Lian Salhi’s inspiring fights

Lian Salhi’s inspiring fights
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Updated 15 September 2013
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Lian Salhi’s inspiring fights

Lian Salhi’s inspiring fights

She’s Jordanian, young, beautiful and determined. Lian Salhi started boxing when she was 13 and by the age of 15 she decided to make the boxing ring her showground. Her passion for the sport enabled her to win Jordan’s female boxing championships in 2009, propelling her to become the youngest and first female boxing champion in Jordan. What’s more, the lively Salhi realize her dreams by daring to challenge male domination and objections from conservatives. Tenacious yet tender, her fighting spirit is raising attention and attracting media coverage on international networks like CNN. Samira Hassanein also had a few questions to ask her.

You seem extremely gentle, which seems kind of contradictory. What attracted you to boxing?
Lian Salhi: I grew up in an atmosphere where everyone was active. My father is a creative interior designer, and my mum is a fantastic schoolteacher. I only have one brother, and he fell in love with sports. He is a professional runner and has won some very important championships in Jordan. He was my idol and later on my supporter. Since I was the only girl I was spoiled and my parents gave me everything I wanted. I was involved in sports like taekwondo, swimming, handball basketball and running. I won the 400m relay at the school championships.

Why did you switch to boxing? Is there a story behind the change?
My inquisitive female nature, which often encounters blocks by a dominant male society, made me want to learn a sport monopolized by men. When I told my parents what I wanted to do they encouraged me. So did my brother and the well-known coach Ayman Alnadi. They probably thought I would do it for a month or two, and then quit, but I loved it. I was with two other girls, learning everything with passion and attention.

Many Arab parents won’t let their daughters master sports like boxing because of the physical dangers involved. What do you have to say about that?
My experience in sports and my mental vigilance always protects me from harm in matches. I haven’t suffered from any nosebleeds, internal bleeding, fractures or any kind of deformation. But I do get bruises after each game. It’s normal. Boxing doesn’t rely on force alone and isn’t violent like everyone thinks; it integrates the physical, mental and spiritual. The sport involves intelligence, in fact I consider it an advanced mental sport because it activates the brain and renews its cells. Boxing is good for physical strength and flexibility as well; it moves the whole body.

What did you have to do to prove yourself in a man’s world?
I have made double the physical and mental effort to succeed in boxing because a woman has bigger and different kinds of pressures than a man. Boxing is his game, and the ring is his, not a female’s. Social perceptions are the biggest obstacle to Arab women’s progress and their emergence as contenders. Even sports companies give men priority with sponsorships, despite how well women can play.

Who is your role model in boxing?
Laila Muhammad Ali Klay.

Why not her father, the famous Muslim boxer Muhammad Ali?
I am biased, I support women who struggle in all difficult arenas. She is a courageous and daring boxer, who made her way from an early age by relying on her skills, without being dependent on fame, relationships and her father. She is still unique despite turning 40 and she is becoming a legend in women’s boxing. I watch all her matches and have a full archive of them.

What would you say to girls who want to start boxing?
Don’t hesitate. You can start by doing it as a hobby. Age is not a problem, I have met women in their 40s who are training and playing.

How does boxing benefit women’s health?
Boxing detoxes the body and ensures fresh skin. Fighting is also good for maintaining a fit and healthy body, and is a good way to sculpt a beautiful figure. What’s more, it releases negative energy from the body and soul and is the best treatment for tension.

You said boxing releases anger and negative energy. Can you recall any incident in which you really felt like venting it all out?
During the first female boxing championship in Jordan in 2009, one of the competitors really provoked me because of her attitude. She had a lot of self-esteem and really believed she was going to win. Her confidence surprised me, and her comfortable demeanor made me worry about the outcome. My coach told me to relax and that she was trying to affect me psychologically to weaken my confidence and strength. His words encouraged me to fight on till the end.
“During the first round she attacked me all the time and I stayed on the defensive. She couldn’t gain any points on my account and at the same time I got to know how she played, her style and her strongest strikes. In the first 45 seconds of the second round I deliberately continued to defend myself without getting exhausted, while she kept on attacking strongly. She drained all her strength and that’s when I surprised her with successive strikes. She fell and her self-esteem was shattered. During the third round I attacked continuously, enabling me to score a win with a difference of 15 points. That was the first important tournament I won and that’s how I was able to join Jordan’s first women’s boxing team, founded in 2010.”

Many sports champions have tried their hand at acting. Would you consider this?
“Yes, why not? If a producer thinks I am suitable, then he should talk to my parents. My acting would help spread the word about boxing in the Arab world.”

Do you watch the series ‘Awdat Muhannad’ in which the Turkish actor Kivanc Tatlitug plays the role of a street boxer who goes into the ring whenever he feels angry?
“No, but I will if he plays the role of a boxer. Anger is actually a necessary incentive for any boxer.”

If you were given the choice to act with Tatlitug, Çağatay Ulusoy or Egyptian Ahmed El Sakka in a boxing saga, which one would you choose?
“Ahmed El Sakka because I am very impressed by the way he plays his roles.”

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