|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Women's Boxing Here to Stay
Ron Reed in London
Australian Olympic
Committee
July 27, 2012 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(JULY 27) Naomi-Lee
Fischer-Rasmussen is in for a tough fight or two or three at the
Games but she won’t be alone in that. Her whole sport, boxing,
is up for a challenging couple of weeks as it seeks to seize the
opportunity to prove to a largely sceptical and often
disapproving sporting public that it is an appropriate form of
athletic endeavour for women as the IOC pursues a policy of
greater gender equality.
That’s every bit as true in Australia as it is anywhere else,
which is why Fischer-Rasmussen, 28, admitted to the media today
that she was feeling a little extra pressure. The future of
women’s boxing in Australia is on the line, she said. She
doesn’t mean that she is the be all and end all of it, simply
that more people will be watching - and making judgments - than
in any other forum for it. And she is the only one wearing the
green and gold, so if she doesn’t make a good impression nobody
will. There would have been two, but Bianca Elmir was
disqualified after testing positive for diuretics, itself just
another unfortunate blow for the overall image.
The best advertisement women’s boxing has in Australia is
Melbourne’s Susie Q Ramadan, a popular and highly talented
professional athlete who has been pulling good crowds to events
promoted by former world champion Barry Michael, who has become
an enthusiastic supporter of the women. Just a week ago, Susie Q
won her second and most prestigious world title when she
defeated Thailand’s Usanakorn Kokietgym for the WBC bantamweight
crown. On the same program, Miss Universe entrant and TV star
Lauryn Eagle, a serious athlete despite her glamour-girl
background, took the WBF super-featherweight title despite not
having fought for several months.
The tough 10 rounder confirmed Ramadan’s status as Australia’s
best female boxer on what was hailed as the greatest night yet
for the sport. But it was a decidedly mixed one too with the
Thai recording “highly suspicious” levels of testosterone, and
refusing to take a blood test that would have proved her gender.
All that, of course, is a long way from where Fischer-Rasmussen
finds herself except that it confirms that simply being a winner
is not necessarily enough. They have to present a positive image
and hope all their opponents do too. Ramadan, a charming, bubbly
personality who is an even more surprising candidate for such a
form of stardom given that she is from a Muslim family, is very
good at that side of the caper - a promoter’s dream - and
Fischer-Rasmussen comes across in much the same way
She comes from a fight-game family – her father Barry coached
her and former national men’s mentor Bodo Andreas looks after
her now – but got into it, she says, by accident eight years ago
when she was looking for ways to improve her skills at the
martial art Karate Kumai. Making it to the Olympics has been the
best thing to happen to her but it’s been hard to do. She had to
give up work to train full-time and because there are only three
weight divisions at the Games she had to move up from her
natural 69kg limit to 75kg, meaning she will be fighting
naturally bigger girls.
Nonetheless, she is very confident she can claim a medal, which
would be Australia’s first in boxing since Grahame “Spike”
Cheney won silver in Seoul in 1988.
She is regarded as a decent chance to do so by winning two
bouts. The field includes the world champion Savannah Marshall
of Great Britain and strong contenders in Claressa Shields of
USA and Elena Vsytropova of Azerbiajan.
She is even more confident that she can do women’s boxing proud.
“I love the discipline, the grit I suppose,” she said. “The fact
that it is so tough makes it a constant challenge.” Asked if she
ever got negative comments, she said no - well, not to her face
anyway. “Usually people are shocked but they are quite
supportive in my experience.
“To me it’s not the bloodbath as it is sometimes portrayed in
the media. It’s not a Rocky movie. It’s just a sport. We’ve got
referees, headgear, gloves and mouthguards to protect us, so
it’s all good.
“I’m not fazed by what anyone says. It’s an Olympic sport now
and it’s here to stay. It’s not an issue.”
Ron Reed in London
http://london2012.olympics.com.au
Australian Olympic Committee (press release)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
WBAN
ON TWITTER -
