Three Cardiff-based boxers share their experiences without the sport during Covid
BOXING is back.
After 18 months without amateur boxing competitions, the inaugural Welsh Box Cup took place in October 2021, marking the first domestic fixture since March 2020.
During this time, gyms opened and closed leaving fighters in the dark over their futures in the sport.
Many boxers were left confused, frustrated, and upset.
One of those boxers was me.
For the last three years, boxing has been a vital part of my everyday life.
It became my outlet when life got too much and a way to express myself when nothing else would do.
Without the sport, I felt lost and unstable, as if all meaning had been stripped from my life.
It was this very personal experience that led me to ask questions — how did other boxers deal with the pandemic? And how have things changed now that boxing competitions are back?
Chloe Perry
Like many young boxers, 20-year-old Chloe Perry, from Cathays, fell into a rut when competitions stopped.
“The pandemic affected me really badly, I got into the habit of sitting in my room and playing video games all day. I lost a lot of motivation, and I was really down,” she said.
Prior to the pandemic, Chloe was in a rich vein of form, winning the 2019 Welsh Championships and the 2020 BUCS Championships.
But this momentum would come to a grinding halt when gyms were closed across the country, leaving boxers like Chloe without a crucial stabilising force in their lives.
“The lockdown stopped me in my tracks, I was in the form of my life and then everything changed,” she said.
“Being out of my routine of education and boxing every day threw me off. I put on a lot of weight over the pandemic and my mental health hit rock bottom.”
Much of Chloe’s youth was spent in combat sports.
At just five she started kickboxing and developed quite the knack for it, winning countless titles including the prestigious English Open Championships.
At the age of 14, she discovered that the talent was in her hands and switched to boxing.
This is when everything changed.
“I knew as soon as I stepped in the boxing gym that I wanted to take it further, it became an addiction,” she said.
While her friends were out partying, Chloe was in the gym perfecting her craft, tirelessly working away at her newfound obsession like it was a nine-to-five job.
Boxing quickly became her priority and without it, life just wasn’t the same.
On August 7, 2021, the Welsh Boxing Association moved to phase three of their return to boxing framework. At phase three, clubs were able to take part in indoor training sessions, sparring, and, crucially, competitive events.
This decision brought boxing back to the masses and injected purpose into many fighters’ lives.
In Chloe’s case, it was a chance to get back on track and follow her dreams.
“I was really depressed during the pandemic, and it is only recently I’ve moved past that. When gyms started opening back up again and competitions came back my mental health began to improve,” she said.
“I’m so happy that boxing is finally back.”
Chloe Perry
Joe Smith
Joe Smith, 23, from Caerau, struggled a lot with motivation when the pandemic hit.
“I didn’t do much training to be honest, at the start of Covid I did, but I thought it would only be a couple of weeks, eventually I got fed up and ended up going out to party most nights,” he said.
Boxing was the discipline in Joe’s life and without it, he fell into the traps that so many young people do. With no end in sight, he stopped training completely.
The last time Joe entered the ring before competitions were cancelled, he defeated five-time Welsh champion, Levi Griffiths.
But with two years out of the ring, an absence of crucial learning fights halted his progress.
“I lost valuable years to the pandemic, before the restrictions I was at my best and I was extremely consistent with my training, if it wasn’t for Covid I would have had another 20 bouts, maybe even more,” he said.
In November, he was back in the ring competing at the Welsh Senior Boxing Championships.
Despite an early victory against Welshpool ABC boxer Josh Greer, a loss to Taylor Bevan, of Roose ABC, in the semi-finals marked the end of the road.
Sadly, the effects of lockdown and ring rust played their part.
“I had six weeks of proper training ahead of the Welsh Championships,” he said.
“I hadn’t boxed in two years and then suddenly I was boxing back-to-back within the space of a week, so my body went into shock.
“Now boxing is back, I’m determined to get myself back to where I was. I feel like my purpose has returned.”
Joe Smith
Kyran Jones
The pandemic saw a massive uptake in amateur boxers turning over to the professional ranks.
One of those boxers is Kyran Jones, 23, from Caerphilly, who boxes out of the famous Llanrumney Phoenix ABC under the tutelage of Gary Lockett.
As an amateur, he was a 10-time Welsh champion, with over 60 international bouts and appearances at three European Championships, a Youth World Championship, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Under government guidelines, professionals were able to train and spar during the pandemic, so the overall experience was quite different for Kyran.
“It gave me time to gel with Gary, make the transition from amateur to pro, and just gave me time to work on things to get ready for the pro ranks,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to have this gym where I could train under Gary right the way through lockdown, but it was mentally draining because you would get fight fit but there would be nothing at the end of it.”
Outside of the bright lights of world-class professional boxing, small hall shows where prospects like Kyran cut their teeth were still not able to open fully.
These shows don’t have the luxury of multi-million-pound sponsorships and successful pay-per-view models. The majority of their income is made through tickets sales and with no fans there was no small hall boxing.
So, for Kyran it was a case of staying fit and waiting for his opportunity.
Luckily, that opportunity came in September of this year at the Vale Sports Arena in Cardiff where Jones won his debut bout on points against Michal Gazdik.
This was swiftly followed by another points victory over Vladimir Fleischhauer three weeks ago.
“It has been great in getting me off the streets, teaching me discipline and self-motivation, I can’t thank boxing enough for what it’s done for me. Now fights are back I couldn’t be happier.”
Kyran Jones
