The government’s licensing agency for professional sports has no data or knowledge on approximate numbers of female boxers in the country.

But majority members of various commercial boxing gyms in Metro Manila alone are women. The Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (Abap) has successfully trained gold medallists in the recent 23rd Southeast Asian Games and maintains stable of female pugs for future international tournaments. 

“Boxing is widely accepted by Filipinas today. In our gym, sixty five percent of our trainees or students are women,” said Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde Jr., who operates gyms at St. Rita Village in Paranaque City and Julia Vargas in Pasig City.

Last year, there were at least six to eight Filipina boxers engaged in professional fights in Korea despite not having a license from GAB nor a clean bill of heath from recognized clinics, according to a Korean matchmaker who asked for his anonymity.

One of those women was Madayda Kidsolan, young lass from Mountain Province who has no professional fight record. Kidsolan became the first Filipina boxer in history to fight for a world title championship on May 6, 2005 in Seoul, Korea.

She lasted for only 43 seconds in the second round against 5-foot orthodox Kim Ju-hee, then 19-year-old, for the IFBA Junior flyweight title at Jangchung Gym in Seoul. Kim is known for her girlish look. She holds the record as the youngest female boxer ever to become world’s boxing champion when she was 18 years old.

In the United States, a native of Cebu named Sarah “Thrilla from Manila” Goodson, also previously known as Sarah Rama, fights as a pro since November 1999.

There are five Filipinas in the February ranking of Women’s Asian Boxing Association (WABA), the region’s boxing body under the Florida-based Women's International Boxing Association (WIBA).

It includes Kidsolan as No. 11 light flyweight contender and Goodson as No. 2 in minimumweight class.

Neophyte boxers Janima Karim from Manila and Babay Teckok from Maguindanao, who fought in a 4-round draw on Dec. 18 in San Dionisio in Paranaque City, are WIBA rated No. 9 and 10, respectively in super flyweight class.

Filipino-American Elena “Baby Doll” Reid, a Las Vegas-based former WIBF world flyweight champ, is also listed as Philippine boxer by the WABA and ranked as the No. 1 contender.