Hong Kong's boxing bankers let the punches fly

HONG KONG (Reuters Life!) - Hong Kong's bankers took their fight from the trading room to the boxing ring, swapping their suits for satin shorts to slug it out for charity.

A dozen investment bankers and fund managers from global financiers such as Merrill Lynch and HSBC trained for six months for the honor of knocking out their rivals at the black-tie Hedge Fund Fight Night earlier this week, which raised more than $150,000 for a children's charity.

More than 500 people attended the event, cheering and jeering the men who staggered back to their seats after each bout to take instructions from their coaches.

"I had a bit of wobble, a bit of haze in the eyes," said 37-year-old Toby Bland of EIP Hedge Fund after winning a fight against a fellow banker.

"The big hits you don't even feel because the adrenalin's so high, so you just sort of hope the legs don't go, and carry on."

One fighter had to surrender in the second round after his contact lens fell on the floor. He could not get it back into his eyes due to his sweating, trembling hands.

Some bankers sworn off boxing for life, but most of the participants said they felt elated after the fight.

"It's a lot of small injuries that just nag at you," said Greg "Bulldog" Jacobson, 44, of Countrywide Financial Corp.

"But you feel good after a while and as your stamina builds up and you start feeling a little more comfortable with the impact and the contact you feel exhilarated by it."

(Reporting by Tara Joseph, editing by Miral Fahmy)