Young boxer Darcie excels to reach national finals

​Eleven-year-old Darcie O’Donovan is trained at North Wingfield Boxing Academy and has progressed at huge speed since first taking to the ring last year.

Having progressed to the finals which took place on Sunday, Darcie ultimately lost out by one round to a fighter who had also made it to the finals last year, but having made it so far, her club is rightly proud of her achievements.

Coach Stuart James, who founded the Academy in May last year, said: “Darcie initially only came along to the club to watch her brother box – she was merely sat drinking some pop and eating a packet of crisps and we convinced her to have a go herself.

"Since then she’s loved it, has lost 4kg at a special training camp and won all of her fights before the weekend.

"In the end she came up against a much more experienced fighter and only just lost out but we are incredibly proud of all she’s achieved and this is only the beginning.”

Stuart formed the club last year and it has quickly gone from strength to strength, welcoming members aged six-years-old and above and with membership rising to around 70 fighters already.

For more details on the Academy, and for a video chronicling Darcie’s journey so far, see its Facebook page.

*A more detailed feature on North Wingfield Boxing Academy will appear in the Derbyshire Times in the coming weeks.