How boxing saved Shannon's life
For City of Logan’s 2021 Sportswoman of the Year, Shannon O’Connell, boxing is more than a sport.
When she tried it for the first time at the age of 20, she says she was on a dangerous track. After a tumultuous childhood, she felt aimless.
‘I was partying a lot and not really driven and I really think that boxing saved my life,’ she says.
‘My grandparents – who raised me for a lot of the time – took me to a boxing gym and I took to it right away.
‘The connection for me was that it was a struggle and it was hard – because I had a hard upbringing I could relate to boxing in that way.’
It wasn’t long before Shannon was competing as an amateur – and 9 years later, as a professional boxer.
‘I probably love it even more now than I did at the start,’ she says.
Most recently, she was named Women’s Boxing Association’s Bantamweight World Champion (Gold Divison), as well as Logan’s top sportswoman.
But there’s plenty more ambition in Shannon.
‘I’m hoping to be able to start travelling again soon and have more fights; I‘ve probably got another 3 years left in me and I want to feel like I have achieved everything possible to
achieve,’ she says.
‘I want to be the undisputed best in the world.’
“There is so much to gain from boxing as a woman.”
— Shannon O'Connell
Shannon runs her own Slacks Creek gym, Shotgun Boxing and Fitness, and says she would love to see more girls and women in boxing.
‘I think it can be quite intimidating – there are more women involved than there used to be but I would love to see more,’ she says.
‘There is so much to gain from boxing as a woman; girls can gain so much confidence, respect for yourself and for others. There is a real culture of respect in boxing and it helped me
and many others, men and women.’
You can catch up with what Shannon’s up to on her Instagram and Facebook.