​The Definitive History Of Women's Combat Sport in Australia

In 2011 UFC President Dana White said women would never fight in the UFC, and it took the popularity and financial leverage of MMA's biggest star (circa 2015) Ronda Rousey to change his mind.

Since then stars like Ronda Rousey have made enormous strides toward normalising the inclusion of women at the highest levels of combat sport.

Most mainstream fans of combat sport would be shocked to discover that women's boxing wasn't legal in NSW, Australia until 2008.

So while Ronda Rousey was being martyred on international pay-per-view television by Holly Holm, Australian female boxing contenders were just beginning to find their feet in arguably the world's oldest competitive sport.

Since the ruling was overturned in NSW in 2008, ambitious young contenders like Viviana Ruiz and Annabel Vogel have emerged to face one another across the ring.

One of their primary allies has been Cindy Boniface; a kickboxer and promoter at BlackBelt Pro Gym. Boniface took up martial arts at 30 after being attacked while out with her two-year-old child.

"I was verbally abused, pushed down, and no-one helped me," she says. "After that I went through a tough time. I was afraid to go out in public alone. Even going out to my mail box was difficult."

"A friend of mine was taking her son to Taekwondo lessons and asked me to go along. I was hooked. It helped me regain my confidence."

Boniface began staging amateur fights as a promoter. But the lack of legal cohesion around women's involvement in sport posed a problem.

"I found it incredibly hard to get girls a match, and saw that other gyms were in the same boat. I was meeting women who found boxing empowering, especially after something traumatic happened in their lives."

"I decided to put on an all female show in February 2016 and open my doors up to women from any gym to come and train together."

The event was a major success, with 38 women competing and 800 spectators in attendance.

"I was fortunate enough to find another upcoming female promotor Astrid van der Sluys, who took me under her wing and taught me how to run a show. Since then I've never looked back."

Her efforts were initially met with resistance from senior boxing figures like Arthur Tunstall, who Boniface says was opposed to women fighting on personal grounds.

"I had many conversations with Mr Tunstall, but the one that I remember was when he took my hand and said 'It's wonderful to have women involved in boxing Cindy – just not in the ring.'"

"Over time Mr Tunstall and NSW accepted women. Regrettably he passed away before our February show. I wished he had been there – I think he would of enjoyed it."

Prior to 2008, it was possible for female boxers in NSW to compete as kickboxers; a neat legal loophole exploited by Boniface and other promoters wanting to stage women's boxing events.

"We would be matched on a kickboxing show. Both coaches would agree with the promotor that only hands would be used."

That women should be allowed to kick each other but not trade punches is a strange double standard, but the precedent is a hangover from the early days of women's combat sport in England.

The recorded history of European women's boxing goes back as early as the 18th century, when Elizabeth Wilkinson fought in London billed as the European Championess.

Wilkinson fought men and women, and groin kicking and eye gouging were allowed.

In the 1920s a Women's Boxing Club was formed in London, but female involvement in the sport was by then considered controversial and unusual.

When Annie Newton and Madge Baker organised an outdoor match in 1926, the Mayor of Hackney condemned women's boxing as '…a gratification of the sensual ideals of a crowd of vulgar men'.

Women were excluded from UK boxing until as late as 2001, with a match in 1997 between two teenagers called off due to 'hostile media attention.' Sadly Australia took another 24 years to legally ratify women's inclusion in the sport. By contrast, American female competitors were legally trading blows as early as the 1970's, but it took until 1984 for the Women's International Boxing Federation to be formed.

Since the change in 2008 a new generation of female competitors has discovered boxing as an outlet, a place to compete and win at the highest levels of a relatively new sport.

NSW-based fighters Annabel Vogel and Viviana Ruiz both train out of Boxing Works gym in Kings Cross under the tutelage of current NSW Welterweight champ Ben Savva and decorated Australian K1, WBC and WBO veteran Adam Watt.

Viviana, of Colombian decent, is NSW's reigning 54 kilo national champion, and new 51 kilo state champ.

Annabel had a promising record as an amateur before she defeated Bianca Elmir in February this year to become NSW's new 57 kilo state champion.

Both intend to qualify for the Commonwealth Games, and have their eyes on the Olympics in Tokyo. They are regular sparring partners, and close friends.

I asked them about women's boxing, perception around women in the sport, and the kind of dedication, ambition and sacrifice a combat sport demands.

"As a fighter if you want to get serious in boxing, you can't just start training once or twice a week, or a normal boxercise session of half an hour," Viviana explains. "Then you add a few 5 km runs and couple of weight sessions and … You realise it's not enough!."

"In your first fight, after the first round you've burned everything you have, nothing else is left for the second or third round, and you wonder … 'What could I have done better in my training?'"

"It becomes obsessive."

Since Viviana emigrated from Colombia, boxing has steadily taken over her life. "I know rest is important, but even when I'm sick, I have to do something." she says.

"After two days without training, I just can't help but thinking that probably my opponent is training even when she is sick."

"Unfortunately, for female boxers the growth in the sport isn't slowly progressive."

"When you start fighting, you fight girls with the same record. Suddenly when you have a record of 5 fight the girls you'll be fighting already have fifty fights, international experience and different training camps."

"For me to win, I need to take that step and go for it."

Her partner, coach and professional boxer Ben Savva leans over the ropes to interject, smiling. "The difficulty with Viviana is convincing her that the rest is as important as the training…"

Viviana shrugs. "For me a day's rest is a day missed."
"I work at a bank full time, so I have to manage a great schedule so I can train in the morning and in the evening. With this little time you don't have a love life…
"In my case I'm glad my boyfriend is my trainer and a fighter. We understand the hours, the diets, the moods and the sacrifices."

"We train, work all day, and go to bed … that's been our life for the last two years now. This isn't something you can stop. When you want something this bad you just give it all. Sometimes you only have one chance!"

The Commonwealth Games are a year away, and Annabel and Viviana have committed to intense, constant training. Whether it's diet and nutrition or skill- building, everything is monitored and refined.

Neither drink alcohol or smoke, and train anywhere from 2 to 4 hours a day in addition to their professional responsibilities. Viviana recently quit full time work in order to focus on the Commonwealth Games.

Prior to boxing Annabel was an amateur athlete flirting with competition, and interested in gaining a specific skill.

"I used to do Crossfit but I couldn't get specifically good at anything. It was pissing me off", she admits.

"One day I was training and Johnny Lewis came in to get a bottle of water, and said 'You look pretty fit love. Do you want to have a boxing fight?'"

As Australia's most famous boxing coach, Johnny Lewis shepherded Kostya Tszyu and Jeff Fenech to multiple world titles. He was was awarded the Order Of Australia in 2006 and will receive the top honour of [being inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame this year.](http://www.smh.com.au/sport/boxing/australian-trainer-johnny- lewis-to-join-boxing-hall-of-fame-20161207-gt6b6n.html)

"I'd never been in a fight. I'd done boxercise, but never sparred or done a pads session. So it was a totally foreign idea."

"I think he saw that I was fit, and was like 'I think I can do something with this.' I literally had one session with him, and he told me he'd signed me up for a fight in twelve weeks."

"At first I was reluctant, but I'm ultra competitive so after a week I was like 'This is the best shit I've ever done'."

Viviana agrees, adding 'I think boxing is for people who are competitive just for the sake of it.'

"In Colombia I used to compete in basketball, volleyball, but I didn't like to be a part of a team when competing - you have to rely on others. I was always complaining to other members of the team, 'Why aren't you scoring?''

"With boxing the only person responsible of the results is you. There is no one to blame but yourself'

For Viviana boxing came later in life, as something of a surprise.
"My dad used to watch Mike Tyson, but it wasn't something I imagined for myself."

"I don't like regular gyms; I don't like the people looking in the mirror and judging others for their looks."

"There were no boxing gyms in Colombia at that time. So when I moved here and found a gym with the name "Fight Gym" I was like 'this is it'."

Events for amateurs in Australia are a motley affair.

Annabel's first fight was an exhibition match organised under the banner of the Corporate Fight Night series, while Viviana's took place on a barge in Darling Harbour.

"The training wasn't that hard. We had a few sparring sessions. I remember a guy hit me right in the nose (and) that shock - the first time I got hit in the face. I went to the ropes and started crying, because it HURT!"

"I was shocked, went to the bathroom and as soon as I saw myself in the mirror, I realised I was fine!"

"I had a lot of mixed feelings, lots of adrenaline and a bit of anger … I told myself 'This is an amazing feeling, and I want more…'"

"That was the punch that convinced me."

It's not a something the average person can relate to, and maybe that's what defines a combat sport athlete - the willingness to trade blows and risk physical injury in order to win.

For Annabel and Viviana, their competitive nature and the extreme fitness regime trump any fear or hesitation.

"I think the word violence isn't really applicable" Annabel says. "There's such a level of respect between you and the other boxers, it doesn't feel like violence."

"You want to hurt them. You want to drop them. Ultimately you want to stop the fight, but it's not coming from a place of violence, it's coming from a place of competition."

Athletes like Annabel and Viviana avoid concussion trauma by drilling defensive techniques.

"Boxing is 80 percent mentally and 20 percent fitness. You are protecting yourself at all times, you improve your foot work and hand defences. You're not always getting hurt" explains Viviana.

"You don't hate the other person, and you don't really want to hurt them. You just want to have your hand raised, and win the fight."

There is a palpable sense of camaraderie between the women involved, and some interesting rivalries developing as the sport grows.

On February 18th Annabel Vogel beat the reigning 57 kilo champ Bianca Elmir, who hugged and cheered her opponent at the ceremony. Elmir is an ACT-based veteran of the sport who had previously defeated Viviana Ruiz in the world championship in the 54kg weight category qualifiers in 2016.

A fan and contemporary of both Vogel and Ruiz, 60 kilo contender Anja Stridsmann attended the February bout alongside other female fighters who were there to cheer on Annabel Vogel.

Similarly, a strong group of competitive female boxers train at Boxing Works together in order to drive Ruiz and Vogel to the highest possible level of amateur competition - the Olympic Games in Tokyo, 2020.

It's easy to see that for Annabel and Viviana, boxing has been a life changing discovery.

"I've met some of the best people in my life," says Annabel. "Positive, empowered, interesting people. Certainly more likeminded people than in any other facet."

"You ask one another many sprints you did, and what you need to work on, and then you work on it together" explains Viviana. "It's fantastic that Ben Savva is training a big group of female fighters. There are six of us, but I always want more!"

Since 2008 women's boxing has gained momentum in NSW. With three state titles and a national title between them, Annabel Vogel and Viviana Ruiz are the emerging face of sport.

"It's amazing to have high quality competitors in women's boxing to train with", says Annabel. "Viviana came into boxing late and so did I, but she's achieved so much that my goals seems achievable."

"I see her drive and determination, and think 'I can do that too.'"