SOUTH AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICAN GIRL MICHELLE CARSON IS LATEST FEMALE WITH DREAMS OF BEING A WORLD BOXING CHAMPION

Record ID: 175284

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICAN GIRL MICHELLE CARSON IS LATEST FEMALE WITH DREAMS OF BEING A WORLD BOXING CHAMPION
  • Date: 21st January 2000
  • Summary: DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA (JAN 17, 2000) (REUTERS) 1. MICHELLE CARSON SERVING TEA TO HER FAMILY IN THE LIVING ROOM OF THEIR HOME 2. VARIOUS CLOSE-UPS OF FAMILY MEMBERS SITTING AND CHATTING 3. VARIOUS OF TROPHY CABINET SHOWING MICHELLE'S PRIZES 4. MICHELLE AT COMPUTER TERMINAL 5. MICHELLE'S DAD TYING BOXING GLOVES ONTO HIS DAUGHTERS HANDS 6. MICHELLE SPARRING WITH HER DAD IN THE RING 7. POSTER ADVERTISING FIGHT WITH MICHELLE 8. NEWSPAPER SHOWING MICHELLE AS KICK-BOXING CHAMP 9. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) MICHELLE CARSON SAYING, "Sport, I enjoy it. Like my dad said if you're conditioned and you get in the ring and you're prepared, you've trained hard, you're not going to get hurt, you're going to get bruises and you're not gonna get hurt. Kick-boxing is a sport and I really do enjoy. I thrive on it. " 10. MICHELLE TRAINING 11. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) ASKED IF SHE FINDS KICK BOXING VIOLENT REPLIES "Any sport is violent and it's enjoyable. It's a good sport to do. It does teach you self-confidence, it's good for nowadays when you're out in the big world. It's a good sport. I really do enjoy it." 12. MICHELLE IN GYM 13. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) MICHELLE SAYING"I'd like to one day fight in Las Vegas for a world title boxing fight as I have fought for a world title kick boxing fight and lost on a split decision but I would like to go to Las Vegas as also fight for boxing as boxing is becoming in America one of the biggest sports. I'd like to grow with the sport." 14. MICHELLE IN GYM 15. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) FATHER AND COACH PADDY CARSON SAYING "Michelle's future in boxing is, I believe, she will be a world champion one day and I wan to take it very slow with her. At the moment she's doing the MCSC computer course which when she does pass, it's a good career in computers for her. My ambition with Michelle is to take her to Las Vegas." 16. MICHELLE WORKING OUT ON MACHINE 17. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) PADDY CARSON SAYING "I've got a world champion there- Greg Henley. he's got five world champion women. He only trains women and I want to take her there for about a month and let her train with the girls, a different vibe in the boxing environment and take her from there and I believe that Michelle, she's only eighteen she proved to me that when she fought for the kick boxing world title, she's got heart, she's got guts, she's got stamina, she's got everything and her future is in boxing." 18. MICHELLE IN THE RING 19. SOUTH AFRICAN BOXING ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL, MONTI GUNGUBEKE BEING INTERVIEWED 20. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) GUNGUBEKE SAYING, "Basically, the constitution prevents discrimination on the basis of sex, not only the constitution, it emanates from our common sense that we have discovered after a long time that women are capable of doing things like men are and personally I would say I do support that something gets done about this because boxing contributes a lot amongst many factors in empowering women." 21. GUNGUBEKE BEING INTERVIEWED 22. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) GUNGUBEKE SAYING, " Why should it be opposed. We have come to agree as South Africans that all human beings are equal and women who have been allowed to participate both in the economic world and other sectors where they were not allowed to participate before have already demonstrated within a period of five years that all the ideas and beliefs we had about this equality are vindicated by the results they have put together." 23. MICHELLE HITTING BAG IN TRAINING Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 5th February 2000 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
  • Country: South Africa
  • Reuters ID: LVAF01UVS5WP4DMOYK8CB8EWM6MB
  • Story Text: A nineteen year old South African girl is the latest
    female with dreams of being a world boxing champion.She's won
    eleven straight fights and is determined to reach the top.

    At first sight you could be mistaken for thinking
    MIchelle Carson may be considering a future in fashion, or
    even modelling.

    Pick her favourite sport and you may guess at tennis or
    swimming.

    But as the trophies in the cabinet at her home in Durban
    will tell you this 19-year-old is South Africa's first
    kick-boxing champion.

    And she has plans to take on the world.

    Michelle narrowly lost a bid for the vacant World Super
    Flyweight title against a Spanish opponent on a split
    decision.

    But it hasn't put her off.She wants to be a regular boxer
    and is keen to rise to the top in her chosen sport.

    Under the watchful eye of her coach and father, Paddy,
    Michelle works out for three hours a day, lifting weights,
    doing sit-ups, punching away at a speed ball or punch-bag.

    Her father is behind her all the way and believes
    passionately his daughter will one day be world champion.

    The pair plan a trip of Las vegas for some more coaching
    and hopefully a crack at a world title.

    Like other women boxers making the news these days,
    including the daughter of Muhammad Ali, Michelle thinks she
    has as good a chance as any of them.

    "It's a good sport to do.It does teach you
    self-confidence, it's good for nowadays when you're out in the
    big world.It's a good sport.I really do enjoy it," she says.

    Women's boxing is not recognised in many countries around
    the world but in South Africa, which has one of the world's
    most liberal laws, women's boxing is fast gaining a foothold
    and picking up a lot of support along the way.

    Monti Gungubeke of the South African Boxing Association.

    says common sense prevails in South Africa where it is
    recognised that women are capable of doing things that in the
    past tended to be men-only domains.

    Professional boxing among women has enjoyed an international
    boom recently with the daughter of former three-times world
    heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, Laila, enjoying huge
    popularity in the United States.

    South Africa hosts the first officially-sanctioned fight
    between women in February where women will get to compete for
    the Women's International Boxing Federation's WIBF flyweight
    crown.

    Michelle Carson won't be competing this time around but
    hopes to be ringside to see for herself the kind of
    competition she'll be facing when she makes her bid for world
    boxing champion.


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