Pitt Business e-newsletter Issue 11, September 2008
Not a Typical Day at the Office
Photo Copyright New York Times and Redux Pictures
Andrew Myerson (BSBA '05), an analyst at Goldman Sachs, competed June 26 in the Wall Street Boxing Summer Showdown. During the sold-out event held at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill New York, sixteen Wall Street traders laced up their gloves in eight USA Boxing-sanctioned bouts. The boxers are employed by New York's financial services industry and represented companies such as Citigroup, Credit Suisse Group, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Smith Barney, Deutsche Bank AG, New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc., Rockefeller & Co., Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., and more.
Myerson, who boxes under the alias Don't Blink, won easily against his opponent Andre Ameer from Copper River Management, LP. A lefty, who describes himself as "more of a counter-puncher," Myerson relished the entire experience. "Boxing makes me feel so alive, and it was amazing to compete in such a fantastic event," he said. "I felt like a professional boxer for one night."
The event was covered by Trader Monthly magazine, The New York Times, and broadcast on YouTube.
Following his graduation from the College of Business Administration, Myerson, a finance major, returned to Massachusetts, where he grew up. He began his career in Boston at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH), a private investment bank. The extensive experience he gained at BBH eventually lead to a job offer from Goldman Sachs. Myerson relocated to New York City in January 2008.
With his intense work schedule (he typically clocks 60-70 hours a week), Myerson finds working out to be a necessity. He has an extensive mixed martial arts background, including Muay Thai, Thai kickboxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Myerson gained an appreciation for boxing after he moved to New York and began training at the Trinity Boxing Club. "After spending all day at my desk, boxing is a great release," he explained. "It's also a great way to meet people. I've had the opportunity to spar with professional boxers at my gym. It's been fun getting to know these guys that I wouldn't necessarily have a lot in common with otherwise."
When asked about his plans to compete in the future, Myerson is enthusiastic. "I have the bug now, which motivates me to train even harder." He hopes to enter the Wall Street Boxing Charity Championship in October and, if he does well, may set his sights on the Golden Gloves national amateur tournament. When all is said and done, it's the nature of the competition that draws him. "Boxing is highly individual. You're not relying on anyone but yourself. It's just you and another person entering the ring to determine who comes out the better man," Myerson related. "There's no one else to credit or blame; it's all you. I thrive on that."
