A former rancher from Far West, New South Wales, has shown that living and working in the country need not be an obstacle to sporting greatness.
Paul Christie, originally from Melbourne, started working in Broken Hill as a teenager and eventually bought Corona Station, about 55 miles north of Silver City, in 2011.
However, during the drought, he and his family returned to his home state of Victoria and moved to a farm near Benalla.
It was here that Mr. Christie began visiting the local boxing gym, which he said was helpful in improving his mental well-being.
“Basically, with the long hours and the stress of the drought, I had to find something else to do besides get off work and have a beer,” Christie said.
“I was stable when I started, but I trained hard [and] I fell in love with the sport.”
Since organized wrestling began a few years ago, Christie is undefeated with four wins, including the Victorian state title.
The most recent victory was for the national super middleweight championship in the Australian Amateur Boxing League earlier this month.
Physical activity to overcome mental difficulties.
As well as helping him stay in shape, Christie said he loved the mental side of the sport.
“Just trying to stay calm before a fight takes a lot of mental strength and then when you’re there concentration and focus are crucial,” he said.
“You don’t play boxing…one wrong move and you feel it, and then when you get the win, it’s like an adrenaline rush.”
He said he was also inspired by fellow Wild West rancher and close friend Brendan Cullen, who successfully swam the English Channel in July.
“Everything that man does inspires me, even the way he talks [and] that canal swim was just amazing,” Christie said.
“He’s always been interested in my boxing. I got a good message from him before the state title, he said ‘when you’re fucked up, that’s when your training starts’ and I was thinking that during the third round.”
boxing in the blood
Supporting Mr. Christie every step of the way are his wife Christy and their four children.
Ms Christie said the two started training together at Benalla, but she was incredibly proud to see how far her husband had come.
“[Paul] I actually had a grandfather who was a boxer but, working on a property, he never had the chance to do something like that,” he said.
“It’s unbelievable that he’s had four fights and has already become an Australian champion.”
However, Christie is not done yet. The 35-year-old said he still had a bit of wrestling left in him and looked forward to more wrestling opportunities over the next year.
“There may be some opportunities out of this, but I want to focus on getting more experience and learning,” he said.
“ME [still] I haven’t had a lot of fights so I’m looking forward to improving and seeing where it takes me.”
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