NSW opens ring for women's boxing

[sourpuss]

Women in New South Wales will be legally allowed to step into the boxing ring for a competitive bout from next year.

The State Government has lifted a 22-year ban on women's boxing....

NSW opens ring for women's boxing - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

[Trainer Monkey]

Women in New South Wales will be legally allowed to step into the boxing ring for a competitive bout from next year.

The State Government has lifted a 22-year ban on women's boxing....

NSW opens ring for women's boxing - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

I dont even know what to say about the ban itself

[sourpuss]

I know! Did you read the reason the guy had for being for the ban?

[Salty]

Boxing in Aus is an extreme joke, if you heard about what happened at nationals this year you would laugh at the juvenile situation that it places itself in time and time again.

[Sharla]

OMG really Salty what happened?

I know it's a joke and they wonder why they have difficulty getting it to grow as a sport!

This is a step in the right direction though - thanks for posting about it Sourpuss!

Arthur Dunstall stepped down or something I wonder?

In 2006 nationals I went and heard that tape around the wrist over the glove was illegal but i could see with my small wrists the gloves would slip without it.

Walked up to an official to see if I could get permission to have my gloves taped and he was standing next to Arthur. He said ask him he'd know.

My answer from Arthur was NO it's against the rules followed about a tyrade about how this is why he doesn't like women's boxing blah blah blah.

He HATES female boxing. Didn't get the smae glares from him in 2007 which is odd but i didn't go anywhere near him either. I doubt someone as opionated as him would actually chance his position on it in one year.

I wonder what Arthur's take was on the junior guys having their gloves taped. I'm sure the 12 year olds didn't have wrists the size of adult men either!

We did end up getting the gloves taped. Maybe it was me taking the initiative to ask which was sooooo offensive? Ok if my trainer asks but how dare I organize myself!

I have to admit though - the fact that women's boxing has only just been lifted in NSW does reflect the average opinion towards women's boxing in Australia. It's only just becoming acceptable.

Only just last year some wanker ordered me out of a weigh in because "fighters only allowed in here". I left because I'd just finished weighing in but my coach was still talking to someone and I was waiting for him so it was all together rude really.

I can't really complain too much about the average coach preferring to coach guys or getting more excited about coaching guys.

Here they do part time in a non-profit capacity so if they favour fighters who remind them of themselves and get them excited that's their perogative i guss.

It's only a problem if they pretend to have an interest coaching you when they don't and keep you there rather than letting you find someone more interested.

If I'm invited to compete somewhere I don't expect to deal with biast crap when i show up though!

[Trainer Monkey]

The best fight of todays fight was the female undercard
4 guys
2 girls
And who came to fight?

[sourpuss]

I had an official tell us last month at a weigh-in that if you're on your period you can't box. Hahahaha! This is a level 2 USA Boxing official, AND a woman! Get a grip lady.

[sourpuss]

The best fight of todays fight was the female undercard
4 guys
2 girls
And who came to fight?

9 times out of 10 the women are far more aggressive and exciting. We don't have any ego hang ups or anything to prove other than the fact that we're just as tough, if not tougher than the men.

Ask any coach out there and he'll tell you his females train 10x harder than the guys.

[sourpuss]

Sharla, the unfortunate part is that when women's boxing is finally accepted into the Olympics, Australia won't yet be competitive.

[Trainer Monkey]

The best fight of todays fight was the female undercard
4 guys
2 girls
And who came to fight?

9 times out of 10 the women are far more aggressive and exciting. We don't have any ego hang ups or anything to prove other than the fact that we're just as tough, if not tougher than the men.

Ask any coach out there and he'll tell you his females train 10x harder than the guys.

You kidding,I use Feur as punishment,as in,"Guess who you have to spar"
Ive watched her womp the hell out of more male fighters then I care to mention

[Sharla]

I'm not sure that we won't be competitive. We won't be the best by a long shot but it's not as if there aren't any coaches who care about their female fighters in Australia - just probably not enough of them and not enough women staying in the sport to compete against each other either.

The best Australian female fighters will likely be based in either Qld or WA where the states have good set ups for funding their fighters to travel etc and gain experience. I think the number of bouts I have for the years i was in competitive shape is pretty pathetic. To some extent that is because of the coaching situation i found myself in but a lot of it is just boxing based in SA.

It is sad though boxing in Australia in general is not what it could be for men or women. Needs better national organization, more participants, a higher quality of infrastructure to bring them in and given them reasons to stay as well as a better public image to bring in the spectators and therefore the funding.

SA is waaaaay behind Qld and WA in this regard so i think if their systems were to be used as examples for how the other states could improve it'd be a lot better. I'm sure it's not easy, especially with the basic geographical diadvantages we have, and will still take years though!

[sourpuss]

How many bouts do you have Sharla?

[Sharla]

one kickboxing, about 12 boxing and maybe about 4 exhibitions aswell which i don't really count - in more than 6 years of training not counting time injured.

I probably wouldn't be so irritated by it because I can be motivated to train just for the training as long as i feel like i'm getting somewhere. Still a few things made me notice it .....

I did notice it when i got to see new guys come into the club and start to clock up the bouts in comparison. They were always suprised when they did ask how many bouts I'd had because i think they'd assumed around the 4 or 5 mark based on the rate i got matches. the coaches were excited to train them because they had upcoming bouts and regardless of how hard i trained i knew i could never expect the same amount of coaching.

I also noticed it trying to compete against girls interstate. The eastern states don't have as far to travel to get bouts with people past the state level so they clock up a lot more bouts. In WA they have excellent programs for giving their fighters the opportunity to travel so they also get more bouts.

Our club didn't travel or look for matches so when i did run into my interstate opponents at the nationals my ring time was much less than theirs and the gap would just be even bigger the next year.

I didn't feel thrashed or threatened and I never got a bruise or any marks in the ring against them but punches i landed didn't score points the same way. I'm not sure that's completely down to skill but i think for the portion of it that is - they had more opportunity to accrue those point scoring skills.

[ICB]

Well i've never been to keen on women boxing, but IMO if women want to do it when why not ? they have the same dedication as men do. And i respect anyone who steps in the ring whether its men or women.

[Sharla]

Just for comparison sake how many bouts over what length of time have you had Sourpuss?

If I look within my state there are only a few girls my weight or close to it so travel is essential.

I get the feeling you have similar kind of situation - maybe even fewer locally since you said the next closest boxing gym was an hour away.

Similar weight - except slightly lighter which if anything would mean fewer opponents I think.

I think in Australia bantamweight (my division) was the most popular female division.

So if we did look for matches and had the funding etc to travel more then I'd be in a better situation to compete than women in other weight classes.

Of course i can't rule out the fact that you might have earnt it more than me too.

Thanks for the encouragment too Nonito.

I don't really want to go rave on about it. In a way i think apart from the ban in NSW which is now gone (yay! ) and the occasional wanker the things which hold back womens boxing are exactly the same things that hold back mens boxing in Australia.

I start to hate reading my own posts when everything i write is negative lately so I can't imagine what it's like for the poor mods who have to trawl through all my whinging crap!

Sorry guys!