By Emily Mahoney.
Fight Night is a night organised by Wilder Events to raise money for their charities (BlOKes UK and SolidariTEE), promising 20 students competing in boxing matches, with each match consisting of 3 rounds that last 2 minutes. I am sure many of us have heard of it, but the big question remains, who is brave enough to sign up and fight? I sat down and interviewed my flatmate, Maddie ‘The Baddie’ Clark, who is taking part, to find out a bit more about the inner workings of Fight Night. What does it really take to embrace this commitment that is equal parts terrifying and exhilarating?
Maddie tells me that she signed up as a challenge, stepping outside of her comfort zone to push herself both physically and mentally. She explains that ‘it has been really challenging, but in the best way possible, and it is for such amazing causes too!’, going on to talk about the incredible charities that the proceeds of Fight Night are contributing to. Maddie explained that Fight Night perfectly encapsulates two of the things most important to her, fitness and charity. The first charity, BlOKes Uk provides a free ‘online other community’ for men to share their experiences with mental illness, allowing them to meet and talk to men ‘from all walks of life’, ultimately challenging the narrative that men should bottle up their thoughts and feelings. The second, SolidariTEE, is a charity led ‘by students and young people, standing against the injustices faced by refugees, and supporting NGOs working directly with those affected by forced displacement’.
I was intrigued to know about the training process, which Maddie summed up in three words, punctuated by her signature cackle; ‘Really. Bloody. Hard’. Despite this, she says that in the hour-long training (which happens 4-5 times a week) they ‘push you really hard, and I am really enjoying it, despite the skipping- which I hated at the beginning!’ Ultimately, she articulates that it is immensely ‘empowering to see the progress that everyone is making’. We spoke at length about the mental health benefits of boxing as a whole, and Maddie strongly believes that it is so positive for her routine and her mental clarity, alongside the obvious physical benefits. She explains that ‘it is such an incredible way to get all your anger out for that hour, it is just so cathartic! It fosters this real sense of mindfulness, if you’re having a bad day when you enter that boxing ring everything goes out the window and all you can focus on is the person in front of you’.
Despite her love for acting and being up on stage, even Maddie is still incredibly nervous for the fight, both due to her admiration of her opponent and the size of the audience but she continues to create a positive mindset and reminds herself that she has ‘put in the hard work for it’ as well as to ‘enjoy it and enjoy the process’, but she still ‘would like to come back home without a broken nose!’.
She continually sings the praises of the team at Go The Distance- Durham Community Boxing Club, which is a charity itself, set up to support people who have gone through domestic violence and abuse, and more generally for mental wellbeing as a whole. Maddie says that the support of the coaches is getting her through the training process, alongside the sense of community that has developed between the boxers. Speaking of this community she says that ‘everyone is really supportive during sparring and it is such a nice group. Is quite hard with boxing because everyone wants to train as hard as they can and essentially win, so you’re in your own mental headspace but that support is still there for each other because everyone knows how tough it really is’. Despite her parents being apprehensive at first, after explaining the training process her whole family is excited and supportive, with her brother trekking up to Durham from Marlow to show his support ringside, and she has promised her mum ‘for you I won’t get punched in the face!’.
When asked if she would recommend signing up to Fight Night she said ‘it’s been an amazing experience in terms of boxing, everyone should get into it at some point! It has been so good for my physical and mental health’. Maddie suggested that Aggression Sessions is also a good alternative for people who want to get involved with boxing for a cause, training is over a longer period, as the hectic rush of 6 weeks of training can be quite intense for some!
In summary, Maddie says ‘I am as ready as I’ll ever be, I have made some great friends and ultimately, I feel stronger and more empowered than I ever have before’.