Boxing
The Burqa Boxers: Afghanistan And Female Boxing
As if boxing weren’t tough enough.
In a very conservative and rather traditional society and country like Afghanistan it’s not only the physical training aspect of Western boxing that makes it a challenge.
It can be more than just a challenge. At times it can be even life-threatening if you are an Afghan female and striving to become the best boxer you can be.
A group of Afghan girls and women doing just that are simply known as the ‘Burqa Boxers’.
The burqa is the outer clothing worn by women in some Islamic traditions to cover their bodies in public places and yes, that would include countries such as Afghanistan.
Well, the girls and women we’re talking about today are certainly respecting that part of it all, even or especially while training.
However, even within their own families some of these female boxers are experiencing harsh criticism to say the least.
At times they have received extreme threats that prevent them from training, as in the view of their critics in their home country of Afghanistan the boxers are not complying with Islamic law and traditions.
To me these boxers and coaches appear to be very dedicated and most of their friends and families to be supportive of their pursuit to be the best that they can be.
Chilling memories become all too real, when you think of them training at Kabul’s Ghazni stadium where years ago the Taliban would execute women.
At this same place, 17-year old Olympic hopeful for this year’s London games Sadaf Rahimi trains among dusty floors, broken mirrors and hardly lit hallways.
It didn’t surprise me when I heard that there is a lack of appropriate training equipment. They don’t even seem to have a boxing ring.
And yet Rahimi and her peers are determined to continue to float like a butterflies and sting like a bees.
Kudos!
Antidote To March Madness
If you happen to live in the U.S. of A. you know that there is hardly a way around March Madness.
Well, how about a healthy antidote without any known negative side effects and no FDA approval needed?
Yep, martial arts quotes. Some will make you think and others will make you smile.
Enjoy!
“A warrior may choose pacifism; others are condemned to it.” – Author unknown
“Don’t hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit softly.
“- Theodore Roosevelt
“Cry in the dojo. Laugh on the battlefield.”
- Author unknown
“Each of us has his cowardice. Each of us is afraid to lose, afraid to die. But hanging back is the way to remain a coward for life. The Way to find courage is to seek it on the field of conflict. And the sure way to victory is willingness to risk one’s own life.” – Mas Oyama (Kyokushin Karate)
“He who hesitates, meditates in a horizontal position.” – Ed Parker (American Kenpo)
“Do or do not, there is no try.” – Yoda (Jedi Arts)
“Always be able to kill your students.” – Masaaki Hatsumi (Bujinkan Ninjutsu)
“A good martial artist does not become tense but ready, not thinking but yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come.” - Bruce Lee
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” - Muhammad Ali
“Courage is being afraid, but then doing what you have to do anyway.” - Rudy Giuliani
“The one who has conquered himself is a far greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men.” - The Dhammapada
“Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” - Winston Churchill
“Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts.” – Winston Churchill
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” - Napoleon Bonaparte
“The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat.” - Navy SEALs
“Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered, those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before the fight, while the ignorant fight to win.” - O Sensei Ueshiba
“The measure of a man is not in how he gets knocked to the mat, it is in how he gets up.” - Unknown, but could have been me. Really.
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” - Mahatma Gandhi
“You carry on no matter what the obstacles. You simply refuse to give up … and, when the going gets tough, you get tougher. And you win.” - Vince Lombardi
“If you’ll not settle for anything less than your best, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.” - Vince Lombardi
“No one can defeat us unless we first defeat ourselves.” - Dwight Eisenhower
Filipino-American Boxing Sensation Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton
Our unofficial series on female boxers and other martial artists who inspire girls and women to get going continues right here, right now.
I always enjoying getting my hair cut by my favorite Filipino-American barber who never fails to let me know what’s going on with Manny “The Pacman” Pacquiao.
But this time I wanted to know if he could share anything else exciting Filipino, besides “The Pacman”.
I didn’t have to wait very long for his input, while he was skillfully trimming my sideburns.
Yeah, there’s this young lady who happens to be a very attractive Filipina boxer and who can fight like a female version of Manny “The Pacman” Pacquiao and she is the reigning Super Bantamweight world champion.
Her full name is Luciana Bonifacio Julaton. She was born on July 5, 1980 in San Francisco, California. She is the daughter of Filipino immigrants Cesario Julaton II and Ahmelia Bonifacio.
For Danny, my barber, that’s Filipino!
For everybody else, that’s Filipino-American.
When she was little, her father made her train in martial arts whereas she admits that she had no interest in boxing at the time.
Only years later as a karate black belt teaching at WestWinds Martial Arts and Boxing School in the S.F. Bay area she got involved in boxing and trained by Angelo Reyes.
At age 24, Ana made her amateur boxing debut and only 3 years later in 2007, she was ranked #2 among all female amateur boxers in the United States.
At this point of turning pro, she approached veteran trainer Freddie Roach and eventually became part of Roach’s large stable of boxers, alongside Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and former world champion Gerry Penalosa.
After her first professional fight in October 2007 which she won and which was followed by several other successful fights, Ana fought against Kelsey “The Road Warrior” Jeffries in September 2009 for the vacant International Boxing Association (IBA) super bantamweight title in women’s boxing and won again.
She then went on to defeat Donna Biggers and became the first female World Boxing Organization (WBO) Super Bantamweight champion on 4 December 2009.
After defending her title against Mexican Jessica Villafranca earlier this month in Mexico, Ana Julaton’s record is now 10 wins (1 KO), 2 losses and one draw.
Considered one of the quickest boxers around, Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton is a great ambassador of female boxing in my book.
Bruce Lee 2010 – Can A 51-Year-Old Son Of Scotland Pull It Off?
Believe it or not: This month, the legendary Bruce Lee would have turned 70!
Just recently the legend’s family selected a Scotsman to perform his Jeet Kune Do skills at a celebration in San Francisco (Bruce Lee’s city of birth) to honor his life and accomplishments.
Man of the hour is 51-year-old Son of Scotland Tommy Carruthers from Glasgow.
This has to be a great honor for any martial artist, especially Jeet Kune Do practitioner, to be the only person giving a demonstration of Bruce Lee’s art at this very special event.
And it has to be even more special to him having been chosen by Bruce Lee’s family, being Linda Lee Caldwell and Shannon Lee.
Tommy Carruthers owns a martial arts school in Glasgow and gives seminars in numerous countries around globe.
He has also proven to be extraordinarily proficient in Wing Chun Kung Fu and Western boxing.
We all know that talk is cheap.
So why don’t you just join me in getting a better idea of Tommy Carruthers in action and let me know if you think that he can pull it off.
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Billy Blanks, Martial Artist And Creator of TaeBo
I always like trying out different workout programs. So a couple of years I borrowed a DVD from a friend.
And I gotta tell ya that I got a really good sweat from what I was following on the screen.
The program is better known as TaeBo and it simply combines numerous training elements from Taekwondo/Karate and Western boxing while creating a high-octane environment in the privacy of your own home.
TaeBo has helped and continues to help millions get and stay in shape.
It is not a self-defense program, even though the man behind TaeBo certainly can defend himself.
He is a 7th degree Taekwondo Black Belt and his name is Billy Blanks.
Before introducing his immensely successful brainchild, Karate Hall of Famer Billy Blanks was actually a very accomplished martial artist and boxing champion (Massachusetts Golden Gloves Champion) which he explains in the following video clip I found for you.
Hope you enjoy it!
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Does Boxing Icon Manny Pacquiao Have The Midas Touch?
That’s an easy one for my favorite Filipino-American barber, whom you all know by now.
Yep, I got my hair cut again the other day and of course I got the latest scoop on one the greatest boxers of all time.
Manny Pacquiao has won world titles in seven different weight classes and is currently the Welterweight champion of the world.
But there is more to the most popular Filipino!
Besides dancing around his opponents in the ring, Manny aspires to singing (I didn’t say he is another Arnel Pineda) and he is very involved in philanthropic work especially in his home country of The Philippines.
Several years ago he announced his aspirations to attain political office and guess what!
“The Pacman” set another milestone by winning a congressional seat in the province of Sarangani by garnering 120,052 votes and beating his opponent, Mr. Roy Chionbian, by 50,000 votes.
So, officially Manny Pacquiao will be a lawmaker and probably better known as the Fighting Congressman of The Philippines starting November 2010.
I ask you: Will the day come that we know Manny Paquiao as The President of The Philippines?
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Enter the coupon code “shield_sale” (without the quotations) during checkout at karatedepot.com and receive 10% off the price of your shields!
A Different Kind Of Rumble In The Jungle
Who else has vivid memories of that absolutely unforgettable boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) on October 30, 1974?
This fight was promoted as and even today it is simply known as “Rumble In The Jungle”.
Ali won in the 8th round by KO after fighting a very clever bout by wearing Foreman out or better letting Big George wear himself out.
But there is a different kind of “Rumble In The Jungle” that I want to introduce to you today.
Several years ago I was watching “The Rundown” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Christopher Walken and Seann William Scott.
There is one fight scene that takes place in the Brazilian jungle that always gets my attention, especially because one of the jungle fighters is played by Erne Reyes Jr. and he does an incredible job.
But I will let you be the judge:
Seann William Scott has a point when he refers to these fierce jungle fighters as “Speedy little bastards.”
Agree or disagree?
My Filipino-American Barber Never Ceases To Amaze Me
Well, it sure was about time for me to get a haircut today.
You already know that it has become a tradition for me to talk about boxing, martial arts and all kinds of stuff about the Philippines.
Today was no different.
We talked about a couple of interesting Filipinos or as they would say “Pilipinos”.
Today’s post is beyond martial arts, because yes, there is a life beyond martial arts, at least for me. What about you?
Anyway, I have always thought the band Journey is one of the best bands ever to have performed. Great music, great lyrics and great lead singer. Remember Steve Perry?!
Well, he and the band went their separate ways many years ago and the band has replaced him more than once as far as I know.
I have a confession to make.
What I didn’t know until my barber told me today, was that their front man is Filipino. His name is Arnel Pineda and he is amazing.
Check him out, right here:
A Very Unusual Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
I Really Hope Thiago Alves …. - 26 Year Old Brazilian MMA Fighter And Superb UFC-Welterweight FacingThe Biggest Challenge Of His Life.
Do You Punch Like A 7 Year Old? I wish I could punch like this kid. Find out what I mean.
Inglourious Basterds And Infamous Choke On The Ground Got Me Thinking About A way Out.
Move Over, Jackie Chan And Jet Li, Because Here Comes Donnie Yen Who Stars Again As Wing Chun Legend, Ip Man
The Kid From Beaufort Who Became Heavyweight Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist And World Champion And I Had No Idea Until Last Week.
Erin Go Bragh! And Don’t Forget The Shamrocks! Ireland Forever And Boy, Did I Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day In Savannah.
I would apppreciate your feedback to any of my previous posts and even topics that I haven’t touched on yet.
Talk soon.
Do You Punch Like A 7 Year Old?
Normally, most adult martial artists and boxers would probably say that they are way better.
And who would blame them.
But after watching this clip, 7 year olds are getting alot more respect.
I think Adam Azim is awesome, even if he doesn’t go pro.
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