Fight Club: Insight reveals the men who know how to use their fists

THESE men really know how to use their fists. They are part of the real fight club, but it’s not what you think.

THEY are a group of men who know how to use their fists.

They come from very different backgrounds and walks of life but all have one thing in common — knowing when to use their fists and when to walk away.

Welcome to the real fight club.

The men, who will appear on Insight on SBS tonight to discuss why some men fight, agree fighting gives them an adrenalin rush.

But they also say fighting in a controlled environment helps channel their anger and provides a sense of discipline, giving them the power to walk away.

The program explores where the urge to fight comes from and how men who fight set their boundaries. It comes after Daniel Christie’s death from a coward punch in Sydney’s King’s Cross on New Year’s Eve, and the introduction of the ‘one punch’ law in NSW.

Melbourne senior business manager Paul Diacogiorgis always had an interest in fitness, but it wasn’t until he joined Executive Fight Club (EFC) last year that he found out what using his fists was really all about.

News_Image_File: Paul Diacogiorgis did an eight-week training program where he was taught all the rules and moves of fighting. Picture: Screengrab/SBS

And it isn’t anything like what Brad Pitt and Edward Norton portray in the hit 1999 film Fight Club where organised violence and chaos take place in secret.

Mr Diacogiorgis is the first to admit he’s never been a fighter, but does loves the rush that fighting provides.

Executive Fight Club, as the name suggests, caters for white-collared workers who get together in the ring to fight.

Participants who sign up for the eight-week challenge train and are taught techniques from scratch before punching it out in front of family and friends.

“You’ve got a lot of adrenalin coursing through your system,” Mr Diacogiorgis said. “It’s very instinctive.”

News_Image_File: Paul Diacogiorgis said fighting was challenging but gave him a great sense of discipline. Picture: Screengrab/SBS

The 35-year-old comes from a loving family and has never felt the need to fight, not even on the footy field.

“As I’ve gotten older I started looking for new ways to get fit,” he told news.com.au. “I had heard about EFC a while back so just took the plunge and decided to do it.”

Mr Diacogiorgis said the fights were conducted in a safe environment with back to basics training with participants paired up with partners of equal weight and ability.

“It’s no backyard operation,” he said. “It’s done in a controlled environment and no one is from a professional background.”

News_Image_File: Paul Diacogiorgis, left, in a round during an Executive Fight Club match. Picture: Screengrab/SBS

Mr Diacogiorgis, who had his first bout a few weeks back, said it was intimidating being in the ring but the experience made him more determined to improve his fitness and fighting ability.

Queensland man Joe “Butterbean” Sweeney, on the other hand, grew up having to use his fits and has had “about 2000” street fights since taking up fighting at the age of 10.

He admits on the show he gained a reputation for being a “scary” street fighter, with stints in jail and a 13cm scar on his back to show for it.

But his life changed when he joined the troupe for Fred Brophy’s travelling boxing tent in 2008 as it taught him self-control and meant he doesn’t “get angry anymore”.

Mixed Martial Arts fighter and Brazilian-born Marcelo “Machine” Altieri and Muay Thai fighter Simon “Mayhem” Maaiit, who also appear on the show, say even the most violent fights are about respect.

News_Rich_Media: Paea Wolfgramm won silver for Tonga in super Heavyweight boxing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He thinks 'one punch' hits are cowardly and don't reflect the true nature of a fighter. Courtesy: SBS

Both say they are more confident, respectful and calmer channelling their aggression in a controlled environment.

Maaiit, who had a rough childhood and got into a lot of scraps, says that Mixed Martial Arts gave him discipline and now he only ever walks away from street fights.

Johnny Nguyen, who was in a Vietnamese gang in Sydney’s Cabramatta from the age of 15, got into violent fights regularly — either to exact revenge or just because someone looked at him the wrong way.

But now he will tell the show how that life is behind him following a chance encounter four years ago.

All men agree that while fighting can have its health benefits and help with stress it should never be confused with senseless street violence.

News_Rich_Media: Why do some men fight? Where does the urge to land a blow come from? An all-male audience discusses whether fighting is just 'macho nonsense'. Courtesy: SBS

Fight Club will feature on Insight tonight at 8.30pm on SBS ONE.

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