Pressured or ambitious?

Amateur boxing is gaining popularity in England. According to the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) the number of registered people with amateur boxing clubs nearly tripled in 2009 compared to 2005.

Christy McDonagh started boxing in 2007, when he was 10 years old, after his father brought him down to the well-known Lynn AC Boxing Club. Being from an Irish travellers family, many of his relatives are fighters and highly involved in boxing.

After two years of committed intensive training, Christy had his first official ring fight during the Hatton Boxing event in October 2009 in Bethnal Green, London. As this encounter turned out to be a victory, many boxing matches followed.