In defence of women’s boxing – B2 English Reading Test

In defence of women’s boxing

Lucy O’Connor thinks that women’s boxing is widely misunderstood

Women’s boxing is a new addition to the list of sports included at the Olympic Games. But according to Lucy O’Connor, winner of various international competitions, it’s still widely misunderstood – a situation that Lucy’s hoping to change. After graduating, Lucy took up boxing on the advice of a sports coach, who thought it would improve her general fitness. But Lucy soon set her sights on competitions and it wasn’t long before she was boxing at the National Championships, which she eventually went on to win.

As a result of her success, Lucy was accepted on to what the navy calls its ‘elite sportsman’s programme’. (1)………… . Every day now starts with a run at 7 a.m., followed by a skill and technique session or a strength and conditioning circuit. Come the afternoon, there are more aerobic workouts, before Lucy gets into the ring and practices with other elite boxers.

As with all competitors, diet is a huge part of Lucy’s life. Since she first started boxing, she’s had to shed twenty-eight kilos. Losing the last six, which took her into the flyweight category, required great determination. (2)………… As she explains: ‘I don’t go out to party anymore. Thankfully, I’m married to my boxing coach, so at least I’ve got some sort of social life!’ Lucy’s husband boxed as a heavyweight himself and he’s in her corner for all her domestic competitions.

Lucy’s mum works as a buyer at a big department store, and Lucy has been testing out products for the store’s sports division. Whilst preparing for a recent international championship, Lucy wore a new titanium-based sports clothing range designed to improve circulation and aid recovery. (3)………… But how does her family react to her taking part in competitions? ‘Mum tends to admire me boxing from afar, but Dad just loves it!’

Lucy has clearly answered questions about safety concerns before and cities all the protective gear boxers strap on before a fight such as hand bandages, head guards, gum shields and much more, ‘Amateur boxing is not dangerous,’ she says definitively. ‘It’s so safety-orientated and the rules are so stringent it’s actually difficult to get hurt. We approach it more as a skill and point-scoring exercise, rather than as a fight. (4)…………’ Boxers win points by landing the white knuckle part of their gloves on the opponent’s scoring area – essentially the upper body and head – cleanly and with sufficient force. In five years of competitive boxing, Lucy’s suffered only a few bruises and a broken thumb.

And in response to those who think it’s ‘inappropriate’ to see women boxing at the Olympics, Lucy is quick to point out that women have been competing in martial arts such as taekwondo and judo for years. (5)…………

Her biggest concern is that people confuse amateur boxing competitions with professional fights, where the focus is more on aggression and hurting your opponents. ‘Female amateur boxing is about showing skill, speed and stamina,’ she says. (6)………… ‘I find it so satisfying to be changing people’s opinion.’

A   All that hard work certainly paid off and the competition itself brought out the best in Lucy.

B   That’s because in order to reach that target, she had to totally rethink her lifestyle.

C   Having access to this space-age training kit was certainly an advantage.

D   If the sport was more in the public eye, then fewer people would make that mistake.

E   Nobody complained about women taking part in those events when it was introduced.

F   That’s why I’ve always regarded it as a thinking girl’s sport really.

G   What this meant, in effect, was that she was able to train full-time.