Lives in a Landscape - Series 6 - City Fighters

In the second of Alan Dein's features reflecting the lives of widely differing groups of people across the country today, he catches up with two busy young men, Matt and Simon. Both have well-paid jobs in the City of London, but in recent months each has been training hard at a specialist boxing gym within sight of both the glass and steel towers of Broadgate and the cosier terraces of the old East End. Their goal is three hard-fought rounds of amateur so called 'white-collar' boxing in front of an enthusiastic and partisan audience in the very public arena of Kensington Town Hall. Neither fighter knows the other, and indeed all Matt has heard about Simon is that he's a southpaw. City lawyer Simon's trainer Darren reckons his boy will be a hard nut to crack, especially with his vicious left hand. But Matt's no pushover either. Because, unbeknownst to his opponent, before he joined a select firm of employment consultants, tall and hefty Matt was a top-flight professional rugby player. And bears the scars to prove it. With so-called 'white collar' amateur boxing enjoying something of a boom, on the big night there's a fair contingent of supporters from the office as well as family and best buddies cheering Matt and Simon on across the three 2-minute rounds... May the best man win. Producer: Paula McGinley.