ROLLING WITH ΤΗΕ PUNCHES

She's the first female boxer in history to represent Singapore at the Asian Games. Meet Danisha Mathialagan, the plucky and tenacious 25-year-old who has come a long way from competing furtively - without consent from her parents - in local competitions.

- Chelsia Tan

Danisha Mathialagan was only 18 when she began boxing competitively in local competitions. The former netball player had picked up the sport as a hobby in 2014, as she was looking for another sport to engage in. “I wanted to try a contact sport, and boxing seemed to be a less violent option [compared to MMA], as it mainly involves using your upper body,” she shares.

Unfortunately, her parents disapproved of her hobby. Then 17 years old, Danisha had to plead with her mum for consent to join a boxing gym because she was a minor. “After months of begging, she finally let me join. And I told her that, you know, we’re just going to be training; there’s no fighting whatsoever.”

But Danisha did eventually get into the ring. While she enjoyed the rigorous training, she never expected to be fighting competitively. “My coach asked me to join the local competitions. At the time, I was already 18, so I didn’t need my parents’ consent. So I said, ‘Ok, I’m gonna go fight.’ After winning my first fight, I panicked because the trophy was really huge, and I didn’t know how to bring that home,” she recalls.

For the next three to four years, Danisha would hide her boxing trophies in her cupboard after sneaking home from local matches. Still, it was only a matter of time before her parents discovered her “double life” through social media.