Women slug their way up boxing ladder

Niken Prathivi ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 11/21/2008 1:07 PM  |  Sports

Whereas most women may view boxing as a brutal and dangerous sport, young Yunike Abigael Busira has dared to face the risk and make it part of her life.

Yunike was a sprinter as a child in West Papua, but when she found she had little chance of success because of the tough competition, she decided to take up boxing instead.

"Because I had so many competitors back in my hometown in West Papua, it was hard for me to develop. So I chose to follow my cousin to become a boxer in 2004," she said on the sidelines of a training session at the Bung Karno Sports Complex on Wednesday.

The 17-year-old, who is the fifth of eight siblings, said she had been supported by her family.

"My mom, dad and the whole family support me and encourage me to achieve," she said.

When she made her successful debut at a local championship in 2005, she began to believe that boxing was in her veins.

The sport has also boosted her income, earning her a cash bonus of Rp 158 million for her gold medal at the National Games in July.

Although amateur boxers such as Yunike wear padding to protect themselves, the prospect of being pounded and battered still upsets some.

But Yunike said mastering the correct techniques made her able to minimize the risks and the after-fight effects.

"It may look awful while we're fighting each other, but if you train well, you get used to it and you'll be fine," she said with a laugh, adding that she used to spar with male boxers at the Bicari boxing club in Papua.

Selly Wanimbo also left another sport for boxing.

Selly, also from Papua, appeared to have begun a good career in soccer when she represented her adopted province of South Sulawesi at the 2004 National Games.

The 22-year-old, who moved to Makassar, South Sulawesi, to study sport science at the University of Makassar, said she realized her future lay in boxing and began to develop her boxing skills.

Her decision was justified at the National Games, where she won the gold.

Yunike and Selly are two success stories, but women's boxing in Indonesia only began about 10 years ago.

Hengki Silatang, an official from the Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (Pertina), said they started to train and produce women's amateur boxers early this decade.

Most of the athletes come from areas in eastern Indonesia, such as Papua, West Papua, East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.

A range of local and national women's boxing tournaments have since been held. One of them is the Mahesa Cup, which this year will run from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5 in Manado, North Sulawesi.

"In the past four to five years, we have got more and more women interested in amateur boxing. Those with a flair for boxing have good prospects to advance," he said.

Indonesia first sent female boxers to an international competition at last year's Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand.

With the host winning six of the seven gold medals on offer, Indonesia had to be content with three bronze medals, one of which was contributed by Yunike in the 52-kilogram division.

Yunike is now one member of the three-strong boxing team preparing for the AIBA World Women's Amateur Boxing Championships in Ningbo City, China. Her two teammates are Indri Sambaimana and Selly.

It will be the first time Indonesia takes part in the world championship, which runs from Nov. 21 to 29.

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