In early 2007 Bloomberg published this little story:
Boxing Bankers Pummel Each Other for Fun at London Fight Club
By Julia Werdigier
Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) — David Peters, a Swiss-franc swap broker at Tullett Prebon, casts off his suit and dons red silk trunks, a white jersey and red boxing gloves. The transformation to “Mad Dave” complete, he prepares to take on Scott “The Guvner” Gleed, a health and safety officer.The same evening, at a makeshift arena under a railway bridge at London’s Liverpool Street station, financial adviser Jon “Robo” Cobb challenges accountant Alan “The Amazing” Fitzgerald, and Jamie “No-Nonsense” Spence, a broker, throws punches at trader Mehmet “The Basha” Pasha.
“It’s a massive adrenaline rush,” says Peters, 42, who started boxing two years ago and fights every two months. “I’m always scared to death before getting into the ring, but then it’s fantastic.”
“White-collar boxing” has become so popular in London’s financial district that The Real Fight Club, the first to stage such matches in the city, now has about 1,000 members and will open a gym behind Societe Generale SA’s offices on Jan. 29. Rival Cityboxer.com has attracted about 300 fighters in the past year.
Fast forward three years and boxing’s been swapped for martial arts.
London’s been switched for New York.
But — most important of all — “fun” has been switched to “stress” :
Bankers Enter ‘Dungeon of Pain’ to Cut Stress in Ultimate Fight
By Kristen Haunss
Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) — A black eye or row of stitches may grace John Cholish’s face when he meets with wealth-management clients at Merrill Lynch & Co.Those injuries occur after Cholish, 26, leaves his midtown Manhattan office and heads for the gym. He spends a couple of hours most evenings at the Renzo Gracie Academy on West 30th Street, kicking, throwing punches and tackling opponents, as they train to compete in mixed martial arts.
“We get a lot of finance guys,” said Max McGarr, the gym’s program director and a professional fighter. “It’s a good release from their job. If you lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, it’s good to come here and get it out.”
Mixed martial arts is a contact sport combining aspects of wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, grappling, ground fighting, muay thai and other techniques, Cholish said.
How times have changed.
At least for the bankers. Not so much Bloomberg story structure.
Related link:
The eight rules of Fight Club – YouTube