The Puncher's Chance: Sports Journalism graduates create thriving boxing podcast

Three USW Sports Journalism graduates have turned a passion project launched during their studies into a successful boxing podcast, with thousands of followers and access to some of the sport's biggest names.

Sam Hill, Ben Thomas and Harry Tovey created The Puncher's Chance while studying at USW, initially as part of their coursework. Three years later, the podcast has grown to more than 7,500 followers across its social media channels, featuring interviews with professional boxers and discussions on the latest developments in the sport.

The trio recorded regular episodes throughout their studies, building an online audience and a substantial portfolio of journalism work along the way.

"It's bonkers to think 7,500 people are following us across a social media account that came from a university project," said Harry, 21, from Newport.

The podcast sees the graduates come together each week to discuss boxing, while producing interviews and content with fighters from across the sport – with a great response from the athletes involved.

"One of the things we've really picked up from it is how much the fighters respected and appreciated it," said Ben, 28, from Merthyr Tydfil.

The success of the podcast has also opened doors to major boxing events across the UK, giving the students opportunities to report from high-profile fights and press conferences.

Among the highlights were covering the Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn event at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, interviewing Wales' world champion boxer Lauren Price, and attending the Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois launch press conference at Wembley.

Beyond growing an audience, the graduates believe the experience has given them a significant advantage as they begin their careers in journalism. The trio have amassed thousands of videos and interviews since launching the project, creating a body of work that showcases their reporting, interviewing and content creation skills.

Sam, 24, from Bath, added: “We’ve found it so helpful to have this huge bank of content. When we’re applying for jobs and they ask what we can do, we've got thousands of videos on the channel which will put us in great stead for what comes next.”

"When you leave university you want to leave with a degree, but you also want to leave with experiences that help you even more," said Harry.

"Once you get that foot in the door and get started somewhere, you know it's going to be the start of an exciting career."

Watch a video interview with Sam, Ben and Harry below.