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Photo credits: Matchroom boxing

©Mark Robinson Photography Ltd

THE CHAMPION'S MINDSET

MAÏLYS GANGLOFF

MAÏLYS GANGLOFF is a French professional boxer with a record of 6 victories, 3 defeats and 22% KO. She is a former champion of France, bantam weight. Her two major fights on Dazn have done honour to the world of women’s boxing.

In her first high-profile fight, Mailys Gangloff bravely faced Ellie Scotney, two weight categories higher, and bowed with honour to the points, while Scotney ran out of breath without being able to knock her out. As a result, Scotney said that Mailys was “as tough as they come”.


For her second major experience, she faced Ebanie Bridges in a memorable battle that ended in a highly controversial decision. Many sports commentators and fans were outraged and asked for a rematch, claiming that Gangloff had really won the match.

 

Discover the mindset of the impetuous French warrior: Mailys Gangloff.

INTERVIEW

At this point in your career, what was your best fight?

I would say my fight with Ebanie Bridges, because it was the one that brought me the most visibility, and I was better prepared than for my fight with Ellie Scotney. But the French Championship is particularly close to my heart, because I had contractual problems with my coach who had been with me since I was a child and I had to go to the French Championships with him even  though the break was already complete. So, I was kind of on my own that day, but I made the choice to go there, so I could potentially win a French Champion belt and I won by TKO. It was a very nice win, because for two months I trained on my own, I worked hard, and I won because I deserved it, because I faced everything that came my way in a few months.

From an emotional point of view, it was this fight that brought me the most. I took every difficulty head on, and I said to myself "I’m going to go anyway, I have nothing to lose". And indeed, I won everything.

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THE MENTAL COACH CORNER

It's good sometimes to be the underdog. You are under less pressure because you have nothing to lose. That allows you to lower the stakes and give your best during the competition. Not to be stressed by challenge, but to embrace it, is one of the most liberating and exhilarating things an athlete can do, and it takes courage to do it. 

 

As Mike Tyson’s famous coach used to say: “what is the difference between a hero and a coward? … No difference. Only what you do. They both feel the same. They both fear dying and getting hurt. The man who is yellow refuses to face up to what he's got to face. The hero is more disciplined, and he fights those feelings off and he does what he has to do." To have a "fighter mindset", whatever your sport, is something that you can develop with your mental coach. 

What were the thoughts that occupied your mind during your fight against Ellie Scotney?

My fight with Ellie Scotney was actually to prepare for the French championship, which is why I accepted it even though we weren’t in the same weight class, and even though I wasn’t particularly ready to have a fight of this magnitude. Because it has been a year since I was boxing because of Covid. During my fight with Ellie Scotney, there were a few things that happened where I thought, "wow, that wasn’t planned!" Everything was bad and I arrived in the first round with a girl who was stronger than me. Never had a woman hit me so hard. I was really shocked in the first round, because no one had ever run me over, like she did. No one had an ascendant over me. Ever.

Normally I’m the one who assaults the girl across, but that was the other way around. I was having a lot of negative thoughts. When I came back to my corner, you don’t see the emotional state I was in after that first round. In fact, I went to the second round without having time to say it’s dangerous, we should stop. My coach just said, "Come on, here we go again!".

And finally as Ellie Scotney wanted to break me, she gave it all up in the first round, and then she started going downhill, and she must have thought, “How come this girl is still up?” And as a result, I think she was upset, and then it was way better for me.
 

But it’s true that the first round gave me a mental slap and I couldn’t regain confidence because she had a physical superiority that I couldn’t compensate for.

I felt like vomiting, I felt anxious, I thought, “Okay, I almost got killed. I don’t understand. What happens to me?” I wasn’t lucid. I told my coach to give me the bucket and he said no, you’re not going to vomit and so I did without (laughs). In that way, he replaced the framework a bit. Everything will be fine. He normalized so much what I had just been through that I rationalized that too, and I figured it shouldn’t be that bad. If he had panicked, I would have panicked more.

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THE MENTAL COACH CORNER

Even the best athletes can lose confidence and start doubting their skills when they face unexpected adversity and when the situation evolves into utter chaos. Or, to put it more bluntly, how do you keep your cool when the sh*t hits the fan? Your mental coach is there to help you, managing pressure, refocusing, and developing coping strategies to face your worst catastrophe scenarios.

 

A boxing match, like a lot of other sports, can become a mind game: you can turn the odds, compensate a physical disadvantage, and take the win, if you can stay mentally strong and take the psychological advantage.

So, this was the first time you were confronted with someone stronger than you physically? You knew you had disadvantages facing Ellie Scotney. As a result, had you prepared a mental strategy to strengthen your assets?

Yes, it was the first time I met a stronger opponent physically and technically. And since my thing was being physical and I was facing someone more physical, I just had no way out and it was a really bad time.

I had no plan. Sometimes you can see me against Ellie Scotney and wonder why I’m not countering, but that’s because I’m on my back leg and I don’t have the time nor the strength to come back. She was sending such strong punches that I had a backward movement every time, so I wasted time coming back. To be 1 second late in boxing is huge, it means you won’t hit your opponent. While with Ebanie Bridges, my shots had a better “pop”.

For the fight with Ebanie Briges, I went there to win. I also knew how it was going with Matchroom. Because the first time I was impressed: the videos, the ring, the crowd, all that, it’s excellent. I was a little surprised, I didn’t know if I deserved it, and I thought, wow, what’s happening to me?! With Ebanie Bridges, I was ready for it, I was very happy to go back to it and there was no longer the sense of discovery. I knew why I was there, and I knew what I had to do.

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THE MENTAL COACH CORNER

There are always unknown aspects in a competition, but don't leave victory to chance!

Athletes often arrive physically well prepared for their competition but may have not prepared a strategy that fits their assets and their disadvantages. Under pressure, they can forget their game plan or don't have a plan B, when plan A fails. So that you don't find yourself in a dead-end, prepare a coping strategy with your Mental Coach, to have an ace up your sleeve for the next match.​

It's natural that during an important competition, an athlete's mind wanders to what’s at stake, to the audience, to fame... The problem is that during competition, your mind needs to be focused 100% on your performance. And that's easier said than done when you are stressed. It takes just 1 second to be knocked out during a boxing match. That’s why your Mental Coach will give you a complete toolbox to develop a laser sharp focus and stay on top of the game.

For the fight against Ebanie Bridges, you trained with Myriam Lamare: super-light world champion WBA, WBF, IBF, 22 wins, 4 losses. 10 wins by KO. How did THIS NEW COACH help make you a better boxer?

How my coach talks to me in the ring, impacts me a lot. Myriam is very natural; she gives herself fully. Myriam helped me by saying: “It’s okay, you’re ready, you’re not the Mailys of two months ago. It’s going to be okay. If you do what I taught you for two weeks, it’s going to be fine.” So, I went without fear. During the fight, I could hear her screaming in the ring and, each time, I was congratulated when I did something good. I was encouraged as never before. It was fabulous! It allowed me to transcend myself.


To prepare for the fight against Ebanie Briges, I trained with Myriam for 8 months. I work with her like in a training camp, with periods of one or two weeks, it’s intense. We’re looking for something new. I make sure I’m always physically ready, so I can do whatever she asks. Myriam teaches me things that I then spend hours rehearsing, so that my body assimilates the information.

One concept in boxing, which is not in every sport, is the concept of fatigue. In the beginning we manage to do incredible things, but little by little, the more the fight progresses, the more we fall back on our automatisms and so if what we have learned is not an automatism, it fades away during the fight and that’s when the mistakes happen, that the KOs happen.

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THE MENTAL COACH CORNER

The automatization of skills is one the major contributors to success but can be overlooked by athletes. To excel in competition, athletes need to develop a performance mindset, which is characterized by the ability to perform freely and intuitively by relying on motor memory and reacting instinctively to the game.

 

But how much does it take to build a new skill and how do you reach a performance that flows without thinking about “how to” perform? Your mental coach will help you develop a plan to automatize your skills and build a performance mindset.

During your fight with Ebanie Bridges, it seemed that you were sometimes A LITTLE HESITANT. WHEN YOU FACE DIFFICULTIES, DO YOU EVER DOUBT YOUR ABILITIES?

Yeah, there was sure something like that, because there’s something very animal, and at the same time there are rules to follow. Boxing is not a street fight. There are times when I was a bit torn. If we look at the first two rounds, I lost them because I was working on what I was told to work, period.

I was waiting to see how it went. While Ebanie, she started trying to get in my face and hit me a little hard, because her goal was to destroy me. She’s ok, she understands the principle! (laughs). But at one point she hit me hard and that’s when I started letting my hands go, and I started fighting her really. And in the last few rounds I realized that she had a sore hand and then I said to myself, you have to go, you have to start hitting her. I felt she was tired, and I took over.

In the ring, I try to listen to my coach but sometimes I don’t see how it works. I’m someone who needs to understand and so I always ask why, how, and it wastes everyone’s time. While if I did what I am asked to do, maybe I would do it wrong a few times, but it would pass. Maybe I’m not dumb enough and disciplined enough to be a boxer (laughs).

During the match with Ebanie, sometimes I didn’t have the solution. Myriam shouted “uppercut”, I sent it, but it didn’t work. But when I watched the video of the fight, I thought: “that’s it!” I was afraid to make an open hand, that’s why I didn’t dare.


My animal side kicks in when I realize, “Okay, my opponent wants to hurt me, she’s not nice with me” (laughs). That’s the mindset I was in with Ebanie Bridges and I learned from it. Now I am mentally preparing not to fall back in this case to where I wait for two rounds when I clearly have the advantage to take all the rounds and to exhaust my opponent.

Physicality is my first quality and there I had done too much technique and forgot the physical aspect. I worked on it again and tried to exploit the animal aspect. Now I don’t wait to see what happens anymore. There’s no time. No, I’m gonna do my job and you’re gonna have to adapt to my job. period. That’s what I did in my last fight, and it went much better.

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THE MENTAL COACH CORNER

Many athletes perform better in training than in competition. The pressure linked to competition, make them sometimes overthink and doubt their performance, which slows down their movements and makes them play tentatively.

The training mindset and the competitive mindset are very different: Practice is a great time to discover, experiment, and ask why, in order to get better and improve your skills for competition. Competition on the other hand is the moment for you to trust your skills and rely on your instinct and go with whatever skills you have that day. 

Boxing is a great example of the necessity to adopt a competitive mindset, to impose your will on your opponent, to get the win. Check with your mental coach how to be decisive, commit to the game plan, and trigger your fighter mindset.

DO YOU THINK THAT AGGRESSION, THE "KILLER INSTINCT" IS NECESSARY TO SUCCEED IN BOXING? HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT IN BOXING?

It depends. Some boxers like playing, like a cat with a mouse. It’s just a game, I touch you, you didn’t touch me. If there are two boxers who like to play, one in front of the other, it will be a technical match where they will play to who is the fastest, who will surprise the other with feints. While if it’s two boxers who are physical, it’s going to be “you hit me hard, I’m going to hit you harder”. For me, I need the moment where I unleash and let my hands go, otherwise I stay on this respectful side, work technically, and wait to see how it goes. I need the engine.

Both styles are very interesting, and I don’t think there is one style that wins over the other. The player will never lose control or get carried away, and he will stay in his concentration without ever exhausting himself. Whereas when it is physical there is a way to fall into a phase of exhaustion, of abandon and you can take heavy blows and begin to doubt. One might ask, “Gee, maybe the other one is better than me physically”. It’s going to be a little bit more with up and down. Both styles have their advantages and disadvantages.

If you are physically above your opponent, you will be able to physically recover, the other will lose heart and you will be able to take advantage mentally. Even if you’re not confident. But if you have two people of the same level, and you have one who’s mentally stronger, that’s the one who’s going to take over. The physical you always need. But the mind above all!

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THE MENTAL COACH CORNER

While detractors believe that boxing relies only on brutal instincts and just see a sport that involves two people beating the crap out of each other, boxing enthusiasts believe that boxing takes logic and science and call it "the Sweet Science".

Boxing is a mental game and is often compared to chess. Indeed, if boxing requires the fighters to be fierce, it also require the boxers to be tactical in their approach to analyse and defeat their opponent. 

 

A scientific approach to boxing can bring a fighter to victory. Check with your mental coach, how to set goals and strategize to gain a mental edge over your opponents.

 

Being a champion is not only being physically superior but also being mentally prepared.

WHAT PHYSICAL AND MENTAL SKILLS ARE IMPORTANT TO BEING A GOOD BOXER?

Boxing is an art, it’s something that comes from within. In boxing, when I coach, I see that we can always do things one way or another. It’s about finding out what’s right for us. The magic of videos is that you can watch other boxers do it, you own it, you imagine yourself doing it and you integrate it. It’s such an easy way to develop in boxing.

I think there are no intrinsic qualities, you have qualities, and you have to exploit them and minimize your flaws so that you can develop as a unique boxer, and not just do Mayweather style or whatever. I was told to look at Marcel Cerdan, but I’m not cut like Marcel Cerdan (laughs). Knowing your qualities gives you a huge advantage over another boxer who is potentially better but doesn’t realize his advantage.

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THE MENTAL COACH CORNER

One of the most exhilarating things in sport, once you have mastered all the foundations, is to develop your own style. Considering your natural assets, your predispositions, the key is to understand how you can become more efficient and reach your best.

 

Even if it might seem odd, technically, if it's effective, keep it. As a boxing coach said to me once "Whatever works, works". The best example in boxing is to watch Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. The first was too light for a heavyweight, the second too short. So, they both developed a style that minimized their weaknesses and maximised their assets, one "moving like a butterfly and stinging like a bee" and the other, storming his opponents with explosive power.

 

Work with your mental coach on goal setting and effective training and become the best version of yourself!

As a woman, have you faced any prejudices, SUCH THAT the woman is CONSIDERED the “weak sex”, or people who told you “You know boxing is not for girls”?

As a child I was an average girl and boxing is what built my identity; it is what allowed me to feel legitimate in the eyes of others. I felt I finally had the right to exist from the moment I was a boxing champion. Then I could not detach myself from boxing very easily.

I took a four-year break, but then I realized it was a part of me. It is something that makes me feel good, that I like to share and that conveys good values. So, I went back because I was good at it, I like it and I needed it.

Yes, I faced prejudice and I had this anger against this world that considered me like the other, like a tomboy. I think it feeds me. I fight to take my revenge on these injustices I went through, and I hope that as I grow up, I can find my place without having to justify myself, without having to question myself.
 

I was lucky, because there were already girls when I arrived in my boxing club, including my sister who reached the French championships. But it is true that it is a sport where there are mostly men and therefore from the moment you want to compete, you have to spar with men. So, you start with disadvantages: you have more fat, you don’t have much testosterone, it sucks (laughs) and so you never know where you are. On a performance scale, you know that you’re basically “about there”.

When I was a little girl, there were plenty of times when I’d come home feeling sad because I’d gotten hammered in training, which is obviously normal for a kid, facing taller, bigger guys – in short, men - but there are times when I took it badly. 

On the bright side, it was easy to compete against my opponents because they were girls. When I was little, I didn’t control my strength, I already had this instinct to go forward, to choke the opponent because that’s where I was safe. I used to ram and stay close to my opponent and so the only way my opponents could push me back was to hit me pretty hard. Guys were trying to be careful, but in the end, I didn’t give them a choice, because my only way to survive was to be close.

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THE MENTAL COACH CORNER

The beauty of sports is that it defies gender stereotypes, makes inspiring role models, and shows men and women as equals. Remarkable achievements, such as the recent fights of Katie Taylor, Mikaela Mayer, Amanda Serrano, Claressa Shields and Maïlys Gangloff are more often now taking centre stage in the boxing world.

Yes, in boxing, a woman may have less physical advantage than a man of the same weight. Genetically male skeletal muscles are generally faster and have higher maximum power output than female muscles. But female muscles are generally more fatigue resistant and recover faster, or in other words, women are more resilient. Men push hard and stop when they can’t go further. Women keep going. 

 

Also, in boxing like in other sports, it’s not all about strength, it’s also about speed, skills, strategy, stamina, and willpower. Developing a strong mindset is at the core of success for female athlete who want to reach their full potential.

Cus D'Amato, Mike Tyson’s trainer, said: "strength of character beats talent". WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Talent is an elusive thing. If you have talent, you are unbeatable. But the good thing about strength of character, about the animal side, is that technically you may not be as perfect, but it develops strength. I think that in order to develop an extraordinary force, you need to be in situations where you have no choice. We can then generate an incommensurable force, a force that is not accessible to someone who has talent and who is just relaxed. It depends on many parameters, but talent and character are two big strengths. If you have either, you have a way out no matter what. But to succeed in boxing, I believe that, indeed, one must be in a certain state of mind, a spirit of conquest.

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THE MENTAL COACH CORNER

Among all sports, boxing is the symbol par excellence of fighting obstacles and setbacks, seeking out adversity, learning from defeats and rising to your personal best. 

 

Character can beat talent. The "animal side", the "hunger", "the fire within", boxers have different ways of calling it, but it's this inner power, that mental strength that drives an athlete and allows them to reach greatness.

Athletes spend a lot of time rehearsing their moves, refining their skills, developing their muscles but spend little or no time working on their mental strength, not realizing that there lies their main asset. The mind remains an unknown territory in sport. As a result, what’s going on in one’s mind during competition is often an internal fight between jitters, doubts, distractions, and other turmoil, and thus an athlete can become his own worst enemy.

 

You do have power over your thoughts. Mental performance is understanding why you think, feel and act as you do, helping you build on your strength and weaknesses, and finding out what makes your uniqueness as an athlete. FORZA MENTAL PERFORMANCE is here to get you to the next level and help you reach your peak performance.

 

Contact us now to get more information or to book your appointment.

VICTORY !

EBU European Bantam Champion

Congratulations to Maïlys Gangloff on her victory and European Title!

MAÏLYS
GANGLOFF

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Photo credits: ©Maïlys Gangloff

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