Boxing is very hard but I always feel fantastic afterwards
Marion Dunn has no regrets after taking up boxing.
“I’ve got a lot fitter, which generally made me feel great. And it’s been very, very sociable,” said the Glasgow-born writer and a laboratory technician at Lancaster University.
“Boxing gives you an inner confidence and promotes mental fortitude. You feel like you can face life difficulties a little easier.
“There’s this stereotype that women are hard-wired to nurture and will find it hard to hit someone in the ring. That’s not the case.
“You’ll generally spar against a more experience boxer so you can really go hell for leather without worrying about hurting someone.
“Apart from a few black eyes, the worst injury I had was to my back by throwing a jab too hard!”
In her memoir, The Boxing Diaries: How I Got Hooked, Marion recounts learning to punch, dodge, skip and spar at her local amateur boxing gym in North Yorkshire.
“I became quite unfit in my late 40s and realised I had to do something drastic. I went to a traditional boxing gym, with lino floors and these ripped guys working four punching bags. I was made to feel welcome. I was the least fit and oldest one there but the coach was very encouraging.
“I trained three times a week – skipping, jumping, completing brutal circuits, and punching the pads and bags. That went on for 18 months. It was hard but I always felt fantastic afterwards.
“I loved the camaraderie. The fact I was the only woman there made no difference. I was prepared to work hard and that was all that mattered.
“Anyone who’s prepared to put in the effort will be welcomed with open arms.”
Marion, who will speak about her book at the Aye Write! literary festival in Glasgow later this month, added: “There’s no pressure to actually go in the ring. Many women join a boxing gym to get fit. I decided to try sparring because it looked fun.”