The Real Reason Why Prince William Had to Abandon His Promising Boxing Hobby

On Thursday, Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, attended a charity boxing event in London for the 10th anniversary of Coach Core. At the event, William was more than happy to don a pair of boxing gloves and show the world that he can pack a punch as well as dodge one. While it might have seemed that William was a novice at best, you might not know he has a lot of experience with the fighting form of fitness. However, there is a good reason why he never could pursue it as a hobby. 

While at the event, Prince William was more than happy to receive instruction. "I taught him some basics—one-two, jab. He wasn't bad. He picked it up quickly. Some defenses as well—some slips, some rolls," said Gabrielle Reid, 18, from Bournemouth, a boxing instructor. 

Reid said William had experience boxing, but a knuckle injury prevented him from pursuing it further. "I could never get the hang of how to slip," the future King of England told her. 

Joshua Jones, 21, an apprentice, then worked with the Prince. "I just went over the fundamentals of boxing," he said. "I showed him the jab, the backhand. Then to mix it up I showed him how to throw a one-two, stance, and guard."

Jones added that William was pretty good at boxing. "It was good to see he had a few skills under his belt. He enjoyed it. He told me he had done a bit before, but he's got a little knuckle injury or something like that, so he wouldn't be taking it up any time soon," he continued. 

Does William have potential? "Definitely. Who knows? He could be the next heavyweight champion of the world. He said he really enjoyed it," Reid said. 

"Sport has an incredible way of providing hope, connection, and opportunity, and when Coach Core was established ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, it was designed to use that power to help change young people's lives," Prince William said in a speech at the event.