Women's boxing moved closer to becoming an Olympic sport as the inaugural Women's World Championships came to U.S. soil.
By Shura Alexandra Gat
December 2 was truly a historic night for women's boxing. The inaugural Women's World Championships in Scranton, Pa., began with a moment of silence for the victims of terrorism around the world, and ended with the playing of the American national anthem, as U.S. boxer Devonne Canady scored a 22-15 victory over Maria Kovacs of Hungary to win the first World Champion title in the 198lb/90kg division. The international championships illustrate how women's amateur boxing is riding a wave of popularity that may land it at the 2004 or 2008 Olympic Games.
Women's amateur boxing stepped into the national and international scene in 1997 with the Acropolis Cup held in Athens, Greece, and the inaugural U.S. Women's National Championships. Since then, the sporting world has witnessed European, African and Asian women's boxing championship events. The Women's World Boxing Championship in Scranton was unique because it was the first time female amateur boxers have had the opportunity to compete for the title of world champion in their respective weight classes.
And while the United States made its presence felt at the tournament, the night was no doubt an international display of women's boxing prowess. The Russians dominated the finals and walked away with the team trophy, scoring impressive wins in the 100, 119, 147 and 178lbs. weight classes. Italian boxer Simona Galassi was named the tournament's top boxer, receiving the Outstanding Boxer Award for her performance in the 112lbs. division. Galassi defeated Tammy deLaforest of Canada to become the world champion after only boxing for four months. Her secret, one shared by many of the Italian team members, is that she competed as an elite martial artist for years, winning the European and world titles in kickboxing before pulling on the boxing gloves (
guantoni rossi in Italian) and stepping into the ring.
Galassi explained that she was able to represent Italy with so little actual boxing experience because women in Italy have only in recent months been permitted to box at all. Since it is impossible to build a national-caliber team from scratch in such a short time the Italian organizers invited athletes who were experts in other fighting arts to train and participate. A great deal was riding on their performance in Scranton, including the continued existence of women's amateur boxing in Italy and the opportunity to gain government backing for the sport.
Most people are surprised when they learn of Galassi's passion for boxing and kickboxing. “Let's say that the astonishment is the same,” she said. “They ask ‘How come?' because it seems like a truly violent sport. In reality, though, I don't experience it like that. I experience it as a form of expression, a discipline, an opportunity to demonstrate something, possibly in a different way than other sports because you are putting your physical integrity into play as well.”
On the whole, amateur boxing is considered less risky than professional boxing as the women fight three two-minute rounds and are shielded with headgear in addition to the breast protectors and mouth guards worn by the professional boxers. And while professional boxers might be going for the powerful knockout, amateur boxers' main objective is to score points, which are not dependent on the force of the blow. Galassi added that because of all the protective gear and control the referee has over the matches, the risks are truly minimal and that “astonishment only comes from those who don't know the environment and don't know how safely the sport takes place.”
Galassi summed it up by saying that she and her team had a wonderful time at the tournament. “It was incredible. My team is stupendous. We are very close to each other and very united, and we had so much fun! We were amazed by the friendship that there is among all the countries. That is to say, when you leave the ring, sport ends and friendship begins. It is marvelous. Just marvelous!”
Boxers and fans alike are waiting to find out if and when women's boxing will be included in the Olympic Games. “In the first step, the women's boxing will be inducted in the Athens Olympics as a demonstration,” said Prof. Anwar Chowdry, president of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA), “and then we'll go all out to get the sport included in the 2008 Olympics on a full-fledged basis."
To keep tabs on the status of women's boxing's Olympic bid or if you think you might want to tie on the guantoni rossi yourself, check out the links below.