Story By: Juan Mayes, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Golder’s News And Sport

This Russian female boxer has revealed she lied about her gender and taped down her breasts to fight against men because “they say females are weaker and I wanted to prove the opposite.”

Russian boxer Tatyana Dvazhdova, 22, is originally from the north-western Russian city of Saint Petersburg in the Leningrad Oblast federal subject and has been boxing since she was 16 years old.

Dvazhdova revealed she pretended to be a man by letting the hair on her legs grow, using scotch tape to cover her breasts and sporting a short haircut.

When speaking about when she first started to box, Dvazhdova said: “All was good until one day my trainer told me I’d be fighting a girl soon.

“I told him I wanted to fight a man as I felt like I could do it and beat them. He said rules don’t let females officially fight males. That is when I left the club.

“I always wanted to fight only with men because they say females are weaker and I wanted to prove the opposite.”

After leaving the club, she decided to participate in street fights where she reportedly only fought men.

She decided to return to boxing and try her luck again, however, was still unable to enter matches against men as it was against the rules.

Dvazhdova then decided to doctor her own documents by using a friend’s passport and passed as ‘Vladimir Ermolaev’ – her friend’s name.

The amateur boxer claims she fought in 17 amateur fights against men, however, did not specify her record.

Dvazhdova spoke of the difficulties of fighting while avoiding being exposed saying: “I tried not to talk to my opponents, not to say a word to not be exposed. The guy whom I beat didn’t even know I was a girl.”

Dvazhdova said she is tired of pretending to be a man which is why she decided to openly ask to fight men in a tournament she wants to participate in September of this year, however, did not specify which tournament.

It is unclear if Dvazhdova will be allowed to participate in the coming tournament.

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