Wall Street Traders Set to Knock Each Other Out for Charity

When Josh ``The Matrix'' Weintraub of Bear Stearns Cos. steps into the boxing ring tonight, he will have 130 supporters in his corner as he fights Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s Shane ``Second Coming'' Kinahan in a charity match.

Weintraub and Kinahan are two of the 16 Wall Street professionals -- all men -- who have trained since August to beat each other up in a series of three-round bouts. Almost 800 friends, family, colleagues and guests paid as much as $800 apiece to watch and dine on beef tenderloin and Guinness ice cream.

The first Extell Wall Street Boxing Charity Championship will raise money for organizations including the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Hedge Funds Care, a New York-based group that combats child abuse. Tuesday's Children, which helps families of Sept. 11 victims, and Say Yes to Education, which aids inner- city school kids, also will benefit from tonight's black-tie gala at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.

``It seemed a great way to contribute my time and energy to help the community and at the same time do something I like to do,'' said Weintraub, 37. The mortgage bond trader, who sold tickets to friends and colleagues, is raising money for the Valerie Fund, an organization that aids children with cancer. ``The night will be full out.''

While Weintraub fought during his freshman and junior years at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, some competitors have little or no previous boxing experience. That hasn't stopped anyone from getting into the spirit, complete with colorful fight names.

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