Marnie Swindells came out on top in The Apprentice board room – and now she’s fighting (quite literally) for women’s boxing not to be seen as a ‘circus’.
The 30-year-old businesswoman, founder of Bronx gym, is on a mission to get fellow females into the ring and sexism right out of it.
In a time where there’s been much controversy surrounding the sport – especially in the Paris Olympics – Marnie hopes that she can encourage women to get through the doors to give the stereotypically ‘masculine’ sport a punt.
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Teaming up with the No Means No campaign, an international non-governmental organisation with a mission to end sexual and gender-based violence against women and children, Marnie is taking her hefty uppercut and brains to break down barriers of female boxing.
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Speaking exclusively to Daily Star, the businesswoman and TV star said: “I’ve been a huge advocate for female boxing for a very long time and I started boxing before women’s boxing was even allowed in the Olympics.
“So the whole idea of fighting and doing combat sports has been a circus act for a very long time and now it’s finally started to be taken seriously.
“Campaigns like ‘No Means No’ and what is stands for, in terms of women being able to defend themselves, is it represents a moment in time where women are being taken seriously to defend themselves and stand up for themselves – and that’s everything that I stand for.”
The Apprentice star won the show back in 2023 where she secured a £250,000 investment in order to open and expand boxing focused gym Bronx, located in Camberwell, London. Marnie managed to wrestle (not literally) 17 other hopefuls to the top spot and nail the win.
She told us that she still has a “good” relationship with Lord Sugar.
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And, although she’s very much so focused on business, Marnie is passionate about getting other women into the sport that she gained interest in when she was just a teen.
During a time where violence against women and girls on trains has skyrocketed by 50%, Marnie says there’s a “real internal power” about having the means to protect oneself.
Marnie expressed: “I think there’s a real internal power that comes with knowing how to look after yourself – if a situation arises – whether that’s at the hands of man or even at the hands of another woman
“Whatever happens there’s some real power knowing you’ve got your own back whatever, come what may!
“And always in my boxing sessions, I really focus on teaching girls how to throw their weight into a shot.
“So rather just seeing it as ‘boxercise’ and fitness, it’s really about teaching them the value of weight transfer so that they can genuinely protect themselves.
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“I think it really is important not just for those moments, should they happen, but just giving women the confidence to know they belong anywhere they go.
“They can walk down any street, you can get on any train without having that fear. As soon as I started boxing, I felt a lot more liberated to enter any space.”
While boxing and gyms have historically been ‘male’ spaces – where some women feel too intimidated to attend – as a woman who owns the gym, Marnie feels that she can break down barriers.
The TV star and entrepreneur hopes that she can not only help women defend themselves but also nurture upcoming talent as she intends to also dip her toes into promoting.
Marnie shared: “I’m in a really unique position, as a woman who owns the gym, we have this natural gravitational pull of women that they can feel like they can walk through the doors and come part of this space here.
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“But, that wasn’t the case when I first started boxing and it isn’t the case still in many gyms. They’re still considered very masculine, male dominated, ego-driven places.
“And I think the biggest way we can tackle that is breaking down that first door. Campaigns like the ‘No Means No’ gets women through the door, gets them to look around, gets them to meet the coaches and see that once you actually get inside there’s some real love to be had and a real sense of community and family.”
Despite women’s sport gaining more mainstream credibility in recent years – including the football and rugby – Marnie hopes the future of female boxing can follow in the same footsteps.
It was only in 2012 when women’s boxing was introduced to the Olympics for the first time. And, more recently, entered into a global ‘gender row’ with female boxer Imane Khelif facing a tonne of backlash – purely for her strength.
While Marnie understands that some people still do not take women’s boxing seriously, she is on a mission to change that narrative all while giving women the tools to administer a feisty blow if need be.
On the topic of sexism within boxing, Marnie said: “They [trolls] only have to watch some great females go in at it – like Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall and see that the women can live among the greats.
“In fact, we are getting to a place where men who probably would have never entertained the idea of women’s boxing are now looking at the skill of these women and are like ‘wow they’re not just phenomenal women, but just phenomenal boxers’ – their talents proceeds their gender.
“I think when we get to that point across the board, we are moving towards it and it’s a slow burn, but we are moving towards it and that’s when we’ll achieve what we’re really trying to.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
