There are, it seems, few more disparate professions than classical musician and boxer. It would be easy to assume that the former could not possibly relate to the latter but in fact, Hannah Rankin believes it is her classical music background that will help her become Scotland’s first-ever female boxing world champion.
This evening, in Kansas, Rankin, who hails from Luss, will take on Claressa Shields for the IBF, WBA and WBC world middleweight titles. If Rankin returns to these shores as this country’s first female boxing world champion, it will rank as one of the greatest victories in Scotland’s recent boxing history.
Were the 28-year-old to defeat Shields, it would be amongst the biggest upsets of the boxing year. The 23-year-old American is considered one of the best female pound for pound fighters on the planet and has already picked up the IBF and WBA belts. If Rankin is to write herself into her sport’s record books, it will take the performance of her life. The Scot has fought seven times as a professional, winning five of those bouts, although she was defeated in her last outing, for the WBA Super-Middleweight belt.
With a background as a classical musician – she plays the bassoon and cites The Firebird by Stravinsky as one of her favourite pieces of music – Rankin is as far away as one can get from the stereotypical boxer. However, the Scot is confident she will not crack under the pressure this evening, and it is her experience as a classical musician that she believes has prepared her to do what no other professional has done; take on Shields and win.
“I’ve performed in some amazing concert halls around the world and that feeling of knowing you can’t make a mistake, it’s a lot of pressure,” she said.
“So that’s been great for me as a boxer because I don’t shrink under the lights – there’s a lot of similarities in the ring to being on stage. I love the buzz, the excitement and the adrenaline of performing so I can’t wait for this fight.”
On the face of it, Rankin is the polar opposite of the brassy, egotistical Shields. The American barely lets a day pass without recounting her achievements to whoever will listen while, in contrast, Rankin is softly spoken and respectful. The build-up to this weekend’s bout has seen Shields engage in her usual confident predictions about how the fight will pan out and the American’s trash-talking has, believes Rankin, got into her opponents heads before they even reach fight night. But the Scot is confident she will not be affected by Shields’ attempts at intimidation.
“For me, she’s just another girl,” said Rankin, who is managed by Sam Kynoch of Kynoch Boxing.
“She’s got a big history behind her but when the bell rings, there’s only going to be the two of us in the ring and anything that’s happened in the past is irrelevant. I think in a lot of her previous fights, her opponents have lost it on the scales, they’ve not been able to stand up to her aggressive attitude whereas I don’t care that she acts like that, I’m just going to do what I can do and I really don’t give a f*ck what Claressa has got to say.
“I’m in the best shape of my life and I’m going into this fight really confident in what I can do. It’s going to be tough but I’m fully focused on achieving the win.”
That Rankin is in this position less than two years after joining the pro ranks is quite remarkable. Her rapid progress has surprised even herself but she has settled into her role as world title contender with considerable ease. Were Rankin to become world champion this evening, it would be a monumental personal achievement, particularly as she remains a part-time boxer, combining her sport with teaching music. But perhaps even more significant would be what her win would do for women’s boxing in this country. A female world champion in the shape of Rankin would provide the perfect role model and give the sport the platform it needs from which it can flourish.
Being someone who young boxers look up to is something Rankin never envisioned for herself but she admits to being enthralled by the thought of inspiring the next generation and the young girls who already look up to her are, she admits, a source of motivation.
“It’s important when you want to get more girls into sport that you have positive role models, especially with boxing as it’s seen as such a rough sport” she said.
“It is a bit overwhelming thinking what becoming world champion could do for the sport in Scotland and when I first got into boxing, becoming a role model wasn’t something I thought about. So it’s been surreal to see young girls wanting pictures with me. But it’s been fantastic.”
And a victory tonight against Shields is likely to bring Rankin a whole new raft of fans as well as a world title.
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