A BOXING match that pitted a Big Brother star against a North-East solicitor raised almost £25,000 for charity.

After training with a former world champion, businessmen and women from across the region swapped their white collars for red gloves and got in the ring on Saturday night.

The Taking Care of Business event saw 22 amateur fighters, trained by ex-world champion Stuart Hall, battle it out in front of hundreds of people at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre.

Former Big Brother star Anthony Hutton – now a business owner in the town – took on solicitor Darren Brown, his win marking a highlight of the event for organiser Patrick Masheder.

Alongside Mr Hall and former soldier and fitness trainer Johnny Harrison, Mr Masheder put on the event to raise as much as possible for charitable causes.

He said: “The atmosphere was electric and the event was absolutely fantastic.

“The training really paid off, the fighters worked their socks off to get in the ring for a series of three two-minute rounds.

“The real highlight was raising almost £25,000 for charity – that’s what it was all about, every fighter could choose a charity to support.

“Darlington has never had a charity boxing match like this, it was probably the biggest one in the region and it raised so much money, which is what we ultimately wanted to do.”