Hannah Robinson: “To see women’s boxing going from strength to strength just makes me want to be part of it and who knows where it’ll be in the next few years.”

Hannah Robinson: “To see women’s boxing going from strength to strength just makes me want to be part of it and who knows where it’ll be in the next few years.”

By Matt Elliott

Following the establishment of GB Boxing back in 2008, the organisation has played a pivotal role in recognising and nurturing some of the top amateur talents from across England, Scotland and Wales and providing them with a platform on which to showcase their abilities. The fortunate few go on to become Olympic champions, whilst many others simply flourish under the elite training environment; honing their skills and developing the powerful mindset that is so crucial if they are to go on and make a career out of the sport.

When you think of those boxers who have transitioned from Team GB into the professional world, your thoughts naturally turn to those who made it onto an Olympic podium. Anthony Joshua, Amir Khan, Nicola Adams, and Lauren Price, to name just a few. The net casts far wider than that though, and amongst today’s current world champions, the likes of Nina Hughes, Sandy Ryan, Ellie Scotney and Joe Cordina, all represented their country at various levels.

2024 will mark the debut of another former GB athlete and someone who has all of the attributes needed to follow in the footsteps of the aforementioned names. Hannah Robinson signed professional terms last July, teaming up with Lee Eaton’s Let’s Go Management, and is training under the guidance of Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis. As I caught up with her via Zoom this past week, she was back in training ahead of an enforced break that delayed her professional debut but which, on reflection, was a welcome intervention.

“I have just started training again after Christmas. I was due to make my debut at the back end of last year, but I suffered an injury, a stress fracture in my spine, so all I could do was rest. It was a bit frustrating as I’d settled in, got everything going and was looking forward to making my debut but then the injury struck. From leaving the GB squad to teaming up with Jamie I hadn’t had a break, so looking back, whilst it was forced, it was a good thing and I needed it as I was mentally and physically exhausted. I feel a lot better now though and it’s given me a chance to take everything in and sort of draw a line under the amateurs and focus on the year ahead.”

The injury may have given Robinson the chance to escape the physical and mental exertions of the gym, but it was not a period where she could rest completely. Away from the world of boxing, she was completing a Master’s Degree in Nutrition for Sport and Excellence, something she had been juggling alongside training full-time. Her stress fracture coincided with the need to complete her dissertation. Coincidence? Robinson thinks not.

“I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason and my dissertation was due just as I was forced to take that break, so who knows whether I would’ve got it done otherwise. It did allow me to put all my focus into that and get it completed on time. I remember Jamie seeing my frustration at the injury and saying that in life you can only connect the dots looking backwards, and he is right. As I said the break was needed but it also allowed me to get my studies done. Now I can start again, one hundred per cent focussed on my boxing.”

It is clear that there is already a good bond forming between Robinson and trainers, Jamie Moore, and Nigel Travis. Robinson was already known to the gym before turning professional, having been a regular sparring partner for Chantelle Cameron across several camps, and that enabled her to get a good feel for the place. Having decided to train there as a professional, she has relocated to Manchester, residing in the ‘Fight House’, where she lives Monday to Friday, often returning to visit her family in Darlington on a weekend, and where fellow gym members, including Cameron and another North East talent, Cameron Vuong, spend time when preparing for an upcoming fight. Did the familiarity of the gym make it a natural choice when looking for somewhere to train full-time?

“I had plenty of options with my background, and I knew there were a lot of people who wanted to train me, but I felt they were the right people for me. They are nice people to be in that environment with, you need people who have your best interests at heart and who you can also have a laugh and joke with as well, and when I went down there it was a good environment. It felt like not too big of a gym but one where there are enough people to keep you motivated, and fighters at a higher level like Chantelle and Jack Catterall. So, when I knew I had the opportunity to train there, my manager spoke with Jamie and they were more than happy to help and I feel the more time I spend here, I am getting used to the coaching methods and learning all of the time.”

With Moore and Travis helping her to perfect her craft inside the ring, it is down to Lee Eaton to help her secure the fights and plot a route through the professional ranks. Robinson admits that signing with Let’s Go Management was an easy choice and feels she has everything in place to help her achieve her ultimate aim of becoming a world champion.

“I’ve known Lee for a long time, ever since I was on Team GB, just from around really and he’s always been supportive, and I love how passionate he is about the sport, and he seems to really look after his fighters. After having a chat with him, I met him a couple of times and I did speak to a couple of other managers as well, but I got on well with Lee, so I signed with him. I feel like I’ve got a really good team around me, so I am giving myself every chance of success.” 

Hearing Robinson speak so enthusiastically about what lies ahead, I was eager to understand where her boxing journey began and what the catalyst was to get her involved her in the sport.

“It started at school. I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy and into every sport. I played football for Sunderland under-18’s and I was doing Thai boxing and then Taekwondo, where I got my black belt. I loved combat sports, but I wanted more competition. I then remember watching the Rocky films and that’s what got me into it and inspired me originally. I went along to a local boxing gym with a friend who I convinced to come with me. She slowly disappeared but I kept going and really enjoyed it. I was about fourteen at that point and it was in my hometown of Bishop Auckland. I didn’t have my first fight until I was around nineteen, so quite late really, and then it just went from there. I didn’t set out with a vision of becoming a professional boxer and chasing a world title or anything like that, I just worked hard, got better, and stuck at it and didn’t quit. That’s one of the main reasons I am where I am today because there were plenty of times I could’ve walked away from the sport, but I think passion and persistence have got me to where I am now.”

Having started at Bishop Auckland ABC, where she won the famous Haringey Box Cup and her first National title, a dislocated shoulder temporarily halted her progress, before she returned and began training at the famous Birtley Boxing Club, where she won her first ABA title, and on the back of that was selected for the Team GB development programme. By this point, Robinson was living in Darlington and with her unable to get to Birtley as regularly as she would have liked, she teamed up with Peter Shepperson of PS Boxing and Fitness Academy, who Robinson credits with taking her to the next level.

“When I got onto GB I was living in Darlington and I’d known Peter for quite a while, so I decided to get some more one-to-one coaching from him, alongside my GB training. At that stage in my career, I was in Sheffield with Team GB Monday to Thursday and then spent the rest of the time doing some extra work with Peter. I feel I improved a lot at that point, and he brought another dimension to my boxing. I learnt a lot from Birtley as well but with Peter, it felt like more of a professional style of training and working on new things such as head movement. I won my second ABA title during that time and shortly after I got moved onto the GB podium squad. My initial thoughts after winning the ABA was to turn pro, but Rob McCracken offered me the place and I thought, yeah, I will stay and try out for the next Olympics.”

The Olympics that Robinson had her sights set on was Paris 2024. At this point, she was struggling to make lightweight (60kgs) where she had spent most of her amateur career competing, and with Team GB she had stepped up to fight at junior welterweight (63kgs). When the weight classifications for Paris were announced that wasn’t an option. Welterweight (66kgs) was the only real viable route and that was considered a bit too much of a step up for Robinson and when Rosie Eccles qualified in that weight class, her fate was sealed, clearing the path for her to turn over.

“It was the right time for me to turn professional. I feel like I’m at my peak and I’ve gained valuable experience as an elite amateur, but my main goal was always to join the professional ranks, as I think that is where my style is suited best, so it was the perfect time for me to leave. I’m not too disappointed about it to be honest, as I’ve always seen the amateur side as a stepping stone to what I want to achieve in the professional ranks and that’s where my style is suited best.” 

With the continued growth of women’s boxing in recent years, there is arguably no better time to be starting her professional journey. With female fights now an integral part of most shows, and with the top names headlining with increasing regularity, how exciting has it been for Robinson to watch the popularity of the sport grow.

“It’s great to see some of the girls that I’ve known through the amateur days turning professional and doing well, and seeing the likes of Chantelle Cameron, Natasha Jonas and Mikaela Mayer headlining shows and getting the audiences and viewing figures that they are. When I first started boxing I couldn’t have imagined that happening really, so to see women’s boxing going from strength to strength just makes me want to be part of it and who knows where it’ll be in the next few years. I think with this crop of amateurs turning over, the standard can only get better because there is a bit of a lack of depth at present, but that will change and you’ll see better fights as a result, which will generate even more interest.” 

With her injury setback now firmly behind her, Robinson is targeting April for her professional debut which is likely to take place at junior welterweight. I concluded our chat by asking about her in-ring style and what audiences can expect to see from her moving forward.

“I’d say an exciting one. I like to be on the front foot, I like to fight but I’ve got a good boxing brain as well. I’m aggressive, explosive, and have good head movement, but I have that bit of spite as well and I think that’s what people like to see. I’m completely different outside of the ring though. People call me Smiler as I’m really friendly and quite laidback.”