At the 12×3 boxing gym in Aldgate, east London, Saria raises her voice over the thud of gloves on punchbags: “The Fight Forward programme literally saved my life.” Two years ago, after leaving one abusive relationship and finding herself in another, she joined a free boxing camp for survivors of domestic abuse. The classes helped her find the confidence to leave and a sense of self-worth she says she had never known.
Now Saria is preparing to fight in a different way. On 28 November, she will enter the ring at London’s Ladbroke Hall for The Fight Back, the first event by Fight Back Promotions. The venture is designed to turn ticket sales into lasting support for the free training that helped her and other women rebuild confidence.
Former Team GB boxer and European gold medallist Lesley Sackey started the classes through Fight Forward, a not-for-profit organisation. She has since teamed up with three-time national boxing champion Shelly Sweeney and impact media entrepreneur Poppy Mason-Watts to create the promotions company. One quarter of the profits from each event will go to Fight Forward’s classes and programmes for women affected by domestic abuse.
The founders also want to make white-collar boxing fairer for women. In this form of boxing, participants compete outside the professional ranks, often as a challenge or fundraiser. Organisers say women can still be matched against opponents with different levels of experience or in different weight classes. Sackey says fair bouts should also account for period-related changes in weight. Some women can gain up to 2kg in water weight during their cycle, she says, but this has not been considered in white-collar boxing.
The sport has a history of barriers for women: they were not allowed to box professionally in the UK until 1998, and women’s boxing first appeared at the Olympics at London 2012. Fight Back Promotions says its events can help open more space for women to compete on fair terms, while also backing a programme with a direct purpose beyond the ring.
Brands including lululemon, NEOM and Proper Snacks have signed up as sponsors, but ticket sales are central to the plan. Mason-Watts hopes the first fight night will pay for free places for another 40 to 60 women. The team aims to hold two events each year.
Just under 40 women have completed Fight Forward’s structured boxing programme so far. Organisers gather feedback before and after sessions to track changes in mental health and self-esteem. Sackey is also working with refuges and domestic abuse charities to build a referral pathway. Some participants keep training after their first camp ends.
Sweeney, who coaches many of the classes, says she has watched shy participants become more confident: their shoulders lift, their chins come up, and they begin starting conversations. For Saria, the next bout is one more step in a journey that began with a free class. If ticket sales meet the founders’ hopes, that first step could become available to dozens more women.