Michele Aboro is a living legend in the history of Boxing & Kickboxing, Super Bantamweight Michele Aboro retired as undefeated world champion in Boxing with 21 wins (12 KO) & Kickboxing with 32 winning fights (23 KO). Michele was also voted Pound-for-Pound Best Female Boxer of the Year for four consecutive years. She is a two-time undefeated World Boxing Champion, five-time Kickboxing World Champion and two-time K1 Champion; having pioneered boxing and kickboxing in England when it was illegal for women to be trained in boxing by coaches and compete. She currently resides in Shanghai and is co-founder and head coach at Aboro Academy.  You can learn more about her academy and foundation at www.aboroacademy.com.

Show notes:

2:20 Upbringing in Peckham, London as one of 7 children in a one parent biracial family .

5:17 Boxing culture in the UK

7:25 Thoughts on current heavyweight champion Tyson Fury

8:25 Being turned down at a boxing gym as a child for being a girl

12:10 How it was illegal to train female boxers in the UK while it was legal in other European countries

14:00 How women’s is boxing is received in China

19:00 History of women’s boxing and how it was not introduced into the olympics until 2012 but had a boom in the US in the 90s

22:50 First depiction of female boxing in Hollywood ‘Million dollar baby’

24:20 The life of an up and coming professional female boxer

27:30 Thoughts on the recent attention given to celebrity boxing

32:50 Using sport as a platform to spread a greater message

37:10 The decision to open a gym in China

45:30 How positivity and motivation created a mindset to get through cancer

49:00 Giving back to the community through Aboro foundation

55:10 How training differs in different countries and cultures

57:50 Incorporation of a ranking system in boxing training

59:30 The use of meditation yoga and Buddhist philosophy in training

1:01:40 The early years of MMA

1:03:00 Thoughts on Zhang Weili