With only three weeks to go until his first-ever competitive fight inside a boxing ring, 44-year-old white-collar contender Mike Djonlic’s co-workers are right behind
him. Even Abhijit Dutta, a business analyst who shares the water cooler at Mike’s downtown Vancouver office, is intrigued, having never met “an actual boxer†before. Especially not one “with a well-structured face that has not been broken yet.†Training has its ups and downs, however, and sparring can teach a painful lesson. In the ring with a lawyer at Contenders Boxing Studio, the site of June 11’s White-Collar Fight Night, Mike took a punch in the mid-section that left him flat on his back and gasping. “I got caught right below the ribs with a good body shot,†he explained. “That’s an area I need to work on. My core … it’s a little soft right now.†“A lot of it’s getting used to shots like that. I think if I got hit like that more regularly …†To get punched in the stomach more often. Ah yes, ’tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. To find out if that and other dreams come true, tune into the third instalment of The White Collar Contender at www.vancouversun.com.
— Andrew Weichel and Nicholas Read