Anna Mazzieri: emerging talent of Reggiana Boxe wins silver with the Under 17 National Team

Behind a fresh fifteen-year-old face and very kind manners, hides a knockout right foot for yet another youthful jewel of the Reggiana Boxing. This time it is not a male context but the fairer sex that is the protagonist. The young Anna Mazzieri in just three years he has already shown what he is made of, burning the stages and arriving at seizing the silver medal with the Under 17 national team, 70 kg category, at the Round Robin tournament last March.

And if the start with the gloves was almost a joke, what is not a joke is her deadly right: the road is still long, but despite being only fifteen years old, which will become sixteen in September, Anna already demonstrates a very solid maturity and mental attitude.

"I entered a boxing gym for the first time shortly before I turned thirteen, even though I'm not a big fan of sports in general. I had tried some, including swimming for about four years, but never at a competitive level or with the aim of getting to the top. The culprit, in a good way, was my dad Paolo, because he practiced boxing when he was young and my cousin Giacomo Amadou Ly trains in the same gym".

How was the beginning?

"I was the only girl in the amateur course, then others arrived and, at the request of our coach Michael Galli, they became competitive. Mike had been asking me for a while too and, after a few months, I was convinced, especially because I understood that that was really my environment, not a source of stress like other sports had been".

And then comes the fateful moment of the first official match.

The coach had told me that I would debut in February 2024, so I was notified almost a year in advance. But things changed shortly thereafter and in September I found myself in the ring. I saw fighting as something far away, I was happy with a bit of understandable anxiety, which over time, I learned to manage, but everything went well and I also took home the cup for best boxer of the evening in which there were several matches on the schedule".

A start with a bang that earned him the blue jersey.

"I took part in the Italian championships in 2024, I went out in the quarter-finals but I was noticed and called up to the national team with which I faced my first Round Robin tournament (a sort of group where all the participating teams compete, ed.) taking home the bronze medal, while in March of this year, at the second appearance, we put the silver around our necks".

How is your typical week structured?

"I train five times in the boxing gym plus on Saturdays and Sundays I go to the weights room; when I can I also lift weights after boxing training but obviously I can't do it very often."

Yes, at fifteen there's also school. Do you sweat more in the ring or at the desks?

I attend Bus Pascal, majoring in international relations, it's a demanding school but my teachers support me, being aware of my boxing activity".

Back to the bag: who has been most helpful to you on your journey?

"As I was saying, my family and especially my dad who was the 'cause' of everything. Then my coach Michael Galli with whom I have always gotten along very well, in fact I want to underline this because in the past I have abandoned other sports because of the coach. Finally my cousin who I often ask for advice, one day I hope to have him in the corner with me".

Is no one in the family afraid of him getting hurt?

"The only one is the grandmother! But the others don't, in fact they see me happy. Then Mike often talks to the parents of the kids and reassures them that using the helmet is enough protection".

In a stereotypically male sport, what do you feel like saying to a girl who is hesitant to put on gloves?

"I would say give it a try; until you try, you will never know the adrenaline rush or how it feels the first time you put on gloves or throw a punch. In fact, stereotypes are the last thing you should worry about, they are now outdated since so many women in the world are making careers in boxing."

And what does the future hold?

I hope my head never tells me to give up even in the worst of situations and I hope I never get tired of this sport: once you get attached to it, it's hard to give it up, it's almost like a refuge, a safe harbor. There's still a lot of work to do, I have to refine my technique but I'm sure my coaches will help me improve".