Photo: Emma Friedman/WBZ NewsRadio
SOMERVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A 65-year-old woman from Charlestown is set to compete in an all-women's boxing event for charity, fighting what will be her first match.
Yolande Haydon, who goes by “Feisty Old Bag” in the ring, began boxing in 2016 after surviving breast cancer.
She reached this milestone of competing in a match after the Punch 4 Parkinson’s foundation chose her for the Ring of Their Own II event, an all women’s boxing event to raise money to combat the disease by entering the ring for some matches.
“I was beyond thrilled when Punch 4 Parkinson's reached out to me and said, 'you've been selected,'” Yolande said.
Yolande said she plans to prepare all the way up to the event in May, training at Somerville’s TITLE Boxing Club and learning how to best an opponent in a fight.
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“We have only three rounds and they're only going to be 90 seconds each, so it's going to be fast,” Yolande said. “Just gradually figuring out, how do I defend myself, how do I go on the attack, what do I do about the fact that any theoretical opponent I would have would almost certainly be taller than me...”
Her height of 5'1" could very well play a factor in the fight, along with the nerves each fighter is feeling as they step into the ring.
“If either me or my opponent panics, we’ll be throwing our arms like windmills,” she said. “My job is to breathe and to try to stay disciplined.”
Yolande's drive for the sport came from her drive to keep moving and trying, even as she gets older.
“It just helps me focus in a different way and helps me realize that even at my age I can reinvent myself in several ways, which is amazing,” Yolande said. “I think as you get older, you can either stay in place or you can start taking on new things.”
The match is happening on May 3rd at the Royale Night Club in Boston. Info on the event and how to donate can be found on their website.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.