NAME: Justin "The Don" Pagan
FIRM: Smith Barney
POSITION: Financial Advisor
HEIGHT: 5'8"
WEIGHT: 160 lbs

DECISION TO TRAIN: After a boxing invite by his friend and 2007 Hammerstein Ballroom participant, Khoung Chau, "The Don" Pagan was floored by what he saw. "I just thought it was an amazing concept," he said. This experience spurned his desire to train. "I figured it would be a great challenge and I like competitive sports."

MODUS OPERANDI: Calling upon his baseball experience during formative and college years, Pagan operates with fierce dedication. He says "heart" sets him apart from his competition. "[I] do whatever it takes, whether it's training more, or being in the best shape."

BOXING STYLE: Justin described his style using an unconventional example, a "bulldozer - straight forward and aggressive!"

FRIENDS AND FAMILY ON FIGHT NIGHT: His co-workers and other support networks have been encouraging throughout his "rigorous" five day-per-week training, including the intense "two-a-days" ("running in the morning and boxing at night), Pagan said. "No one's really worried. I explained with the headgear and everything." But they did say one thing: "Just don't lose! That's all they said. Just don't lose."

NAME: Austin "Harlem Hitman" Smith
FIRM: BIO-IB
POSITION: Senior Associate
HEIGHT: 5'8"
WEIGHT: 155 lbs

A BOXING REFRAIN: This year marks the second time that the "Harlem Hitman" will compete in a Wall Street boxing ring. Why? "The last event, it was just a great event," he said. "It's something that I'll always remember, so I wanted to do it again." His thirst for hitting the bag was so strong that he joined Trinity Boxing Club after the last event. So these days, he's accustomed to the training. It "seemed to flow a lot more," he said. "Before it was kind of like, just come in here, exhausted and just do whatever they tell you. Now... it's a little more relaxing." The gym is so "relaxing" that Smith spends five days per week breaking a sweat there. "It's kind of like your second home," he said.

WALL STREET IS TALKING: After last year's grand event, people anticipate a great showing at the Summer Showdown. This has made a world of difference in their excitement according to Smith. "The last one, people said, 'Really? What's this going to be like?' " he said. "No one really knew how big the event was going to be, what the format was going to be like, was it really going to be as intense as you see on T.V.?" Now, that the apprehension has lifted, "there's a lot more excitement this time around," Smith said. What's more, people are taking note of the dedication. "They're like, 'Alright, that's pretty impressive you get to go up in the ring like that. I wouldn't do it!' "

ADVANTAGE SCHMANTAGE: Though Smith can see how his football, basketball, and baseball background have aided in his transition into boxing - "You take a little bit from each sport, so like agility and quickness really come from basketball; strength, and sort of more agility, come from football; more hand-eye coordination...come from baseball," he said - the "Hitman" isn't sure it will protect him from getting hit. "You know, it would normally, but I think everybody sort of comes from the same stock," he said. "A lot of people played sports throughout their career and still do."

STRATEGY: A sparring mishap that resulted in a minor rib injury didn't prevent Smith from training. Instead he learned a valuable lesson: To cover his chest up the right way. It's this same, dedicated attitude that he takes with him during bouts. That, and his "unusually long arms" for his stature. He plans to take them straight to the bank, by "throw[ing] straight punches to keep people on the outside" and being selective about his shots "so, if I see an opening, I can just move in," he said.

NAME: Scott "Belford Brawler" Bauer
FIRM: ITG
POSITION: VP, Portfolio Trading
HEIGHT: 6'1"
WEIGHT: 205 lbs

PAST SPORT EXPERIENCE: Motivated by a desire to "stay in shape," Bauer was not deterred by his "very little" boxing experience. Especially since he has kept himself busy snowboarding, biking, and playing basketball, softball and golf. Still, he wasn't so sure if skills acquired while playing those sports translated into boxing. "There's not much that goes hand and hand with boxing really," he said. "It's kind of an element of its own."

TRAINING SCHEDULE: "The Belford Brawler" managed to successfully work out the logistics of training, which surprisingly meant doing it before work. "I've been going in at 6 a.m....traveling from [New] Jersey, so it's like an hour and 45 minute commute up in the a.m. to work out downtown and then come up to work." This is usually a three-to-four-day-per-week routine.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Although he had a long commute to the boxing club, Bauer says his biggest challenge was "learning the techniques." It's quite different in the ring, he said. "You think you know how to box until you have people critique you over and over again. You find out that you really didn't even know how to throw a punch that well."

WHAT SETS HIM APART FROM THE COMPETITION: "The Belford Brawler" literally "used to be a brawler growing up," he said, unlike "some of these other guys that are kind of like your white-collar cookie cutter guys that who were going to the ivy-league and had a silver spoon in their mouths and all of that stuff." Bauer's background may give him an edge in the ring, but ultimately "you're not going in there to hurt a colleague that's in the same business you're in," he said.

NAME: "Dangerous" Jay Neu
FIRM: T3 Capital
POSITION: Equity Trader
HEIGHT: 5'11"
WEIGHT: 190 lbs

DEJA VU: "Dangerous" Neu has the unique advantage of being one of the three Wall Street boxers who also competed in the tournament last year. So, why did he want to train again? "Well, I enjoyed doing it," he said. It's a great way to stay in shape and I enjoyed the competition."

PAST SPORT EXPERIENCE: Accustomed to the discipline of martial arts from years spent training in high school and his boxing training last year, Neu said it " helped prepare me for the type of training that I do now. Just being consistent, and training hard and eating right…it all contributes to being successful in the ring."

TRAINING SCHEDULE: One of his toughest challenges was "finding the time to actually do it along with my work schedule," Neu said. But, he managed to train six days per week. "Four days of that is boxing and the other 2 days are resistance training and I also do cardio every other day."

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE RING: This "Dangerous" guy has some lofty expectations for fight night. "If I had to compare myself to a particular fighter it would probably be [Evander] Holyfield, because I try to apply constant pressure during a fight and just never let up," he said. His friends were excited about his new endeavor, he said, but "my parents were worried. They're parents, that's what they're supposed to do."

NAME: Andre "The Greek Sheik" Ameer
FIRM: Copper River Management
POSITION: Trader
HEIGHT: 5'10"
WEIGHT: 180 lbs.

THE 411: Initially hearing about a similar event in London years ago, aptly titled "Hedge Fund Fight Night," Ameer said he contacted the organizer of this event about hosting one in New York City. It's this initiative that characterizes his ring-side leadership. "It's like a challenge, a personal challenge, that would be fun," he said. After a previous year in kickboxing, Ameer was ready for something new. "There was no sparring involved, or anything like that," he said. "It's not Jean-Claude Van Damme but it's not Billy Blanks!"

TRAINING CHALLENGES: Andre Ameer is among the selective few who were honored with a black eye during training. Unfortunately, he experienced this before work one day and joked with his co-workers, saying, "You think I look bad? You should see the other guy!" Still, he didn't consider this a challenge. The hard part was "surviving Las Vegas" during his friend's bachelor party, which he worried would "set me back a month."

BOXING STYLE: "The Greek Sheik," who selected his name to honor both sides of his Greek, Armenian and Assyrian lineage, didn't think three months of training was "enough time to develop a personal style." Instead, he dubbed his moves as "Trinity style," Ameer said. "because basically, I'll do anything that these guys [at Trinity] tell me to do. The trainers at Trinity are the ones that have been doing it for a long time." But overall, he likens his approach to Arturo Gotti. "He takes a lot of hits, but he throws them back and finishes standing in the end."

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: Finding it "tough" to say that he has "an advantage over anybody," Ameer does says he has "been very dedicated." The daily two-hour commute to and from work and the gym four days per week is a testament of this. "When I decide I want to do something, I pretty much do it 100 percent," he says. "I've put a lot of time and effort into the event and into the training. Hopefully that shows on June 26th." Accordingly, Ameer hopes this is evident at the event. After all, "you don't want to embarrass yourself," he said, laughing.

NAME: Andrew "Don't Blink" Myerson
FIRM: Goldman Sachs
POSITION: Analyst
HEIGHT: 6'0"
WEIGHT: 175 lbs

THE NEWBIE: As a recent winter transplant from Boston, Myerson hoped to continue his mixed martial arts background in New York. But, "all of those gyms were kind of more uptown and I work closer to downtown. So I found Trinity [Boxing Club] and decided to start boxing for a while," he said. It was there that he found out about the Summer Showdown and signed up.

TRAINING CHALLENGES: The late training nights sometimes left "Don't Blink" Myerson blinking. "Going to the gym after a long day at work can be tough," he said. "A lot of times you get there and you're like, 'Oh God, what am I doing here?' " But his disciplined attitude, formed after four years of Muay Thai, Thai kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, prevented any slacking. Still, his training past became an impediment at times. " I probably have some bad habits from doing other things than someone who has just boxed in their lives probably won't have," he said.

STAND-OUT FEATURES: As the only lefty in the competition, Myerson describes this trait as "a little something that I have going for me." He classifies himself as "more of a counter-puncher," preferring to use his "long arms" to "establish my jab and stay on the outside." And if those moves don't work, not to worry. "I have a pretty hard head," he said, adding, "I can take a hit pretty good."

CHEERING SECTION: With the support of his family, Myerson is "excited" for the main event. So, too, is Mom. "She likes boxing a lot better than she likes mixed martial arts," he said. His father is also proud, Myerson said, since he has been involved in martial arts for "nearly his entire life." And co-workers have already bought their VIP booth. All Andrew Myerson needs is the bell.

NAME: Tommy "Mayhem" Lynch
FIRM: Credit Suisses
POSITION: Director, Syn Finance
HEIGHT: 6'0"
WEIGHT: 230 lbs

ON WHY HE PARTICIPATED: Simply put, Tommy "Mayhem" Lynch wanted a change of pace. "It's a good challenge," he said. "It's something interesting and I thought it was a neat thing to do," he said. Furthermore, the rigorous training was a plus. "Getting back into shape definitely helps. I wasn't in shape coming in here, that's for sure!"

LEARNING A NEW SPORT: Lacking formal experience, he reincarnated the razor-sharp determination of his lacrosse years in college to conquer training. "You never realize how hard it actually is to do this until you try it," Lynch said. "Being in the ring and sparring with somebody, getting yourself in the physical condition to actually be able to do it and mentally getting your mind around standing in there and throwing punches with people" was difficult. "It's been a long time since I've been knocked on the head," he said, laughing.

STRATEGY: Over the course of the three to five days and two hour sessions each day at Trinity Boxing Club, paired with conditioning closer to home on the weekends, Lynch has picked up a few tricks. He's prepared to punch a taller opponent with a longer reach by "getting close, staying inside, learning how to slip and miss and dodge punches on the way in."

SUPPORT NETWORK: With the Showdown fast approaching, "Mayhem" said close friends have already planned to come into town. Also in his cheering section will be his wife. "My wife is really supportive," he said. "She's been really great about it." Ready for his cheering section, Lynch anticipates the event to be a "great night."

SUCKERED IN: When asked why he decided to train for the Summer Showdown, Miles said his co-workers were all to blame...in a good way. "Basically the motivation was the folks at my trading environment saw the event last year and they thought it was something that I'd be good at doing," he said. "So they encouraged me to get involved." It wasn't a stretch for him, who describes himself as a staunch competitor. "I don't want to lose. I want to do the best I can and the way that I can do that is training as often and as hard as I can."

MARTIAL ARTS EXPERIENCE: Beginning a martial arts career during his late teens, "The Destroyer" spent about five years in the sport. But those acquired skills didn't necessarily translate into an advantage in boxing. "The technical aspect of boxing is very different than that of martial arts…in strictly more or less your standing, your positioning, your movements," Miles said. "I felt completely different when I got in the ring and started doing what I was sort of known to do all of my life. And they're like no, no, no. Don't do that. Don't do this." Well, months later and 20 lbs. lighter, he must have done something right.

THE EARLY BIRD: Training "a minimum" of four days per week at two hours per day could wear anyone out. But it rejuvenates Miles in the mornings. "It literally frees your mind of any crap that could be bothering you to just leave your day wide open to sort of be prepared for anything that comes at you," he said. "That's why I like the morning the best." Sometimes it can get rough though, he admitted; especially after remembering that he still has "seven or eight hours of work to do."

PRAGMATIC THINKING: Miles isn't so sure that he has an advantage over the next guy. "Anyone can take anybody out in the ring. There's just absolutely no doubt. It depends on the day, it depends on your preparation, it depends on all of those things," he said. "The way I look at it is, if I prepare myself as much as I can prepare myself…then my confidence level will be higher and I'll win." So does he have any winning strategies? "I just try to be as fluid as possible without exposing myself too much," Miles said.

NAME: Tim "The Bull" Nersten
FIRM: Liquidnet
POSITION: Sales Trader
HEIGHT: 5'11"
WEIGHT: 180 lbs.

MOTIVATION: Well-versed in sports from baseball to rugby, Nersten decided to add boxing to the list to fulfill a years-long desire. "I always wanted to box. I never really got into it, but always wanted to," he said. This tournament provided the perfect opportunity for him to do so and much more. "Also, I was looking to get in shape and figured it was a good benchmark to reach for," he said. "It gives you motivation to really go for it."

BOXING STYLE: After conquering the first few weeks, when "you are just sore all of the time trying to get your body used to the movements and even getting hit," Nersten revealed he has developed an "unconventional" style. "Basically, I just go at people instead of dancing around," he said. "John, the trainer over there, tries to snap me out of that."

STRATEGY: Taking a cue from his moniker, "The Bull," Nersten said he's "not afraid of getting hit." This, paired with his "athleticism as a whole," may be a winning combination. However, if all else fails, he does have a back up plan: "For the fight I figure I'll throw a little vodka and club in the water bottle and I won't be feeling any pain," Nersten said, joking.

FRIENDS AND FAMILY ON FIGHT NIGHT: While "The Bull" isn't the oldest competitor in this event, he said, "the people closest to me think I'm a little crazy for doing it at 30 years old, but everybody's behind me." Some of his co-workers even asked if they could be ring-side as his "spit bucket holder" or "sponge guy." Fluids aside, he's due to have a large crowd showing their support in, ironically, increments of 30. "There will probably be 30 people from work between clients and co-workers. My brother and I own a bar, so there should be about 30 people from the bar as well."

NAME: Evan "Big Daddy" Odim
FIRM: Citi
POSITION: Trading Assistant
HEIGHT: 6'0"
WEIGHT: 185 lbs.

DECISION TO TRAIN: Odim, too, caught the boxing bug after attending the Wall Street boxing tournament last year when friend and 2007 competitor, Jarvis Buckman invited him. "It was absolutely exhilarating," he said. "I was kind of hooked that day." Still, Odim says he always wanted to box since his youth. "But just going to that event confirmed that I needed to give it a go," he said.

TRAINING CHALLENGES: Conditioning was one of the most difficult challenges that came along with training, Odim said. His goal was "to get better every single day – from a boxing, technical standpoint," he said. "I wanted to make sure that I had at least improved on something. That was probably the biggest challenge." And whenever he felt like he had pushed himself to the max, one thought made him go that extra mile: My two little girls. I thought that however long I was running, however long I was pushing, if I thought of them, I could easily do a little bit more."

BOXING STRATEGY: "Big Daddy" considers himself to be "more of a patient boxer, not a brawler, who tries to balance speed and power over out-punching the other guy." He thinks that this characteristic might give him a competitive advantage. "I'd rather wear the guy down, rather than find that one clean shot," he said. "Having patience will, hopefully, also allow me to not over exert myself early on in the fight."

PARTING WORDS FOR THE COMPETITION: He's not really thinking about you. "It doesn't really matter who they put in front of me," he said. "Either way I'm still going and train every day as hard as I can. I'm not going to have any kind of game plan, per se. I'm just going to go and fight."

NAME: Craig "The Flash" Slater
FIRM: Credit Suisse
POSITION: Financial Analyst
HEIGHT: 5'8"
WEIGHT: 155 lbs

FAMILIAR SCENE: Craig "The Flash" Slater loves boxing. "During summers of college, I would come back home and I would train [in] boxing," he said. In fact, Trinity Boxing Club was his old stomping grounds from these summer sessions, which sweetened the deal. "When I found out about this tournament, I thought it would be a great opportunity to compete," Slater said.

BOXING STYLE: For Slater, style is pretty simple. "I like to hit and don't get hit," he said, laughing. Still, he "love[s] to watch boxing," extracting style points from the pros. "My favorite boxers are Floyd Mayweather Jr. because he has good defense and he also has good offense. I like Roy Jones Jr. too because he has really quick hands and powerful punches."

TRAINING CHALLENGES: As a former baseball pitcher, Slater said "baseball helped a lot" when it came to throwing punches. But it didn't aid in one of his biggest hurdles: "Getting used to getting punched in the face." This minor inconvenience, paired with shin splints, didn't deter "The Flash." When asked how he made it through, he said, "just keep on training through it! Don't think about it!"

PLANS FOR FIGHT NIGHT: Though family, friend and colleagues are all "pretty supportive," Slater says they have given him one piece of advice. "Most of them just don't want to see me get knocked out," he said. To this end, he has a plan: "I'm just going to try to relax and try to implement everything that I've been working on in practice and sparring," Slater said. "And not try to fight out of my boundaries."

NAME: Murray "Money Shot" Abelas
FIRM: Franco Financial
POSITION: Associate
HEIGHT: 6'0"
WEIGHT: 165 lbs

IN THE BLOOD: Abelas began boxing as a little kid, around the age of five, standing in the footsteps of his father. He gave the sport up after his father passed away just five short years later. But that all changed when he went to college. "[I] realized that I wanted to do it again," he said. "I was like, it's a part of me. It's part a part of my legacy, my family. My father boxed in the service, and then my brothers, so I wanted to continue it." Abelas refreshed his boxing memory at the Waterfront Boxing Club - which is now the Trinity Boxing Club, spearheaded by owners, John and Martin Snow. He followed the two to their current location and put his training into high gear. "I've come to a point where I want to push myself before I start other endeavors," Abelas said. "I don't want to feel like this endeavor has been left short and I didn't see it to its end."

TAKING NOTES FROM PROS: "I grew up watching Roy Jones Jr. Unfortunately, I'm not as fast as him. So when I drop my lead hand like Roy, I leave myself open. I'm quick. I'm trying to move faster and faster," he says. "Money Shot" Abelas likens his penchant for making each shot count to "hit-em-quick fighters" like Roy Jones Jr. and Floyd Mayweather, he said. "Right now, I'm just going to fight how I am: Quick, move in aggressively, and keep my distance so I am not taking shots."

SECRET TRAINING: Mum is the word for this former Capoeira and Muay Thai student. Abelas hasn't told any co-workers about his boxing, nor did he let his mother in on his new adventure that demands four to five days of training each week and midnight runs through Astoria Park. "My mother has told me ever since I was a little kid, if she ever saw me fight or go into one of my fights, she's jumping in with a chancleta [meaning flip-flop in Spanish] and start beating on the other guy. So we don't want that," he said. His fianceé, however, does know about the event and has been "supportive, pushing him" to continue training.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: What makes him a stand-out competitor? "I wouldn't risk anything I was unwilling to lose. I'm putting my determination and my focus and all of that together to protect my faculties, and still be able to maintain that within boxing," said "Money Shot." "So, beyond my drive, it's my will to stay sharp and my will to accomplish all that I can." But he has to look good while making all of those accomplishments. It's all about "confidence and bravado" for Abelas. "Even if I don't know what I'm doing, I gotta go in there looking like I do, right?"

NAME: Joe "The Enforcer" Magee
FIRM: Vigilant
POSITION: CTO
HEIGHT: 6'0"
WEIGHT: 205 lbs

BLAST FROM THE PAST: Although Magee had just a year of boxing training under his belt, this former ice hockey star decided to tap into his natural competitiveness . "I sort of got the role on the team for being an enforcer, or kind of a bully on the ice," he said. "I guess, now that I'm a little older, I can't go around beating people up. I thought it [training] would be a good way to get in shape and fight a little bit." What's more, boxing has always been of interest to him. "I kind of grew up in a tough neighborhood," he said. "So I was certified by default."

BOXING STYLE: Gingerly referring to it as "balls out, if you will," Magee described his boxing style as "aggressive." To this end, he said, "I have a tendency of giving it everything I've got in the first round or two, which is something I am working on preserving." But his real strategy is quite simple: "Having no fear of the opponent," he said. "I'm going to be going for a win and score points at all costs necessary."

FRIENDS AND FAMILY ON FIGHT NIGHT: Expecting about 25 people from his company and additional Wall Street clients and friends, "The Enforcer" anticipates a large cheering section. Still, Magee says some of his female friends expressed concern...for his "pretty face," saying, "I can't believe you're boxing. I don't want you messing up that face!"

NAME: Craig "Hot Commodity" Capurso
FIRM: NYMEX
POSITION: Floor Trader
HEIGHT: 5'10"
WEIGHT: 210 lbs

DUST OFF AND TRY AGAIN: Capurso planned on making his amateur boxing debut at the 2007 Extell Wall Street Boxing Charity Championship, but fate had something else in store for him. " I was actually injured for last year's event and I couldn't participate," he said of a fractured rib injury sustained while he played football. Now healed, this "Hot Commodity" is burning to compete at the Summer Showdown.

TRAINING TIMES TWO: Although he hasn't had previous boxing training, Capurso pulls double duty working part-time as a personal trainer. "I've hit the bag and trained with clients for about a year, just doing my own regiment," he said. Additionally, he's both wrestled and played football. "I assume they would both give me an advantage over someone who hasn't done anything."

PREPARATION CHALLENGES: Between his floor trading and personal training positions, Capurso said finding time to train at Trinity Boxing Club was "a real challenge." He tried to average three days of boxing training and two days of personal training per week. However, the most difficult lesson of all was "getting your boxing wind," he said of the endurance test. "No matter how good of shape you think you are, boxing wind versus other sports is completely different."

STRATEGY: Capurso plans on using his "explosive" boxing style, like "bruiser," Mike Tyson. Since he doesn't know who his opponent is, Capurso said he is focusing on his own skills. "We'll see what happens in the fight."

NAME: "Tiny" Tim Petrov
FIRM: Phoenix Partners Group
POSITION: Credit Derivatives Broker
HEIGHT: 6'6"
WEIGHT: 200 lbs

ENCOURAGING WORDS: "Tiny" Tim saw last year's event on CNBC the following day and knew he had to sign up for the 2008 match. "I didn't know about it ahead of time, otherwise I would have signed up for it,"he said. Petrov had three months of boxing training earlier last year, but never competed in any "official" matches. "I thought I might like to try it," he said. "And a lot of my buddies at work kind of egged me on into doing it because they knew I had boxed before."

REALITY CHECK: "I thought that I was in pretty decent shape before I came in here," he said of Trinity Boxing Club. "But it's not even close to what the professional guys in here and the trainers are like. It's just a lot harder and a lot more intense than anything that I've ever done before really." This lead him to train four days per week and take weekends off for his joints, which get sore sometimes because he is "tall and skinny." Dramatic decreases in weight have also been trying, especially when he was told to pack on a few extra pounds since he would need the extra weight to fight in "the open division, where there is no weight limit," he said. But when one opponent suddenly suddenly dropped out, Petrov had to get "Tiny" quickly. "I've lost about eight pounds in a week," he said of his recent triumph.

TAKING NOTES: His favorite boxer is Kelly Pavlik, reigning middleweight champion of the world. When one looks at Pavlik, who Petrov depicts as "a tall, skinny guy from Ohio with a shaved head," it's easy to understand why he appreciates Pavlik's style. They're like mirrored images of each other; plus Petrov also grew up in Ohio. "He [Pavlik] pretty much beats people by reaching them before they can reach him," Petrov said, which he also plans to do by punching and backing away at the same time. It's kind of like "fighting backwards," he said.

SUPER ADVANTAGE: Sometimes bigger is better. In Tim Petrov's case, he has an extreme height advantage. "I'm tall, taller than anyone at my weight, especially," he said. "I can reach people from farther away than they can reach me." Furthermore, "the height makes people uncomfortable to fight against because you can always have a hand in their face, even if it's not going to hurt them," Petrov said. "It kind of upsets people's balance and people can't really get into a rhythm and hit you the way they want to." Petrov is betting on this strategy to keep his cheering crowd - his dad, who is flying in from Cleveland for the event, and co-workers - cheering. "They just don't want me to lose," said Petrov, adding that he would have to take the day off on Friday if he did lose.

NAME: David "Windy City Kid" Karpa
FIRM: Cincinnati Asset Management
POSITION: VP/Sales
HEIGHT: 6'3"
WEIGHT: 195 lbs

BOXING AFICIONADO: "I've always been a fan of boxing," said Karpa. So when word of the Summer Showdown first reached him, he was excited to discover if boxing was something he enjoyed doing as well as viewing. "As a result of this [training], I've become a boxing junkie," reported the "Windy City Kid." These days, he records ESPN Wednesday and Friday night fights and watches "all of the standard movies," but not just for entertainment purposes. "I just look to kind of pick up things and really see what works for people," he said.

IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL: The endurance aspect of his past days as a marathon runner prepared Karpa, in some ways, to the discipline required in boxing, he said. "You know training for a marathon, you have to really stick to a schedule and to be prepared for it, you can't deviate." Still, the "Windy City Kid" found that putting all of the training together in the ring was tough. "It's all of a sudden taking five separate different pieces and having to have it all work together," he said. "With the bags, it's kind of an enclosed environment. When you're sparing with someone, they actually punch back."

NIGHT OWL: Though he trained both morning and evenings depending on what his work schedule dictated, Karpa preferred evenings. "I'm not a morning person," he said. "Personally I like to have gone through the day and at least have a couple of meals in you... I find that the activity lets you get out everything, all of your stress of the day, you can kind of get it out and wake up fresh."

SORE SPOT: Unsure of his boxing style, which he jokingly dubbed "to be determined," Karpa is sure of his "Achilles heel": "I seem to like to take punches. I'm fine with that," he said. While some might consider this trait to be an asset, Karpa is beefing up his "defense" so he will be "able to counter more" for the match. But if all else fails, this former Chicagoan says he can deliver some mean punches with his "strong right hand."

NAME: Alykhan "California Kid" Karim
FIRM: Trillium LLC
POSITION: Equities Trader
HEIGHT: 5'11.5"
WEIGHT: 178 lbs

ON WHY HE PARTICIPATED: "I've always been interested in martial arts ever since I was a child. About six or eight months ago, I decided to start boxing," Karim said, pointing out that the Summer Showdown was "a great opportunity to really take it to the next level in the sense of training and spending as much time in the gym." If anything, the "California Kid" appreciated the fitness aspect. "You know, win or lose, I'll be in great shape because of it," he said.

SHOWING HEART: Though he ran track and practiced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for two years, it's been a while since Karim had such an active training schedule. "I did have heart surgery five years ago. At this point it's kind of all better and what not," he said. "But I hadn't really been doing too much cardio-intensive exercises for the past few years. Although I'm definitely ready and able to do so, it was kind of a first." It was also a demanding first: Four days per week, 1.5 hours each session. "You get in there and it's a whole new ball game," he said.

BOXING STYLE: As of now, Karim says his level is so basic that he hasn't really developed a style. He does try to take pointers on TV occasionally, but they haven't proven to be useful. "It's funny, every time I watch something on TV and try to incorporate it, I end up doing it a little bit wrong,"he said, laughing. "So one of the trainer's at the gym is like, 'What are you doing? Go back to what we taught you.' "

BASIC STRATEGY: Never one to be outdone, Alykhan Karim has a multi-front plan for success."I do have fairly long arms and I have a pretty quick jab, so I use that to try to get in and out. As far as speed and power are concerned, I'm kind of in the middle on both," he said. "So I'm really focused on not duking it out too much, but quick in and out, in and out." One of his best friends also had a plan: "Just don't get your a** kicked." But Karim is not too worried about that, telling us, "I can take a punch."

NAME: Khuong "Silent Thunder" Chau
FIRM: Lord Abbett & Co. LLC
POSITION: Consultant, Private Wealth
HEIGHT: 5'9"
WEIGHT: 165 lbs.

SECOND COMING: "Silent Thunder" Chau braved the boxing beast last year at his "first, USA-sanctioned bout"and said his second-go-round is "not as nerve-racking." It's all about passion. "I love boxing, first and foremost," he said. Previously, Chau trained in boxing for "a few years," and wanted to mix-up his sporting calendar of soccer in the Chelsea League and the occasional round of dodgeball. So did the latter assist in his training? "I don't know if dodgeball and boxing are directly correlated," he said, laughing. "But you are avoiding balls coming at you and punches."

SCHEDULING: Typically, Chau trained five days per week and consistently runs on Sundays at 7 a.m. But with the fight looming closer in recent weeks, he added an additional day to his schedule. And time flies when when one is having fun. "It's gotten to the point where now the people that I train with are like friends and family," Chau said. "So the next thing you know, you're just hanging out... that two to three hours turns into, like, four."

THE HIGHS AND LOWS: Khoung was excited to learn that it was "easier" to "maintaining weight" this year with his fitness regimen, "because I love to eat," he said. However, staying motivated took extra energy over the last month. "It's such a hard thing to dedicate three to four hours of your day to something like this, especially when you're working 10 to 12 hour days," he said. "So staying focused and staying dedicated with the time is really hard."

A SHOWMAN: "The person I've been compared to is Mike Tyson, because I'm pretty short and stocky, but also aggressive," Chau said of his personal style. "When you're in there, after that first hit, you don't feel anything," he added, describing the actual match like "another world." Chau still plans on entering the ring with a game plan: "I guess off the top of my head, the first thing is trying not to get hit because that stuff hurts. You want to protect your face, especially in my line of business," he said.