#WomensMonth: Brown determined to elevate women in the boxing ring

After leaving her regular job, Western Extension resident and fitness enthusiast Chantal Brown opened the Rock Solid Boxing Gym on Railway Avenue in 2021 to make a mark in this male-dominated sport.

Brown, who is also a conditioning coach and a manager at her club, is one of the few women who own a boxing gym in South Africa.

“Only three women own boxing clubs in the entire country and being one of them is a big deal,” she said.

With limited opportunities for women, the 44-year-old is determined to bring a female voice into the arena.

“As a woman, I knew I was going to face challenges but I did not think it was going to be this hard. People do not take your club seriously if they know it’s run by a woman.

“This affects my fighters because when they don’t fight, they cannot show what they are capable of,” Brown said.

She works in collaboration with several promotors to get her boxers exposure.

Brown elaborated on how she does not have any female boxers in her ring and how she wants to change that.

She knows what women are capable of so much more.

“We still have men who believe in patriarchy and that’s OK, but we should also show our capabilities,” she said.

She has been running the gym from her own pocket.

The gym was open to the public and their membership fees go towards helping her run the facility.

“Some of my fighters cannot fend for themselves so I assist where I can and I do so by using my money,” she said.

“Even though I do not make as much anymore, my husband and family are very supportive because they know the passion I have for the sport,” she said.

When she bought her first building, she did not tell her family or her husband, she presented it to them as a surprise.

They supported her and did not judge her for following her dreams. She said this wouldn’t be possible without their support.

Brown would love having other women in the sport because she believes what a man can do a woman is capable of doing a million times more.

She fell in love with the sport when her son Tyron wanted a hobby.

“He wanted to start boxing and I was instantly in awe. I used to train with him and along the way he left boxing and I found myself deeper than I thought I would be,” she said.

For Women’s Month, Brown would love to start self-defence classes for women. “It is a thought I have but hopefully will be carried out as time goes.”

She wants women to defend themselves to decrease social issues like gender-based violence and teenage pregnancy.

Brown expressed how lack of sponsorship also affects the performance of the club.

Rock Solid Boxing is pleading for sponsorship.

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