Jolene Blackshear, a boxer in Sonoma County, California, and three-time world champion, says the hardest part of boxing for her is fighting the stereotype. "There is more to me than boxing. I'm not your typical female boxer, but everyone is prone to lumping each other into categories in order to understand what they cannot know."
Blackshear is definitely far from typical. She graduated with honors from Sonoma State University with a bachelor's degree in biology. Currently, she is pursuing a master's degree in kinesiology, the study of muscles relating to motion and movement.
"The most exciting moment of my boxing career was during my pro debut. It was my first knockout, and the woman I fought had to be carried out of the ring. She was out cold for over five minutes. It really surprised me when it happened."
Blackshear turned to boxing as a new challenge after she excelled in collegiate sports. She earned all-conference honors in fast-pitch softball and track and field. "Most sports can be aggressive physically -- basketball, softball, soccer, rugby," she says.
"Both men and women can be equally tentative -- or not [tentative] -- about being hit in the face. Gender makes no difference. If a woman wants to box, she better put in the time to train and learn the art. The same thing goes for a man interested in boxing."
Blackshear's commitment to being a successful boxer and the determination with which she trains are obvious. She became the flyweight world champion in 1997, and has since successfully defended her title.
"The best part of being a boxer is the physical aspects of training. It satisfies my need for physical and intellectual stimulation and release. But I also like boxing because it is an effective way for me to release my spirit.
"Boxing allows me to grow as a person and a spirit. Each fight helps me to grow immensely. Also, I have found that I've been able to reach out and help people throughout the world and here at home."
As with many sports, Blackshear feels boxing has tremendous social importance. "Everything has social importance as long as it is making an impact on society," she says. "Boxing, like any other sport, puts forth role models for young and old alike."
An example of a great role model might be Andrew Krooner, an amateur boxer who has won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games and a silver medal at the World Junior Championships.
"I was never interested in boxing," Krooner says, "but my parents made me go to the gym. I didn't feel like I had time for it because I was doing a lot of other sports at the time, but I decided to give it a shot. I liked it more and more every day, and now here I am.
"But my brother also tried boxing when he saw how well I was doing. It wasn't right for him. He's just not the boxing type."
Krooner spends a large part of his day training to meet the goals he has set for himself. "I train in the morning, running and sparring and the other things that go with boxing, then I do it all over again in the evening," he explains.
"But there is one thing about boxing -- it is the most demanding sport. You have to be prepared to put a lot of work into the sport and to give up something in order to reach your goals. Boxers make a lot of sacrifices to get where they want to be."
Despite the sacrifices he has to make to attain his goals, Krooner says there are perks, too. "Honestly, there is nothing easy about boxing," he says.
"It's a lot of hard work, especially if you are still in school, but there are perks. One of them I enjoy is traveling around the world. Boxers are treated well when they travel because they work hard at what they do, and seeing the different cultures is a lot of fun."
But don't let Krooner's easygoing attitude fool you. He works hard, and he takes his work seriously. "Boxing is not for everyone. You have to give 110 percent," he says. "I have this poster my dad put on my wall. It's a picture of an Olympic swimmer, and it says, 'No deposit, no return.' It's simple. What you put into it is what you get out of it."