How an inspiring home video launched a main event fighterpublished at 13:08 GMT
13:08 GMT
Hennessy v Bouttell
Kal Sajad
BBC Sport
Image source, Boxxer
From egg-slaps to tables being hurled, boxing rarely struggles for viral moments. Every now and then, though, one cuts through for very different reasons.
Promoter Mick Hennessy dusted off a camcorder, took his daughter to the running track and filmed her going around at her own pace. Francesca Hennessy, nine years old and a little overweight, kept running.
“Go on, champ,” Mick encouraged as she began her eighth lap.
The video – viewed more than four million times on Instagram – then fast-forwards more than a decade to a fit, athletic Francesca sprinting on the track and, moments later, slipping and sliding shots as an unbeaten bantamweight contender.
Boxing royalty such as Laila Ali were moved by the video, as fathers spoke of watching it in tears and young prospects said it gave them belief.
The impact stretched even further, taking Francesca to the Houses of Parliament, where she was invited by Chris Webb MP to speak about the positive role boxing can play in the lives of young people.
Standing in the corridors of power, she advocated for boxing as a tool for social change, sharing her own journey from insecure schoolgirl to a role model for the next generation.
“I just want young boys and girls to know that they can do whatever they want to do. They can succeed no matter where they are in life,” she tells BBC Sport.
“I want them to believe in themselves and kind of get that from my story because I’ve been that young, insecure girl who didn’t believe in herself.”
At just 21, however, Francesca’s story is far from finished.
Read more about Hennessy’s story.