Filipina boxing champ Gretchen Abaniel continues hard-fought battle for respect

MANILA, Philippines – There were no elaborate entrances to presage Gretchen Abaniel’s battle, or spotlights shone as she walked towards the ring. There were no dressing rooms at the Elorde Sports Complex, though makeshift partitions that look like voting booths lined the hallway. On other fight nights in Sucat, it’s not uncommon to see boxers on opposite sides of the Flash Grand Ballroom, in-house fighters and opponents, sitting on folding chairs in just their protective cups, getting their hands wrapped while watching preliminary bouts 20 meters in front of them. 

A night when two women’s bouts were to take place calls for greater discretion.

Even with all she has accomplished, from being a bronze medalist at the 2005 Women’s World Championships, winning titles overseas, and laying asphalt for other Filipina boxers, few boxing fans, let alone the general public, has heard of Abaniel. In 2017, despite incremental advances for women in combat sports, boxing is still a man’s world. 

“For men and women, if you’re gonna compare, it’s really a huge difference when it comes to purses especially,” Abaniel (18-8, 6 knockouts) admits. “And for attention…you will see like Manny Pacquiao and a lot of famous men’s boxers, they are famous because of their achievements. When it comes to women’s boxing, I’m already a 3-time world champion but who is Gretchen Abaniel until this time?” 

A number of fans knew who she was on September 30. They surrounded her with cell phones out as she warmed up on punch mitts with trainer Tony Del Vecchio, and held fan signs in support as she fought Thai foe Chamaporn Chairin. The bout amounted to a 6-round sparring session, her third straight win and first fight in over a year, as she shook off the rust for her October 28 rematch with IBF minimumweight champ  Zong Ju Cai. 

Abaniel, 30, takes none of the credit for starting women’s boxing in the Philippines, pointing to Sarah Goodson, the Cebu-born boxer who fought from 1999-2009 while based in the US, as her predecessor. Still, she’s been arguably the most successful homegrown Filipina pro of the limited selection.

As a child growing up in Palawan, Abaniel never saw herself as a boxer. She had been an athlete since she was young, having been introduced to archery, track and field, and karate by her father.  

It wasn’t until she saw her brother box – and figured she could do it better – that she gave it a try. 

“I told my dad, if there is women’s boxing, I want to get into the ring,” Abaniel remembers. “Because my brother, when he loses a fight, I’m really pissed off with him, saying ‘You better stop boxing, and if I’m going to be in that ring, if I can be better than you, you better stop and I will continue your career.’” 

And she did, having an estimated 35 amateur fights, though there were few female opponents for her to face domestically. Her toughest fight was perhaps convincing her mother to allow her to be a fighter. 

“My mom doesn’t want me to box but I’m thinking I can be good at it so why not? I’m going to try, I’m going to fight. No one can stop you if you really like it,” says Abaniel. Through her example in the ring, she hopes to empower other women who are interested in lacing up the gloves, whether to learn self defense, improve fitness, or to be a fighter. 

“I wish my fight, if they can watch it – especially moms, they don’t accept women’s boxing or any sports for their daughters – I hope I will be one of the inspirations for the Filipino women to be in these sports.” 

Through boxing, Abaniel has seen the world. She fought throughout Asia as an amateur, and turned pro in 2006, citing lack of financial support for the women’s team. 

As a pro she has fought in China, South Korea, Thailand, Mexico, Japan, Germany, and Australia, where she currently resides with her husband.  They have been living there for two years now. It was hard at first, she admits. Living in Sydney was initially not the professional athlete’s experience she anticipated.

“I really struggled at first because you will stay with different people. Even you’re paying rent, those people say like ‘Gretchen, you’re gonna stay here and clean house.’ I feel I’m like a maid,” says Abaniel.  

“I’m already tired with my training but I already have to do all this stuff, cleaning, whatever. By the time I feel that, I want to give up, I want to go back to the Philippines. But I’m thinking this is a big opportunity for me, big steps if I can get my husband to be there because someone’s gonna help pay my rent, my food, everything.”

He eventually joined Abaniel there, and they are now in the process of obtaining permanent residence. Training out of the Bondi Boxing Club in Sydney allows her to work with a strength and conditioning coach, a nutritionist, plus her boxing coach Tony del Vecchio.

In her next fight, which comes less than a month after her previous one, she hopes to further enhance her legacy. Abaniel has won world titles from smaller sanctioning bodies like the WIBA, GBU and WIBF, but one from the Big 4 – the WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC – has eluded her in 5 previous attempts. 

Del Vecchio says they’ve been ready since before their original fight date in July, the original date for the Cai rematch. He says she did 8 weeks of sparring with southpaws to prepare for Cai, and is confident she’ll know what to do when the bell sounds.

“We know the game plan. We fought her before – we know what she’s good at, where her deficiencies lie and that’s what we’ve been working on for 8 weeks. We’ll just put that back in the plan,” says Del Vecchio. 

Abaniel remembers their first fight well, and understands that Zong Ju Cai (9-1, 1 KO) is a tricky, crafty boxer. She thinks the fight will go the distance, but she wouldn’t pass up an early finish if the opportunity opens itself. 

“I can say I’m stronger than her. If the knockout comes, the knockout comes,” says Abaniel. – Rappler.com