Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2013

Last November, 16 first-time fighters stepped into the ring for Executive Fight Night, a Vegas-style black-tie boxing event in one of Tokyo’s luxury hotel ballrooms. With 450-plus spectators packed in, the event raised ¥5 million for charity.

This year, 14 fighters will square off in the second edition, to be featured on TV show Fox’s Backstage Pass. All money raised from a charity auction and raffle will be going to Refugees International Japan, an independent NPO dedicated to assisting those displaced as a result of war and conflict.

The fighters, like their predecessors, will train for 12 weeks with Club 360 owner and trainer Nathan Schmid and former K1 and MMA fighter Jan Kaszuba. Their task: To build up the stamina and boxing skills to survive three two-minute rounds on the night. Find out how they deal with their early-morning Rocky workouts and hone their killer instincts on their blogs.

Ringside seating is already sold out, but rope-a-dope over to the Ginja Ninjas’ website and snap up a Gold Seat (¥33,000), or a Gold Table (¥300,000).

Executive Fight Night II @ Grand Hyatt Tokyo Ballroom, May 24. http://ginjaninjas.com