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Alice Sassu

Simmi started boxing at the age of 13. She has participated in the State and National level Olympics. Having just turned 19 in April, she now has her sights set on the international Olympics. Kolkata (West Bengal – India).

Simmi started boxing at the age of 13. She has participated in the State and National level Olympics. Having just turned 19 in April, she now has her sights set on the international Olympics. Kolkata (West Bengal – India).

Kolkata Girls: Ready For Boxing
Italy   www.alicesassu.com

Simmi, Karamjit, Ajmira and Kashmira train as boxers at the Kidderpore School of Physical Culture, a club in a Muslim ghetto of Calcutta. The coaches of the KSOPC Boxing Club, Merajuddin Ahmed, popularly known as “Cheena Bhai” and his brother Nasim try to help the youth in their neighbourhood without any kind of sponsorship. The main problem here is poverty: many families can’t even afford the bus fare or the good diet necessary for a boxer. Girls share boxing gloves at the club and lament the fact that there is no sponsorship for them. What these girls do possess is an undeniable fighting spirit.