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Serving women better \u201cmeans taking into account fair matching,\u201d Sackey explains. \u201cIt also means allowances around period weight. That\u2019s a massive thing. Boxing is a weight-class sport, and we know that when it\u2019s our cycle, we can put on up to 2kg in water weight. That\u2019s never been considered in the white-collar space before.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Mason-Watts, securing big-name sponsors was an important part of establishing the project. Brands including lululemon, NEOM and Proper Snacks have signed up to support the events, but ticket sales remain central to the model. She hopes the first fight night will fund free places for another 40 to 60 women, with the team aiming to stage two events a year.<\/p>\n
The WHO estimates that nearly one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, or sexual violence by someone else, during their lifetime. Meanwhile, the latest figures from the ONS suggest that around one in eight women aged 16 and over in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse, sexual victimisation or stalking in the past year.<\/p>\n
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\n Fight Back co-founders, from left to right, Poppy Mason-Watts, Lesley Sackey and Shelly Sweeney. Image: Fight Back\n <\/p>\n
Just fewer than 40 women have now completed the structured boxing programme, with organisers gathering feedback before and after sessions to assess changes in participants\u2019 mental health and self-esteem. Sackey says the team is also working with refuges and domestic abuse charities to establish a referral pathway, while some women continue training long after their initial camp has ended.<\/p>\n
Sweeney, who coaches many of the classes, says she sees the change from the side of the ring. \u201cA few women have come in quite shy, with curved shoulders, and over time, as they box more, their chest lifts slightly, their chin comes up, and you suddenly notice they\u2019re the ones starting conversations rather than having conversations being started for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
For women who have experienced domestic abuse, boxing might seem an unlikely way to rebuild confidence, particularly when the sport is so closely associated with physical violence. Fight Forward\u2019s free introductory classes, however, do not require participants to spar or compete, and women can train at a pace that suits them.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a misconception that they\u2019re putting women back into the space of violence that they\u2019ve experienced before. But this is different. This is a consensual environment\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Fight Forward participant Amja has heard that objection before. \u201cThere\u2019s a misconception that they\u2019re putting women back into the space of violence that they\u2019ve experienced before,\u201d she says. \u201cBut this is different. This is a consensual environment. It\u2019s controlled, you have choice, and it\u2019s a way of releasing tension. In a violent situation, you have no choice, and your autonomy is taken away from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy children were at my fight night,\u201d she adds, \u201cand I think them witnessing their mother in a different light was a game-changer, considering the dynamic of the separation.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Saria, 28 November will be her fourth fight in the ring. She has been told who her opponent will be, although they have never met, which she says is beside the point. \u201cIt\u2019s not about getting into the ring and fighting somebody else. It\u2019s about fighting for me, because I am worth fighting for.\u201d<\/p>\n
To learn more about Fight Forward\u2019s regular boxing classes and the Fight Back Programme, visit fightforward.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n