By Oona de Carvalho
As the clocks struck 6pm on 13 March, spectators began to stream through the gates of York Hall decked in suits and fancy gowns. Blue and red lights spotted the ring where fighters practised last-minute combinations.
The much-awaited Fight Night 2024 had arrived; the anticipation was high.
The night featured ten fights, each with three two-minute rounds. Having followed the journey of Fight Night preparations in the last two articles of this series, I was curious to learn how the fighters experienced the night.
I spoke with Athmaja from the Red Team and Evelina from the Blue Team who fought one another. Their fight ended in a draw, both emerging victorious.
Fight Night was an unforgettable experience, the girls shared.
“The wait before the fight was super bonding,” commented Evelina. “We were all sitting in the waiting room listening to the crowd go insane over these other fights.”
As the changing rooms slowly got emptier and emptier, the girls anxiously waited for their fight to begin, rewatching scenes from Rocky II and listening to Taylor Swift to calm their nerves.
Evelina described how walking out to the ring was “so much fun,” engulfed by the roaring crowd and her chosen hype song blasting in the background.
“I remember seeing all my friends standing by the side, cheering my name. But after that I heard and saw nothing,” Athmaja recounted. Before they knew it, they touched gloves, and the fight began.
Fighting each other for the first time was overwhelming. The girls had never sparred before and so they did not know what to expect.
“We were both just terrified of each other,” shared Athmaja. “I did blank out for that first combo that we did. Then it just got better, we got into the flow of it.”
It was a lot of improvising, she added. “You have all of those combos in your head, and you get some of them in, but a lot of times it’s just a survival thing.”
Having their friends nearby in the crowd helped them keep going through the fight. Evelina’s friends were in the first row wearing customised “Team Evelina” t-shirts. “Without all that additional support I don’t know if I could have performed a fraction of how I did,” she said.
Finishing the fight and hearing the results felt truly cathartic, the girls recalled. It was a bittersweet moment as everything they had been working towards for the last three months now came to an end. They described feeling a sense of void and “now what?” as their busy schedules filled with training became not so busy anymore.
For both Athmaja and Evelina, participating in Fight Night has been their favourite LSE experience. They have pushed their boundaries, gained confidence, and met so many strong-willed and inspiring people. “I’m really going to miss the community that we’ve built,” Evelina commented.
They expressed immense gratitude towards their coach and team captains for their support and guidance throughout this process. Athmaja shared how the “[Coach] believed in [them] even when [they] had nothing to show for it”. Evelina added: “I don’t think anyone has won my respect as fast as he did.”
Though Fight Night has ended, Athmaja and Evelina’s boxing journeys are just beginning. They have fallen in love with the sport and are on the hunt for new boxing clubs to join now that they’ve graduated from LSE. As Evelina shares, “Why would I stop now? We’re on such a roll, we’ve accomplished so much. I want to keep going.”
