The East Midlands amateur boxing scene is a beautifully mad world.

It’s a world of gyms that are always a little too warm, or too cold that smell of sweaty old gloves and armpits, battered heavy bags patched up with duct tape and pure stubbornness. It’s boxers skipping under fluorescent lights, mums & dads waiting in carparks or sitting on benches, while the coach somehow balancing the roles of trainer, counsellor, driver, and sometimes stand-in referee  all before dinner.

And yet, it’s magic.

In the East Midlands, we don’t have big-money glitz or bright TV lights. We have community halls, sports centres, or wherever we can squeeze in a ring and a crowd. But what we do have, and what no one can take from us, is heart.

You can walk into any gym  Nottingham, Leicester, Derby, Loughborough, Boston or Scunthorpe and see a coach telling a nervous kid, “Come on, lad, you’ve got this,” while tightening his gloves. You’ll see rival boxers lending each other headgear or helping with wraps, because here we know something simple: if one wins, we all win.

It’s the kind of place where a tiny local club can turn out a national champion. Where the best learning doesn’t happen under spotlights but under slightly sagging ceilings in a gym that seems to turn into an oven in the summer and a fridge in winter on some Wed night, when only the most committed are still lacing up.

Am not gonna pretend we don’t have our squabbles. We do.

We’ve got grudges, heated rematches, and sideline “friendly banter” between coaches that sometimes toes the line and might leaps over it other times. But under it all, there’s respect because we all know how much guts it takes just to get into that ring.

We’ve seen it all:

The teenager who confidently walks to the wrong corner then pretends he meant to do a lap for the crowd on an away show.

The late-night drives back from shows, the boot rattling with gear, one kid always asleep, one still wired and replaying every round in his head.

The coaches who patch up kit, fix wraps, calm nerves, and shout themselves hoarse all in one evening.

And when the East Midlands comes together, when the region’s clubs stand shoulder to shoulder, there’s no better feeling. Whether it’s winning finals, lifting trophies, or seeing one of our own shine on a national or international stage  that pride runs through every single one of us.

So here’s to the fighters, the coaches, the parents, the referees, the timekeepers, the volunteers, and the fans.  to the East Midlands boxing scene: a little scrappy, a lot proud, determined, talented, and full of more heart than most people could ever imagine.

You might not see us on the big screens but you’ll hear us, crowding the ringside at a local show, thudding the bags on a Monday night, or cheering our own, every time they climb through the ropes.

We are East Midlands boxing. And we wouldn’t trade it for anything. 🥊

Peter Robinson, 

proud to stand ringside with you all.