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ISSUE 19 | NOV 2014
Boxing has traditionally been
seen as a tough sport, and we
appreciate that some people
might feel daunted by the
idea of walking into a boxing
club, or simply may not have
considered boxing as a route to
fitness. However, we recognise
that people do want to get
involved in boxing for fitness
and health reasons, as well as
to compete, so we’ve evolved
our own fitness product. BOX is
a fitness workout incorporating
Olympic boxing techniques with
a fun, challenging workout. It’s
is aimed at those who want the
fitness benefits of boxing but
don’t necessarily want to join a
boxing club. It was developed
by coaches who have worked
with Olympic medallists, and
it can be delivered by fitness
instructors and community
leaders who have completed and passed a one-day
course.
One of England Boxing’s key tasks has been to challenge
the perceptions of the sport that have been barriers
to participation. One of the ways we’ve tackled this
is by taking the sport out into the community and
letting people try it out in a familiar environment using
mobile boxing arenas; all-weather facilities that allow
members of the public to try out boxing at festivals,
community and cultural events, town centres - we’ve
even had one in castle grounds. Coaches and staff are
on hand to answer questions and help engage people,
and local clubs can showcase what they do with live
demonstrations. As a result, many of our clubs have
seen a significant benefit in terms of membership
increase.
Our flagship event, the Elite Championship Finals, has
undergone an exciting change in format and we’ve
been fortunate to secure a significant broadcast partner
in Sky Sports. The event last year was held at the
Liverpool Echo Arena over three days and provided a
great opportunity to showcase some of the stars and
personalities in the sport to a much wider audience
than ever before.
Additionally, the student market is a growing
participation group for boxing and we are developing
more competitions for universities and colleges.
How inclusive is the sport? Is it just for a certain
demographic e.g. males ages 14 – 22?
There’s an old-fashioned view of boxing as something
that takes place in grimy clubs and is totally male-
dominated, but that’s certainly not the case anymore.
The medal success enjoyed by England’s women boxers
in both the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games
has been instrumental in encouraging more women
and girls to take up boxing. Boxing enjoys a strong
black and ethnic minority participant base, and projects
organised in partnership with mosques and other faith
centres have been popular.
I think part of boxing’s initial appeal for many people
is the fact it is affordable and very little equipment is