THE EAST End confirmed its reputation as the go-to place for amateur boxing last week with a blistering night of ‘white-collar’ bouts and live entertainment.

The Troxy in Commercial Road, a venue more commonly used for music gigs, was filled with over a thousand visitors for The Swing night on October 21.

White-collar workers from The City and further afield were put up against local East End fighters over six bouts with singer Mitch Winehouse, father of Amy, taking to the ring to belt out jazz and swing numbers in between.

The Football Factory and Gangster No.1 actor Tony Denham, who grew up in Limehouse, also bravely took to the ring before losing to Scottish amateur fighter Kevin Ritchie on the referee’s decision.

Liam Tarf, 27, a claims broker from Shoreditch, was fairly bullish before his fight despite never having fought publicly before.

After taking a punch full in the face within seconds of the first bell though, he confessed he was lucky his three-round fight against Fulham broker William Dudley was judged to be a draw.

“I thought I was going to go down,” he said.

“I’m glad I did it though, I would do it again.”

The crowd, a mixture of fight fans and City workers on a corporate jolly, also enjoyed performances from Hackney singer A.L. and were able to bid in an auction for sporting memorabilia.

Proceeds from the night went to the Factory East boxing club in Bow; Dance Aid and Rathbone, a Hackney training charity while fighters also raised funds for their own favourite causes.