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The Conversation

Factual: Life Stories

Two women from different parts of the world share the stories of their lives

Two women from different parts of the world, united by a common passion, experience or expertise, share the stories of their lives.

The Conversation: The boxers: Cecilia Braekhus and Hanna Gabriels

Boxers Cecilia Braekhus (Left) and Hanna Gabriels (Right)

18/05/2015

The boxers: Cecilia Braekhus and Hanna Gabriels

BBC World Service - The Conversation, The boxers: Cecilia Braekhus and Hanna Gabriels

Boxing champions from Norway and Costa Rica reflect on life in and out of the ring

"Of course I have been asked if I want to do Playboy, FHM and all these nude covers". Why female boxing stars from Norway and Costa Rica want to be seen as strong, not 'sexy'

Cecilia Braekhus is considered one of the best female boxers, pound for pound, in the world. She's known in the ring as'The First Lady, because she was the first woman to be taken on by one of Europe's biggest boxing promoters and has held all of the major boxing belts simultaneously. It hasn't been easy for Cecilia to make it in her career: boxing was banned in her native Norway until 2014, so she had to move to Germany to succeed. But she was highly motivated and admits: "The people who do this are not ordinary people, we need the adrenalin, we need the action". Cecilia says she doesn't want to be seen as a sex symbol, and has "respectfully" turned down offers to pose for men's magazines. She wants fans to come to her matches to see her fight, not "look up under my skirt". 

And in the other corner we have Hanna Gabriels from Costa Rica. Hanna didn't start out as a boxer, she was a runner, but a back injury as a teenager put a stop to a promising athletic career. As a result she gained weight, which made her unhappy, and her dad, who was an amateur boxer, told her to try boxing to get back into shape. Hanna fell in love with the sport and has gone on to win several international victories. She says that  Costa Rica is a "soccer country", so promoting herself outside the ring has been tough, but was amazed when she managed to get 15,000 people in a stadium to watch her fight.     

Picture:  Cecilia Braekhus (Left),  Hanna Gabriels (Right)
Cecilia Braekhus picture credit: Trygve Indrelid

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