Miranda Davies: “Boxing has helped save me through some tough times.”

Miranda Davies: “Boxing has helped save me through some tough times.”

Miranda Davies was once a county standard runner. Like many, she fell into boxing by chance. Davies has overcome much adversity in her life. A fighter in many ways.

The 31-year-old was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Davies was always likely to have a life in sports. Her interest was there from a very early age.

“I have always been into sport. I used to compete in track and cross country. I used to win the county championships, and I went on to represent West Wales and Dyfed.”

Boxing found Davies through taking her daughter to a newly opened boxing gym in her hometown.

“I started boxing randomly by chance at a boxing club formed in my local town,” Davies says of that initial introduction to boxing. “I had decided to take my eldest daughter along to which the coach at the time had heard I was previously into sport, and he knew that I had done quite well at it.

“So he encouraged me to just join in for fitness the one time, and it went from there, and one thing led to another. I soon found I was naturally quite strong. But I came into the sport late, so the skillset took time and effort. But after consistent work, it became evident I was doing OK at it. I fell madly in love with the sport and decided to commit to it as I wanted to compete.

“The attraction, I guess, was it was quite empowering,” Davies says of what she gets out of boxing. “And then when I understood boxing a lot more, what I found interesting is how diverse your skills can be and the different fitness components needed for it. Let alone the mental skills and fortitude needed in such a tough sport. It’s challenging. It gives me a real focus in life.

“I have been through a lot of trauma in my adult life, and this has really helped keep me focused and disciplined.”

Davies is now thirteen amateur fights in, but she still vividly remembers her first taste of ring action. “Yes, I remember my first fight well,” Davies says of that first ring walk. “The nerves were unbelievable. I was shitting myself. You still always have nerves, but you learn to deal with them far better.

Those thirteen fights should have been more. Davies is a victim of multiple fights falling through because of her opponents pulling out at short notice.

The highlight of my career is a tough one as I’m still chasing it,” Davies says. “I want to be a National Champion and then go onto represent Wales and fight for the British title. However, I have entered the Welsh Championships two years in a row, and in both years, different girls have pulled out, making my category void.

“So some may class it as champion by walkover. But I’d like to fight and earn that title. I’m a Box Cup champion and silver medalist at the England’s women’s Winter Box Cup also. I’ve shared the ring sparring with some top-class opponents. And fought a girl who won the world’s, so I believe I am at a good level. I just haven’t always had the opportunity to prove it.”

Davies is still only in her infancy in her boxing life. But there is a desire to see just how far she can go in the sport. A sport that can be as testing as it is rewarding.

“The hardest part about boxing is definitely the diet,” Davies told me. “When it’s time to cut for a fight and trying to get it right so you’re not just making weight but fuelled properly so your body can perform. And sometimes getting in the mood to get punched around the head in sparring or prior to getting in the ring is where the mental resilience really takes place.”

Boxing has its fair share of critics, often with good reason. But for all the darkness, it often brings light to those that reside in it. Miranda Davies is one such fighter.

“I am extremely grateful to this sport for what it’s giving me in many ways,” Davies told me.
“Boxing has helped save me through some tough times. Also, the people I’ve met and bonded along the way with through boxing have been incredible. There are so many positives to this sport for me. And physically, I’m in my prime health-wise. I am also in great shape from it, which has a catalyst effect of feeling good and being confident in yourself. So, for me all around, it has done me wonders.”