Pakistan's girls fight for their place in the boxing ring

Pakistan's girls fight for their place in the boxing ring

Soomro, 21, made national headlines last year after winning an international bout in Bangkok in a rare feat for a young woman from Pakistan, where patriarchal and cultural norms dictate that girls and women belong at home, not at gyms or sports clubs. Women boxers recently captured the nation's attention again when Fatima Zahra, 22, became Pakistan's first female Commonwealth Games boxing medallist, winning bronze in the 60kg category in Glasgow…

Pakistan’s girls fight for their place in the boxing ring

KARACHI (AFP) : Sweat trickling down her face, aspiring teenage boxer Hoorain Zahra works on a punch combination, eager to follow in the footsteps of her idol Aliya Soomro. Soomro, 21, made national headlines last year after winning an international bout in Bangkok in a rare feat for a young woman from Pakistan, where patriarchal and cultural norms dictate that girls and women belong at home, not at gyms or sports clubs. Women boxers recently ca…