years on from when women were first allowed to compete in the Olympic games, womens boxing made its debut at the 2012 Olympics. This was not without controversy, such as Lennox Lewiss opinion that it was a freak show. Womens boxing is continually a stormy issue dividing public opinion.
However, attitudes are clearly changing, and official support is also there, with almost 2million invested in the womens Olympic boxing squad. This may make the difference in bringing British womens boxing towards a similar level to nations who already have successful women boxers e.g. China and America.
Many women have been inspired by the recent achievements of women boxers and there are now many boxing gyms in London offering classes specifically aimed at women. For example, at Gloves Boxing Club in West Hempstead, and Miguel’s Boxing Gym in Herne Hill. Amateur boxing for women is dramatically on the rise. In fact, 40% of boxing gyms now run classes aimed at women, and 25% of people attending boxing clubs are women.
It seems incredibly that only a few years ago many women would have been turned away from boxing gyms. So is there really any basis to the concerns?
According to a neurosurgeon at Queen Mary University, the risks of injury are no greater for women than for men. The International Boxing Association went even further and concluded that women actually have less risk of suffering severe injuries and concussion than men. This is due to the more flexible and less muscular form of the female physique making women more able to absorb punches and deliver less damaging punches. There is however the risk of suffering breast injuries.
Supporters of womens boxing stress that there is a big difference between amateur boxing and professional boxing. Women learn to box in amateur boxing gyms and these are completely safe, uncompetitive environments where they can learn the skills of boxing while aiming to score points, not competing in knock outs. There are also other potentially dangerous sports which women are allowed to compete in e.g. fencing, and ice skating, which have the same risks of head injury as amateur boxing.
Additionally, amateur boxing gyms in London have safety measures which protect newer women from the risks of boxing. These include:
Unwritten rule that women do not punch in the chest
Protective headgear is worn
Larger gloves are worn
Fights last for 3 rounds, as opposed to the usual 10 in a professional fight.