St Mary’s ABC have a reputation for producing champions, but it’s not just the boys who are benefiting from expert coaching at the long-established Street End Road club in Luton.

It’s a sport that appeals to women as much as men and last week Chatham and Aylesford Conservative MP Tracey Crouch got into the ring.

“I loved every second of it,” said Miss Crouch, who was put through her paces by head coach Dave Bowler. “The popularity (of women’s boxing) is testament to the legacy of the Olympics. There were a couple of little ones there and they are keen to progress.”

Miss Crouch is a Parliament Fellow for Sport England and she has been trying several sports and looking at where funding has gone.

She said: “It was good to see so many kids at the club. I'm a big believer that boxing installs discipline into a child and in the event that they get attacked, they could defend themselves. It’s also good for building confidence and obviously keeping fit."

Bowler welcomes boys and girls and insists all are treated equally.

He said: “They don’t get mollycoddled. If they want to do it, they have to do it properly. It’s a hard sport and they have to knuckle down."

Women’s boxing now takes place alongside the men and Bowler, who last weekend attended Bodyshots Gym’s home show, was delighted with the skills on display.

He said: “Generally the girls are technically better boxers and they pick it up quicker.

They don’t have egos like the boys."