From Rookie to Rocky? On Modernity, Identity and White-Collar Boxing Edward John Wright, BA (Hons), MSc, MA Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. September, 2017 Abstract This thesis is the first sociological examination of white-collar boxing in the UK; a form of the sport particular to late modernity. Given this, the first research question asked is: what is white-collar boxing in this context? Further research questions pertain to social divisions and identity. White- collar boxing originally takes its name from the high social class of its practitioners in the USA, something which is not found in this study. White- collar boxing in and through this research is identified as a practice with a highly misleading title, given that those involved are not primarily from white-collar backgrounds. Rather than signifying the social class of practitioner, white-collar boxing is understood to pertain to a form of the sport in which complete beginners participate in an eight-week boxing course, in order to compete in a publicly-held, full-contact boxing match in a glamorous location in front of a large crowd. It is, thus, a condensed reproduction of the long-term career of the professional boxer, commodified for consumption by others. These courses are understood by those involved to be free in monetary terms, and undertaken to raise money for charity. As is evidenced in this research, neither is straightforwardly the case, and white-collar boxing can, instead, be understood as a philanthrocapitalist arrangement. The study involves ethnographic observation and interviews at a boxing club in the Midlands, as well as public weigh-ins and fight nights, to explore the complex interrelationships amongst class, gender and ethnicity to reveal the negotiation of identity in late modernity. 2 Acknowledgements Melanie Jordan and John Holmwood are the best supervisors one could hope for. Both Mel and John were incredibly supportive, understanding and insightful, and recurrently went far beyond the call of their supervisory duties. I cannot thank them enough. Amal Treacher Kabesh and Andrew Yip, who successively held the position of director of doctoral studies in the school of Sociology and Social Policy, should be thanked for their great work in terms of overseeing and supporting the PhD community. Alison Haigh was the very best PGR administrator. It is a great loss to the University that she has retired. The sociology PhD community deserve thanks for their friendship and collegial support. Macarena Orchard deserves a special mention here, especially for the many theoretically-rich chats we have had (Maca provided the theoretical richness). I am grateful to the ESRC for funding this research. A massive thanks to those who participated in this study. White-collar boxing courses are highly demanding, least of all with a researcher asking for time and attention. I am very grateful that you allowed me to conduct this research. Thanks to Liz Warwick, for amongst other things, supplying me with a PhD survival kit in the form of a hamper filled with delicious snacks. Judith, Alan and Bill Wright have been highly supportive throughout this thesis, and indeed throughout my life. RIP Tinker Wright, to whom this thesis is dedicated. Finally, Lisa Warwick, my wonderful partner, deserves more thanks than can be expressed in words. Lisa gave me the strength to finish this thesis, all whilst doing her own PhD and, following this, working in an incredibly tough research environment. Yo Lisa! We did it! 3 Contents Abstract 2 Acknowledgements 3 Contents 4 1. Introduction 9 1.1 The Treachery of Images 9 1.2 Motivations for this Study 10 1.3 Research Aims and Questions 13 1.4 Thesis Outline 13 2. What is Boxing? 17 2.1 Introduction 17 2.2 Professional Boxing 18 2.3 Amateur Boxing 22 2.4 Unlicensed Boxing 24 2.5 Recreational Boxing 25 2.6 White-Collar Boxing 27 2.7 Conclusion 31 3. White-Collar Boxing and Social Divisions 33 3.1 Introduction 33 3.2 Boxing and Social Class 34 3.2.1 Bourdieu’s Theory of Class 34 3.2.2 Boxing, Class and Taste 35 3.2.3 Boxing as a Career 37 3.2.4 White-Collar Boxing and Social Class 39 3.3 White-Collar Boxing and Gender 42 3.3.1 Sport, Boxing and Gender 42 3.3.2 Boxing, Gender and Embodiment 43 4 3.3.3 Gender, Boxing and Late Modernity 45 3.4 Boxing and Race 48 3.5 Conclusion 53 4. Methodology 54 4.1 Introduction 54 4.2 Philosophical Underpinnings 55 4.2.1 Ontology and Epistemology 55 4.2.2 Objectivism and Constructionism 56 4.2.2.1 Constructionism 57 4.2.2.2 Interpretivism 59 4.2.2.3 Qualitative Research 60 4.3 Research Methods and Data Collection 61 4.3.1 Ethnography 61 4.3.2 Participant Observer/Observing Participant 62 4.3.3 Ethnographic Field Notes 63 4.3.4 Interviews 64 4.3.4.1 Life History Interviews 65 4.3.5 Questionnaire 67 4.3.6 Ceasing Data Collection 68 4.4 Sampling 69 4.4.1 Opportunity Sampling 69 4.4.2 Purposive Sampling 70 4.5 Reflexivity and Data Analysis 72 4.5.1 Reflexivity 72 4.5.2 Data Analysis 74 4.6 Ethics 75 4.6.1 Physical Harm 76 4.6.2 Confidentiality and Anonymity 79 4.7 Conclusion 80 5. Welcome to Shadcote Boxing Club 82 5 5.1 Introduction 82 5.2 Locating Shadcote Boxing Club 82 5.3 Stepping into Shadcote Boxing Club 83 5.4 Shadcote Boxing Club Timetable 87 5.5 The Social Categories of Shadcote Boxing Club 88 5.5.1 Staff 88 5.5.2 Club Lads 89 5.5.3 White-Collars 89 5.5.4 Girls 90 5.5.5 Eastern Europeans 90 5.6 White-Collar Boxing: Sketching the Process 91 5.6.1 Signing Up 91 5.6.2 The Introductory Meeting 92 5.6.3 Training 94 5.6.4 The Weigh-in 97 5.6.5 Fight Night 98 5.6.6 Theoretical Reflections on this Sketch 98 5.7 The Political Economy of White-Collar Boxing 100 5.7.1 Situating White-Collar Boxing within the Wider Boxing Economy 100 5.7.1.1 White-Collar Boxing, Recreational Boxing and Unlicensed Boxing 100 5.7.2 White-Collar Boxing: A Philanthrocapitalist Arrangement 106 5.8 Conclusion 111 6. On White-Collar Boxing and Social Class 113 6.1 Introduction 113 6.2 The Meaning of White-Collar at Shadcote 113 6.3 Social Class of White-Collar Boxers 118 6.3.1 Positioning White-Collar Boxers in Social Space 118 6.3.2 Qualitative Indicators of Social Class 124 6 6.3.3 Why is White-Collar Boxing called White-Collar Boxing? 127 6.4 The Plurality of the White-Collar Boxing Consumption Experience 129 6.5 Conclusion 135 7. Sparring 137 7.1 Introduction 137 7.2 What is Sparring? 138 7.3 Women 141 7.4 White-Collar Lads 146 7.5 Eastern European Lads 152 7.6 Sparring as a Production Process 160 7.7 Conclusion 164 8. Weigh-in 166 8.1 Introduction 166 8.2 Professional Boxing Weigh-ins 167 8.3 White-Collar Boxing Weigh-ins 171 8.3.1 The Order of Events of White-Collar Weigh-ins 171 8.3.2 Weigh-ins where Weight does not Matter 172 8.4 The White-Collar Weigh-in as Ritual 174 8.4.1 Revelation 176 8.4.2 Becoming the Bomber? 179 8.4.3 Staging the Subjunctive 182 8.5 Women, White-Collar Weigh-ins, and Sincerity 184 8.6 Anxiety in the Presence of Fight Night 188 9. Fight night - From the Midlands to Las Vegas? 194 9.1 Introduction 194 9.2 Methodological Prelude 194 9.3 Professional Boxing Events 196 9.4 Arriving at the Venue 200 9.5 Backstage 201 9.6 The Crowd 204 7 9.7 Warming Up 206 9.7.1 Getting Dressed for Action 207 9.7.2 Hitting the Pads 210 9.8 Ring Walk 212 9.8.1 Ring Girls 214 9.8.2 Ring Names 216 9.8.3 Ring Music 217 9.9 Fight 222 9.10 And the Winner is… 226 9.11 Back to the Midlands 232 10. Conclusion 235 10.1 Introduction 235 10.2 Contributions to Knowledge 236 10.2.1 Research question one: What is white-collar boxing? 236 10.2.2 Research question two: How do social divisions co-ordinate practice in white-collar boxing? 238 10.2.3 Research question three: What can white-collar boxing contribute to the understanding of the construction of identity in late modernity? 242 10.3 Possibilities for future research 247 10.4 Final Remarks 249 Bibliography 251 8 1. Introduction It can be said that the first wisdom of sociology is this – things are not what they seem. (Berger, 1963: 34) 1.1 The Treachery of Images It is well-rehearsed that sociology should be concerned with making the familiar strange (Mills, 2000; Bauman and May, 2001). This thesis is however charged with making the strange familiar, in order to then make it strange again. There is little existing scholarship on white-collar boxing, compared to its better-established counterparts, particularly amateur and professional boxing. Moreover, the minimal scholarship that does exist on white-collar boxing (Trimbur, 2013) does not reflect the same kind of white- collar boxing studied in this research. Far from it, as this thesis will establish, they are effectively different practices that share a name.