Boxing Girls My Life

Boxing is one of the toughest of all sports.

It's controversial and many doctors think

it's so dangerous it should be banned.

It's always been a sport for boys and men, not girls.

But now that is changing.

This year, for the first time,

women will be boxing in the London Olympics.

And the next generation of young girl boxers

is already stepping into the ring.

Some of their friends aren't sure about it.

I think it's scary.

Someone, like, on purpose trying to injure you.

And many parents don't like it.

I've tried to talk her out of it,

but it is what she really wants to do.

But the boxing girls love it.

When I'm in a ring, I forget everything,

and I just sort of go for it and not care.

You get this good feeling inside.

You're a bit scared of, like, people hurting you and that.

But I do get a whole buzz out of it.

It is quite a big part of me now.

When I'm boxing, I feel like I'm in a different world or place.

This teenager is about to do something

that would terrify most of us.

Stay focused. You're going to win!

In a few seconds, she'll be boxing another girl

in a win-or-lose battle.

My name is Courtney.

I'm 14 and I'm a boxer.

Courtney's been going to the boxing gym for ten months.

When I first started going,

I wouldn't go without my make up on,

and when I sweat it goes like that, all down my face.

And I thought, "I'm not going to fight if I don't have any make up."

And I had to change a bit and just get used to it.

She's had a tough upbringing.

She fell out with her mum,

ran away from home and now lives with her great-grandma.

-So are you going now?

-Yeah, so I'll see you later.

If I had had a fancy life, I wouldn't have been a boxer.

I'd have probably been, like, doing ballet or something.

Not boxing.

Courtney trains at Macclesfield Boys Club

and it's become a second home for her.

The gym is like my normal week,

cos I'm there three days a week

and then I go running with them on a Tuesday.

Donna is Courtney's coach.

Remember, you're going in with a floppy angle, it will break your thumb.

She's very good. She is. She is just

getting better and better each month.

Two! One! Yeah! Go!

She's very, very dedicated.

Sometimes I don't think she wants to go home.

Not that she don't want to go home, I think she still wants to be in here!

40 miles away, another girl is training for her first bout.

My name is...Demi, I'm 14

and I'm a...boxer.

We are at a gym in Sheffield,

and it's where I train four or... five times a week.

Cos I've got a stutter, I, like, stammer some...times.

She didn't really notice it

as being a problem until

people started saying,

"Oh, you, you stutter."

I were like really down about myself.

I didn't have enough confidence.

I...I wouldn't really talk to my family. I were that quiet.

And then, as soon as I started doing boxing,

it, like, brightened me up and I felt so much better.

Demi started going to a local gym after her granddad suggested

she should take up martial arts to boost her confidence.

From that, I did, like, I did the boxing sessions as well

and I took that up and, like, first session on, and I loved that more.

When I started doing boxing,

it's like I had found something what I wanted to do.

My goal is just to train hard,

be positive

and get ready for, like, fighting as an amateur.

And Demi's coach believes she's on track for a contest.

Because she's progressed so fast,

now she's in a stage

where we think, we all believe

that she's in a competition level.

So she's got the skill, but she'll also need to prove her fitness

and that she can pass a stringent medical before she's able to box.

But not all the boxers in this gym have taken up

the sport in order to compete.

One girl took up boxing after being bullied.

My name is Lucy, I'm 14 and I'm a boxer.

When I started, I got sparring

and every time I hit someone,

like, if it was too hard, I'd say sorry to him.

And everyone just used to laugh at me.

It's kind of embarrassing when you look back now.

Lucy's natural hair colour is red.

They find it funny, so they'll say names to you.

It just lowers your confidence sometimes.

And sometimes, you just feel like, "Oh, shut up for once."

It feels like you need to do something about it,

and that's where I thought - boxing, it teaches self-defence.

So if I did get in worse trouble, I'd know how to defend myself.

But Lucy has to be careful about how she uses her new-found skills.

Her gym has very strict rules.

Everyone is like, "Oh, boxer, boxer. Go on then, I'll have you. Fight."

And all this, like, messing about.

We are not allowed to start fights or pick on people

because the things what you learn in the gym, need to stay in the gym.

But if we did, then I think we'd get quite in trouble,

and maybe even get kicked out of the gym.

Because that's not what you're learning for.

Lucy doesn't want a full-on fight

but the tough training and discipline in the gym

has made her feel more confident about herself.

Have you seen a different side to

those at school that were doing that?

What are they like now with you?

They just get along with me normally now.

I showed them that I'm not really bothered no more.

Well done, that's brilliant.

Boxing is potentially quiet dangerous and we all know that.

But you've got to take that risk if you want to start boxing.

Boxing gyms have experienced coaches with strict rules

and they make sure everybody sticks to them.

Nice and easy without hurting anybody.

Boxing training teaches skills and fitness but it can still be risky.

One clip in the wrong place, then you could be seriously injured.

All amateur boxers have to wear protection.

If we're sparring using headshots or if we're boxing,

we use a headguard to protect our head.

We also have chest guards.

And put in gum shields

to protect the mouth.

We wear wraps on our hands

to stop them being damaged.

And we also put gloves on.

Even so, some people still think boxing should be banned.

Courtney's choice to box has surprised many of her friends.

Some of my friends were like,

"You won't box. Look at you, look at your make-up,

"look at how short your skirt is."

She's been through hard times and that's made Courtney tough.

So it was me and my mum,

and when she was 19, she got married

and she had two children.

We were moving around a lot.

And I went to six different schools.

It was pretty tough.

'Going to six different schools

'put it a bit out of me and my mum.

'We fell out a lot

'and I ended up moving in with my gran.'

And that was just before my 12th birthday.

'It's given me a secure place to live with my gran.'

Gran! I'm back!

What sort of a day have you had?

It was all right, cos my teacher wasn't in

and the teacher didn't know what he was doing, so he said we could do anything.

And I had no homework to do, so I drawed.

In the morning, we don't speak while she's having her breakfast

and then she tittles off upstairs

and I don't see her again till she says,

"Right, I'm going to school now." And off she goes.

-We do talk in the morning a bit.

-It's very bit.

-We do.

-If I'm in a good mood.

-You're never in a good mood in the morning.

-I am.

It's different than, like, how my friends are, but I feel better now

because it's not such a hassle and there's much to think of.

It's been a weird upbringing.

-I wouldn't like to watch you go to fight.

-But you would.

I could go, but I'd probably be sat there going,

"Oh-ooh!" You know...

Like you do when you're watching something horrid on the telly.

-"Ooh!"

-Ha-ha-ha!

So she does love me, really.

-I've always loved you. I just don't like you at times, let's be honest.

-Ha-ha-ha!

With no mum at home,

Courtney's second family is now down at the gym.

She loves to be here cos we love her being here.

I think she actually feels she's wanted.

You know what I mean.

I think that's what's done a lot for Courtney as well.

She's definitely found something.

In Sheffield, Demi too finds something special about training.

I love getting up in the morning, knowing that I've got boxing.

The good thing about Demi is she trains very, very hard

and she's earned respect from everybody within the gym.

When I'm boxing, I feel I'm in a different world or place.

Don't smile at me. Eh...don't smile.

Demi's coach Rash wants more girls

to come through the doors of his gym.

A lot of the girls tend to see

a gym full of boys

and I think that sometimes is the obstacle for us.

Lucy was definitely put off at first.

When I walked in I thought, "Oh, there's going to be a few girls."

And it was just full of boys.

During the week, we train with the pros

and you'd see all these big, muscly men up here

punching bags and absolutely whacking them.

And you'd be quiet scared, to be honest.

But once they've made the first step of coming into here,

and having a feel of the really good environment, where everybody is not bothered

what gender you are, what colour you are,

they tend to feel, you know, it's not as bad as I think it is.

And after a bit, you get really used to it

cos everyone just sticks up for you.

And it's just like your brothers.

At weekends, the gym is handed over to beginners.

But for the rest of the week the training is pretty full-on.

Demi and Lucy are often the only girls there,

so it's not surprising they stick together.

They're now close mates, although it wasn't always like that.

-I didn't like you at first, ha-ha!

-No!

I wouldn't know I'd, like,

come into her gym, if you like.

And then, I don't know, we just started talking and then...

-Now, look.

-Yeah. Friends.

There's no room for slackers in a boxing gym.

It's fun but it's also a serious business,

especially when, like Courtney,

you're building up to a big contest.

You sign in and then do a 20-minute run.

Then, go on the bag.

Then, you might get called over to do pads.

In the space you do two, I want four.

But fast! See. Get speed!

Donna is lovely. She's always there.

If I get upset, she'd be there.

Is there anything that you're worried about?

-Erh...

-The parry?

-Yeah.

Like any other sport, there's a lot to get right.

If Courtney's going to have a chance of winning her bout,

she's got to learn how to protect herself,

how to move fast and dodge the punches.

So Donna doesn't let up with her training.

So you knew you need to step to the other side, don't you?

But if you're stepping in, cos you do step in,

you've got to remember you've got to step back out again.

She's dead scary sometimes, but she's lovely.

All boxers are given a stringent medical

before they're even allowed in the ring.

For Demi, that means a whole lot of prodding and poking.

Fail this examination,

and however skilful she is,

Demi might never be allowed to box competitively.

Good. Well done.

When training is finished and you're ready to fight,

you'll get a doctor in to medical you up.

Again, it's important obviously not to have

any problems with your ears.

Particularly perforations,

which can affect

your balance as well.

So we just need to check those ears.

You worked hard for it.

They're always saying, "You won't pass it",

but it's not a very nice thing to hear.

Another important part of boxing is what you look like

but the outfits aren't cheap.

Courtney's great gran doesn't have the cash to kit her out,

so Donna and fellow boxer Beth have a surprise for her.

-Look at my name on it. That's hot.

-Ha-ha!

-Oh!

-Do you like them?

-Yeah.

Basically, what we've done is

we had a sponsor for Courtney from the veg shop in Macclesfield.

They gave us £100 so we've been out and sorted her some shorts out.

Oh, thanks!

But if you want some tassels, we'll sort that out for you.

-We didn't know if you did or you didn't, so we didn't put them on.

-Yeah.

But we could, it's no worries, we can sort tassels out, no mither.

Donna hopes the better Courtney looks,

the better she'll do in her upcoming bout.

Am I hearing all right?

-Yes, absolutely. Can you hear me?

-Yeah.

Demi's medical is complete

and it's good news.

OK, Demi. That was very good.

-I think you're perfectly fit to box.

-Yeah, that's great.

-Thank you.

-OK.

She's qualified as a fully-fledged Boxing Girl.

But there's something else that might stop Demi boxing

finding the right opponent.

You're limited, because of your age

and because of your weight,

and because with you being...with you being a girl,

there's no many girl boxers.

All she can do now is wait for her coach to find a match.

It could take months.

But there's definitely no let up in her training.

Sparring is an important part of our training.

It's when you practise in the ring with another boxer.

When you are sparring, trainers outside the ring, they'll say,

"Look, calm down. You're not to start a war or anything."

It's just about showing how good you are

by practising everything you've learned.

Demi spars with Lucy.

Best mates don't usually go all out to hit each other.

But it's different if you're a boxer.

We don't think less of each other just cos we're sparring.

In a way, it can make us closer,

cos we're, like, sparring but we've still got respect.

It's for each other at the same time.

And plus, it's not really bad, is it,

cos that's what you're meant to do in boxing.

Courtney's bout is a few weeks away.

She's stuck sparring with boys which isn't easy...

for the boys, that is.

Courtney can throw a good punch,

and I've seen her catch lads, and the lads looked as if saying, "Wow!"

You know what I mean?

And I've seen him give it her back and she's took it.

When I first started,

I didn't really want to hit her that hard.

But I can hit her harder now because I know she's a tough girl.

If she gets to hit me once, I think she'll get my nose broken.

Yeah. Not keeping my guard up, so she punishes you for that.

This is a hard sport.

In a boxing ring there's nowhere to hide.

Sometimes, she's the one who catches you out.

So you'd get punched in the belly, but...

you soon get over it, cos after a bit, you just get really used to it.

And you're hitting them back anyway, so it's not like it's not fair.

Some of Lucy's friends have seen her sparring

and they don't like the look of it.

I think it's scary.

Someone on purpose trying to injure you.

If I were there, I'd just cry.

-Ha-ha! I'd just cry...

-Ha! What!

I'd just cry.

Because she's a girl, people won't really think,

"Oh, she's a boxer."

And when you first look at her, she don't look very boxing, like.

So... I don't think girls are, like,

I don't think they shouldn't be boxers.

But they should just be what they want.

Model or boxer, whatever you want to be.

Demi has made her mind up on what she wants to be

and nothing gets in the way of her training.

For her birthday, I said, "What do you want to do?"

And she said, "I want to go the gym."

And she laughed and said, "Well, we can do...do something after,

"but are you sure you want to go to the gym for you...your birthday?"

And I said, "Well, yeah, I won't miss gym, just cos it's my...my birthday."

# Happy Birthday to you

# Happy Birthday to you

# Happy Birthday, dear Demi

# Happy Birthday to you. #

She actually said when we got home,

"It was the best birthday I've had."

One press-up, come on!

ALL: One! Yeah! Two!

One more! And three!

Stop showing off! We only said one!

And Demi has another birthday treat.

Together with Lucy, she's been given the chance to train

with the man who started this gym

and has worked with world champions

like Prince Naseem Hamed.

His name is Brendan Ingle

and if he says sing, you sing.

BOTH: # I can sing a rainbow

# Sing a rainbow... #

The singing helps the girls build confidence and move like dancers,

which means they can avoid being hit.

Your hands, your feet, your eyes, your voice are all in one.

Coordination.

Boxing is not one of the hardest sports,

it is the hardest.

And if you want to do it,

you've got to admire them.

When someone like Brendan complements you, it makes you feel good inside

it makes you want to train harder.

BOTH: # I can sing a rainbow

# Sing a rainbow

# Sing a rainbow too. #

Courtney's trying to put on weight to help her boxing.

All my friends, they are like, they want to lose weight

and be dead skinny.

And I'm like, "Well, I need to eat, just leave me alone."

Donna's tried to get her to cook more balanced meals

and keep off the takeaways.

I try and eat healthy sometimes.

I have, like, salads and things like that.

But everyone needs a break sometimes.

Oh, I love chips! Mm!

-You're trying to put on weight.

-Yeah, that's why I'm eating chips.

Ha-ha-ha!

Courtney might be ignoring Donna's dietary advice,

but her gift has made quite an impression.

I have my own shorts. It has my name on!

Oh, really?

Like, I didn't know about it. They've been planning it for months. No-one told me.

I got a sponsor or something, I don't know.

But they bought them.

-A sponsor?

-Yeah!

-That's awesome!

-Me!

Demi's coach hasn't managed to find her an opponent,

so her best mate Shannon drags her away from the gym

and to the nail parlour.

For Demi though, it's toe nails only.

So are you a girlie girl or

a tomboy or...?

-I'm a girlie girl outside the gym.

-Yeah.

-But then in the gym, I get sucked into it.

-Yeah.

Because a lot of people have said,

"Oh, you're a pretty girl, you shouldn't be fighting."

I think that's made her more determined to fight.

They always do opposite anyway, don't they?

Have you ever hurt your hands?

I've just had a few scars on my hands, but that's it.

When you first get scars, it bleeds. But it just, like, hardens over.

It hardens your skin, so you don't bleed, it just scars.

Shannon just doesn't get boxing.

If I knew what to do, I'd go.

If I knew how to spar...

She'd come if she could get out of bed.

-I'm not that lazy.

-No.

Lucy took up boxing just to get fit and feel confident

but she's made a big decision,

although breaking the news to her mum isn't going to be easy.

I want to get better and then, I think, once I progress on that,

I might start thinking about fighting.

-You won't watch, will you?

-I'll never be able to watch you do that.

Why wouldn't you want to watch me fight?

Because I wouldn't want anybody to hurt you, that's why!

-I'd want to hurt them, wouldn't I?

-Yeah.

I really want to get better at my techniques and footwork and everything first,

cos I want to go in the ring really confident

and know that I'm really good at it.

Practice makes what?

-Perfect.

-Perfect, OK.

Practice makes perfect.

'Cos if you go in and you're not really ready,'

that's when you'll get caught and lose your fights,

then you get put off.

A few days ago, Demi got the news she's been waiting for.

Her coach has found an opponent and the bout is tonight.

-Are you nervous?

-No, I'm excited.

-So we've got your gloves...

-Yeah.

Her mum likes Demi training... but not fighting.

I'm a bit nervous about her having a fight.

I've tried to talk her out of it but it's what she really wants to do.

I think it'll be a great buzz.

Atmosphere and all, I'll just enjoy it.

Demi's in a skills bout.

It's what new boxers do to get experience in the ring.

The judges don't keep a score so there's no winner or loser.

Apart from that, it's a proper bout.

It don't really bother me.

If I get a mark or broken nose or whatever, it doesn't bother me.

It's what happens in a fight.

OK, give me two minutes and we'll wait for them to finish.

Demi's been working really hard.

She's got everything cracked and seems to be set on it

and I think it's going to be a good fight.

The girl who wouldn't even talk to her family is about to

box in front of a massive audience.

It's the first time her mum and dad have seen her in the ring.

She won't be scored but she's got a lot to prove.

-Seconds out, round one.

-BELL RINGS

'At the event, there were 300 people and it didn't bother me.

'I forgot about everyone, even my mum and dad.'

Come on, Demi!

'But I could hear people cheering me on so I felt good.'

She caught me with a few jabs, knocked my head back,

but I came forward a bit.

Knowing what it's like to get hit and to give a punch as well,

so I think I'd give it another go, but it hasn't put me off fighting.

BELL RINGS

She's done it! Her first ever bout and Demi boxed brilliantly.

And she was a lot cooler than her parents.

To see your daughter fighting in the ring, it's horrible.

I was a nervous wreck about 20 minutes after.

I've only just calmed down now, haven't I?

Really proud of Demi cos it takes some guts stepping into that ring

and actually fighting.

With having that stammer, she would never have done that.

And to come here now and fight in front of all these,

there's a right difference in her.

Demi's skills bout has made her all the more determined to

keep on boxing.

But has it put her friend off?

I do want to have a fight. I think that's made me want to even more.

What I'd say to Lucy is just to be herself, go into the ring

knowing that you're going to put up a good fight and she'll be fine.

And take her make-up off!

Courtney's already had a skills bout -

tonight it's a real contest, she'll win or lose.

It's a proper bout and I want to win it. I'm up against a Polish girl.

She's one kilo lighter than me and that's all I know about her.

The other girl has only had a couple of fights,

but she's got a good record.

-You've come a long way, haven't you?

-Courtney's quite a cool girl.

I've seen lads that are more nervous than she is.

She handles it really well. Don't knock me out, Courtney, please!

Months of training for three short rounds.

I've had a lot of tough times but I didn't give up.

A big crowd, all fired up, and her opponent looks tough.

Representing the Macclesfield ABC...

This is one of the biggest nights Courtney's ever faced.

Win or lose, boxing's a big part of my life.

And so, the first proper bout of Courtney's life begins.

BELL RINGS

Courtney's taking some hits.

But she's dishing out plenty of her own.

Good girl! Good girl, Courtney!

BELL RINGS

-APPLAUSE

-You did really well.

Three hard rounds. Now it's up to the judges.

Ladies and gentlemen, the judges' decision is unanimous...

CHEERING

She's good, she's better than me.

-Well done.

-It was very good.

-You, too.

She's lost, but there's no reason for Courtney to be downhearted.

She did really well. She did. I'm just so happy with her.

Even though she lost, that doesn't matter to me.

And Courtney knows, together with her opponent, she's shown

the level of bravery that all good boxers need.

We got in the ring

and we did something that other people wouldn't do.

So yeah, it makes me feel quite proud that I got in the ring

and did it.

Courtney, Demi and Lucy are all determined to carry on boxing.

They know it's hard, they know it sometimes hurts,

but it gives them so much.

I just feel like I'm in my element when I'm boxing. I feel at home.

I feel like I can do anything. That's how I feel inside.

It doesn't matter if I win or lose, I'm going to carry on anyway.

Roy's been doing it for about five years.

He's lost every fight, until last week he won.

He hasn't given up and you gotta not give up.

People think, "Boxing for girls?" But I just don't think about that.

Do whatever you want because it's up to you, not anybody else.

You choose your life, nobody chooses it for you.

# I'm rich

# Like a hot noise

# Rich, rich, rich

# I'll take you out, boy! #

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