2 days ago
World championship boxer Che Kenneally's battle to pay to fight for title
Before Che Kenneally can step into the ring to defend a boxing world title next month, the 30-year-old Gold Coaster must raise thousands of dollars for the privilege.
As a professional boxer, Kenneally's light-heavyweight bouts have to be sanctioned by one of the sport's governing bodies — in Kenneally's case, the World Boxing Association (WBA).
Sanctioning costs, which can reach into the tens of thousands of dollars, are often covered by boxing promoters who recoup their investment by selling tickets, broadcast rights and access to fights.
But female fighters are rarely afforded this luxury, and Kenneally will need to stump up more than $25,000 to enter the ring.
To reach that financial goal, the single mother has turned to community fundraising while working full time as a stevedore at the Port of Brisbane.
"I still have to fit in two training sessions per day and try to find the funds to fight," Kenneally said.
"You're either at one end of the spectrum where you're killing it as an athlete … or you're on the other end, living pay cheque to pay cheque, doing your best and that's still not enough."
Defending her title is not the first time Kenneally has had to pay to fight — to challenge for the then-vacant world title last year, she raised funds and used sponsorship and a loan to cover the costs.
As the champion, the stakes are higher; if she can't raise the sanctioning fees before the July deadline and the fight is cancelled, she will have to give up her title without the opportunity to defend it.
Kenneally's position is a "path well-trodden" by professional athletes, according to the director of La Trobe University's Centre for Sport and Social Impact, Geoff Dickson.
"[But] the pathway to the top for elite female athletes is slightly narrower, steeper, and fundamentally more treacherous than it is for male athletes."
Dr Dickson said government grants and funding were generally unavailable to professional boxers like Kenneally, as they were reserved for amateurs who had a pathway to the Olympic Games.
"She's to be commended for what she's doing. She's getting towards the pointy end of her sport," he said.
Kenneally said she recognised the path of a professional female boxer was always going to be difficult, but working full time to make ends meet for her and her daughter made it even more so.
"Being an athlete is hard … but I've chosen to be an athlete and I've chosen to have a baby, so I've put the pressure on myself," she said.
"I want to be a great athlete, and to be that I need to put the time in, but there's only so many hours in the day and mine are pretty full up at the moment."
Griffith University researcher and former Muay Thai fighter Erin Nichols said there was a long way to go before gender equality was achieved in combat sports such as boxing.
"Women's boxing is still building legitimacy, unfortunately, in the eyes of promoters and broadcasters, despite the evidence of growing fan interest," Dr Nichols said.
Dr Nichols said Kenneally's fight outside the ring to raise the required funds was "emblematic of the wider landscape" female athletes operated in.
"Her story is a powerful example of the tenacity [and] the leadership that so many women athletes bring to their sport," she said.
"Her willingness to fundraise publicly to maintain her title defence and speak openly about the barriers she faces makes it not just a personal triumph, it's a form of advocacy."
