women's boxing championship

Edit: Esther Phiri made it onto the ESPN website. Some more of her back story.

Need to get photos from a friend, but went to go see my first boxing match yesterday. Esther Phiri, the head (internationally ranked, I think?) featherweight women's boxer was fighting Hondi Hernandez, an American, for the Global Boxing Union (GBU) championship.

Matty G (of dancing onstage at a Zampop concert fame) won a 20kg bag of mealie meal in a raffle sponsored by the National Milling Corporation in the pre-fight entertainment. Hilarious. Had been warned that the fight would be a complete mob scene ("Don't bring lots of money. Or your phone. Or your camera. And watch your pockets." "But there's nothing in my pockets now!"), and definitely the ticket window was ama-guy (drunk, aimless twentysomething Zambian guys who hang around, harrass women and in general make trouble) central where within first 10 minutes, Catie got her cell phone stolen. But once inside to our ringside folding chairs, it was pretty calm, minus the occasional firecracker set off from the surrounding bleachers towards the ring (and thus, the folding chairs). Oh, Zambia.

When Esther walked out, the crowd went crazy. Everyone on their feet yelling "ES-THA! ES-THA!" in this pulsing beat as she rolled out wearing a giant hooded silk robe striped in the colors of the Zambian flag and a similarly large and fabulous entourage. Who knew that boxing really was so ghetto-fabulous and such a show in addition to being a sport?

Once the fight started, there was definitely this oh shit fascination of watching these 2 girls who were both about my height posture to and then pummel each other.

Ultimately, it was mostly Esther who did the pummeling. I don't know if it was completely demoralizing for Hernandez, an American, to fight in a setting where she knew the entire country was going wild for her opponent, or if she really was just that much inferior a boxer, but she was pretty thoroughly routed. There was a near KO in the 4th round, and the fight ended early in the 5th round when she conceded defeat 5 rounds early.

Cue standium going crazy and drunk ama-guys and Zambian sports enthusiasts alike trying to cram their ways through the 1 exit. Then cue life flashing before eyes and realizing, with completely different meaning this time, another oh shit moment when realizing that "oh THIS is why the army is here for crowd control" and that also they were completely useless and this is was the meaning of when one reads about the crush of a crowd. Finally made it out though, safe and sound. And ready to see another fight - hopefully a longer one - when Esther needs to defend her title next.