Boxing has always been a sport held in high regard, considering it features two individuals beating the living daylights out of one another.

But its numbers have seen an increase of late, albeit due to dubious means, with the popularity increasing due to the participation of influencers and the like, such as Jake Paul and KSI.

Their involvement in the sport may well be frowned upon by die-hard boxing fans, but studies have shown that it’s now a top-four sport amongst Generation Z, both here and the US, seeing 8.9% of UK youths practicing it on a regular basis.

This Belgian-French co-production captures that youthful attraction for the sport, following a group of boys studying boxing at a specialist sports boarding school.

Standing out as a major talent inside the ring is Camille (Samuel Kircher); he has speed and powerful punches, which makes him a contender for greater things, like representing his school in an inter school boxing competition.

He hangs out with the other boxing students, including his best friend Matteo (Faycal Anaflous).

Camille persuades Matteo to go into the woods with him, where they put meat on string off of branches, then watch foxes take them with an energetic touch. He then tells him of another place where foxes hang out, and they go there, with Camille just ahead of him.

Unfortunately once there, he falls from a great height, and has to go to hospital urgently. Despite having 50 stitches in his right arm, doctors assure him that he we heal and can continue boxing.

But when he gets back in the ring, he feels pains in his arm, and is unable to perform as he once did. As time passes, it transpires that the pain he suffers from is a phantom one, brought on by crippling anxiety issues, meaning he faces a completely different fight altogether.

Belgian director Valéry Carnoy delivers a film that tackles not only the art of boxing amongst a group of passionate youths, but the friendships and bonds that are born from it.

His film, which he co-wrote, does step out of that particular ring on occasion, but is less successful doing so. Such as the relationship that develops between Camille and Yas (Anna Heckel), a taekwondo student who also plays the trumpet; she’s a pleasing distraction for him, and to the audience, but it’s a relationship that doesn’t really go anywhere.

And then there are the foxes. There are real omnivorous mammals that appear in the film, so the title isn’t just an allegory for a bunch of young cubs fighting it amongst themselves to survive. The truth is, they didn’t need to feature as heavily as they do in the film, including a peculiar hunting scene that takes place during school time, which adds nothing of any worth to the film, except its title.

On top of that, Camille’s fragile mental state isn’t fully explored, and he is never given the option to describe what he’s going through, which changes from simply suffering panic attacks, but also a phobia about hurting opponents, which all comes across as a tad woolly.

Still, the performances are strong though, especially the ones between Camille and Matteo, as their friendship attempts to tackle the obstacles in its path.

Not a main event then, with the punches it throws hardly of the heavyweight variety, but a watchable lower card effort that shows great spirit and heart.