Boxers are highly tuned to a degree not known in other sports. They ply their skills alone, and there is nowhere to hide. They need to be in top physical condition and unrelentingly brave. If you take the endurance of a tennis player, the courage of a racing car driver, the sensibility of an actor, the continued discipline of the long distance runner. Mix those ingredients together and you are on the way to knowing what it takes to be a boxer.

Manchester boxing back on the map - Stephen Maylett's Column