Chris Newbould
We spoke to a few of the White Collar DXB hopefuls as they tried out.
Victoria Gandit Lelandais, manager at Art Dubai
“The workout’s really hard but I was fine. It’s like chocolate. The more you taste the more you want. It was a shock when I felt that first punch in my stomach. I was like, ‘Eww – is that really happening?’ but I discovered I can punch back. I’m not a fighter. I work in the arts. I’m more into the creative side of things, but I’m quite a competitive person and that came out. Inside, I’m a bit of a tomboy, and I want that back a bit. You know, as a girl in Dubai you feel like you always have to act like a girl, so it’s really good to be able to show that in Dubai there are strong and confident women.”
Luke Hammond, supply-chain manager
“It’s a really good opportunity. It’s not something you get to do every day. I can probably get fitter than I’ve ever been. My wife’s a fitness instructor, so it would be nice to catch her up. I also thought it would be good for my children, showing them that you can actually take action and achieve something.”
Duncan Murray, operations director
“I wanted to take myself out of my comfort zone and do something that is ‘once in a lifetime’. Sort of a bucket-list thing I guess. It’s going to be hard. It doesn’t matter how fit or good you are, it’s still going to be hard. I’d kind of forgotten it was a TV show until I saw the cameras when I came in. I think it’ll do really well. Hopefully it’ll be massive.”
Morgan Tanner, business development manager
“I’m excited but very apprehensive at the same time. I’ve done the odd spinning class, but nothing this aggressive. It’s like, if I want to stop I can’t because there’s always someone telling you to keep going. I really want to push myself and see if I can do it. I’m not good at any sport – even though I work out, I’ve never been good at any sport. Maybe this could be the sport I’m good at.”
Aziz Madi, regulatory agent
“My boss said to me, ‘If you get through we’ll sponsor you.’ I’m 25 years old. Boxing is something you start when you’re young, so saying I might go on to be Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali might be a bit of an overstatement, but I think if I get into boxing over the next few weeks, I’ll probably take it on and keep going. Why not?”