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American Morning

Boxing Has Taken on Whole New Appeal For Few Intrepid White Collars

Aired April 10, 2002 - 09:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Back in my day, boxing was considered a blue-collar sport for those in the ring and those outside of the ring as well. But lately, it's taken on a whole new appeal for a few intrepid white collars as well.

CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on a course that packs a punch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Imagine putting on the gloves and stepping in the ring, especially if your only previous boxing experience involved the kind you pack.

(on camera): You have any femininity issues with boxing. You're not worried some think you'll look like a guy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Do you think I look like guy?

MOOS: No, no, no.

(voice-over): Forget all those tough guys you see in boxing films like "Raging Bull" and "Rocky." you're about to enter the world of white-collar boxing, featuring professionals ranging from an architect to an actor. Maybe you've seen Isaiah Whitlock in shows like "Law & Order."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISAIAH WHITLOCK, ACTOR: I killed these boys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: Around here, he calls himself kid chocolate. And in this corner, a tall, skinny comedian best known to viewers of "The Daily Show."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART: You're freaking me out, Mo.

MO ROCCA: Am I, John?

(END VIDEO CLIP) MOOS: Mo Rocca vs. a guy who writes a sex advice column.

(on camera): "I chew condoms; I just chew them like gum."

Do you remember how you answered this guy?

MOOS (voice-over): Makes boxing seem painless.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is so adverse to anything I've ever done before. I'm more of a yoga guy. The first time I hit somebody, I apologized.

MOOS: White-collar boxing attracts all kinds.

(on camera): Who's your opponent now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The clown guy.

MOOS: What's the deal with him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't ask me. I was certainly was not expecting that.

MOOS: Nor was he expecting this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could time his punches with a calendar; that's how slow they are.

MOOS: John Rosado runs the boxing studio here at Chelsea Piers, a three-month course culminating in this exhibition.

JOHN ROSADO: There you go. Feels good to get hit once in a while.

MOOS (on camera): How do you figure?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It Smartens you up a little bit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I like about it is that you feel like a stallion, that it's all about you. You're rubbed, you're given water.

MOOS (voice-over): Well, actually, PR consultant Gina Sorice had her contact lens knocked out and her nose bloodied by this accountant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do numbers and then I trade punches.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yours was the bloodiest battle of the night, with your cameraman.

(voice-over): Cameraman Mike Gittelman fell off the edge of the ring while shooting. He ended up with seven stitches on his head and an injured knee. One thing these white collars haven't mastered is trash-talking their opponents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a big drooler. Whenever he puts his mouthpiece in.

MOOS: Not exactly Mike Tyson.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm having your ear for dinner, I'm telling you that right.

MOOS: Remember the movie "White Men Can't Jump?" The question is, can white collars punch?

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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