The Routine: Jessica Hudson, boxer and rugby player

How do I relax after training? I don't

Jessica Hudson, 23, made history earlier this month by becoming the first female to box for Cambridge University, eight weeks after putting on the gloves for the first time. She won her featherweight bout in the annual match against the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. A graduate psychology student at Jesus College, she also captains the university's women's rugby union team, and this year led them to victory against Oxford for the first time in 14 years. Other ambitions include becoming a professional singer.

When did you start boxing and why?
I'd always wanted to give it a go, but various people had put me off, telling me I would get my nose broken. Then I saw the film Girl Fight and thought it looked absolutely brilliant. Soon after, I decided to go boxing with my brother Ben. From the first punch I was hooked. It made a huge smacking noise and all the boys in the gym turned round. Afterwards, I was so full of adrenalin I was literally shaking. That was about 10 weeks ago.

How many hours a week do you train?
A lot. I'm a member of two boxing clubs – Cambridge University and Cambridge-shire Police – and I play rugby in two leagues. On Sundays I have boxing training for two hours: skipping, circuits, shadow-boxing, sparring. Then I race off for a rugby match. On Mondays, Tues-days and Thursdays I have two hours of boxing training, with two hours of rugby training on Tuesdays and Fridays. And another rugby match every Wednesday. The university's boxing coachpushes me to the limit, until I feel physically sick, but I love it. Boxing is so gutsy.

Do you find time to work on your PhD?
I get Saturdays off, but it is affecting my studies, yes. I teach as well, and I have responsibilities as a housemistress at the Leys School, so I have to prioritise that over everything else. I'm not going to cut down on training, though – I'm going to add a weights session, and more running. I want to look like the girl in Fight Club. I've already gone down a dress size and had to start wearing sleeveless tops – my forearms are bulging! My PhD is titled Women Playing Rugby: Challenging Identities and Representations of Gender. It's about women entering the masculine domain. Boxing fits in really well with this.

How do you relax after training?
I don't.

What are your ambitions?
I'd like to fight for England, have some academic papers published – and be a professional singer. I don't harbour any ambitions to play rugby for England; I'm not big enough or good enough.

Have you ever suffered serious injury?
My brother broke my nose. We were sparring and I walked into one of his jabs. I didn't even realise I had done it. Three days later I had to take one of the girls from the rugby team to hospital. I went up to a doctor and said: "Excuse me, my friend needs help," and he said: "Look at your nose – it's broken." I didn't get it fixed. What's the point? It'll prob-ably get broken again. I've been hospitalised three times playing rugby – it's far more dangerous than boxing.

Do you have a diet you adhere to?
Yes. Right before a fight is the only time I'm allowed to have a chocolate bar, so I make sure that I have a king-sized one. I've got to keep my fat ratio down and to stay at featherweight. I want to present the right body image – not to be a beefcake, but to have that real "cut" look. I want girls to see that a really muscly woman can be a sexy woman. Guinness is my drink, because it's like food – it's good for you. And I eat a lot of fish and potatoes.