When boxer Sam Rennie’s arm was raised at the end of a recent fight, it signified not only victory in the bout but also victory over a two-year struggle with depression and anxiety.

November’s third-round stoppage of Kingsway ABC’s James Anderson marked the talented 17-year-old’s return to the ring after a battle with mental health issues that at their worst confined him to his bed.

’I’ve gone from the lowest point you can be, to one of the highest when my arm was raised after last month’s fight.’ Rennie revealed.

’If someone had told me that two years ago that I’d have fought again I’d would have said it was impossible.’

The former Ballakermeen student explained he began to struggle when a back problem prevented him from training and taking part in the sport he loves.

’It started off with a torn muscle in my back, which meant I couldn’t box. I soon found myself feeling very down and low.

’It got to the point where I was off school, I wasn’t working, I wasn’t really doing anything. I just felt so depressed. At the time I couldn’t see a way out of it.

’Eventually though I started setting myself little goals. It was baby steps initially, but as time went on I began to see improvements, which in turn gave me more motivation.

’I saw the effect it was having on my family and the people around me. I just thought "I don’t want to stay like this forever. I need to try and do something."

’My first goal was just to get out of bed in the morning. At the time that seemed impossible.

’When I did that though, I thought "Right I’ve done that now, onto the next step" which was going outside.

’I continued to build things up until the point I went back into school and then, when that finished, I managed to get a job.

’The next step was opening up to friends and family about it. I also started speaking to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) who I am still speaking to now.

’I didn’t want to speak about it for ages, but when I did it really helped.’

’I found it hard to tell people as there’s still a lot of stigma around discussing mental health problems.

’In any sport but in boxing in particular, you’re meant to be a tough guy and you’re supposed to be hard and a fighter, so to talk about something like depression and anxiety, you have to be brave.

’It shouldn’t be like that. It’s something that affects a lot of people and should be talked about more.’

Rennie found it particularly hard to open up to his mates: ’I didn’t know what they were going to think of me and I didn’t know what their reaction was going to be. But this over-thinking is exactly what anxiety is. As soon as I told them I realised I had nothing to worry about. They’ve helped me through it.’

’I also opened up about it on social media and I got loads of messages of support from people.’

’My therapist Duncan at CAMHS has been a big help. He’s given me techniques to help me through the dark times and struggles. These have changed things completely for me.’

’He has also helped me plan some goals and one of the main ones was getting back in the ring and winning which I’ve done.’

Sam hopes he can use his experiences to help others: ’When people have been through something like this it makes you want to help people in a similar situation. It doesn’t matter whether your young or old, working or at school you can get through it. I’m living proof of that.’

Sam comes from a family of boxers with both his older brothers - Eddie and Mattie - having represented the Isle of Man at the Commonwealth Youth Games.

The latter is now embarking on a successful career as a professional and Sam’s goal is to join him in the paid-for ranks.

Rennie has teamed up with his former coach John Cain at New Horizon Boxing Club.

Rennie quips the name of the new Douglas-based club is pretty apt: ’After my spell away from the sport this does feel like a fresh start. John used to be my coach at Manx ABC and he has helped both my brothers as well with their careers. He’s a good coach.’

’I’m taking it one step at a time at the moment. I’ve had the comeback fight now and I’ll probably fight again in March. It’s a case of getting back into it and racking up the wins.

’Hopefully at the end of 2020 I’ll go into a tournament or something with an eye on the Commonwealth Games potentially in 2022.

’If all goes well the aim is to go professional if I can and follow in Mattie’s footsteps.’

Reflecting on his battles out of the ring Sam added: ’I still get my down days, but I can get through them now. Plus if you didn’t have the down days you wouldn’t appreciate the ’up’ days.’

’A lot of people get frustrated about how long it takes to recover from something like this, but you just have to be patient.

’When you open up about it, the weight comes off your shoulders. You find that everyone you’ve opened up to wants to help you.

’I’m hoping my story will help those struggling to do even the simplest of tasks. I’m proof that it does get better if you keep on fighting and keep on going. You’ll eventually see an improvement in yourself and things around you.’