Latest / Between The Rounds Official / Felix Stamm 2026 | Testing Myself at International Level — Inside Camp | Between the Rounds
Transcript
- Sarah: Inside camp, week nine, leveled up. just landed back in Dublin from our week long trip in Poland. We got to experience two cities, Kielce for the camp, a proper hotel, recovery rooms, listen, conditions you probably don't associate with amateur boxing. And then it was on to random for the Felix Stamm tournament. The Polish Federation really did look after us. Everything from team shakeouts before competition, camp spars at multiple countries, high tempo pad sessions, mobility, movement. We were locked in. 10 fighters, lots of absolutely outstanding performances across the tournament. Boxing Ireland built different. And let me tell you, I got to experience exactly what that means. What you can't manufacture is what happens between those sessions. Pre-fight rituals playing out across the week. Everyone has one. Nobody even questions it. Everyone respects it. Headspace conversations shared meals. The kind of honesty that only exists when you're about to go to war together. The level of experience in this squad runs so deep it presents as instinct. You see it in the warm up, in the shake out. in the way they carry themselves before and during performances. Before the tournament, we sparred Poland and Great Britain. Experienced fighters, not a warmup, They were seasoned international competitors. You feel the difference immediately in how they move, how they read, how little energy they waste, nothing is accidental at this level. That exposure was uncomfortable. And boy, did the gremlins arrive right on schedule. bruising after the first sparring session and my inner demons there waiting. am I even doing here? How much older am I than everyone else? What if I get stopped? What if I look like a fool? Can I back out now? I've named that voice before. I know it now. And I stopped giving it the mic. Damien, our head coach, said something to me after sparring that I'm still carrying. You're home now. not don't worry, not that was fine, just you're home. I immediately felt safe. And that's what a specific corner does. It meets you exactly where you are. The coaching notes from this week were exact. Be the pressure fighter, trust your engine, suss out your entry point always. Creating an equal balance of preparation and attacks and no leaky defense. and then we'll make adjustments from there. Building high tempo on your terms, not hers. This wasn't generic. This wasn't motivational. It was specific to me. And that's the standard that Team Ireland produce. I had two fights and two different stories. Fight one, while many people, myself included, believe I deserve that win, my performance didn't convince one of the judges to be able to get the decision. Fight two, a closer picture, a more controlled pace, a better version of myself in the ring. But that decision was fair and I accept it. And I still come away knowing what I'm building towards. Watching it back, the shadowing wasn't there. Move her to your starting point before you commit. The preparation is the attack, not just the combination of punches. I recognized it in real time And I recognized it again when I watched it back. And that's the work that's coming. Two closely contested fights. Brilliant performances. Be very proud. Those are the words from our head coach. I believed him. Not because he is the head coach, but because I earned the right to. Now Damien walks into the room and the energy lifts. Every fighter feels it. Whether you're an Olympian or the newest squad member. The same attention. Same standards, same respect. Mistakes aren't failure in his room. It's just data. Between the rounds is where you see it most clearly. 10 fighters, 10 tactical blueprints, 60 seconds. He knows exactly what each person can carry and delivers only that. Direct, but always reminding you that you belong in the fight. He has three decades of this and it shows. This week, I got firsthand view into how his mind works. I even got to sit corner side for eight of my teammates fights. He remembers everything, every fight plan, every individual, 10 completely different tactical pictures. He strips it back. We've been here before. That jab lean back one two is brilliant. Keep it. He's in the ring with you. You feel his presence on every move you make. That's not coaching from a clipboard. That's full presence. There's a lot of work on his shoulders and you can see it, But he does it with so much passion and love for this sport and his fighters. He's here to build Olympians. Every tournament is one step closer. He said in himself after our fights, we're not always going to come away with the wins, but we come away having leveled up. And I watched that to be true in real time. I came here to test myself at international level. Now I know exactly where I stand and exactly what I'm building towards. I took on the challenge. I competed. I performed under pressure against international competition at high performance level. I'm not defined by these decisions on the scorecards. I'm defined by what I walked in building and what I'm walking out carrying. The shadowing work, the second phase attacks, the feints, the disguise, the trust that when someone says you're home, you believe it. I joined this crew nine weeks ago, slotted in and got straight to work. That's the thing about real teams. They don't manufacture belonging. You earn your place by fully committing. The culture does the rest. I'm Sarah Cunningham. This is week nine inside camp for Between the Rounds. Thanks all for tuning in.