opinion
“Does the thought of a six-week boxing course make you tremble in your New Balance shoes?” If you'd asked me two months ago I would have nodded vigorously, but if I, a self-proclaimed “Pilates Princess”, can do it, anyone can, and should.
I've faced many fears in my career as a journalist — walking through a haunted house on camera, jumping from a 20-foot drop in a harness, having a five-minute conversation with Jason Momoa — but nothing could have prepared me for the proposal that landed on my desk in March.
The challenge is to participate in 45 minutes of boxing, strength and conditioning at least twice a week for six weeks.
Maybe it was because there was such a clear disconnect between my abilities and my confidence, or maybe deep down I just knew it would be great.
Whatever it was, I decided to jump in, fist first, and give this new boxing craze everyone was talking about a try. But was I jumping into the ring, or was I a ring stand-in?
Why does Gen Z love it?
I don't know what's going to happen in 2024, but most people my age have bought houses, joined running clubs, and gotten into boxing. And it's not just sports obsession — the data speaks for itself.
In the United States, a 2021 survey found that boxing has surpassed baseball among Gen Z, coming in fourth in the rankings. Front Office Sports.
Additionally, research from insights platform Knit revealed that 52% of Gen Z are fans of MMA and UFC, while 49% are fans of boxing itself.
So why the sudden interest in martial arts? Perhaps it's because of the stars of the show. With New Zealand mixed martial arts fighter and kickboxer Israel Adesanya making a name for himself in New Zealand and around the world, who wouldn't want to give it a go in the ring at some point?
And social influencers like YouTuber Jake Paul have also joined the fight. Love Island The emergence of Tommy Fury (from boxing royalty, the Fury family) brought star power that blurred the lines between sport and entertainment.
Or maybe Gen Z loves it because it's such a great stress reliever.
Often described as the most anxious generation, our generation could certainly benefit from boxing's renowned stress-relieving powers: boxing movements increase the production of endorphins in the brain while also strengthening the neck and shoulder muscles, where tension often builds up during stress.
In a sport that boasts stress relief, star power and the opportunity to work up a good sweat, the question we should really be asking ourselves is: Why wouldn't you love this sport?
It's like a dance
I chose to spend my youth in a ballet studio rather than a sports stadium. National Geographic I was watching a game on a sports channel and on one of the few occasions I kicked the ball I dislocated my toe. Basically, I'm not much of a sportsman.
Nevertheless, I entered the next chapter as a new face in boxing and felt like I was putting on my ballet shoes again.
When the instructor yelled “one, two, five,” I felt a mind-body connection that reminded me of my choreography days: memorizing the steps, dancing with all my might, and practicing over and over again until my muscles hurt? To be honest, boxing is not as delicate as a ballet class, but considering there is no dance teacher, it's probably not that scary.
Moving to the music, throwing punches with precision, and doing the good ol’ “sing and dance” with the punching bag felt strangely familiar to me—it was just another variation of an old passion.
I became healthier
There are plenty of places to train in boxing around Auckland, but I chose to learn boxing at Studio Box, which uses an Evolt Active machine to perform a body scan, track your body composition progress and share fascinating information about how to improve your health through fitness and dietary changes.
During the challenge, I did one body scan before I started boxing and one after six weeks.
I was gaining overall weight, but when I looked at my body composition, the majority of that weight was muscle, which seemed right considering I'd been challenging myself physically to the max for six weeks.
To my delight, the body scanner predicted my biological age to be one year younger than my actual age, so I was able to cancel all my upcoming beauty appointments and enjoy my so-called youth.
Overall, I came out of the six weeks feeling stronger, healthier, and maybe even younger than when I started.
It gave me a sense of security
For a woman who avoids going out at night and is nervous about not knowing how to defend herself, boxing has offered a respite. Many may not know what it feels like to hold your breath and wait for the terror to strike.
Feeling healthy and strong is an accomplishment in itself, but feeling healthy and strong enough to defend myself when necessary is a type of physical empowerment I've never experienced before.
Boxing has long suffered from a reputation as an “unfeminine” sport – one only for those with the strength and courage to do it. But becoming strong enough to defend yourself was about much more than building muscle and guts. It was an incredibly therapeutic experience for me, to say the least.
Knowing how to defend yourself is more of a mental battle than a physical one, but once you've equipped yourself with the tools to practice the latter, your brain will soon follow suit. And it's amazing to watch the confidence shine through once you're given the ability to throw a right hook.
