‘I’ve always been involved in boxing ever since I was a kid, it’s all I’ve ever known’
PROMISING HULL FIGHTER WHO WAS FORCED TO RETIRE WITH BRAIN INJURY OPENS HIS OWN GYM
A HULL boxer who was forced to retire due to a brain injury sustained in a fight has carried on his legacy - by opening a boxing club.
Connor Coghill, 29, last fought in October 2023 against Hopey Price on the undercard for Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington. After the narrowest of defeats, the featherweight was taken to hospital for observation where a bleed on the brain was discovered.
His first defeat in a promising 14-0 career proved to be his last as he was forced into a premature retirement as a result of the injury. Despite the devastating knockback, Connor remains as devoted to the sport as ever. He has just opened his own boxing gym with coaching on the horizon to return to the ring, in the form of a cornerman.
Despite the setback, Connor still has a positive attitude. He told Hull Live: “I’m getting used to retirement now. Just keeping busy, obviously with the gym and just working as much as I can to focus on this and not focus on boxing anymore, just the coaching side of things.”
Going into the fateful fight as an 8/1 underdog - despite being undefeated - Connor was in control for the first six rounds.
A knockdown by Price meant that the scores evened up, but an 11th round blow by Price saw him win the Final Eliminator For British Featherweight Title at the Utilita Arena, in Sheffield. A later assessment uncovered Connor’s injury that would see his boxing days sadly come to a premature end.
When asked how he’s feeling physically, Connor said: “I’m alright, I’m good. I’m fit, I feel well, I’m positive. I have some days where I miss boxing, but I’m getting used to being a coach and teaching it.”
Like fellow Hull boxers Tommy Coyle and Luke Campbell, owning his own gym post-retirement was always a suitable career path for Connor - the Boxclub plan was just fast-tracked. “Everything came sooner than expected,” he said. “I always wanted to be involved in boxing, and it was kind of a dream for
me to open my gym but it was nowhere near planned or even thought about at that time because of the injury. It kind of like rushed it for me.
“I’ve always been a bit of a coach anyway. I’ve done a lot of personal training, things with kids and amateurs. I’ve probably not done it as much as I’m doing at the minute, but I’ve always loved passing on knowledge.
“It’s [boxing] is great for your mental health. It lets off a bit of steam, it’s great for your fitness. I’ve always been involved in boxing ever since I was a little kid, it’s all I’ve ever known and never stopped.”
Connor has recently finished his coaching course and training licences, meaning that he can train professional fighters, as well as be in their corner. In the future, Connor wants to coach the next generation of boxers but needs further British Boxing Amateur licences, which the gym will be getting in the future.
Although Connor has to wait to go into the corner for amateur boxers, he can still help train them. For the past three weeks, Connor has been hard at work renovating his Boxclub gym, in Wincolmlee. With one last lick of paint sorted and decorating the place with match-worn gloves, he has been juggling the last of the DIY with his sessions.
“So at the minute, I’ve just been doing private businesses, group sessions”, he said. “A lot of groups come in to use the gym, so I’ll do a class for them. I teach a lot of 1-to-1s, people who want to get fit, maybe lose weight or just enjoy boxing and want to learn how to box.”
Boxclub can be found at New Cleveland Works, Wincolmlee, to find out more visit the Boxclub Facebook page.