Clocking out, punching in

Jackie Zhang, who works in sports equipment marketing, trains in Shanghai. Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn

White-collars, black eyes

Beijing's fight club

Video: White collar boxing China

Apart from catering to the natural bloodlust that floats like a raincloud above one of the world's most competitive cities and stings like a poached taxi, WCB underscores the edginess that defines the Bund’s nightlife: "Pervert parties" at Cirque le Soir, jungle-themed shindigs at Bar Rouge, and more exotic Russian dancers than you can spray a bottle of Cristal over.

"In Shanghai it's become an event to see and be seen at, a fashion fiasco," says Londoner Shane Benis, who also organizes similar events in Beijing, Macao and Taipei as the head of China Sports Promotions. "People get ridiculously pimp suits and ball gowns made."

The consensual view is that WCB grew out of Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, New York in the mid-90s and migrated over the Atlantic to London before being picked up later in Asian financial hubs like Singapore.

This makes perfect sense. Malay-Singaporeans have been chomping at the bit to hit Western bankers with impunity since wealthy expat and Crossinvest Asia wealth manager Anton Casey went on a Facebook rant mocking poor people in the island state in January.

But due to its unlicensed nature, WCB has invoked the wrath of certain boxing bodies. The Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) refuses to endorse it, while a spokesperson for the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) went on record last year calling it "crazy" and "dangerous." "We don't want anything to do with it," he added.