GENDER INEQUALITY : MY BOXING LIFE
I was ready to face the day. Little did I know I would come so far as a representative of my home country in Rome, Italy. Thanks to the incident that had happened when I was twelve for bringing who I am today.
Reminiscing the good old days, a curious incident set me on a new path at the age of 16. One afternoon, I rode my new bike to the Columbia Auditorium. When I went to get it back, it had been stolen. I vowed to punch the thief who had stolen my bike. That was the moment I decided to learn boxing.
Martin took me under his wings and started providing me boxing sessions. When I entered the team, I was put into the lower group and I soon climbed the ranks of the first team. Six weeks after taking regular lessons, the coach became more impressed with my speed and strength, but even more by my mental strength. Therefore, he started mapping out my career. Due to boxing being a male-dominated sport, my journey was not all plain sailing as I was the first female boxer in history.
I won’t forget what they had done to me since those years. Raymond, someone who provokes sexism in our team. He first brought in the idea of keeping me from getting to the boxing ring. My heart is up in arms, but I'm no match for him physically. The others didn’t object to his approach and remained silent. This went on for a few days. I’d look for another boxing centre to avoid a fight. Unexpectedly, his father has monopolized the local boxing centre. My mentality fell apart. In this desperate moment, I saw a ray of hope.
When options are scarred, it is my routine to wait for them to finish their training every day. I sneaked into the boxing ring under the dark and trained in silence. Day after day, I’m getting stronger physically. Since none of them could match me, Martin put me as his first priority as the representatives in US National Championships.
Under the tutelage of Martin, I gradually worked my way up to success. In 1964, I earned my first national title which made me an overnight star. The winning had captivated the entire world as I basically did the unbelievable as no one could even imagine that a female could achieve something that exceptionally good. This news made headlines.
In this journey, I concluded that a solid foundation is the key to my success. Despite the hardships of being a girl in a male-dominated sport, it has made me stronger, taught me to embrace life's setbacks, and made me a better boxer.
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