Happily, that has been my experience, too.

That said there have been a couple of times where I looked in the mirror after sparring and thought, “I’m going to be fired or disciplined at work.” Other boxers don’t get this, but to white collar boxers this is probably the biggest fear. But fear not, I get away with boxing injuries and you will too.

I’m glad you’re mentioning this topic. I have talked with some of the guys about this. It’s a concern, to be sure. However, I also have to tell you that male colleagues, opposing counsel, and clients have invariably been really interested to find out that I box. (Women have been less receptive, for whatever reasons.) Thus, though I try to avoid injuries (for the sake of not getting hurt), even in a white-collar world, the occasional bruise has not caused me any problems, other than the occasional embarrassment.

4. People Do Notice Bruises On Boxer’s Faces - I have found this to be true so many times. If they don’t know I box, they either don’t notice small changes to my face or they don’t associate them with getting punched. Once I tell a coworker that I box, they notice every little abrasion.

Hah! So true! You have described my experience with those small marks. People who don’t know that I box don’t seem to notice and don’t say anything. Guys who do know that I box often give me some good-natured ribbing, saying things like, “Oh, I guess you came in second in your last bout…” or some such thing.

So if you can help it, don’t tell them you box. Additionally if you do have a job where coming in with a black eye is a potential firing offense, keeping your little hobby quiet opens up a wider range of explanations.

While I agree with you, from a practical, job-preserving perspective, I’m also a bit uncomfortable with keeping my little hobby quiet, as you suggest. I start to go into stealth mode. It’s like Fight Club.

Nevertheless, I can’t offer any reasonable alternative, so I’ll have to live with the cognitive dissonance for now.

Preparation H: Not Just for Hemroidal Swelling

Thanks for the tip. I had not heard about this before.

Glasses Hid Superman, They Hide Black Eyes Too

I’m covered there. An added benefit: for whatever reason, people don’t generally imagine guys who wear glasses as boxers. So if you’re operating in stealth mode, wearing your glasses, doing your geeky white-collar job, odds are very good that no one will suspect you of doing anything aggressive, much less of climbing into the ring and trading punches with a fellow who is trying to hit you a lot more than you can hit him. Hah! Little do they know!

I used to wear glasses and still have a pair lying around somewhere. I should get them fixed up with plain lenses!

No one at work got a clue I train boxing….I am a mild mannered geek, after all.

Great stuff Nerd of Steel, looking forward to the second installment!

P.S. I’ve heard of Prep H being used to remedy puffy eyes and dark circles under eyes after a big night out.

For instance about a year or so I was a media spokesperson for a global software company. If I had gotten a black eye at the wrong time I really could have been fired from that job.

-Nerd of Steel

They probably don’t know that you visit Nerd of Steel’s blog either!