“I’m just obsessed with it”: Student reflects on boxing journey
A GCU student has opened up on his passion for boxing, after recently winning a silver medal at BUCS.
The BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sports) Boxing Championships were held at the University of Wolverhampton in May and saw competitors from across the UK take to the ring in a range of different weight divisions.
BSc (Hons) Construction Management student Ben Smith represented GCU and made it to the final of the U71kg (Class A) competition.
It’s been quite the journey for Ben, who only started boxing three years ago.
He said: “I played rugby my whole life and then I eventually got bored of it.
“When I first started boxing, I was getting absolutely smashed by all these bigger boys, but I just kept going.
“I got myself into the gym during lockdown and put on more muscle. I think everyone definitely noticed me a bit more by the time I got back to boxing.”
The famous Rob Roy Boxing Club has become Ben’s new home from home and he’s continued to embrace the challenge of training with those more experienced.
He explained: “It’s all been a learning curve for me. When you’re boxing, you always think you’re the best.
“The gym has really motivated me. If I can keep up with guys that are consistently winning at what I think is the best gym in Scotland, then I must be doing something right.”
Ben’s confidence developed further in February at the Boxing Scotland National Novice Championship.
He explained: “I kept training and was waiting for a fight. I got involved in the Novices and there were probably about 30 people competing.
“I won four fights and lost the last one – which I thought was a bit of a robbery, but that’s what happens sometimes!
“I was pretty chuffed to start off my first tournament with four wins and one loss. A lot of my confidence came from fighting at the Novices. I was second in Scotland and realised I wasn’t half bad.”
BUCS then provided a new challenge for Ben with competition from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales waiting for him in Wolverhampton.
He said: “I hadn’t heard of BUCS before and I definitely underestimated it - the standard was a lot better than expected.
“I had my first fight against a guy from Nottingham; it was the toughest fight of my life. It definitely woke me up a bit because I got caught with some really good shots. Luckily, I still ended up winning.”
A further succession of victories then followed for Ben and he found himself in the final – but not before some Rocky Balboa-esque drama.
Ben explained: “After the semi-final, I weighed myself and I’d somehow managed to put on 2kgs – I thought my scales were broken! This meant I would be classed as being overweight for my division, so I had to get rid of it for the final the next day.
“I had travelled down to Wolverhampton with my girlfriend and we decided it would be best if I just tried to sweat it out in the gym that night.
"I ended up wearing a bin bag, two hoodies, a jacket, a hat and two pairs of joggies. I had to borrow a pair of them off my girlfriend. Here I was, in a place I’ve never been before, running about mad in a pink pair of joggies. Thankfully, it worked and I got back down to the right weight.”
Despite his best efforts - which included a second round win - Ben was eventually defeated in the final.
He said: “When it came to our fight, I don’t know why, but I was really nervous. I was looking at this guy and he was giant; like 6ft 4. I’m about 5ft 10, so he was able to get a huge amount of force on his punches. That definitely made all the difference.”
Not one to wallow in self-pity, Ben has since picked himself up off the canvas and is already looking ahead to the future.
He explained: “My focus is now on MTK Box Cup next year and then the immediate goal would be to win the Scottish Amateur Championship.”
Ben added: “I’m just obsessed with it. All I think about is, ‘box, box, box’. I’m my own physio, my own strength and conditioning coach, and I do so much research on it. It’s what keeps me going."
“It’s just about seeing where it goes, to be honest. I’m not going to rely on it as my living or anything like that; I’m at university, I’ve got a job. I’m just doing it because I love it.”
By Ross Clark
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