Media
Fight Night.

Once upon a time, a giant of a man offered to remove my fear of being hit. Hastily accepting his generous offer he told me to drop my guard and then proceeded to smash my face in until I had a broken nose and 2 black eyes.

At 18, I had joined a Muay Thai club with the aim of joining the fight squad. Several elbows to the head and some intensive training I managed to achieve that goal over the following 2 years. My reward: some plastic trophies and a concussion. I ended up taking a leave of absence from combat sports. I told myself I’d be back in 6 months.

10 years later I signed up to a lunch time boxing session at The Lodge. An email from Martin Broad ignited dormant coals within me. This time I was going to do it right.

Having negotiated a transition from finance to media, this seemed a perfect opportunity to blow off a decade of pent-up steam. Rocking up to The Lodge in my fresh pressed shirt and chinos I was greeted by a ruggedly handsome chap who informed me the tap for sparkling water was out of use. I later found out this chap had over a 100 fights under his belt and was in-fact the head coach: Mark Reigate.

Forget a man’s name and he’ll forgive you. Remember it, and he’ll defend you forever.

“Breathe through it. Breathe through it.” - The mantra repeated while my calves, shoulders and lungs were struggling to reach every last ounce of oxygen available on the compact floor of The Lodge. A few minutes earlier, a bright eyed gent with a devilish grin asked if I could skip. Who is this guy? I said to myself. Of course I can skip, I trained Muay Thai for over 3 years…30 seconds in and the past decade of fine dining, martinis and an ever constant growing ego had finally caught up with me. The devilish grin of the gent turned my way, “don’t worry, you’ll soon pick it up”. To say I was humbled is a severe understatement. Ashley Newman, another coach at The Lodge continued his encouragement and support throughout my time training there.

That first session in January sent an over-due shockwave throughout my system. I was out-of shape, overweight and sure, even though I didn’t have an issue getting hot babes wasn’t it in my best interest to take care of my body? Over the next 8 months I incorporated 3 boxing sessions per week and joined my local F45. Dropping 30kg had its benefits, I was more agile and managed to update my Hinge Profile: 5”10, 88Kg and can skip more than 30 seconds without breaking a sweat.

The Lodge became my steam room; a place I could detox and experience catharsis with every punch thrown into the bag. Although I was unsuccessful in being chosen for Media Fight Night, this hasn’t dampened my spirt to continue boxing. If anything, it’s encouraged me to prepare for next year with the aim of being selected.

I’d recommend The Lodge to anyone, without a doubt the best place for on-going support, encourgement and all-round positivity for achieving ones goals be it boxing or an area of your life that could use powerful boost…just bring your own sparkling water.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT / SEPARATE FROM THE ORIGINAL STORY

Training camp & fight squad

I was accepted into the Media Fight Night training camp and made it to the final round before fight squad selection. Although I wasn’t selected for the squad, I was asked to stay on, train alongside them and help with their preparation. I also remained available as a backup boxer in case someone was unable to compete on the day.

While I didn’t make the squad, it was a great opportunity to continue training, support the team and develop as a boxer.

About Media Fight Night

Media Fight Night brings people from across the media industry together for a charity boxing event. Participants train towards the opportunity to step into the ring, while the wider industry comes together to support charitable causes.

For event details, information about taking part and the charities supported, visit the official website.

Visit Media Fight Night (opens in a new tab)