Women’s Boxing is trending up!
It is an exciting time to be a female in the sport of boxing – the top women in boxing are authoring inspiring chapters in the stories of their lives.
Claressa Shields achieved history by boxing her way to a gold medal in 2012, when women were finally welcomed in the Olympic arena. She would return to the Olympics in 2016 and write a sequel to that chapter by winning gold again. She continues her story in the professional ring by adding passages detailing her victorious journey to becoming a world champion.
Many of the other top women, including former Olympian’s like Marlen Esparza (a 2012 Olympic bronze medal winner) and 2016 Olympian Mikaela Mayer, are continuing to add chapters to their stories by stepping into the professional ring with televised bouts.
These inspiring and motivating women have many girls and women asking themselves if boxing could become chapters in their own stories. The answer, is ABSOLUTELY! Here is the short list of why women and boxing are a natural fit:
Why should the boys have all the fun? When you get right down to it…boxing is fun. You get to hit stuff, which relieves stress (therapy) and releases endorphins (happiness).
There is not a better full-body workout than boxing. It combines high-intensity training, with both aerobic and anaerobic activity. A typical training session that lasts for about an hour has the potential to burn 730-1055 calories.
Boxing is designed for every body type. There is no typical “boxer body.” Weight classes for amateur female boxers span from 60-189+ pounds. There is literally a weight category for every body type. Talk about a judgement-free zone!
Amateur Female boxers can begin competing at 8 years old, and can continue to compete indefinitely. Women have competed into their 70s and beyond. Age is just a number, not a definition.
These are all excellent incentives for girls and women to consider donning the gloves, but the richest rewards often reveal themselves after a girl/woman starts training.
Every woman/girl has her own story to tell, and boxing contributes profound chapters to these stories. Some of these chapters reveal an innate strength to a girl that she may not have had the ability to recognize in herself. In the early stages of training, girls learn the basics of offense and defense. Often, this is the first time that a girl has ever thrown a punch. There is pure strength in that act.
Not the brute strength that most associate with throwing a punch. It is a quiet awakening. It is an inner empowerment. It allows a girl/woman to stand toe to toe with her own insecurities and tear them down one punch at a time.
The nature of the sport enables girls and women to develop a pronounced independence. It provides them with the ability to rely on themselves in any situation, and the confidence to know that they can handle whatever is thrown at them; both in the ring and in life.
Chapters written in the ring contain boxing’s lessons on goal-oriented achievement, the value of resilience, living life with purpose and principles, problem solving skills, and confidence, self-esteem and value. It is these doctrines that boxing provides, that have the power to change girls/women’s lives.
There is an excitement and anticipation surrounding women’s boxing. The major players in boxing are taking notice of the women as they embrace boxing as their own. Top promoters are including women amongst their prized fighters for the first time. Sports and entertainment networks are making commitments to televise more female bouts.
The most exciting advances are taking place at the grass-root level; amateur boxing. USA Boxing is committed to growing the sport of female boxing. Women/girls currently make up about 10 percent of USAB’s membership. USA Boxing is making a commitment to growing this number to 25 percent in the next year. For the first time ever, organizations like the National Silver Gloves and the National Golden Gloves will include girls/women in their tournaments in 2018.
These organizations recognize the value that boxing can bring to a female’s life. They are passionate in their commitments to offer opportunities for girls/women. Their support will help girls/women to develop competitively in unprecedented numbers.
The top women in boxing are also committed to offering support and mentorship to the young women who are beginning their own chapters in boxing. Mikaela Mayer often reaches out to the new crop of girls/women in boxing via her social media accounts with words of wisdom and support. The competition between women in boxing is healthy, and at the same time welcoming and supportive.
The time for women’s boxing is now. It is an exciting time for girls and women to take advantage of all that boxing has to offer and become the authors of their own stories!