Vietnam's first world champ punching out of poverty

Fighting prejudice

Nhi did not know where boxing would lead her, but she knew what she wanted: to escape from a life of desperate toil, making just a few cents a day on the streets to help feed the family.

"I earned money selling lottery tickets in the street, serving noodles in restaurants. I did anything that could bring me money to help my family," Nhi said after a session at the National Sports Training Center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's economic capital.

Her unanimous points victory to dethrone the taller, vastly more experienced Tada－the Japanese fighter has a professional record of 20 wins, four defeats and three draws－came as a shock even to Nhi.

"I could not believe I had won. I stayed awake the whole night with the championship belt next to me in bed," she said.

Sexist attitudes about women in sports persist in Vietnamese society, so Nhi had to endure taunts as she trod her path.

"My neighbors used to constantly question my grandmother why she let me do boxing like boys," Nhi recalled. "I had to try my best to show them that the path I had chosen was right for me.

"I earned my living by my passion for boxing. I was better than them."

Nhi said the challenges she faced made her all the more determined to succeed.

"I always tried my best and pushed my body to the limit since I was a little girl. I still think I am weaker compared to the men, despite the fact that I have always had to show I am tough," she said.