Behind the scenes with the Ambassadors of Fighter Bristol

By Sian Clarke, Second Year Ancient History.

Bristol boxing gym was full of adrenaline and anticipation last Thursday when members of the Epigram were invited along to learn more about The Fighter - from the rigorous eight weeks of training to the logistics of their social media marketing.

Meeting the two student faces behind the Fighter Bristol account, Meg and Max, I was able to get the inside scoop on what it is truly like working for The Fighter.

Megan Dingle (third-year, economics and management) broke down the many benefits of being a Social Media and Brand Ambassador for The Fighter.

For managing the social media, Meg's role mainly consists of: 'uploading videos of the boxers, making sure people know who's going to fight, and just sharing the experiences so that hopefully in the future people who want to fight can see what it is like.'

Both ambassadors revealed that not only do they 'run the selection process (for the fighters) quite far in advance' but they also 'ensure a diverse range of fighters', with a range of year groups, degrees, and societies chosen each year. This ensures that the fighters feel as representative of the student body as possible - whilst also encouraging a good spectator turnout. They also 'look at weight as well to ensure that there are no unfair matches on the night'. Training occurs every Tuesday and Thursday for the entire eight weeks, with technique on Thursday and sparring from week 3 on the Tuesday at the Bristol Boxing Gym.

'It's an amazing gym. The coaches really care!' - Meg.

Describing the process as 'invaluable' as 'although it can be a bit of a scary thing' it's 'empowering as I got to show everyone how hard I had worked ... 'fighters should be so proud of themselves' .'I want as many people as possible to go through this experience ...when else are you going to do something like this?'.

Although understandably 'time-consuming', Meg states that it 'provided some needed structure to my week and allowed me to focus on something outside of deadlines' with her bosses being 'really accommodating especially with university work', something not enough employers do.

Max Diment (second-year Psychology with Innovation) described mentoring the fighters as : 'incredible just seeing the fighters go through the eight weeks down to the final night when everyone has such a great night.' With two events per year, Max states that the main concern of his job is 'making sure the participants are happy; that's what matters most!'. The Fighter themselves provide job opportunities for past fighters and general students alike as Brand Ambassador - both Max and Meg fought last year!

'They treat you really well and it's a great environment'. - Max on both working for and participating in The Fighter.

Surrounded by dozens of boxing awards, it was hard not to feel awe at how an organisation has successfully managed to bring a sport into the limelight for hundreds of university students - showing them just how capable they are. For any student considering joining The Fighter Community I urge them to reach out to @thefighterbristol on Instagram - and I wish tonight's fighters all success in their sporting endeavours.

Epigram is covering The Fighter TONIGHT with a live blog, backstage interviews, and more!

Featured image: Mihai Roșca