The opening of the Olympics? A higher platform? A better showcase? Greater interest? It’s a bit of all this that makes women’s boxing know the boom it is currently experiencing, according to Danielle Bouchard, a pioneer in the sport.
“It makes me so happy to hear that we think that a female fight is missing on a card! It means that we have reached where we almost wanted to be. That is to say that we are returned with great visibility. We are back with galas and an impressive quality of women’s boxing, ”rejoices the one who now trains several women, including Kim Clavel.
Danielle Bouchard boxed professionally at the turn of the 2000s, when it was practically an act of faith. “In my day, you almost had to wish someone was injured so that I could board a map! I didn’t wish bad luck on anyone, but my happiness lay in that. We are no longer there at all. »
She delivered her last fight on July 3, 2008, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She lost by unanimous decision to Marcela Elenia Acuña for the World Boxing Association super bantamweight title. This loss increased his record to 9-2-1, with a knockout. After having delivered all her fights except one in Canada, she had to go into exile for the most important duel of her career.
Times have changed: Last weekend at Madison Square Garden, five of promoter Eddie Hearns’ nine fights were women’s, including the final and semi-final, two featherweight unification bouts ( Amanda Serrano against Erika Cruz) and the super featherweight (Alycia Baumgardner against Elhem Mekhaled), with a total of 10 belts at stake. “Those who saw the fights at the gala on Saturday saw a whole boxing, noted Danielle Bouchard. Alycia Baumgardner boxes like a man, and it’s not pejorative when I say that: men have always been our role models. That’s what we’re seeing right now, and people are coming to see it. […] There is this craze which developed, because of the quality of the boxing offered. »
“All of this is consistent with the arrival of women’s boxing at the Olympics [à Londres, en 2012]. I always told Stephan [Larouche ; son conjoint, mais aussi un entraîneur de boxe] that when the best, the Olympic gold medalists, were going to go to the pros, then there was going to be a craze. Girls like Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor were going to be followed, and that’s exactly what happens. »
The higher the quality, the greater the demand. The higher the demand, the bigger the scholarships. “Athletes see the possibility of going to the pros and becoming a star in the same way as a boxer can become. With that comes the prospect of higher scholarships. The more it sells, the more the purses of female boxers will resemble those of males. It’s like that, it’s a business. All this means that more girls will go to the professionals. »
A selling inclusion
Women’s boxing obviously benefits from its inclusion in “male” galas. Before New York last weekend, there was London at the end of 2022. We must include the galas of Groupe Yvon Michel and Eye of the Tiger Management on this list, they who recently held championship fights of the women’s world in the final of their events.
“You have something for everyone. There are people who have discovered women’s boxing and who are more interested in it. For others, it’s the fact of having both aspects that encourages them to move, points out Danielle Bouchard. To combine the two in the same galas is wonderful for spectators who want to see women’s boxing, men’s boxing or just boxing. I think it’s selling. »
“It took time: before, when we had a women’s fight on a card, it was a big deal. Now, we are almost at parity in the galas. […] It’s also a game of supply and demand: there is a desire to see women’s boxing, so the promoters will add it to their cards. »
Harmonize the rules
Next step for women’s boxing? Tie its rules to those of men’s boxing, judges the Quebec pioneer of the discipline. Women fight two-minute rounds and a maximum of 10 rounds, even in the world championship, while men fight 12 three-minute rounds on these occasions.
“In amateur boxing, it’s over three minutes,” explained Danielle Bouchard. I even replied to Lou DiBella on Twitter, who wanted it to stay at two minutes, because he thinks it’s more exciting, less downtime. It shook me. I would like it to be the women who decide. I would like to hear what they think about that. But I know what they’re thinking: we want three minutes. »
“It’s not true that going to three minutes is going to make us have flat or less intense fights. I see women’s professional fights, and I see three-minute amateur fights: it’s no less active. The other downside, which is very unpleasant for us coaches, is that amateur and professional boxers train together and we always have the problem of the duration of the rounds. When we approach a professional fight, we work on two minutes; one amateur fight, out of three. We always have to adjust to the weather, which is very important in training,” she continued.
“The other trend as well is that like men, female professional boxers now have the right to try to qualify for the Olympics. So, it’s curious to say that you are a professional boxer who fights for two minutes before re-entering the amateur system to qualify for three minutes. In men, we do not break the head: it’s three minutes. I find it very inconsistent,” she reiterated.
Why is this so? “It was not necessarily young men who made the decision on our behalf. I would like it to be women who discuss it. It’s funny, the Claressa Shields of this world want to see women fight three minutes and 12 rounds in title fights. This debate still has its place. »
In the meantime, whether it’s two or three minutes, boxing fans only have more to eat.