SINGAPORE — She is Singapore’s first professional female boxer, and will compete in the first professional women’s boxing bout to be staged here. But Nurshahidah Roslie is less cowed by the prospect of her history-making double feat than that of lights, cameras and attention trained on her.
“I don’t focus on external pressures. I focus on how I’m going to perform, whether my technique is up to standard,” said the 28-year-old.
“But this publicity is something new, something I’ve not done before. I’m not very comfortable with it — even when it comes to publicising myself on social media.”
Tang is a Malaysian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter best known for appearing in Asian promotion ONE Championship in 2014. She also has a kickboxing record of 15 wins and 13 losses.
Her Singaporean opponent, meanwhile, has a decade of combat sports experience behind her, first venturing into kickboxing before realising she was “pretty strong” with her hands and settling on the “Sweet Science” in 2008.
Nurshahidah has amassed over 10 amateur boxing bouts since, including a maiden Southeast Asian (SEA) Games outing in her home country last year. It is a meagre return on seven years - but she insisted it was not due to a lack of desire to train or fight.
“Last time, when any fight came my way, I wanted to do it. But there were not many opportunities to gain experience, and I wasn’t sent to many fights. I’ve been trying to get as many fights as I can,” she explained. “But I feel I can do more, I want to do more, and now that I have the time and energy, I might as well go pro.”
Professional boxers do away with the protective headgear and singlet tops donned by amateurs. There is also prize money involved. Boxers commonly start out at amateur level and build experience before transitioning to a professional career.
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