by John Dennen
The next Olympic boxing qualification event takes place from March 3-11 in Italy; Savannah Stubley is following in Nicola Adams’ footsteps as the GB’s flyweight and is a trailblazer herself; Olympic champion James DeGale has been mentoring Patris Mughalzai as he prepares for the qualifier.
Savannah Stubley wasn’t supposed to fight. It wasn’t what girls in her community were expected to do.
But inspired by Nicola Adams’ success at the London 2012, Stubley set out to box. Her brother might have gone to the Empire School of Boxing in Blyth first, but Stubley was determined to follow.
She recalled: “My mum and my dad were a bit not happy at first. There were like: ‘No you’re not going, you’re a girl. Girls don’t box.’ Because at that time there were not many girls boxing. There was no one really about.”
She however persisted. “My mum and dad were like: ‘Oh just leave her then, it’ll only last a few days’. I was seven at the time and I’ve just stuck to it since. I’ve been with the same club, the same coaches, the same team.
“When I first started I was the only girl in the gym. There were a load of boys and then there was me. But they all treated me like family in there. We’re like a family club. Everyone gets along with everyone. So they just took me under their wing. I used to spar the boys.”
Her coach recognised her potential, even at that early age. “I think he’s seen that I was just a feisty little girl who just loved to train and loved to hit somebody. As a kid I was always fighting so I think he’s just seen that I had the heart,” Stubley said.
