more into yoga and mediation, and they had to really push me to come here tonight. Unfortunately, not all the guys were into the spiritual side of this," he said.

Claire Compton can be reached at
ccompton@praguepost.com