Ria Ramnarine, 2017 IWBHF
Inductee, is Trinidad and Tobago’s first female
world boxing champion. She began her sports career as a kickboxer on
March 28, 1998, and made her pro boxing debut on Dec 3rd 1999, without
any amateur background.
Ria's second round KO
victory kick-started an illustrious 15-year career, during which time
she held the WIBA mini-fly and flyweight world titles, as well as the
WIBF and GBU world titles. She also copped the mini-fly and fly WBC
regional titles and the WBA interim world title. As a kickboxer she won
the Pan Am flyweight title.
After her retirement from competition, Ria continued in the
administrative and
coaching aspect of the sport. She is a three-Star AIBA coach and
currently sits on the AIBA Women's Commission, as well as the PRO for
the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association. She coaches at Fine Line
Fight Factory and also developed Boxing Beyond the Ring, a program to
address female participation in boxing and which also provided a
possible solution to gender-based violence whilst working towards the
empowerment of women and girls.
Ria told WBAN that boxing literally "just happened". She never had any
previous interest in the sport and in fact had never participated in
sport in school since she was required to work together with her family
to make ends meet. But the gym she joined just for fitness, Fine Line
Studios, was more a combat sport gym and eventually she made her way
into the classes.
Her coach Bharrath Ramoutar, was mainly responsible for encouraging her
to box as he recognised she had the never say die attitude. She
appreciated and enjoyed the challenge that was presented -- the rigorous
training,
the mental grit needed, and the opportunity to walk a path that was not
really traveled by much other females in her country.
She was described as gritty fighter, who didn't quite possess the flash
and flair but most certainly had the heart and soul of a champion. One
reporter wrote: she is a family's idol, a trainer's dream, and a
people's hero.
