Amy Andrew experienced 'the greatest moment of her career' a few days back during a sparring session ahead of the Women's Boxing World Championships in New Delhi. "It was a mixed session. I looked around the room, Mary Kom was there and all the top people in women's boxing were there. And I think to myself, 'I can't believe I'm here," says Amy, who is representing New Zealand in the 57kg weight division at the Worlds.
That's a fair assessment. The smell of sweat, cold spray and blood-stained canvas of the boxing ring is far removed from the calm of a newsroom that was Amy's workplace for nearly ten years of her life, before she decided to make the improbable switch about two years ago.
Amy says she never even considered a career in boxing or even cared much about the sport until she was about 26 years old. She had seemingly settled into a career then, heading the small business desk at the Mail Online newspaper in London. "I had watched Million Dollar Baby maybe one time in my career," recalls the now 32-year-old, who won her first bout against Algeria's Khelif Hedjila.
A pair of tickets gifted by her then boyfriend to boxing events at the London Olympics changed her career path. "I thought I wouldn't be interested, but I was hooked," she recalls.
What followed was a couple of white-collar bouts - in which professionals compete in an amateur setting. It wasn't a completely smooth debut, Amy recalls crying bitterly backstage at the prospect of getting punched. Yet once in the ring, she was smitten. The bug only grew until it was time for her to make a decision. A career switch at 30 isn't easy, let alone a such a dramatic one. Yet Andrew decided to go ahead and make the leap to becoming a full-time boxer in 2014, training at London's Haringey Gym.
"It took a lot of people by surprise. Initially I was worried how my family would react but I decided I had to just do it and not think of the consequences. My family was also surprised but they were supportive," she says.
Their support was crucial. After all, there are real-world consequences to following your passion. "You miss your paycheque," admits Amy. "You are going to be so broke and have to work so hard. There were times in the first year of leaving work and starting boxing that I didn't have money for food and my card was declined, which was not cool and I then had to travel to the gym and get beaten up by other girls."
It would have been easy to simply tap out and return to the security of a steady, familiar job, but she was adamant. It helped that getting beaten up in sparring wasn't a problem. "That's part of boxing. You have to get used to start from nothing all over again. I thought to myself naah, I don't want to go back," she says.
Eventually that decision seems to have worked out for her. Andrew now trains boxers in London. She even managed to get crowdfunded for her participation for New Zealand (She qualifies by way of her mother's passport) at the World Championships in India. Others ask her for advice on how to handle their own desire for making a career shift. Amy's advice is clear. "When you get to 30, you know yourself a bit better. Maybe you would have made different choices when you were younger. But I would say just go for it. If you just want to change you can do it," she says.
Amy doesn't know what the future holds. "I never imagine myself here but now that I'm here I want to be among the best," she says. Regardless of the results she's satisfied knowing she is doing what she loves. "Having a fight in the horizon, that makes me get up in the morning. Having a fight is a great motivator because if you aren't motivated, you get punched in the face."