“THE whole idea, really, is that you don’t get hit.”
It is a straightforward, honest answer to how Rosie Swailes copes with the pain of being hit in the ring.
It is appropriate as the Borders teenager enjoys the directness of boxing and has done since she first went along to Hawick Boxing Club as a seven-year-old to “become a bit fitter”.
This week, 10 years on, she competes for her fourth British title in a row as one of Scotland’s most promising young boxers.
“My brother was at the boxing and enjoying it, getting fitter and stronger, so I thought I’d try it and it was fun,” she said.
“I didn’t think you’d actually be sparring at that age, but they coach you to understand about movement, not hitting so much; a lot of boxing is about defence - head movement, catching, blocking - learning to keep out of the way. Amateur boxing is very technical.”
A decade on, the former Hawick High school pupil is representing Hawick Boxing Club and Scotland across the world. She won her first Scottish Novice title and lost her first British bout both in 2022, aged just 13, and admits she was surprised at how quickly she learned – the key lesson being to overcome nerves.
Having been guided by Andy Macfarlane, coaches and clubmates at Hawick Boxing Club, and supported by her family, friends, local trusts and the Scottish Borders Council’s Athlete Support Programme, Rosie’s confidence and performances have now reached another level.
In September, she beat the European champion at her 54kg weight, Kara Young from England, with a unanimous 5-0 victory, and, in October, sparred with the British senior champions at 54kg and 60kg at a Scotland senior training camp in Wales.
Scottish female boxing is still in its infancy and so finding opponents has been a challenge for the 17-year-old Rosie, but she has started this year in fine form, beating Irish boxer Carley O’Herron by a unanimous decision in her first Scotland youth international.
That won her selection as the sole female in a team of five to represent Scotland at the World Futures Cup in Thailand, Rosie’s largest and most significant tournament to date.
She lost narrowly to a boxer from Kazakhstan in a very competitive first round bout, but says that that was a minor detail in what turned out to be a hugely beneficial trip as she sparred with international athletes from countries including China, Poland, Fiji, Chinese Taipei, Turkey, Iraq and Venezuela.
Rosie was hardly home before she was off to the Porto Box Cup in Portugal to represent Hawick Boxing Club, where she defeated the Polish and Spanish champions to take the prestigious Porto Box Cup Champion title.
The lack of opponents meant she could not compete for a Scottish title this year, but there is no such problem at UK level and she is back in the ring on Thursday (June 11) aiming for a few bouts over the weekend en route to a fourth British title, having beaten English, Welsh and European champions to win the last three.
“I’m really looking forward to that,” she said. “I’ve now got experience from boxing in Thailand and Portugal. It was really hot in Thailand and the training was intense, and international girls have different styles. European styles of boxing are quite similar but the Chinese, for example, are a lot more technical and aggressive.”
“I’m really proud to represent Hawick,” she concluded, “and the Borders and Scotland.
"It’s hard to believe that wee girl from 10 years ago is doing this to be honest. It feels surreal. Boxing in Thailand? Thinking I could go to Serbia for the Europeans this year, or Montenegro for the Worlds..."
“But I couldn’t have done it without all my sponsors, my coach at Hawick Boxing Club, all the trusts I receive support from, like the Stevenson Trust, Rowan Boland Trust, ClubSport Roxburgh and the council’s Athlete Support Programme.
“Obviously, I’m in the ring myself, but I’ve got a corner of people behind me, everyone’s backing me, so I owe it all to them pretty much.
“Yeah, ok, sometimes you get hit, and sometimes it’s a bit sore, but as I said boxing’s about not getting hit. And I’d definitely say that every single thing’s worth it - the harder it is, the better the reward. And that’s what I enjoy about it.”
