Eduard Schaepman Lets Himself Get Beaten

In November, the gauntlet will be picked up again for the VHV Boxing Gala, where men and women from various professional backgrounds compete against each other. Divided over twelve matches, they fight their game in a room with 700 guests at dinner tables. One of the participants is entrepreneur Eduard Schaepman, known for flex workspace rental company Tribes.

'They need someone who gets beaten up, after all, that's what the public comes for,' he laughs. The opposite seems to be true, because the 62-year-old entrepreneur trains hard. 'I get older and one day then your muscles start to deteriorate. But I have young children and so I want to keep fit. That's why I always train about eight hours a week.' Although Schaepman already looks well trained, he will be increasing that schedule in the near future and he will also avoid tasty things like wine for a while.

'I'm not an old fart. Someone noticed that at a party and that's how the boxing gala came up,' he says about the invitation. Isn't he afraid of damage to his face? 'No. You will be trained to take the punches by a very good coach. I have to, because I notice that I am still very slow. But that is moving forward quickly. The people around me think it's crazy. Go play chess, they say. But this is really an incredibly beautiful sport.'

It is not yet known who Schaepman will compete against; finding a suitable opponent is not easy. The proceeds from the boxing gala will go to the Anne-Bo Foundation, which is committed to educational opportunities for girls.

Published in Quote