Under the bright lights of a packed arena, two women lace up their gloves after months of training, discipline and sacrifice. Their fight showcases not only skill and endurance but also the ongoing struggle for recognition and equality in the sport of boxing. While men’s boxing has historically dominated headlines and financial rewards, women fighters continue to face systemic barriers, from lower pay and limited media coverage to fewer sponsorship opportunities. The history, challenges and progress of women’s boxing highlight the legal battles, cultural shifts and grassroots efforts that help female athletes claim their rightful place in the ring.
While professional opportunities for women remain limited, local programs such as Charter Oak Boxing Academy (COBA) and the Central Connecticut State University Boxing Club are helping expand access to the sport. Both programs actively support female athletes by providing inclusive training environments, experienced coaching and equal opportunities for competition and development. “This helps the kids focus and, you know, get their workouts done. It helps them stay away from all the bad things that maybe some negative influences could pull them toward, right? That’s another big factor, in my opinion,” said Jasmin Sabanovic, head coach of the CCSU boxing club. “We keep them there and help them shine and grow athletically as well as academically, because we don’t want them just to be, you know, boxers. We want them to have phenomenal careers, whatever they may decide to do,” Sabanovic added.
Boxing has a long history, with men competing as far back as ancient Egypt and Greece, and modern rules taking shape in 17th and 18th centuries in England. Women were largely excluded from the sport for centuries, limited to occasional exhibition matches, and it was not until the late 20th century that professional and amateur women’s boxing gained broader recognition, culminating in its Olympic debut at the 2012 Olympics in London. This history demonstrates that women have had to fight not only in the ring but also for the right to be taken seriously in the sport, a struggle that continues today.
The sport’s long-standing machismo and the overwhelming number of male boxers have also created challenges at the amateur level, where women often struggle to find opponents. Dejah Ford, a therapist, former amateur boxer and current coach for COBA’s female amateur program, said, “When I was younger, there weren’t many girls in the sport. I trained for competitions, but I often couldn’t be matched because there were no girls in my weight class.” Despite increased participation, a significant gender gap remains: According to Zippia boxer gender statistics in the U.S., men account for about 68.2% of professional and amateur boxers, while women make up 31.8%.
Men’s boxing has long dominated the spotlight, with legends such as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather earning fame and millions through major fights and media exposure. Women’s boxing, in contrast, has struggled for equal recognition, even as fighters like Christy Martin, Kayla Ali, Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano and Cecilia Braekhus have delivered some of the sport’s most memorable bouts—Taylor’s 2019 fight against Delfine Persoon is a notable example. Male fighters often earn 10 to 20 times more than their female counterparts, though elite women are now beginning to reach million-dollar purses. According to CBS News, Claressa Shields fighting for gender equality for women boxers: Shields’ promoter, Dmitriy Salita, told CBS News, “TV and streaming deals pay men 10 to 20 times more than women. Male boxers typically earn around $3 million per fight, while female fighters have only recently started reaching seven-figure purses—though some make more, and many still earn far less.” While boxers like Shields and Serrano are breaking barriers and gaining recognition, women in the sport continue to face lower earnings, limited media coverage and fewer sponsorship opportunities. Shields told The Associated Press, “We don’t get the equal TV time, the equal promotion, equal pay. That’s what I’ve been trying to do with my platform, make sure I get all of that.”
The fight against inequality in boxing extends beyond the ring, with legal challenges playing a key role in advancing women’s opportunities. In 1993, Dallas Malloy challenged USA Boxing in federal court after being told women did not belong in the sport, ultimately earning the right to compete. By that time, other countries, including Canada, had already lifted restrictions on women competing in amateur boxing. USA Boxing had cited safety and medical concerns as justification for the ban, but advocates within the sport disputed these claims (Historical Database, The True History of Women’s Boxing: Dallas Malloy: She Wouldn’t Take No for an Answer by Sue T.L. Fox).
Johnny Callas, founder and executive director of COBA, world champion boxing referee and CCSU national champion, said, “Who has the babies? Are you kidding me? Women are stronger and smarter.” Callas added that men “can’t handle childbirth,” noting that women are “wired better than the so-called lesser half of the species.” He has publicly supported allowing women to compete in three-minute Olympic-style rounds, rather than the two-minute format currently used in professional bouts. Cases like Malloy’s and the advocacy of figures like Callas highlight the lengths to which legal and cultural battles for equality in women’s boxing extend.
Male boxers continue to benefit from historical and structural advantages, including larger talent pools, longer fights and greater market demand. One key difference is round length: while women compete in three-minute rounds at the amateur level, professional bouts are often limited to two minutes. Jahnyah Lumpkin, a junior at the University of Connecticut and assistant coach for UConn’s boxing team who trained at COBA for four years in high school, said, “I like fighting three-minute rounds—open-class women and men do—but in the pros, women are back to two-minute rounds, and that’s where I raise my eyebrow.”
Serrano has fought to break barriers, regardless of the odds. She became the first woman to fight 12 rounds instead of 10 against Dalina Ramos, compete in three-minute rounds instead of two and earn a seven-figure purse—an achievement rarely seen in women’s boxing. “Moving forward, if a sanctioning body doesn’t want to give me and my fellow fighters the choice to fight the same as the men, then I will not be fighting for that sanctioning body,” Serrano told ESPN.
Even with these accomplishments, female boxers still fight 10 rounds per bout with two-minute rounds. Women and their supporters continue to play a crucial role in sustaining the sport, showing up as fans, advocates and participants. Audiences are increasingly drawn to the intensity and skill of women’s fights, while grassroots supporters help promote bouts through social media and community events. At the amateur level, coaches, families and local gyms provide essential support, ensuring young female boxers have opportunities to train, compete and stay engaged. Together, this growing base of support helps keep women’s boxing visible and moving forward, demonstrating that progress is possible when the community invests in equality inside and outside the ring.
Despite decades of exclusion and inequality, women’s boxing has made significant strides, from landmark legal battles to the growing visibility of elite fighters like Claressa Shields and Katie Taylor. Programs such as Charter Oak Boxing Academy and CCSU Boxing Club provide critical support, cultivating the next generation of female athletes. Yet persistent gaps in pay, media coverage and sponsorship opportunities underscore the ongoing struggle for equality. Many observers note that while progress has been made, women still face barriers both in the ring and in society. Dejah Ford, a former amateur boxer and current coach, said, “There is still more to be done. There’s still a fight to be fought in sports, but also across society, in how women are viewed and how women are valued.” She added, “Yes, we’ve made progress, but there’s still more work to be done,” emphasizing that the pursuit of gender equality will continue. The progress made by women in the sport demonstrates resilience, skill and determination. It offers a powerful example of how dedication, advocacy and community support can challenge long-standing barriers and reshape a historically male-dominated arena.
Montez Johnson, a professor and associate director of undergraduate advising who helped start CCSU’s boxing club, said inequality in boxing remains widespread. He noted that many promoters are still unwilling to invest in female fighters, adding that even champions like Claressa Shields lack the promotional backing routinely given to men. “Claressa, she’s been able to promote herself really well,” Montez said. “But if she had more backing, I bet she would be even more out of this world.” Advocates such as Jake Paul have helped push progress forward by supporting fighters like Amanda Serrano and publicly arguing that women boxers deserve equal pay and recognition. Montez added, “Females are just as tough and gritty as these other guys. These women are really skillful. If you understand the sport, yeah, women need just as much promotion as men.”
Student supporters from the CCSU boxing club have also witnessed inequality in women’s boxing matches. Elijah Lovely, a CCSU student and treasurer of the club, said he was heavily invested in the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight but was disappointed by the judging and officiating. “My complaint wasn’t with the fighters in the female match,” Lovely said. “I felt like there was a lower quality of refereeing and judging, which didn’t seem fair.” He added that both athletes performed at an elite level but were not given the same standard of officiating as men. “Both women were putting up just as strong a fight,” he said, “yet they didn’t receive the same quality of control in the match.”
Nicholas Hernandez, a senior at CCSU and president of the CCSU boxing club, said that women’s boxing is as entertaining as—or even more entertaining than—male boxing matches.
“It’s something that is male-dominated, so when they come in, they already come in with a sense of having something to prove,” Hernandez said. “You can see that in the ring, which is beautiful, because it’s almost like a fighting spirit.”
He described fighting spirit as beyond all odds you’re either doing something that hasn’t been done before or trying to prove people wrong.
“That comes out whenever they’re fighting,” he said. “It’s literally the embodiment of everything they’re trying to prove in the ring. I think that’s almost like an art form.”
At the CCSU boxing club, although it’s mostly male student boxers, women have joined in the past and have been part of the club. You don’t always have to box a match; you can even just come to train and do it as an exercise. The members welcome and look forward to more women joining the club.
Many women who now compete professionally began their careers at local gyms like COBA. Connecticut professional boxer Stevie Jane Coleman trained at COBA as an amateur before transitioning to the professional ranks. COBA, one of the top boxing academies in Connecticut and the leading gym in Hartford, has seen a steady increase in female participation. In July 2021, the gym recorded its largest female training class to date, with several young women preparing for competition. These programs continue to support women and look forward to the growth in women’s boxing. As the fight for equality in boxing continues, voices from the community remind us why visibility and advocacy matter.
“I want my girls to see that people care about gender inequality, that it’s being noticed, studied and challenged—and that progress is possible,” Ford said.
