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A fresh initiative featuring all-female boxing events has been launched to raise funds for free boxing classes aimed at helping women regain confidence after escaping abusive relationships. These events are designed not only to support survivors but also to create competitive opportunities for women in a sport traditionally dominated by men.
Saria, aged 40, shares the profound impact the Fight Forward programme has had on her life. Speaking from the bustling 12×3 boxing gym in Aldgate, east London, she recalls how two years ago she was trapped in consecutive abusive relationships before discovering the boxing camp led by Lesley Sackey, a former Team GB boxer and European gold medallist. Sackey had started offering complimentary classes specifically for survivors of domestic abuse. “Doing that camp gave me the strength to fight for myself in that relationship, to get myself out of it, and to have confidence,” Saria explains. “It gave me a sense of self-worth that I’d never had in my life.” Now, her participation extends beyond weekly training, as she and other women from the programme prepare to fight in the inaugural event, The Fight Back, on 28 November at Ladbroke Hall in London.
Fight Back Promotions, the organisation behind these events, was founded by Sackey, three-time national champion Shelly Sweeney, and impact media entrepreneur Poppy Mason-Watts. Their goal is to transform ticket sales into a steady funding source for Fight Forward CIC, the non-profit that runs Saria’s boxing programme. A quarter of the event profits will directly finance the free classes and support women affected by domestic abuse. Furthermore, the founders emphasize the importance of fair competition in white-collar boxing, highlighting challenges women still face in being matched with opponents fairly in terms of weight and experience. Sackey points out, “Serving women better means taking into account fair matching,” adding that considerations such as allowances for period weight, which can add up to 2kg, have never previously been recognized in this boxing arena.
The impact of the programme extends beyond physical training. Sweeney, who coaches many sessions, observes visible changes in the women she works with, noting that shy participants gradually develop greater confidence, posture, and social interaction skills. For many domestic abuse survivors,
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