THEY'RE the striking beauties of Australian sport and this week they'll battle for the right to represent their country at the London Olympic Games.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
More than 42 female boxers will contest the national boxing titles, across eight weight divisions, in Hobart.
It is the first time female fighters will box at the Olympics, with a quota of 36 fighters across three weight divisions.
The Australian winners gain entry to the World Championships, held in China in May, and ultimately a crack at Olympic selection.
The lure of Olympic glory has many established fighters shifting weight divisions or converting to the sweet science from other martial art disciplines.
Adriana Smith is one of four Canberra women heading to Hobart for the titles.
The 19-year-old came out of retirement upon the Olympic announcement and aspires to represent Australia at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
''Since female boxing was confirmed in the Olympics, there's more girls out there who want to fight instead of just casual box-hit classes,'' Smith said. ''Two years ago I had no one to spare but there's more around, it's heaps better.''
The girls are at the vanguard of a boom in women entering the fight scene.
And pugilism isn't the only discipline attracting would-be warriors. A female cage fight will headline the next Brace for War event in the capital next month.
Brace Gear Australia managing director Kya Pate said the mixed martial arts phenomenon was attracting women in droves.
While still in an embryonic stage, Mr Pate said the greatest hurdle to women cage fighting was finding the right opponents.
''There's a lot of women who want to fight but we've found the trouble is matching the weight class,'' Mr Pate said. ''The girls actually fight harder than the blokes, there's no fear. I don't know what it is, maybe they've got more to prove to everyone.''
Mr Pate said a recent female fight at a Hobart event was voted fight of the night. And the fans love it. ''They generate more interest through social media, they gain a fan base faster than the male fighters cause they're so unique.
''After one fight Bec Hyatt has already got more than 1000 people following her on social media, she's got sponsors.
''You've got blokes who've been training and fighting for years without sponsors.''
