'Being a female boxing coach is great responsibility'

"You have to be so good that they can't doubt you," the first female boxing coach at the University of Oxford has told BBC Radio Oxford.

Suzanne Vjestica-Brown now coaches at Blackbird Leys Boxing Club, alongside being the first female coach in the University of Oxford's 142-year boxing history.

The 42-year-old, who was born and bred in the city, said it had been "slightly terrifying" becoming a coach in the male-dominated sport.

She has recently returned to coaching after a brief break whilst she received treatment for breast cancer - although that hiatus didn't last long.

"I'd had a small lumpectomy done, I think it was on the Tuesday, and we received a phone call on Wednesday saying one of our boxers was desperate to get out for a bout," she said.

"They said 'Can you take a bout in Southampton on Saturday?', and I laid there for a second and [thought] 'you've got to be kidding me', but then I was like 'let's go for it'."

"We cornered him, he had his moment in boxing and it was something that will stay with him and us forever."

Suzanne was initially involved in athletics and taekwondo, and said she only found boxing when she "got a little bit older" and had children.

She said she had begun as an amateur fighter "just for a little bit of fun", before her talent for coaching was spotted by Oxford University - who recruited her as the team's first ever female coach.

"I was really fortunate to be championed when I know a lot of women do face adversity in the sport," she said.

"I had to have my elbows out at times and really hold my own, but I was actually supported by an incredible organisation."

Coaching at Oxford was an "incredible privilege", Suzanne said.

"You've got those connotations around the sport where it can be quite brutal, it can be out of your comfort zones and we've got some very academically gifted students at Oxford University where every fibre of their body probably says 'don't box'."

"To get them involved in it and to really unlock that level of confidence - it sets them up for the rest of their lives."

Her comments come following a recent report by UK Coaching, which found that the number of female coaches across all levels of sport had fallen to 38% in 2024.

Suzanne explained that coaching a male-dominated sport "comes with a lot of weight, for allowing other people to follow you".

"You have to be so good that they can't doubt you - there's not this grey area, you really have to shine to make your mark."

"That comes with pressure and understanding, but it also comes with great responsibility and a real sense of power as well, so you have to use it wisely," she said.

The boxing coach recently finished her treatment for breast cancer and is now receiving preventative medication.

"I was intending to take quite a bit of time off, but the mindset probably came back quicker than I should have," she said of her return to the corner.

"I'm a mum, I've got a full time career as well - but boxing is your safe space, it's your consistent."

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