Sarah Liegmann – from the ring corner: Between fight & exams

Before I get started, I’m really glad you’re here to read my column. It’s going to be chaotic, funny, but mainly 100 percent real. I’ll be sharing lots of anecdotes and experiences from the world of boxing, but also giving you some exciting insights into my everyday madness. And now it’s time to clear the ring!

Sometimes my ambition is so great that my mind can only shake its head. I had actually sworn to myself that I would never again accept a fight during the exam period. But after I had to cancel two fights after my fight in April 2025 due to injury and then illness, it was very important to me to get straight back into action in 2026 as a kind of preparation for a bigger fight in April. Especially after I changed my German coach last year, I thought it was important for him and the American team to get to know each other personally and work together in the corner for the first time.

The fight, initially planned for December, was now scheduled for February 6. Actually perfect, if there weren’t always scheduling problems with the university. Stress is pre-programmed. An oral test before the fight and a written test afterwards. So it was training, university, learning, training and learning again. In addition, the weight cut was added in the last two to three weeks, which didn’t exactly improve the mood. Especially during preparation, you should have as clear a head as possible – and yet I realize every time that I need this chaos for myself in a certain way. What’s the saying? It keeps me going. It doesn’t give me a second to even think about being lazy, but provides structure.

Learning without chocolate

So on Wednesday morning, after the oral exam, I went straight to Frankfurt airport in the direction of Madrid. Did I mention how annoying it was not to be allowed to eat chocolate during the exam period?

The next day started with a relaxed session in the hotel gym. In the afternoon, we finally went to the official weigh-in. Everyone’s weight was right, so I took my team to a nearby restaurant that the Americans had already visited the days before. If there’s one thing that drives me up the wall, it’s not being able to eat what I was really craving after the weigh-in. But that’s what happened. No menu. Just the question: “Pasta with chicken or beef?” I opted for pasta with chicken. When I was presented with a Bolognese, I just accepted it and tucked in hungrily. At the time, I didn’t know that the Bolognese was only the starter – and that the question of beef or chicken referred to the main course. After the weight cut, the pasta was already the main course for me, which I would have gladly saved for the actual main course.

Cut and loss of fitness

Well fortified, we then went back to the hotel – ready to continue learning. I also learned quite a lot the next day, until we had to go to the hall. When we got there, it was freezing cold. So cold, in fact, that it would have been necessary to put heaters in the fighters’ cabins. So we just warmed ourselves in our winter jackets.

I was able to let out all the stress in the ring and achieve exactly what we had been working towards. To be honest, my fitness was a bit thin towards the end, but that was my own fault as I was able to do far fewer fitness sessions than usual due to university. I suffered my first cut in the third round. A headbutt jammed my ear and tore the skin, leaving my cartilage exposed for the rest of the fight. There are better things, but I survived after what felt like a liter of blood loss. I was wearing a white outfit for this fight of all fights.