Episode 16 - A Boxing Story: Leen Sanders

Episode 16: A Boxing Story - Leen Sanders + Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois.

With Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois set to put their world titles on the line, we take a look at one of the most compelling heavyweight clashes of the year - two talented fighters, shaped by very different paths, meeting in the ring with everything to prove, to win and to lose.

But this week, we’re doing things a little differently.

Boxing is often called the loneliest sport. There’s nowhere to hide, no one to blame, and every fight has its reasons - some clear, some deeply personal. Some fight for pride, for country, for a way out. And some fight simply to survive.

At the heart of the episode is the story of Leen Sanders, a talented Dutch boxer with a hermetic defence, fighting in the inter-war years and whose career and life took a turn no one could have imagined. His fights weren’t always on canvas, and what was at stake wasn’t just titles. What he endured - and what he refused to give up - speaks to something far deeper than sport.

It's an incredible story that goes from heady heights in the ring to the darkest depths of 20th Century history, with an extraordinary man as its protagonist alongside other boxers of the era.

Come listen, but be warned, this episode hits hard.