Sports Writer Ruby Kennedy meets the fighters representing the University of Birmingham for Round 3 of Wilder Fight Night!
Friday the 5th of December sees the start of the Birmingham Wilder Fight Night, a highly anticipated black tie boxing event, pitting student against student. The fundraising event is Europe’s biggest student led fundraiser for two consecutive years. It is in partnership with The Oddballs Foundation and encourages anyone to donate any way they can.
As Round 3 of the ever-popular Wilder Fight Night approaches, I spoke to the main stars of the night, the fighters themselves. Beaten, bruised, and knackered, the students representing the University of Birmingham sat in front of me were a mixture of excited and absolutely terrified for Friday night. Here’s what they had to say:
Joe “The Smoke” Ojiaku, 19, representing UoB Rugby.
Joe is extremely confident for his fight on Friday and says he is “the fittest he’s ever been”, which he will use to his advantage against opponent Will Hudson. For Joe, the fundraising aspect of his experience was extremely important as he begins to realise the impact of cancer on himself, and those close to him. He says he has always loved watching boxing and would love to continue the sport after this experience to keep fit.
Joe will be walking out to If We Ever by Overmono.
Will “The Hornet” Hudson, 19, representing UoB American Football.
Will is a very competitive person who is “not a fan of losing” and thought the experience would be a good opportunity to show off to his mates. For Will, fundraising for anything is always a good idea and he urges people to donate any way they can. He says the training for this whole experience has been intense and fun; his favourite part being “taking my wraps off after every session.”
Will is going to be walking out to Brainstew by Green Day.
Iona “F*ck Em Up” Fraiser, 20, representing UoB Handball.
Iona says she is not particularly a violent person but nevertheless the intensity and fitness aspects of the experience have been so fun, adding “getting punched in the face is not so fun!” For her, the whole experience has been amazing and the fundraising for charity is an extra bonus.
Iona will be walking out to 4 Minutes by Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland.
Lyra “Lights Out” Cobb, 21, representing UoB Karate.
Lyra considers herself an extremely competitive person who hates losing “but who likes losing?!” She has found the training during this experience the hardest thing she has ever done but has loved the discipline of the sport and the friendships she’s made. The idea of competing on Friday is terrifying! For her, the fundraising was a massive part of why she applied as she had never individually fundraised for anything before. She wanted to be involved with a charity she felt was important.
Lyra will be walking out to Maneater by Nelly Furtado.
Elysia “Liss Lampem” Thompson, 22, representing UoB.
Liss is really confident for Friday night. She says training was a reality shock at the beginning when she first picked up the boxing gloves but now cannot wait for her fight! For Liss, The Oddballs Foundation was something she had always known about and wanted to fundraise for a cause she felt really mattered, especially after thinking about the men in her family – taking part was non-negotiable.
Liss will be walking out to Like A Prayer by Madonna.
Himmat “The Hitman” Jhita, 20, representing UoB Econ Hockey.
Himmat confessed that the beginning of training was hard, but he really enjoyed the self-improvement facet that comes with the experience, learning new skills like “what to do when you get hit and how to throw a punch”. He said he is very excited to fight on Friday since you can’t back out in the ring. Although he is fighting a BCU student, he promises there is no bad blood!
Himmat will be walking out to his favourite song, No Scrubs by TLC.
Ella “The Hitman” Harris, 21, representing UoB Dance.
Ella admitted that she found the training rough and difficult at first because it was something she had never done before and she did not want to let UoB down. She says she is feeling good for Friday but that “anything could happen in the ring” and she wants to prove that the UoB is a winner. For Ella, the fundraising and learning about the charity was really important and one of the reasons she chose to take part.
She will be walking out to Confident by Demi Levato because “what more can you be other than confident in the ring?”
Theo “The Tormentor” Torbica, 20, representing UoB.
Theo enjoyed how rigorous and knackering boxing has been and said that he felt good after every session. He is looking forward to Friday night saying, “if you want to do something, you’ve got to do it well!” For Theo, charity has been a really important aspect of this experience and wants to encourage people to raise money for good causes.
Theo will be walking out to Song 2 by Blur.
Daisy “Bulkan Bruiser” Bosancic, 21, representing UoB Athletics.
Daisy has found the training really tough but enjoyable and says she has made some really good friends over this experience. For Daisy, any charitable fundraising is a good cause and encouraged people to donate.
Daisy will be walking out to Here Comes The Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze, to represent her Jamaican family.
Beth “The Baddie” Richmon, 22, representing UoB Medsoc Cheer.
Beth has found the training challenging but cannot wait to fight on Friday and unleash her feral side. She says throughout this experience she has felt very “main character” and admitted how she has to win as “UoB has to show how good we are, we’re not losers!” For Beth, the charity is really important to her as she has family members who have suffered with cancer, so she understands the importance of donating and fundraising.
Beth will walk out to Pose For Me by John Mackk and Natalie Nunn.
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