Girls from Rio favela give boxing masterclass ahead of Rio 2016 Games
Rio 2016.com visits a community boxing project at gym that produced two of Brazil's Olympic prospects
Rio 2016 presenter Elea Mercurio (in blue) after her boxing class with the girls from ‘Instituto Todos na Luta’ (Photo: Rio 2016)
Boxing “teaches people how to defend themselves” and provides “discipline”. So said the young girls from the Instituto Todas na Luta (All in the Fight Institute) in the famous favela community of Vidigal, in southern Rio.
Rio 2016 video presenter Elea Mercurio visited the gym where Brazil's Olympic medal hopefuls Patrick Lourenço (-49kg) and Michel Borges (-81kg) category learnt the beautiful science of boxing.
But it wasn't this hard-hitting duo who showed her the ropes, it was the the girls who have discovered for themselevs the benefits of his noble Olympic sport...
Boxing’s women warriors ready to rumble at Rio 2016
An Olympic sport since St Louis 1904, some of boxing's biggest names – such as Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Floyd Mayweather Jr – have competed at the Games before going on to become gloabl superstars.
The Rio 2016 boxing tournament runs from 6 to 21 August in Pavilion 6 of the Riocentro complex.
Michel Borges (in red) of Vidigal will compete at Rio 2016 (Photo: COB/Inovafoto/Wander Roberto)
