Chinese boxer fights depression to be 'Queen of the Ring' Published duration 2 April 2019

image copyright Reuters image caption Huang Wensi celebrates her victory after winning the Asia Female Continental Super Flyweight Championship gold belt in 2018.

Huang Wensi is one of a small but growing number of female boxers in China, challenging traditional stereotypes that often steer women away from such activities.

"A woman is not just limited to being a wife or mother in the house," says Huang, 29, who relishes the intensity of the sport.

Born in a small town in China's southern province of Guangdong, Huang started boxing in 2002. She joined a provincial team three years later but retired in 2011, following an injury.

She met her husband in 2015 and her son was born a year later.

Following a period of severe depression after the birth of her son, Huang was inspired to undertake a gruelling training regime and make a comeback to professional boxing.

In 2018, her efforts were rewarded when she won the Asia Female Continental Super Flyweight Championship gold belt.

image copyright Reuters image caption Huang's husband Deng Peipeng looks after their son while she trains for the 2018 championship in a local gym in Lianjiang, Guangdong province.

image copyright Reuters image caption As well as boxing, Huang works as a teacher.

image copyright Reuters image caption As match day approaches, Huang continues her training in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.

image copyright Reuters image caption Huang during her final training session before travelling to Taipei, Taiwan, for the 2018 championship match.

image copyright Reuters image caption Having arrived in Taipei, Huang takes part in a weighing session to make sure she meets the criteria for the super flyweight category. She weighed in at 118lb (53.5kg), three more than the 115lb (52.1kg) allowed.

image copyright Reuters image caption Huang works up a sweat to lower her body weight. The tournament organisers gave her two hours to lose 3lb (1.3kg) or face disqualification.

image copyright Reuters image caption Huang receives some motivational words from her assistant coach on match day.

image copyright Reuters image caption The gold belt match saw Huang face Thailand's Jarusiri Rongmuang.

image copyright Reuters image caption The fight continued into the seventh round.

image copyright Reuters image caption Huang celebrates her victory after the referee awards her a technical knockout during the seventh round.

image copyright Reuters image caption "Don't call me a king," Huang says, overcome with emotion following her win. "Please call me the queen of the ring."

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