We spoke to those who took part in Fight Night

Fight Night is what it is because of the competitors. Every year, a brave few dare to put themselves forward for the tough event. It also wouldn’t be the same without the presenters and the organising team. The Tab Glasgow caught up with those who took part in Fight Night 2022.

Hugo Edlmann, one of the winners, was the first contestant we spoke to. He said, “I had an incredible experience of the night, walking out and performing to the shouts of all your mates and hundreds of others is something that is extremely special and rare to come by.” He then said, “Apart from the torturous and rigorous training sessions in a ten week run up, I just knew I had to keep my chill and not get worked up to make sure I had a clear head to preform at the top of my ability.” When asked what advice he’d give to those thinking of competing next year, he said, “Get stuck into the training sessions, it’s hell when you’re there but the friends I’ve made and the progress in my fitness makes everything worth it. And winning is a pretty good ego boost.”

Hannah Craig also fought on the night. She said, “It was utterly amazing and a really tough fight. The atmosphere and energy in the room from everyone made all the training and (many) punches worthwhile.” Her training for the event consisted of “consistent training with a lot of burpees, sparring and as few push ups as I could possibly manage.” Her advice for future competitors? “Definitely sign up if you can, it might look terrifying but it’s a surreal experience once you step in the ring. Attend all the training sessions you can and just give it your all. You’ll have so many great memories and friends from it!”

I later spoke to another fighter, Cameron Taylor. He said that it was a “class night and all in all best thing I’ve done at uni. What’s not to love about booze and scraps?” In preparation of the event, he apparently watched the Rocky films. And as for his advice for potential competitors, he said, “you get what you put in.”

Sholen Macpherson described her preparation before fighting on the night. She said, “Admittedly I did very little prep, I didn’t have a gym membership until the start of semester two so all I did was a few sets of sprints on the treadmill to get used to the three rounds and rests.” As for her experience of the night itself, she said, “I had such a good night! I was really lucky and was on third so had time to get ready and watch a lot of the later fights.” Her advice for potential competitors is to “honestly just have fun, I’m usually super anxious about stuff but I definitely saw this as a laugh and a way to get fit whilst learning something new which made the night way less stressy for me.”

John Robertson, the final fighter we spoke to, also highly praised the evening. He said: “Enjoyed every second of the night, being in the ring in front of such a crowd is some feeling.” He advised future competitors to “put your name down and make a decision if you get selected. Get those burpees in while you can, could be one away from a knockout fight.”

Callum Campbell was on the organising team and gave us an insight into what happened behind the scenes. In preparation for the event, he “had to ensure all facets of the event were in place – the DJ, ring hire, doctors & medics, boxing coaches, health & safety checks, door staff… the list goes on! This was my 10th fight night hosted to date, so it gets easier each time.” Like the fighters, he also had an enjoyable evening. He said, “I had a world beater of a night, it may have been my favourite Fight Night to date. I occasionally train with the competitors to see where they’re at and give them any tips I can. They were a great bunch and it was brilliant to see them have an amazing night. Sanctuary afterwards was absolutely bouncing so that was the cherry on the cake.”

Our final interviewee was Molly Rochmankowska, one of the presenters. She said the event was “a spectacle in every sense of the word. Presenting such valiant fighters was an absolute pleasure. I’d recommend the experience to anyone and everyone capable of holding their own in the ring! Didn’t really have a clue what to expect but announcing fighters and having a boogie pretty much sums it up. Overall, the evening was totally made by the unreal audience.”

If keen to hear how to take part in Fight Night 2023, check out the bio of the Instagram account @glasgow.fight.night.

Related stories recommended by this author:

• My experience of Fight Night 2022
• Every type of Glasgow Uni boys you’ll meet on campus 
• We share our favourite Daft Friday photos