Fight night set to be a knockout

Business heavyweight Richard Skerritt will be looking to roll with the punches when he steps into the ring in front of more than 400 business contacts for his first ever amateur fight on Saturday 13 August.

The wealth manager will be looking to show his killer instinct as he puts his body on the line to raise £50,000 for Action Medical Research for Children. At 6ft 5ins and with a long reach to match, Richard looks built for boxing but he is still looking to shed 20lbs in time for the fight, by abstaining from alcohol and following a strict diet.

The black tie fight night will take place at The Grand Brighton and is being organised by Sol Gilbert, owner of the Underground Gym. Sol is a former Mixed Martial Arts fighter who now puts Richard through his paces three times a week.

“Getting to his gym for 7am and then getting punched and shouted at for an hour must say something about my personality. But I love it and have never felt fitter,” says Richard. “I will find this very tough. But I am determined to stick with it and do my best for this amazing charity.”

The head of Skerritts Chartered Financial Planners in Hove and London, Richard’s boxing bout will be a taster for five high-standard amateur bouts later in the evening. “I will be nervous, so am keen to get my fight over with as swiftly as possible. Then I can relax, enjoy the evening and have my first pint for eight weeks,” he says.

Richard will be stepping into the ring to face Title Sussex’s very own Matt Ryan, who has also begun training with Sol, and is enjoying the preparation in the lead up to the fight. “I started to get out of shape so it seemed like good motivation; there’s nothing like not getting beaten to stimulate a bit of exercise,” he laughs.

“The exercise has been a bit of a shock to the system but the hardest bit has been the diet; giving up fizzy drinks and cheese and eating a much more controlled diet. But in a month I have reduced my body fat from 23% to 13%, which is incredible.“

Richard and Matt may well be going head-to-head on the big night and Richard, whose wealth management advisors look after 27,000 clients and investments of £700 million, is well aware of why people are coming to see him fight.

“My clients and friends will be lining up to see me getting punched in the face. Once my fight is over, I will get my revenge by trying to extract as much money out of them as possible. There will be nowhere to hide,” he jokes.

If you would like more information on the August 13 boxing fund-raiser, or to book a table at the event, please email louise@skerritts.co.uk