Cancer survivor father my inspiration: Elise Glynn

GREATER NOIDA: Elise Glynn still remembers her father Pete taking her to watch boxing matches at the 2012 London Olympics. Elise, a Birmingham native, was 10 years old at that time.

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Prior to her Games experience, Elise was into cheerleading and horse riding. She also dabbled in beauty pageants briefly. But that one trip to the ExCel Exhibition Centre – the venue for boxing competition – changed her life goals and career choice. Elise watched legendary Nicola Adams win a gold in the Olympics in the lightweight category. Her feat inspired Elise so much that she decided to become a boxer. Today, Elise is Team Great Britain’s No. 1 boxer in the women’s 60kg category.


“Nicola is a big inspiration in my career. I pursued several hobbies during my teenage years. Those visits to watch Nicola’s bouts helped me decide my future as a boxer. But my father Pete would remain my biggest inspiration and strength. I have never seen a solid man like him,” 24-year-old Elise told TOI on Tuesday.

The reason Elise spoke so highly about her father was because of his struggles with cancer. In 2018, her father was diagnosed with prostate and bone cancer. It wasn’t the only tough phase in Elise’s life. Her parents got divorced when she was eight and Elise chose to live with her father.

“My dad was told he was ‘too young’ to have prostate cancer. It metastasized further, and he had a radical prostatectomy in 2019. Unfortunately, they didn’t get it all out, so it turned into bone cancer. He then went for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He’s in India today, he watches all my fights, he travels with me abroad,” she said. “My dad gives me inspiration to box. He fights outside the ring, I fight inside it. He watches and trains me at home, on the weekends when I am back from Sheffield. He’s doing as much as he can for his health and for my boxing on the side. Even though he’s in pain, he’ll train me. I have got to get mentally stronger in the ring like him,” added Elise, who won bronze in the 60kg category at the WBC Finals.


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