Meet Britain's First Sikh Female Pro Boxer

In a quiet gym successful Hull, a 13-year-old woman stood successful nan doorway, waiting for her younger relative to commencement his boxing session.

She had nary gloves and nary volition of joining in.

Eight years on, Charan Kaur Dhesi is now a master boxer and a pioneer. At 21, she is nan first British-born Sikh female to subordinate nan paid ranks of boxing, breaking caller crushed for her athletics and her community.

"I've created history and I've only conscionable started," she tells BBC Sport.

Her travel has been acold from easy, though. As a South Asian female successful a male-dominated sport, Dhesi has faced scepticism, taste guidance and financial pressure.

But pinch each punch thrown, she's turned doubters into supporters.

"It was a batch of unit to beryllium nan first female from my organization to do this but what tin you say? Pressure makes diamonds," she adds.

Raised successful a sport-loving family, Dhesi grew up pinch 2 brothers and a begetter who championed beingness activity complete academia.

"My parents ne'er pursued my studies, which group find crazy. They ever pushed boxing," she says. "I've sewage 2 brothers. My dada grew each 3 of america up successful sports."

But boxing wasn't portion of nan plan. Originally trained successful karate, Dhesi discovered nan athletics by chance erstwhile her relative joined a section gym.

"I didn't person a hint what boxing was astatine first. It was my small relative who wanted to do it truthful I came present [to nan gym] and I was conscionable stood successful nan doorway erstwhile nan coaches were urging maine to subordinate in."

She resisted astatine first but gave it a spell and recovered thing special.

"I conscionable tried it 1 time and nan coaches were each saying really bully I am. From past I conscionable carried it on. And past I sewage selected for nan England team," she adds.

From that time onwards, Dhesi ne'er looked back. As a younker amateur, she collected 3 nationalist titles, a European metallic badge and 3 world crowns.

But it was ne'er conscionable astir accolades. Dhesi wanted to break stereotypes by making nan move into master boxing.

However, turning pro brought caller challenges and a caller spotlight, peculiarly from wrong her ain community.

"I was asked 'What if you get hurt, who will wed you?', 'Shouldn't you beryllium successful nan kitchen?' - worldly for illustration that, it was rather antagonistic - and even, 'What's your scheme B?'.

"But my scheme A is boxing and my scheme B is boxing," she says.

In May, Dhesi answered those questions pinch her fists erstwhile she made an contiguous effect connected her pro debut, winning by knockout. The clip went viral and truthful did her story.

"All of a sudden, nan aforesaid group who were doubting my imaginable were praising maine for making nan Punjabi and Sikh communities proud," she adds.

"These group don't want to cognize you erstwhile you're moving your measurement up but now they're, like, consecutive up connected me. They've realised I put connected a show and it's nary joke. Boxing is my life."

Dhesi's occurrence whitethorn person created headlines but nan day-to-day reality remains a grind. Without sponsorship, her full profession is still being funded by her parents.

"I don't activity because I'm focused connected training. So it's tough. I'm missing retired connected training opportunities, getting amended kit, getting retired arsenic often," she says.

But for her, boxing has ever been astir much than belts aliases prize money. It's a level to show pridefulness successful her roots and to unfastened doors for others.

"There are truthful galore Sikh girls that want to get into boxing. I've been approached astatine events and they'll inquire really to get complete nan fear. And I'm like, 'Do you cognize what, girl? I'm going to show you really to do it and I'll springiness you each nan help'," she says.

"Honestly, if a woman was to inquire maine for support - she could unrecorded successful London aliases anywhere, I'd spell there. That's what I want. I want much Sikh girls to beryllium progressive and Sikh boys arsenic well."

One day, she hopes to unfastened a gym of her ain successful nan Midlands - not conscionable to train fighters but to create a abstraction wherever ambition outweighs expectation.

And her proposal for nan adjacent procreation of fighters - whether wrong aliases extracurricular nan ropes - is unwavering.

"Just do it. You tin do thing you put your mind to. As agelong arsenic you judge successful yourself, that's each that matters. Who cares what anyone other thinks?"