Boxing challenge gave TV chef chance to raise money for charity - and lose 5kg

Actor-model Carl Ng Ka-lung is putting on a brave face for a good cause.

The 34-year-old host of Now TV's Mother Chef might be forgiven for feeling tender after his bout at last weekend's Blank Rome Charity Boxing Dinner at Disneyland, which raised more than HK$500,000 for six local charities, including Operation Breakthrough, the Child Welfare Scheme and Enlighten Action for Epilepsy.

Ng was battered by Wong Cheuk-wan of the Police Boxing Club in front of 300 guests, but he said he trained hard for three months, enjoyed the fight and did something different to raise funds.

'I'm not very comfortable at those charity parties where people just stand around sipping champagne,' Ng said, nursing a cut lip - from a pre-fight spar with his trainer. 'It's about when I try my hardest and hopefully something good comes out of that.'

Otherwise unmarked, he said wasn't feeling raw about the defeat.

'I knew the chances of winning were slim, but the challenge was to actually enter the ring and fight for the first time,' Ng said, admitting that he got cold feet before the opening bell.

'My heart was pounding like crazy for two days when I realised I was really going to do it,' Ng said. But there was a lighter side to the bruising, he said.

'I've put on a few pounds since I started [the] cooking show,' Ng said. 'This challenge gave me the incentive to go to the gym. I lost 5kg.'