Knocking Out Gender Stereotypes: Women’s Olympic Boxing
The remarkable history, major champions and legacy of womens boxing
Kicking, gauging, and bare-knuckled blood baths, boxing has changed immensely since its arrival in the eighteenth century. Nowadays, boxing is one of the most popular sports in the world. Its exciting nature attracts fans from across the globe, with many deciding to pick up the gloves themselves. According to a Sports England survey, around 150,000 people in the UK take part in boxing each month, and a quarter of these participants are women.
Often considered “un-ladylike,” women’s boxing has struggled to establish itself as a serious sport — they had to literally fight for their right to box. At the fight’s forefront was “The Championess of England,” Elizabeth Wilkinson. Regarded by many as the first-ever female boxer, Wilkinson helped build women’s boxing into what it is today. She began to make a name for herself, fighting men and women of all sizes in the back alleys of London. In 1722, it was reported that Wilkinson challenged Hanna Hyfield to what became the first-ever female prizefight in London. Wilkinson advertised the fight in a local newspaper in which it read, “I, Elizabeth Wilkinson, of Clerkenwell, having had some words with Hannah Hyfield, and requiring satisfaction, do invite her to meet me on the stage and box me.” It was here that women’s boxing was born.
Although women’s boxing has been around for centuries, it was only in 2012 when the IOC decided to make the sport an official event. Despite first appearing on the Olympic scene in 1904 for a “demonstration bout,” it took over 100 years for it to eventually be an official event in the London Olympics. Some would argue that the pressure from the public prompted the IOC to act quickly. Before 2012, boxing was reserved as a male-only sport, which as you would imagine, sparked outrage amongst fans. Many called for the Olympics to end “gender discrepancies” within the games, as at the time, men had forty more sports than their female counterparts.
After being banned in the UK in 1880, women’s boxing has only just made a name for itself. In 1996, the Amateur Association of England (now known as England Boxing) legalized the sport, enabling women to compete and join affiliated boxing clubs. Despite this ban being lifted, the journey up to this point was far from easy. Up until the mid-twentieth century, women’s boxing was almost invisible. It was as if the society at the time, which was strongly built on the foundations of misogyny, believed that fighting should not be associated with women in the slightest. Although women found ways around these laws, boxing was not seen as a sport that women should do. People in the mid-1900s believed that female boxers were setting a bad example, painting a tarnished image of what an “ideal woman” should look like. Because of this, women’s boxing was never really televised. It was men’s boxing that was flourishing during the 1960s and 1970s with famous names such as Muhammed Ali, Joe Frazier, and Robert Duran. Fighting was associated entirely with men; it would be considered silly for a woman to even think about boxing.
During the 1990s, both the UK and the US relaxed their rules on women’s boxing. In 1993, the US incorporated women’s amateur boxing into the rules of their amateur program. Three years later, the Amateur Boxing Association of England lifted their 116-year-old ban on women’s boxing, which allowed women to compete and join the association’s affiliated clubs. Internationally, women’s boxing was also starting to be recognized, with laws and restrictions becoming more and more relaxed. The AIBA decided to allow female boxers to fight in November 1993; in 1999, it held the European Cup for Women, followed by the first World Championship in 2001.
Despite this increase in women’s boxing, boxing was the only sport that men solely represented right up until August 2009, when the IOC announced that women’s boxing would be included in the 2012 London Olympics. Three weight classes were added to the event, flyweight (51 kg), lightweight (60 kg), and middleweight (75 kg). The favourites, Great Britain, began to train in the wake of the IOC’s announcement. Talented boxers such as Natasha Jonas and Nicola Adams started training in the GB Boxing Club in Sheffield. Both male and female GB boxers trained together, and famous names such as Luke Campbell and (now world champion) Anthony Joshua were also in the chase for Olympic glory. There was a great sense of anticipation surrounding women’s boxing. A highly talented array of fighters seemed ready to make history and change women’s boxing forever.
Almost 300 years from the Elizabeth Wilkinson era, it was only fitting that the first-ever Olympic Games to include women’s boxing was based in London. Setting the record for the noisiest arena, women’s boxing in the London 2012 Olympics was full of aggression and emotion. However, before the events, the sport attracted a great deal of controversy, with many “traditional” boxing fans sceptical of what was about to happen. After the news that Cuba was not going to send any female boxers over to London, Coach Pedro Roque explained that women should be “showing off their beautiful faces, not getting punched in the face.” This sexist stance was shared by many, with former Lennox Lewis manager, Frank Maloney, calling the first British women’s amateur boxing bout a “freak show.”
Determined to prove doubters wrong, the fighters clenched their fists and put on a show that boxing fans would remember forever. The flyweight division saw Great Britain’s Nicola Adams regarded as a favourite to grasp the coveted gold medal. Demonstrating her boxing prowess in the quarterfinals against the Bulgarian, Stoyka Petrova, Adams secured an Olympic medal. Despite this, the Briton wanted more. Striving for gold, Nicola faced five-time women’s world champion Mary Kom of India in the semifinal. Although there were moments of success for India, Adams proved too quick for Kom. The London crowd roared as their local talent was announced the winner. Nicola Adams raised her arm triumphantly as she defeated Mary Kom 11–6 on points, securing the Brit a ticket to the final and putting one glove on the lucrative gold medal. Joining Adams in the final would be the reigning world champion, Ren Cancan of China. A packed out ExCel Arena cheered as the fighters entered the ring, with Adams unsurprisingly receiving the loudest welcome. Yet again, it was Great Britain who prevailed; Adams was just too quick for her opponent. Her sharp footwork and accurate shots made it difficult for her opponent to find much success. After four rounds of intense fighting, Nicola Adams had won the first-ever women’s boxing gold medal after beating Cancan 16–7. Not only was Adams making boxing history, but she proved to many young women that gender cannot restrict your potential in sport. If you have what it takes to succeed and the will to pursue it, you can do anything no matter what gender you are.
The women’s lightweight division was also full of promise and talented fighters, ready to demonstrate their boxing ability. Ireland’s Katie Taylor (now arguably the best pound-for-pound women’s boxer in the world) triumphed at the London Olympics, winning the gold medal and proving why there was such great fanfare surrounding her. Facing GB’s Natasha Jonas in the quarterfinal, the bout was highly anticipated, with both boxers famous for their incredible boxing talent. Despite this media frenzy, Taylor dispatched Jonas comfortably, beating her by an eleven-point advantage. Facing Katie Taylor in the semifinal would be the promising teenager, Mavzuna Chorieva. An abundance of Irish flags waved as Taylor entered the arena, steel-faced and ready to go. The Tajikistani fighter was dominated from the first bell. Taylor’s experience and boxing finesse proved too much for the teenager, with the judges scoring the fight 17–9 after four exhausting rounds. This impressive victory reserved the Irish fighter a place in the final, an opportunity to win the all-important gold medal. Her opponent would be the former bantamweight champion of the world, Sofya Ochigava. Despite Katie Taylor winning the bout, the fight was closely contested. The Russian fighter worked tirelessly, missing out on the gold medal by just two points.
Nonetheless, Taylor deservedly triumphed on the grand stage. The fanatic crowd roared as she lifted the Irish flag. It seemed as though her successes in boxing were not going to fade any time soon.
Not only did Nicola Adams and Katie Taylor strike gold in London in 2012, but the middleweight Claressa Shields flew the flag for the United States and defeated Nadezda Torlopova in the final. Getting there required great effort, and Shields sure did deliver. Defeating Anna Laurel in the quarterfinal by a reasonable 18–14 secured the American a spot on the podium. Despite this, Shields’ competitive nature meant that she strived for more. Her semifinal opponent, Marina Volnova (who defeated the current world champion in the quarterfinal), endured tremendous amounts of punishment from Shields. Her dominant display was reflected in the judge’s scorecard, defeating the Kazakhstani 29–15. The US fighter’s momentum did not stop there. The gold medal bout was a great example of Shields’ boxing ability, defeating her opponent (Nadezda Torlopova) by a comfortable 19–12. This fantastic performance perfectly ended a monumental women’s boxing event. The London 2012 Olympics will go down in history, opening the eyes of many to the beautiful sport of women’s boxing.
Following the successes of the London Games, Great Britain continued their dominant run of form at the international level. Both old and new faces exhibited their fighting know-how at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Rio Olympics, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Impressed by the performance in London, the Commonwealth Games Federation announced that women’s boxing would be introduced as an official sporting event in 2014, allowing for three different weight categories. England yet again flourished on the world stage, with Nicola Adams and Savannah Marshall producing gold medals in the flyweight and middleweight tournaments. Adams defeated a talented Michaela Walsh by split decision to earn herself yet another gold medal. The “silent assassin,” Savannah Marshall, also added to Great Britain’s successes by beating Ariane Fortin in the middleweight final, demonstrating her boxing potential and putting on a show for large crowds of supporters.
Savannah Marshall fell short at the Rio Olympics, losing to previous Olympic gold medallist Claressa Shields. Nicola Adams became the first-ever female boxer to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals. Now an experienced fighter (thirty-three at the time), Adams said farewell to her Olympic career in emphatic style. She faced thirty-four-year-old Sarah Ourahmoune of France, who was fighting for the last time before retirement. Adams retained her gold medal after a challenging bout, with the Brits’ power and determination proving decisive, adding to Great Britain’s lucrative trophy cabinet.
In 2018, the Commonwealth Games Federation increased the number of weight classes to five, emphasizing women’s boxing’s meteoric rise. Two new faces triumphed at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Flyweight Lisa Whiteside and welterweight Sandy Ryan both won gold for England, continuing England boxing’s impressive run in the world of female boxing. Despite boxing being hugely popular in many countries (e.g., the US and Australia, etc.), women’s boxing has belonged to Great Britain for many years and seemingly many years to come.
Women’s boxing at Tokyo 2020 has been highly anticipated. The postponement of the games has only heightened the excitement of boxing fans around the world. Not only has women’s boxing gained tremendous respect since 2012 but this year, following in line with the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the number of weight categories has increased from three to five, highlighting how the sport’s popularity has increased. It is hard to call who will triumph at this year’s Games; there is a large variety of fighters with different styles and varying experience levels. Mary Kom of India will enter the Games as the most experienced and arguably the most successful female boxer. Additionally, world champion Lauren Price will also aspire for gold in her respected weight category, potentially helping GB grasp another gold medal. Not only will Tokyo present itself as an opportunity for fighters to demonstrate their boxing talent, but it will also further help open the eyes of many girls and women, encouraging them to take part in the beautiful sport of boxing.
The prevalence of women in the boxing world goes further in culture when depicted on film. We often see sports films focused on male characters and their road to sports success (e.g., Rocky, Creed, and Southpaw), but the depiction of female athletes in film is seen few and far between. The best example of a female-driven boxing film is Million Dollar Baby (directed by Clint Eastwood) in 2004. Two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, an athletic woman in her own right, plays a white trash woman about to turn thirty who seeks to succeed in competitive boxing. This movie indeed shows how empowering boxing is and the mental and physical challenges that face the boxer. This movie is worth the watch due to its gritty and heartfelt storyline that shows what women must overcome and battle to fulfil their passion.
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