Its a mans world.....

Last year we asked our only competing female boxer some questions for International Womens Day.

So the question is, can a female still be seen as feminine and make her way in a massively male dominated arena?

The first time I saw Lauryn, she was 14, dressed in boxing shorts, a white vest and donning some rather large menacing blue boxing gloves, stern faced and staring down her opponent across the ring. I was the photographer for the event and I can honestly say its the first girls boxing I had witnessed up close.

Lauryn easily won her fight, slightly dispelled my 'women don't belong in a boxing ring' misogynistic views and, fast forward 2 years, is still very dedicated to her chosen craft. Instead of swapping make up and high heels on a girly Saturday night out, this petite young lady is not only training hard and competing at weekend tournaments, but she is also studying for her exams.

I have got to know a bit more about Lauryn and her family and have discovered the 'normal' girl the other side of the gloves, not the stern fighter I watch in the ring.

With International Womens Day here, I wanted to find the best example of a (non celeb) female in this hugely male sport, and get her outlook on the reality of females in a boxing gym and who better than the girl on my doorstep. I asked Lauryn a bit about what made her want to be a boxer and how she is beating that biased attitude that you have to be a burly tom boy to compete in this male dominated environment.

Lauryn Hitchcock - Lympstone ABC

How did you get into boxing, what was the appeal, was it always your number one goal?

LH - It wasn’t always my number 1 goal, I didn’t realise it was becoming a goal. I started actually doing martial arts with my mum and sister when I was about 8 but it wasn’t really my thing, and I didn’t want to be left out so I kept asking my dad to take me to my local boxing club, Lympstone ABC. I started boxing at age 10. It wasn’t something that actually came easy to me but I really wanted to do it and really enjoyed it but it wasn’t until I had my first skills bout that I realised I wanted it to be something more.

It’s obviously a very male dominated world, so did you find that at all daunting? And how would you assure other girls that it is a place to be?

LH - No I didn’t find it daunting at all, I don’t think it was ever something that came into my head as I think I was a little too young to realise about bias or stereotypes in general. I was always encouraged to do whatever I wanted to do by my parents and didn’t understand the male / female divide that is within sports, which I now realise exists. I think the first time I realised that boxing was viewed as a predominately male sport was when people would ask my parents if they had forced me to do it, which shocked me and didn’t feel right because for anyone who has ever boxed knows you can’t force someone to get in the ring and be hit in the face, it is something you have to want to do! Ha! For me I want all young girls to know that you can do whatever you want to do and if you want to box you should have the right. The more girls that are in boxing the more accessible and normalised the sport will become and I like the fact that I am a part of that. I am lucky to have a very sportive coach and club which makes a massive difference – Paul Silk, Lympstone ABC.

What’s the biggest stigma / myth about the boxing world and women that you would like to dispel in order to encourage more women to get involved?

LH - I think the biggest stereotype is that girls aren’t strong enough or good enough to do the sport and those who do do the sport must not be feminine or girly and are butch and scary, which is totally not the case. I have had people tell me that before they got to know me they thought I was scary because I was a girl who wanted to box, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable at the time but now I just laugh about it. I am lucky I suppose as I don’t let people’s opinions of me bother me too much but what I would say to other young girls wanting to enter stereotypical sports is to be encouraged by these comments and use them to be more powerful and confident in themselves.

Boxing is a very disciplined and skillful sport, what’s your training schedule like and how do you fit it in with studies and exams?

LH - Truthfully it can be a struggle. At the moment with my GCSE exams coming up I am training about 3 times a week, but sometimes can be more if there are training camps or competitions. I try to vary my training from skill and technical work, fitness and stamina both in the club with my coach but also in my own time as you have to do training by yourself in order to maintain the level that you at. I have to be organised for both boxing and school and in fact life in general – everything is scheduled within a timetable. I actually think that the discipline and focus of the sport for the last 5 years is now helping me with my exams.

What do your family think of you boxing and do you all have a proudest moment so far?

LH - My family are very supportive of me. They are extremely proud and tell me that they are impressed by my determination. My proudest moment so far was the first time I went all three rounds and won with the judges voting unanimously in my favour. It was such an adrenaline rush and it made me want to do it again. For my parents, their proudest moment was when I won the Devon Boxing Award for Best School Girl.

If you were selling boxing as a sport or interest to other girls what 3 words would be your key selling points?

LH - Character building – it has given me confidence and had an impact on who I am today. It gives me a sense of security and gives me an extra bit of confidence when I go out that I will be able look after myself.

Fitness – it has helped me to become fit as well as doing something I really enjoy in the process.

Satisfaction – when you have done all of your training for that one moment when it all pays off it is just the best feeling.

If you could possess any super power what would it be an why?

LH - My super power would be to be able to change people’s perceptions and closed minded opinions of women in sport. I am extremely proud to be a female boxer and other girls should be proud too and we should all work together to #BreakTheBias.

I think you will agree that Lauryn is a great ambassador for female boxing and we all watch with pride as she starts to make her name with Lympstone Amateur Boxing Club as our only competitive female boxer.

#breakthebias

Right here, right now

We have recently paired up with Girl Power, Exmouth, to offer a workshop event for girls to try their hand at boxing and fitness. Why not check out their site at https://www.girl-power.uk

If you are a interested in getting into boxing, come along to the club and see us, we welcome all.

©Joannataylor2022