Coach Rae Black has been boxing long enough to recognize the “sweet science” needs to update some of its formulas.
For all the big-ticket narratives boxing sells about rags-to-riches success, it has generally been exclusionary towards women athletes of any background or skill level — or really anyone who’s not a straight man. That was a glaring omission for Black.
Growing up in the ’90s, Black heard plenty of discouraging messages about boxing. When they got interested in the sport, their mother told them “women don’t box” and “you’re too pretty to get hit.” Black still got hit, injured and concussed while playing soccer and rugby, and eventually found their way into the ring.
When they became a coach, Black noticed a pattern. Women would come to the gym, but the culture did not encourage them to stay. So they created a space for women, queer, nonbinary and trans boxers to train: For The Win Boxing in Oakland.
“I wanted to create a space where women could see themselves and thrive,” says Black, who opened the gym in 2023. “There’s a difference between a space that allows women and a space that really supports women, a space that puts women forward and makes sure their female athletes are getting the right kind of attention.”
![A boxing coach watches the ring in her gym.](https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/F93A0086-scaled.jpg)
At best, boxing has been slow or reluctant to platform women. At worst, it has a troubling history of looking the other way at domestic violence, homophobia and misogyny, and its recent transphobic panic at the Olympics and beyond hasn’t helped. These are systemic issues, and For The Win wants to change them from the ground up.