Stars are Born in Wales

Xcellence Magazine sports journalist caught up with Monique Bux.

Monique Bux is a unique character who juggles a career of being a DJ and recently becoming a professional boxer. Xcellence Magazine caught up with her to discuss how she navigates joining the professional game, Making weight, mental health, injuries, critics and how to deal with social media. Everything is discussed, as MonIque Bux tells it how it is in her career so far.

So, tell us about yourself, who is Monique Bux to the audience that have not heard about you?

I’m Monique Bux a recently turned professional boxer from Cardiff, Wales. Before I was a boxer most people will know me as a DJ, but sport has always been at the forefront of something that I wanted to do from my early teenager years. Life does not always go the way you plan, but I got back into boxing around four years ago. Then, in 2021, I turned professional and have had two professional fights in that time.

Talks us through the first time you stepped into a boxing gym and how did that feel?

The first time I put on a pair of boxing gloves and went to a boxing gym, was the YMCA boxing gym in Cardiff. I was around ten or eleven years of age. Then I went back to boxing in my teenager years, but it was a different experience and different feel, as there weren’t any women boxers around at the time and most boxing gyms were male oriented. This did put me off as I didn’t feel welcome in the boxing gym back then. Sport for women has progressed since that time. Talking about my recent experience coming back into boxing, it has been nothing but extremely welcoming. Every coach I worked with, in different gyms across the country, has treated me with nothing but the ultimate respect, so my boxing career has definitely been a journey. These days I believe anybody that gets into boxing, whether they fight professionally or in the amateur game, or who do it to get into fitness, will be welcomed into most gyms across the country[SH2] . Boxing will teach them the basic rules, such as discipline, training and respect.

Boxing is a tough sport how do you find the training aspects of the sport?

The training aspects are mental strength as well as physical strength. This is something I learnt over time and a lot goes on behind the scenes, that people who are not involved in boxing, don’t see. The weight cuts, the dieting, the mood swings and being a woman is different, as you get a lot of water retention when you are close to your cycle. Then you have three or four days off and when you come back to the gym you are weighting yourself and you are a few pounds over your weight, which make it extremely frustrating especially when you are trying to make weight for an upcoming fight. There are a lot of factors when it comes to preparing yourself to get fit, which is why boxing is a mental game.

The 1st professional fight you had was on the big Joe Cordina world title fight in Cardiff what was the experience like?

Looking back now, for people that don’t know me as a boxer, It was difficult for me as it was my debut on a big event and I lost the fight, owing to me not having many amateur fights. Boxing is a sport with a lot of critics, more than any other sport I believe. Unfortunately, you going to get people who judge you on your first performance. This shouldn’t be the case, as your boxing debut should be where you showcase the skills you have and slowly climb up the rankings. My debut was a massive card and I was OK until the day before the fight. Being completely honest, the occasion got to me because the event was a huge occasion on a big platform like DAZN. The event was a big opportunity at the time, which I couldn’t turn down, but it was a good experience that you learn from, you can’t take it back and you have to go forward. What I did was to correct it, as in my second fight I beat the same opponent. She was an experienced fighter who had over 200 amateur fights and been to world championships and a lot of boxers have turned down the opportunity to fight her as she a very awkward opponent. I lost the fight to her in my debut as I wasn’t mentally with it, which affected my performance.

Like you said you lost your 1st fight, so how did you mentally prepare to beat the same opponent in the next fight?

Well, if you look at boxing it’s completely unheard of, unless they are world level and have rematch clauses, so for me to fight somebody of Ester Konecna’s level on the next fight is very unusual in boxing. For me, the mental resilience was hard as there were times when I doubted myself and there were times my mental health wasn’t OK, which made me think I didn’t belong in boxing. This all made me feel I didn’t have what it takes to succeed in boxing. This was all because of losing my debut fight, but I knew deep down I was capable of beating her. I was putting in the work in the gym so I knew I would be getting a better outcome. Avenging that loss from my debut fight gave me huge mental strength to carry on with my professional career.

Doing some research, I’ve found out that you are also a DJ. How do you find the challenge between two polar opposite careers?

When I looked at it initially, I didn’t see a way I could combine the two, but what I realised was that boxing is a humble sport. However, it’s still a business which means you still have to sell yourself to become a brand and get noticed. Being a DJ, and the other stuff I do, such as being a singer, is a good way to promote myself. Balancing the two lifestyles is something I’m accustomed to as I don’t drink when I’m in camp, so I don’t mix the two careers together. I do my best not to mix the two lifestyles together, as I do my DJ work for only three nights of the week and the rest of the week, I’m training. Being a DJ is a blessing as it gives me plenty of free time to train, so the two careers work hand in hand.

Where do you find the motivation to train, like going for a run in the mornings especially in the winter when it’s dark and cold outside?

Music, I have the best playlist. Honestly, it’s the passion I have for the sport and if you have a passion for something nothing is going to deter you from doing it. I’m a human at the end of the day and sometimes you get up and it’s freezing which puts you off from going on that run, but the passion makes you go. Music is powerful which inspires me especially certain songs like the rocky playlists. Now I’m a professional athlete this is what I must do and not cut corners, as professional boxing is not something you can fluke your way through. You must put in the work, so anytime I do feel tired or am having a down day, I say no and tell myself to push through.

Boxing is a business which means you still have to sell yourself to become a brand and get noticed. Being a DJ is a good way to promote myself.

Who is your biggest inspiration in boxing and outside the ring?

I’m a proper nerdy student when it comes to boxing, I love so many different boxers. You’ve obviously got the greats like Muhammad Ali who is one of my favourite boxers of all time. And, like a lot of people, it is for what he did inside and outside the ring. The other great boxer who inspired me is Pernell Whittaker who was properly slick, smooth and his defensive work was amazing. Another boxer who I like is Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, he makes it so easy in his fights. Floyd Maywether is another one who I admire when watching him fight. I’m not even going to lie. I love watching Anthony Joshua fight. He’s been the biggest inspiration to me, there is something about his presence and the way he carries himself. The last two fights he lost, but that can happen in boxing, the problem nowadays people are obsessed with keeping the undefeated record and not testing themselves against other great boxers. That never used to be the case with old school boxers. Johnny Nelson lost his first eight fights in a row, then become the longest cruiserweight world champion. I lost my first fight and had a feeling I wasn’t good enough. Laila Ali was the first women boxer who inspired me.

You train at the famous St Joseph gym in Newport under Tong Borg quite a few famous boxers have come from that gym what’s the atmosphere like in that gym?

I’ve been to a few different gyms as an amateur and as a professional, but this gym has such a family unit, where everybody supports each other. There’s not one boxer in the gym that is shallow or cocky, everybody is on the same wavelength. I know I can talk to any boys in the gym and my coach, who will always be there to support me. It’s a really good stable with huge talented boxers such as Gavin Gwynne, who will push me in training. The atmosphere in the gym is amazing.

Women boxing is booming at the moment especially after the Claressa Shields v Savanah Marshall fight why do you think that is?

Women’s boxing is booming at the moment especially after the Claressa Shields v Savanah Marshall fight. Why do you think that is? The way the world is now, it’s just changed in terms of the way women are being perceived in sport. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, I believe boxing, along with football, are now the two pinnacle women’s sports where they are getting the fruits of their labour. Now people are seeing that women can box and have the technical skills as well, the perception of women boxing is changing. It’s funny, as I’ve seen some promoters in boxing on YouTube saying women should not be boxing and, now, they are signing up women boxers and promoting their shows. The aim is to change the perception so more women can embrace the sport, so women’s boxing can continue to grow.

You are a DJ when you are fighting, so do you play your own music as an entrance song and how do you get that tunnel vision to go and do a job in the ring?

No, I don’t play my own music as the entrance song. The last fight, I had a Kanye West song through the wire as the lyrics to the song really connected with me, especially with the part, turn tragedy to triumph. The music does help so does the family and friends support in the crowd, as you do absorb it all in. Everything happens really quick. The music, the ring walks and then boom you are in the lion’s den in the ring, ready to fight.

When is your next fight and where do we get tickets?

To be announced, as at the moment I’m suffering from an back injury which I’ve have had since my last fight but I just powered through as I hate being out injured and out of the gym. I’m actually resting at the moment as I need to put my health first. When I do recover from the injury myself and my team will work together to find a new date. Update will be on my socials especially Instagram where a new date will announced.

Finally, what are your goals in the boxing game?

Boxing is a funny game as I’ve already had promoters from America and Mexico trying to put me in with big prospects. Boxing is about building you up smartly instead of rushing into big fights, this why being with good management is key. I trust my management as they won’t do silly things. I’ve just got to be patient and make the right decisions. Boxing is all about taking the right fights at the right times. This why having the right conversation with your manager is important when a certain opponent is picked at the right time. In my last fight I wasn’t supposed to fight Ether Konceia, but the opponent I was supposed to fight pulled out, so I was told I was going to fight her again and I was happy to fight her again as I knew I could beat her.

Do you believe fans and critics are too harsh on sports athletes today, especially in this social media era?

People need to realise that the performance they are watching takes a lot of hard work, dedication and plenty of mental resilience, At the end of the day we all human, so people bleed the same as you even though they are professional athletes. Mental health is a big thing so you have to respect athletes for being in sports, as it’s a lifetime of hard work to get where we are. Especially in boxing, it takes a lot of heart to get into a boxing ring even when it is a charity fight. There’s nothing wrong with constructive criticism as all sports athletes expect that after a bad performance but doing it in a respective way is what I ask of fans and pundits. Boxing is a unique sport until you get in a ring and face an opponent, people don’t know how it feels. Being a professional athlete is amazing, so all we ask for is to be respected and not treated with disrespect.

The way the world is now, its just changed in terms in the way women are being perceived in sports.

You train at the famous St Joseph gym in Newport under Tong Borg quite a few famous boxers have come from that gym what’s the atmosphere like in that gym?

I’ve been to a few different gyms as an amateur and as a professional, but this gym has such a family unit, where everybody supports each other. There’s not one boxer in the gym that is shallow or cocky, everybody is on the same wavelength. I know I can talk to any boys in the gym and my coach, who will always be there to support me. It’s a really good stable with huge talented boxers such as Gavin Gwynne, who will push me in training. The atmosphere in the gym is amazing.

Women boxing is booming at the moment especially after the Claressa Shields v Savanah Marshall fight why do you think that is?

Women’s boxing is booming at the moment especially after the Claressa Shields v Savanah Marshall fight. Why do you think that is? The way the world is now, it’s just changed in terms of the way women are being perceived in sport. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, I believe boxing, along with football, are now the two pinnacle women’s sports where they are getting the fruits of their labour. Now people are seeing that women can box and have the technical skills as well, the perception of women boxing is changing. It’s funny, as I’ve seen some promoters in boxing on YouTube saying women should not be boxing and, now, they are signing up women boxers and promoting their shows. The aim is to change the perception so more women can embrace the sport, so women’s boxing can continue to grow.

You are a DJ when you are fighting, so do you play your own music as an entrance song and how do you get that tunnel vision to go and do a job in the ring?

No, I don’t play my own music as the entrance song. The last fight, I had a Kanye West song through the wire as the lyrics to the song really connected with me, especially with the part, turn tragedy to triumph. The music does help so does the family and friends support in the crowd, as you do absorb it all in. Everything happens really quick. The music, the ring walks and then boom you are in the lion’s den in the ring, ready to fight.

When is your next fight and where do we get tickets?

To be announced, as at the moment I’m suffering from an back injury which I’ve have had since my last fight but I just powered through as I hate being out injured and out of the gym. I’m actually resting at the moment as I need to put my health first. When I do recover from the injury myself and my team will work together to find a new date. Update will be on my socials especially Instagram where a new date will announced.

Finally, what are your goals in the boxing game? Boxing is a funny game as I’ve already had promoters from America and Mexico trying to put me in with big prospects. Boxing is about building you up smartly instead of rushing into big fights, this why being with good management is key. I trust my management as they won’t do silly things. I’ve just got to be patient and make the right decisions. Boxing is all about taking the right fights at the right times. This why having the right conversation with your manager is important when a certain opponent is picked at the right time. In my last fight I wasn’t supposed to fight Ether Konceia, but the opponent I was supposed to fight pulled out, so I was told I was going to fight her again and I was happy to fight her again as I knew I could beat her.

Do you believe fans and critics are too harsh on sports athletes today, especially in this social media era?

People need to realise that the performance they are watching takes a lot of hard work, dedication and plenty of mental resilience, At the end of the day we all human, so people bleed the same as you even though they are professional athletes. Mental health is a big thing so you have to respect athletes for being in sports, as it’s a lifetime of hard work to get where we are. Especially in boxing, it takes a lot of heart to get into a boxing ring even when it is a charity fight. There’s nothing wrong with constructive criticism as all sports athletes expect that after a bad performance but doing it in a respective way is what I ask of fans and pundits. Boxing is a unique sport until you get in a ring and face an opponent, people don’t know how it feels. Being a professional athlete is amazing, so all we ask for is to be respected and not treated with disrespect.