Punching their way out of poverty

Women boxers are often perceived as rough and violent. MWANGI MUIRURI talked to three of them and found out that their biggest enemy is not their opponent…

Charity Mwihaki, 25

Humble beginnings

Born to a peasant family in Meru district, I stumbled into boxing by accident.

I had finished primary education hoping to study further and later be employed as an air stewardess.

But my parents were poor and could not afford secondary school fees. So I, like my other five siblings, dropped out.

I travelled to Nairobi at the age of 14 years to live with an aunt in Mathare slums.

In 2004, I was hawking mitumba clothes in Industrial Area.

I remember watching television in a slum restaurant one afternoon, and seeing a Boxing match between two men.

I admired the sport for the tenacity it demanded and I thought I needed it in dealing with my many problems.

That is how I traced trainer Benjamin Musa at Nairobi’s St Teresa Social Hall and signed up.

My induction

I hawked and trained until, in August 2007, I landed my first fight with Patroba Livavi, whom I thrashed in the four rounds bout.

I took on Africa’s Middle Weight champion Conjestina Achieng’ in October 2007 and registered a draw.

We met again twice and the referees always ruled that she had beaten me by a single point.

I am going to take on Africa’s World Boxing Association middleweight champion Wang Yang next month in Uganda.

Why I love it

Without formal experience and education to get me a job, I hang on to this physical occupation with all I have. Plus I love to knock my opponents senseless.

Promoters are conmen

Women boxers in this country have no support and we have to personally finance our training and other facilities. Because we are perceived as strugglers, we cannot inspire young talented girls to take up boxing as a career. Further, there are no development programmes or structures for this game.

The field is full of fraudulent promoters who will get you a match but refuse to pay the agreed amount.

Now a single mother

My lowest moment was in 2001 when I realised that I was pregnant and that the father of my child had vanished. But my highest moment was when I delivered my baby boy, now eight years old.

Being a single mother and providing for him makes my life have a meaning. I am also proud of my World Boxing Association’s card rating: four wins, a draw and two losses.

My wish list

I look forward to competing in the international ring. This means I have to destroy Conje’s dominance in Kenya. I also dream of being a trainer or a referee before starting a boxing academy to nurture talent.

I would want the media to start giving local sportswomen prominent coverage like they do in other male dominated fields. This will give us exposure and awaken the Government to the fact that women are venturing into new fields in sports.

Sarah Indisi, 22

How I started

I had graduated from Informal Sector for Business Administration College in South B, but I could not get a job when I graduated in 2006. So for two years, I would visit the gym and work out to keep away the stress and to keep fit.

It was then that I met boxer Judith Wanguthi, who convinced me that I could earn a living as a boxer.

My debut in the ring

I have fought 15 featherweight bouts since 2007 in the amateur category and won 12 of them. I have drawn in two bouts and lost once. Last year, I fought the acclaimed featherweight champion Charity Kaluki and she beat me at the fourth round.

I stay trim

This is the only occupation from which I have made money. Besides, one of the perks of the job is that I do not accumulate unnecessary fat in the wrong places.

Punching the air

It requires a positive attitude to hang on in this field. Sometimes we only train but there are no bouts to participate in. Our promoters are only interested in making money for themselves but not in the growth of boxing as a sport. We sometimes find ourselves idle and have to engage in menial jobs and small business deals in order to survive.

Sponsorship now available

I will never forget my lowest moment in the 2008’s fight with Kaluki. Whereas the promoters had promised me Sh16,000, they ended up paying me Sh4,000. But on the bright side, we female boxers have landed a sponsor under the umbrella Boxing Girls International. The reputation of women boxers resorting to immoral lifestyles might soon die.

We are sportswomen

Boxing is a sport not a fight. I want to see the game appreciated, and not just associated with bloody violence, bullies and gangsters.

Laila Ali — A Living Boxing Legend

Laila Ali, daughter of male boxer legend Mohamed Ali, is rated the most refined female boxer in the world.

Known for her disciplined and dogged style in the ring, with a talent for brutal combinations.

Boasts a flawless 24-0 record with 21 wins coming by straight knockouts.

Began her career in 1999 with a first-round knock out and posted straight eight wins that led to a high-profile bout between her and Jackie Frazier.

The bout was termed as ‘enemies’ daughters’.

This was because Frazier is the daughter of the famous Muhammad Ali’s rival, Joe Frazier.

Laila won by referee decision after eight rounds.

In the course of her career, Laila has earned a permanent scar from a brawl with Valerie Mahfood.

Also participated in what is often considered the most violent women’s Boxing match ever when she defeated Erin Toughill in a fist-pounding 2005 grudge match.

Gave birth to a son in August, 2008.

Pundits argue that, if Laila wants to retain her reputation as the toughest woman boxer on earth, at some point she will have to fight Ann Wolfe.

Wolfe is reputed for hard hitting and has publicly been accusing Laila of "Forever making excuses to avoid fighting me".