Canvey trans boxer Danny Baker speaks of battle to compete

Danny Baker, from Canvey, was born in a female body but transitioned in his 20s and pursued his dream to become a professional male boxer.

Now the 34-year-old has become the first British transgender male boxer to fight in bouts against cisgender male opponents.

'Cisgender' is a term used for someone who identifies with the sex and gender they were assigned at birth.

Danny said: “When I’m boxing, I feel like the man I am - I feel included by the boxing community and I don’t feel trans, I just feel like a man.

“My testosterone levels are kept within the natural human amount - when it comes to sport, I don’t have an advantage.

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“I want to see more trans women, more trans youth, I want to see everyone come out and get the exposure they deserve - why should we stay hidden away?”

Danny, a support worker, first realised he was transgender when he was 21 after watching a documentary about the subject.

He had always felt like a man but was born in a female body and wasn’t aware that transgender people existed.

Growing up, Danny had several run-ins with the law and found himself in and out of jail 13 times by the time he was 25.

It wasn’t until he began to pursue his dream of being a boxer that he moved away from the lifestyle he had found himself embroiled in, where he says he was exploited by older people into selling drugs.

Danny Baker is set to fight a cisgender male. Photo: SWNS (Image: NQ staff)

Now, he advocates for trans people in sports and works with LGBTQ+ youth to provide support and help to those who were in his position.

Danny first ventured into a boxing gym when he was 14 and had the opportunity to do private lessons with a local boxing coach.

Sadly, he didn’t have the money to continue the lessons however his dad was a big fan of boxing and Danny knew it was something he would love to do.

However, he found himself in and out of prison during a difficult time as a young adult, staying in three different prisons across 13 different occasions by the age of 25.

In 2020, he was asked to compete in a white-collar boxing event to raise money for LGBTQ+ youth which included a training program prior to the match.

At the event he met renowned trans boxing agent Kelly Maloney who introduced him to Jamie ‘Rocky’ Johnson - a trans man without testosterone who had been competing in women’s boxing for over 30 years.

Since then, Danny has continued to box at Sparta 300 Boxing Gym in Chingford, where he trains six times-a-week.

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He has competed in two matches against cis men, winning one and losing one, and continues to train under the supervision of his coach.

He has even been given the opportunity to use the gym as a space to train LGBTQ+ athletes who want to get into boxing.

In the future, Danny and Jamie will be representing the British Team at the first ever World Gay Boxing Championships which are being hosted in Sydney, Australia, in 2023.

Danny said: “I was such a frustrated kid - for about ten years I was running about. I was being exploited by older people, selling drugs.

“I ended up in prison and I kind of liked it - the bed, the food, the three meals a day - it was just a bit of security.

“When I was 14, before I transitioned, I did some private boxing lessons at a gym in Essex - I didn’t have the money to carry on but it planted the seed for me.

“I was a girl, I had boobs and long hair, but I had the brain of a boy and I didn’t want to go in there and fight against women.

“After I transitioned, I had the opportunity to box in a white-collar charity event raising money for LGBT youth and I ended up meeting Kelly Maloney. I realised boxing was something I could do as a trans person.

“My dad loved boxing and the anniversary of his death is January 21st- the training for the charity boxing event started on January 21st 2020 and it felt like a sign from him to go.

“I was very lost as a young person and had been to prison thirteen times by the time I was twenty-five - boxing helped me move away from that lifestyle.

“Now I’m in my thirties and have spent time in the Fuerteventura pro gym working with pro trainers and sparring against pro and semi-pro fighters.

“I go monthly to get blood tests to make sure my testosterone levels are within the normal human range.

“I feel good, when I was younger I remember thinking why am I alive, but look at me – I'm alive and I’ve done it, I’m proud of me.

“There’s so many of us – we're people and we exist.”