We Asked the Haringey Box Cup: Can Boxing Teach School Subjects?

At the Haringey Box Cup 2025, the Boxing is Love team engaged with key members of the boxing community, from elite athletes and dedicated coaches to commentators and writers. Beyond the electrifying bouts, we introduced them to our innovative educational model: a program that teaches GCSE humanities and social sciences through the lens of boxing, transforming a passion for the sport into a tool for academic success.

If you could go back to school, which subject would you learn through boxing?

We interviewed broadcaster Steve Bunce at the Haringey Box Cup, who explained how boxing provides a perfect lens for academic subjects. He illustrated this by discussing Norbert Elias's theory of 'The Civilising Process,' using it to explore sociology and examine the relationship between violence and progress in society.

Steve Bunce talks about Sociology

Other key highlights include the subject of History, where we explored the sport's deep ties to race and social struggle. The conversation touched on Muhammad Ali's activism and how he fundamentally shifted perceptions of race and the sport itself. This is the core of our program: using boxing's compelling narratives, like Ali's, to teach GCSE Humanities and Social Sciences.

Watch the video below to see the discussion expand into other subjects like Economics and Politics.

Asking everyone "If you could go back to school, which subject would you learn through boxing?"

What about soft skills in boxing?

Our interviews at the Haringey Box Cup consistently highlighted the essential soft skills that boxing cultivates. Athletes and coaches pointed to the discipline of a strict regimen, the resilience built from adversity, and the respect integral to the sport.

A core objective of the Boxing is Love programme is to make this transfer explicit. We teach students to recognise and articulate these very abilities, helping them channel the mental strength from the ring into success in the classroom and beyond.

Interview on learnings and transferable soft skills from boxing

Find out more about how it all works on our programme page.