The Fight Back

Presented by Darklight and proudly supported by Fly, The Fight Back documents the journey of 10 women in a physically and emotionally intensive boxing programme, Fight Forward. Culminating in a live fight in front of hundreds of spectators, the initiative seeks to raise awareness and coach women through the after-effects of domestic abuse.

Fight Forward CIC was founded by former GB boxer Lesley Sackey, who uses boxing as a tool to help women triumph over trauma. The programme has a pay-it-forward model, with each cohort of women raising money to fund the next.

To bring The Fight Back to life, we collaborated with photographer/director Rebecca Naen, whose clients include Nike, Converse, The Guardian and British GQ. Rebecca spent time with the women in training and individually to capture their endurance and determination; the blood, sweat & very real tears.

In a one-day studio shoot we captured intimate portraits and interviews to understand how boxing had helped them gain strength, confidence and power. The end result is a stunning series of images, a short documentary film and a beautifully designed photo book, published by Darklight, portraying the essence of Fight Forward and the good the programme stands for.

“For me, boxing has been a safe space where I feel empowered and strong — mentally and physically.
When Lesley told me about Fight Forward, I knew it was time to confront what happened to me and create something positive from it.”

— Sarah, Co-Founder Darklight

All images courtesy of Rebecca Naen. The Fight Back [2024], a film by Rebecca Naen, presented and produced by Darklight for Fight Forward. Sponsored by Fly sportswear. You can read our interview with Rebecca here on Darklight Digital.

CREDITS:

PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY: REBECCA NAEN
PRODUCED BY: DARKLIGHT
1ST ASSISTANT: PATRICIA BENITEZ
SOUND: CHARLOTTE HOMESHAW
HMU: ANGEL MCQUEEN
HMU ASSIST: TIA BAKER