Savannah Marshall: Boxer admits school struggles before sport

Savannah says the children she meets only see a boxer and not a girl who struggled to mix in school

Former world champion boxer Savannah Marshall has recalled how she "really struggled" in school before discovering sport.

Ahead of a world-title fight in July, she returned to Teesside to launch a PE programme for school children.

The 32-year-old from Hartlepool said sport had brought her "self-belief, confidence and friendship".

She added being physically active was important for young people to help with their mental and physical health.

"I really struggled in school, I struggled socially and academically as I'm dyslexic and my only outlet was during PE and during sport," she said.

"I look at how far I've come and how sport has changed my life."

Last year, Marshall was the first British female fighter to headline a world title fight when she faced Claressa Shields in front of a sell-out crowd of 20,000.

She lost her WBO middleweight belt in the clash, but hopes to become a two-weight world champion when she meets American super-middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn in London on 1 July.

Marshall said sport was her "best outlet" while at school, helping her build self-belief and friendships

Marshall said: "I'm living proof that if you enjoy something and you're happy the possibilities are endless. I'm a two-time Olympian, a former world champion, I've travelled the world and it's all through sport.

"But I was that child who was socially awkward, who couldn't interact and hated performing in front of other people and I've come on leaps and bounds."

Her programme, called Off the Canvas, also addresses social skills, friendship and self-belief before youngsters move onto secondary schools.

She hopes by passing on the lessons she learned through boxing it will inspire young people to achieve their dreams.

The initiative will offer PE teaching to children aged four to 11 at schools across north-east England on a subscription basis.

She hopes youngsters will be inspired by the tips she has picked up through her boxing career