Boxing: Special recognition award for Falkirk Phoenix's Special K

Special K was the first elite Scottish female boxer to win a GB title, and to compete at a World Championship, and she only returned to the top level of the sport in January having been brought back into the Boxing Scotland’s Elite Group.

Kernachan has been juggling her many roles within the sport alongside her full time work within social care, and club chief Stevie Morrison reckons she is the perfect recipient for the award.

Speaking to the Falkirk Herald, he said: “As Jamie the award announcer said ‘this is an award for a boxer who is more than just a boxer – it is for someone who works hard in the gym, gets results in the ring, but also does good work outside the ring’ and that sums up the character of the top boxing talent that Special K is.

"She got the award as recognition of not only her boxing success but also the hard work she puts in at FPBC and in the Falkirk community.

"Stephanie is a focused and dedicated young woman who works incredibly hard inside and outside of boxing. She has boxed at and coached at FPBC from the beginning. She has also attended several local schools to do taster sessions, has done several presentations at community project events, as well as having organised and run several blocks of the Boxwise sessions (10 free charity funded training sessions for young people that includes a free hot meal).

“While doing all of that, over the last year, she has managed to complete her level one and two Boxing Scotland coaching courses, was recruited by Boxing Scotland to help deliver the Development Programme in the East and West Districts, has helped build FPBCs profile, worked hard to graduate from Glasgow City College with an HND in Social Care, all the while working full time in Social Care in a children’s home supporting young people who need looked after in the Falkirk community.

“Over and above that, she still found the time to travel to Glasgow on public transport a few times a week to train in the Boxing Scotland Development Group and took on the role of FPBC club secretary. That is a level of hard work and commitment rarely seen and is why the team at FPBC tagged her Special K.

“Stephanie had actually been co ntemplating retiring from competing to concentrate on coaching due to workload and the fact she had been dropped by the Elite Boxing Group. This is a somone who was the first women to have won a GB title wearing a Scotland vest, had won a number of medals at multi nation tournaments, and was the first elite female to have boxed for Scotland at a world championship.

"However, the team at FPBC believed she has not reached her full potential and so has unfinished business in the ring. So, we persuaded her to commit to at least one more full year of boxing and a change of style.

“She certainly rose to that challenge and worked incredibly hard at the FPBC gym in Camelon focusing on improving every aspect of her own boxing. And as her subsequent results show she is a now a more complete fighter and now mixes boxing with fighting and has been forcing counts and stoppages on her opponents. She has gone on to win her 6th national elite title, she is now a 6-time 3 weight Scottish Champion. She has also won 2 more GB medals to add to her sizeable collection. Then in January 2023 she was rewarded for all her hard work by being called back into the Elite Boxing Group.

Since getting back into the Elite Boxing Group in January she has boxed 7 times competitively and has done 2 exhibitions – which is more than in any of the previous full seasons of her career. She has won 5 of those 7 bouts which were all against boxers from other nations. This prompted Boxing Scotland Coaching Director Craig McEvoy to say, that despite her previous successes, these have been her best performances in the Scotland vest!

Special K losses since January 2023:

1. Lost on points to Zoe Andrews of Wales, although many watching thought Kernachan had won this GB final. Andrews starred at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Wales and is a former European Bronze Medallist.

2. Lost on points to Caroline Cruvallier of France having put in a great performance against the French Champion of 2023 who is a former 2-time European gold medallist and World silver medallist!

Special K wins since January 2023:

1. Won on points v Nicole Clyde of Ireland, having given the Irish boxer a standing count. Clyde was the newly crowned Ulster and all Ireland champ for 2023, a former European medallist, and Commonwealth Games star at the Birmingham 2022.

2. Won on points v Lauren Lang of England. In this GB semi-final Kernachan dominated Lang winning on points with the English boxer getting 2 counts and was lucky to survive to the final bell.

3. Won via RSC 2 v Shauna Blaney of Ireland. Stephanie forced a 2nd round stoppage against the former Irish Champion and former European Bronze medallist in this Haringey box cup semi-final.

4. Won on points v Beth Wash of England. Special K dominated the England international and 2023 English silver medallist giving her 2 standing counts. This was the Haringey box cup final so Special K won gold.

5. Won on points v Jade Childs of England. SK won comfortably on points against the William Wallace Box Cup champion at 57kgs from 2022 and England international. This was the William Wallace Box Cup 2023 and Kernachan was defending her 54kg title and took gold again.

So, her commitment everything she undertakes, to boxing in general, to club competitions, to international competitions, to her coaching at FPBC, to her community work for FPBC, her social care job working in the Falkirk community supporting young people who need looked after, and of course her brilliant performances and results since January saw Special K edge ahead of the other 6 nominees to take the Boxer of the Year 2023 Special Recognition Award.