A knockout body workout

Liu Anqi, center, trains at Princess Women's Boxing Club. Liu says boxing helps her relieve stress. [Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

The Briton also runs white-collar boxing events in Beijing and Shanghai through his other company CSP Events. He has arranged 20 events to date, with an average of 18 boxers participating in each event. "We always try to have at least one or two women's bouts at each event," he says.

Many women get into the sport because it has proven to be an effective way to lose weight. Because of the nature of the sport, boxing requires a great deal of cardiovascular activity, which makes for an excellent total body workout. Golden Gloves' website says customers will be "burning up to 1,000 calories per hour and building more muscle definition than any other workout in the shortest amount of time".

For others like undergraduate Liu Anqi and fashion editor Wang Kun, it is the mental aspect of boxing that has them hooked.

"When I practice, I just focus on my moves. All the other 'windows' are shut and that really helps to relieve stress," Liu says.

Wang, a fashion editor, says: "When practicing boxing you cannot think of work. Once you are distracted you might end up hitting your trainer." Wang signed up for classes after just one trial session.

To cater to the rising interest in the sport, private trainer Tai Yifu says that more and more gyms in Shanghai have started to offer boxing classes, many of which combine the Western style with other types such as Thai boxing and kick boxing.

Boxing can hardly be considered a popular sport in China, certainly not in the same league as basketball, badminton and table tennis.

It was not till 2004 that the country won its first Olympic boxing medal in Athens, courtesy of Zou Shiming, who went on to win two gold medals in the subsequent two editions.

Zou's exploits on the world stage, and the inclusion of women's boxing in the 2012 Olympics, are reasons for the elevated interest in the sport, says Gong Jing, the founder of Shanghai Princess Women's Boxing Club, the first women-only boxing club in China.