Imagine a girl stuck inside of her shell, that is who I used to be before I reinvented myself through boxing… I realized I could do anything.
TITLE Boxing Club is, and always has been, a brand that empowers and lifts women up. We have found that handing a woman a pair of boxing gloves ignites a fire within them, one they’ve never felt before. Upon hitting the heavy bag for the first time, we send off the person that walked into the club and we welcome a new, powerful, and confident female warrior. TITLE women are unstoppable.
TITLE Boxing Club Oakland member, Taj, is one champion in particular whose story caught our eye. Born and raised in India, her only exposure to athletics was a short high school basketball career. Though her time playing was limited, it was on the court where she discovered her insatiable competitive nature and desire to become a better athlete. Taj ended up moving to the United States about seven years ago, where she began experimenting with various types of physical activities like running and Crossfit. Following her college graduation, she found herself on a journey to self-discovery, soulsearching for what would fulfill her.
Fate eventually led her to cross paths with professional boxing coach Gilbert, playfully known by most as Kofi. Kofi has an extensive background in boxing and has dedicated his life to training amateur and professional boxers, as well as athletes involved in a variety of sports. At the time, Taj was looking for something fun and different to submerge herself into and had no idea that what started as a hobby would become such a major part of her life. “Imagine a girl stuck inside of her shell, that is who I used to be before I reinvented myself through boxing… I realized I could do anything,” she explained to us.
After meeting Kofi, Taj jumped headfirst into the sport and began changing in ways she never thought possible. One person in particular who saw these major changes firsthand was her coach, “She’s really tested herself, she’s always been very smart, but her confidence level and self-awareness have completely gone up,” Kofi told us. The pair started training together religiously for months before Kofi suggested she check out TITLE Boxing Club, where he often teaches classes. Now over a year later, Taj is not only boxing at TITLE, but she is now training for her first-ever amateur fight with Kofi. “Taj has realized how strong she is and that she can take care of herself, if she wants a career in boxing, if she trains hard and stays focused, she can do it,” he explained.
It’s been a whirlwind of a year for Taj, finding herself in a sport she never imagined she would be involved with. “It’s scary in a good way, the extent to which your life can change in a short time, I think about when you’re in the ring fighting somebody, you only have two minutes, and within those two minutes someone knocks you out or you knock them out and it changes your life…in only two minutes,” she poetically explained to us. More confident and fierce than ever, Taj has transformed into a true role model for women everywhere. “Look, you’re only here in this moment once so you can cry about something that’s happened to you in the past or you can be here and enjoy this moment and make big plans for your future, but it’s up to you,” she relayed her biggest takeaway from this past year.
So this moment is yours, what do you choose to do with it? We hope you’ll step far outside of your comfort zone and come to experience the exhilarating feeling of hitting the heavy bag. When we asked Kofi what advice he would give to someone walking through the doors of a TITLE for the first time he said, “Let your hair down, don’t be scared, and listen to the voice in your head that’s telling you to do something for yourself…because here you can be anything you want to be.”