Brains and brawn
Ella Harris is taking a break from academia to focus on the Tri Nations Championships
‘BOXING TEACHES CRITICAL THINKING AND STRATEGY UNDER PRESSURE’
THIS weekend’s
Tri Nations Championship in Rotherham features a doctor, author and aspiring youth worker – all rolled
into one.
Ella Harris has a PHD in Urban Geography, along with a Degree in English and a Masters in Geography.
She has written a book titled Rebranding Percarity: Pop-up Culture as
the Seductive New Normal that currently sells for £70 on Amazon and when Boxing News rang her, Harris had just returned from Argentina where she had been working as a researcher in crisis cultures.
BN called Harris because when she isn’t writing or travelling the world, she boxes.
She won the NAC light-flyweight championship last month and this
weekend looks to add Tri Nations gold to her CV.
The semi-finals are held at the Magna Centre on Saturday with the finals going ahead the following day.
Harris says her day job can help her win gold. “I deal with people who are living in precarious situations,” said the 34-year-old, “and the strategy is the same in boxing.
“Boxing teaches critical thinking and strategy under pressure, skills I need in my job dealing with crisis cultures. Boxing is an intellectual sport. My PHD was about space and time philosophy and boxing is all about finding space and time. You have to be able to
create space and time in the boxing ring. Boxing skills are transferable to so many other aspects of life.”
Harris was a late comer to boxing. Born in Stockport, she grew up in Newcastleunder-lyme before relocating to London to study for her Masters.
She first went to a boxing gym aged 24, explaining: “I went with some friends who wanted to try it out. I wasn’t expecting to get immersed into it, but once I started it really gripped me.”
Boxing for London Community Boxing, Harris reached the NAC final last year, losing to Kelsey Oakley (Priory Park) on points – and that led to a rethink.
“My boxing has changed over the last year,” she said. “I have been more assertive and working on my ring dominance, moving my opponents to where I want them to be, sometimes using body language, not by throwing punches.
“Landing punches is only one part of boxing. You are judged on your whole performance and you need to be convincing, you need to know what the judges want to see.”
Harris impressed all the judges in the NAC final in Newcastle last month, outpointing Tayla Rushton (Box Smart Elite) unanimously, the highlight of her 30-bout amateur career.
“There were reasons to think I had come to boxing too late to go very far,” she said. “But from early on I wanted to see how far I could get.
“I changed things in my life to make it possible. I showed what I can do if I put my mind to it. I believe if you want certain things you can make it happen.”
Harris calls this philosophy ‘Champion Mindset’ and along with partner Kheron Gilpin, the 2019 Elite cruiserweight champion, she is planning to spread her message.
“We are developing a programme for young people to show how you can be a champion in any area of your life,” she said.
“If you want the world to look different you have the power to change it.”
Because England are hosting the Tri Nations, they have two fighters at each weight. Harris and Rushton could meet again in Rotherham and Ella said: “I think I have some tactics that will help me win more clearly this time.
“I think she’s a tidy boxer, but maybe isn’t too good under pressure.”
The England team will be without a pair of NAC champions.
Turners light-flyweight Ben Litwin, who won the 48kgs title at the third attempt, is ruled out with a hand injury and Repton southpaw Giorgio Visioli, who added the 63.5 kgs title to the 60kgs championship he won last year, misses out after hurting his back.
The injury to Visioli gives a chance to Amali Davis (Baker Street) to make his England debut.
The 23-year-old becomes the first boxer from the Gloucester club to represent his country. He was beaten by Visioli in the semi finals on a cut.
Coach Todd Roberts says Davis is “the toughest kid I have ever met in my life. He always gives it 100 per cent. I held him back from going in the NACS for a couple of seasons and then he got to the semifinals. He definitely gave Visioli a harder fight than he had in the final.”