A physiotherapy student at the University of Huddersfield has become a national boxing champion.
Wayde Griffin recently won the British Universities and College Sports (BUCS) title in the 63.5kg weight category.
And as well as balancing his training with his physiotherapy degree the 19-year-old has started a university boxing club that sees him coach around 20 students twice a week.
Fighting as a super lightweight, also known as light welterweight, Wayde won with two points decisions at the BUCS event held in Portsmouth in early February.
Hailing from Partington in Manchester, Wayde adds the BUCS medal to the three North West regional titles he has already claimed.
Currently in his second year, Wayde aims to work as a physiotherapist after graduating but hopes to become a professional boxer as well.
Having boxed since he was 10 and now training twice a day, Wayde says the noble art keeps him disciplined and gives his life a structure to follow.
“Boxing has shaped my whole life,” said Wayde. “It has taught me that if you don’t work hard then you are not going to get what you want. In boxing, I’ve lost and I have had victories but you have to want to be better otherwise you are not going to get the wins.
“I’ve carried that with me and it’s set me up in the position where I need to work hard to achieve. I know that I need a structure in place for me to stick to the path I need.
“You also need to know that there are people out there that are better than you. It’s a humbling sport, you have to recognise there is always going to be someone stronger, faster and smarter but if you work harder, you can make up those differences.”
Wayde coaches his fellow students at Gladiators Boxing Academy close to the Huddersfield campus, which he describes as “one of the best gyms I have ever been to.”
That is high praise, coming as it does from someone who has worked in many gyms including one owned by renowned coach Peter Fury, where Wayde has sparred with current super middleweight world champion Savannah Marshall.
Naming Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Roy Jones Jnr as his favourite fighters, Wayde is eyeing what steps to take after he graduates in 2025, with hopes for a balance of physiotherapy and pugilism.
“My plan is to turn professional after I graduate. I’d like to start work as a physio and see where it all takes me from there.
“Hopefully there will be a stage where I decide which path to take but I’ll have to decide that closer to the time. But my goal is to pursue both to the best of my abilities.”
