'Those not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” A little bit of wisdom from the late and great Muhammad Ali.

And on the week of a major corporate boxing event here in Tauranga, the promoter Chris Walker is promoting that sentiment.

'I salute people stepping outside their comfort zone and into the corporate boxing ring in front of a big crowd,” says Chris. 'It takes a bit of courage.”

It also takes sound planning, sound advice and direction in the fighter's corner and a myriad of safety precautions.

'But it's interesting that the sport of boxing seems to get beaten up every time something controversial happens,” says Chris. He laughs about it, even when it involves a boxing festival like tomorrow night's charity corporate challenge.

He's reflecting on a corporate boxing incident in Hamilton last month, when 49-year-old Neville Knight collapsed and died in the ring. 'It was a heart attack,” confirmed Knight's trainer Dion McNabney, owner of Nabby's Boxing Gym at Te Rapa this week. 'He didn't even take a shot, you can't blame boxing for that.”

'And what do you do? Put an age cap on all sports, bowls and golf and golden oldie rugby?”

'And let's not forget every 90 minutes someone, somewhere in New Zealand, dies from cardiac arrest,” says Chris, also of TGA BOX health and Fitness. The Hamilton incident was a medical episode not a boxing one – and he says it's not an indictment of boxing.

Tomorrow night's big event Clash of the Corporates at Tauranga's Memorial Hall QE11 on 11th Ave is billed as 'an exhilarating night where you will be entertained by businesspeople going head-to-head during three two-minute rounds – a fabulous spectacle and a wonderful night of entertainment”.

Corporate boxing has been around for years. 'They call it white collar boxing in the United Kingdom,” says Chris.

It was popularised in New Zealand by Duco Event's Fight for Life promotion, where sporting celebrities slug it out. Now there are about 90 corporate boxing events each year in New Zealand. It's very popular.

'To be fair, it's only three two-minute rounds and they're wearing massive 16 ounce puffball gloves – twice the size of professional fight glove.

'It really reduces the impact of a punch,” says Chris. They're also wearing headgear, mouth guards and groin guards.

Chris is a qualified coach with more 25 years' competitive and coaching experience. And he insists you need appropriate people on board for corporate boxing events like qualified boxing coaches, like himself.

His only concern about some shows is unqualified personal trainers jump aboard and pop up in the corner of the ring to train people. 'That's where the danger might be.”

'We match up fighters on weight and ability and we do bootcamps leading into an event. And when you have been doing it as long as I have, you are a good gauge of abilities.”

How would he vet this reporter, if I chose to fight?

'If you decided to play golden oldies rugby this weekend, who would vet you for that?” asks Chris. 'Are you fit enough? Is your training up to spec? Are you in the shape you need to be to play a physical contact sport?”

Corporate boxing, he suggests, is way ahead of the game.

'Our fighters will have been properly trained and prepared by a qualified coach and you will matched with an opponent with similar experience, weight and ability.

'They are subjected to a pre-fight medical, a blood zoology test and there's a doctor ringside for the entire night. The precautions are pretty intense. What other contact sport goes through that process?”

And to be fair to boxing, Chris says it's pretty safe.

'Look I have been in the game for a long time and I can assure you if everything is done correctly, it's pretty safe.” Chris loves the sport, as does his daughter. 'I wouldn't let her in the ring if I was the slightest bit concerned.”

The billboard is promising that the 'clash of the corporates will be a fabulous sporting spectacle…a wonderful night of entertainment” at memorial hall tomorrow night. 'It's certainly drawing more people to the sport.”

A previous TGA Box corporate boxing co-promotion in Tauranga raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity. This one's for youth and amateur boxing.

Pre-sale tickets to Clash of the Corporates tomorrow night at Tauranga's Memorial Hall QE11 cost $35 from TGA Box. Or call 07 578 0788 for more information. Doors open 5pm, the show starts 5.30pm.