Boxing has been having a moment. In the professional scene, Anthony Joshua and Terence Crawford have elevated the game to new heights, while the controversial Paul brothers started the phenomenon of ‘YouTube’ boxing, making the sport accessible to many around the world for the first time ever. At many UK universities – including Edinburgh – student fight nights have become commonplace, but beneath the spectacle are the real boxers that make the fights happen.
On Wednesday, I sat down with Casey Maryyanek, President of the University of Edinburgh Boxing Club (EUBC). She welcomes the aforementioned hype around boxing: “Everyone’s into boxing right now, which is great for the sport — more money, more funding, more people watching, more people participating.” Casey’s route to the ring started back home, where her brother wouldn’t let her into the gym, but once she got to Edinburgh, she relished her newfound freedom.
The club she joined looked very different to the one she now leads. Friday sparring sessions were intimidating, the coaching was intense and even as a new boxer you’d have to prove yourself: “It was like, if you’re good enough, maybe we’ll let you show up.” Competition barely featured, with only three boxers going to Portsmouth in the club’s first team appearance.
Now, freshers turn up and are excited to compete right away, and more women than ever are participating. All-girl sessions help female members take a step into sparring without the added pressure of the male gaze. Casey is clear about where the drive for this comes from: “Something about it calls them the same way it calls the guys … they join of their own volition, and then our environment makes it easy for them to stay.”
Keeping that inclusive but competitive environment takes a lot of work. With four training sessions a week (five if you’re on the competitive squad), Casey spent the last fortnight looking for coaches on Indeed and doctors to perform medicals: “It’s genuinely very difficult. It’s like running a business.”
Still, she wouldn’t trade it for the world. Boxing, she says, builds confidence and a real understanding of what your body can do. Despite this, boxers will be boxers: “The people who are difficult to work with are the ones who walk in and think they are Muhammad Ali already.”
Next up for EUBC are the Development A Championships in Motherwell. I spoke to five boxers who are training to attend, hoping that a good performance will qualify them to head to the BUCS championship in Newcastle in January. Casey believes that the move in location from Portsmouth to Newcastle means that the club can bring a bigger squad to BUCS.
Only years ago, EUBC was somewhere that felt inaccessible to novices. Now, under the leadership of Casey, it’s become an environment where people want to stay, learn and hone their skills alongside making friends.
Judging by this year’s turnout, don’t be surprised if many boxers from fight night migrate to EUBC to continue their training.
Image by Ulia Makoveeva for The Student.
