The ability to pack a punch has made a western suburbs boxer the best in Australia – and if she has her way, it will make her the best in the world.
Sylvia Scharper, who lives in Footscray and trains at Tarneit Boxing in Hoppers Crossing, recently won the Australian bantamweight title after three years of competing in the sport.
“I got taken to a muay thai boxing match, fell in love with it and wanted to start training in it,” Scharper said.
“I never anticipated that I would actually be competing one day, so to have won a title like this is just amazing.”
Scharper said she gave professional boxing a try as a way to improve her muay thai skills.
“When I first tried boxing, I literally couldn’t string two punches together because I was so uncoordinated,” she said.
“Some people just have natural skill but I definitely don’t. Everything I’ve achieved I’ve had to work really hard for.”
In her first eight-round fight, Scharper claimed the title by defeating Queenslander Kori Farr at Club Italia in North Sunshine.
Her next goal is to defend her title at the end of this year. If successful, Scharper hopes to be able to compete for a world title.
“It’s one thing to win but it’s a completely different thing to prove that you’re worthy of it,” she said.
“I’m not the quintessential athlete but if you find something that you love and you learn more about it, you’ll naturally get addicted to it.”
