A selection of the leisure industry's finest swapped the stair master, aerobics studio and back office for the boxing ring, as they took part in the inaugural GLL White Collar Boxing Challenge.

The novice boxers, all of whom work within the leisure industry, had the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of sporting champions Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn and Lennox Lewis, as they took to the ring at historic York Hall in London's Bethnal Green.

The site was recently voted the world's 6th best boxing venue by Boxing News magazine, alongside other greats such as Madison Square Gardens and Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The contestants none of whom had any previous boxing experience underwent a rigorous training regime which kicked off in June 2010. They took part in refereed bouts of three, two minute rounds, boxing with 16 ounce gloves, in front of an audience of more than 400 punters.

White collar boxer, Claire Ruocco who's day job is as a community development officer commented, "The highlight of the night was walking out to my entrance song with 400 work colleagues cheering me into the ring, it was electric! I spent six months training for fight. I was part of a group that met twice a week and I also trained at a local boxing gym and at home. I found it as much a mental challenge as a physical one, but despite the nerves it was a total buzz and I loved every minute of it."

York Hall Service Manager and event organiser, Karen Stevenson, commented, "White collar boxing is a fantastic, fun way to participate in a competitive sport while really testing yourself. Tonight the contenders' hard work and training work paid off. Boxing requires both aerobic and anaerobic fitness coupled with real focus and concentration, but the buzz of stepping through the ropes at a globally recognised venue is second to none."

White collar boxing first came to prominence in mid-1990s in New York. More recently a white collar boxing match was featured as the dramatic finale for reality TV series The Only Way is Essex.

York Hall has a long history as a boxing venue stretching back to the 1920s. It has been the location of many international boxing bouts and the backdrop for numerous film and TV shoots. More recently the venue has diversified and is now accessible for a range of functions including glitzy dinner shows.