And The Winner Is....
KNOCKOUT LONDON !
Emerging Club of the Year – celebrating new growth
Winner: LGBT Knockout Boxing
Wanting to create a club run by queer people for queer people, to create a safe space and break down the barriers LGBTQ+ people feel when engaging in sport, and to just do things differently to your run-of-the-mill boxing class at the gym, Knockout London was born over a few drinks in the Welly in Soho in January 2016. In the (almost) four years since, the club has expanded from one class a week to two; incorporated contact sparring into our classes; and we’ve seen many of our members compete in bouts in events across London, snatching trophies along the way. Our coach Paul, who’s been with us for the last three years, is a fantastic ally, working in partnership with us on developing the type of classes we want. And as classes have become so busy with newbies every week, two of our committee members have started on the road to full boxing coach accreditation, with potentially more to follow so we can provide the right level of support to our members.
Ultimately, it’s up to our members what they want to do with the boxing skills they learn at Knockout. We know there’s an appetite for competing as our boxers go on to sign up for (and win at) events like Pride Boxing and other white-collar bouts; but we also know some of our boxers just want to learn to box or to get fit, for self-defence or to grow in confidence. Currently we don’t heavily promote ourselves as numbers are steadily growing through word of mouth, our links with OFS, and taking part in fantastic events like Pride in London. That’s why plans are underway to partner with a boxing gym in central London, so our boxers can train with us up to three times a week, and will also open us up to a whole new market of LGBTQ+ people who can’t make it up to our north-east London home. It’s an exciting time for Knockout as we move forward into 2020. Let’s go, Champs!
