Knockout teenage boxer Hanna Holden, who this year won the national school girls championship and gold for England at the European Championships, is now in serious training for the national championships next year.
Hanna, 14, from Northallerton puts it all down to her club, the Phil Thomas School of Boxing (PTSOB) in Middlesbrough, head coach Craig Carney and his team of assistants. She originally started out at the Northallerton boxing club.
She believes she is in the right place to succeed as the Phil Thomas school has produced more than 15 national and international amateur champions in the last five years.
“Taking the gold medal back to my club to show my coach and my teammates was the best part,” said Hanna. “It’s all about the club, because we are family.
“The head coach Craig Carney and his team of assistants provide both one-to-one training and group sessions Monday to Friday, welcoming people from all walks of life from the age of eight upwards. Like most boxing clubs, PTSOB now attracts an increasing number of female boxers who are taking to the sport. The region boasts some of the best boxing clubs in the country, and PTSOB ranks among the top.”
Read more: Businesses taking part in Magic Tenner week
Hanna trains alongside male competitors. “We are all treated the same,” she said. “You are a boxer first and I love that about the sport. I’m not a morning person normally, but I train three to four mornings a week before school and then I train again every night and at weekends.
“It’s necessary if you want to win at the highest levels of competition, and I like winning, I love competing. There is no better feeling than climbing into the ring and facing your opponent, with only your coach in your corner. Climbing into the ring, and especially winning makes all the training worthwhile.
“I have a few fights in the coming weeks and hopefully at the club’s Home Show in November, but my goal is the national championships in March next year. I’ll be at the bottom of my age group next year and I need to train even harder so I can beat older, more experienced girls, but I’m confident as I’m in the best club to make that happen.”
Hanna’s journey into boxing began in 2019 when she told dad John that other sports bored her saying she “just wanted to fight”.
Read more: Young musicians to perform in Darlington with Royal Northern Sinfonia
John took her along to their local club in Northallerton, where Hanna learnt the basics and experienced her first few fights but it wasn’t long before she was pushing for more so they moved to the Phil Thomas club in 2021.
She added: “Of all the sports I’ve tried, boxing has been the one I’ve enjoyed the most. I hate it if I miss a session. I don’t want to do anything else now, I just want to box.”
Northallerton Town Council is now considering how to mark Hanna’s success.
For more information on clubs contact England Boxing via www.
englandboxing.org/clubs/.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here