Caroline Dubois recalls being ‘kicked out of the gym for being a women’ and fighting for recognition among her brothers as she collects ‘Athlete of The Year award’ from Nelson Mandela’s eldest grandchild

Caroline Dubois recalls being ‘kicked out of the gym’ for being a woman during her acceptance speech at the 2024 Mandela Awards after being named ‘Athlete of the Year’.

Dubois – who was presented with the award by Nelson Mandela’s eldest granddaughter Ndileka Mandela – revealed how she pretended to be a boy to gain access to the boxing gym when she was younger.

The 23-year-old superstar opened up about how her coach supported her to “win a world title” and credited her for being “amazing” before realizing she was actually a girl.

Once he discovered Dubois’ true identity, he kicked her out of the gym – something he must have regretted as she became a Youth Olympic Champion, a Youth World Champion, and a four-time champion. of Europe’s youth.

Since then, Dubois has won the IBO lightweight belt and extended her professional record to 9-0 – taking on Miranda Reyes, Magali Rodriguez, Sofia Rodriguez and many others.

Dubois – who was presented with the award by Nelson Mandela’s eldest granddaughter Ndileka Mandela (left) – revealed how she pretended to be a boy to gain access to the gym.

When receiving her award at the 2024 Mandela Awards, Dubois said: “Thank you to Ms. Mandela for presenting me with this magnificent award. It’s a testament to my accomplishments, but also to your accomplishments as a woman. Being able to make a name for yourself with a last name as big as the one you have is truly amazing.

“I come from a very big family of boxers. My brother is a professional boxer and I just followed in his footsteps. I’m the middle child of seven children and as the middle child you really have to fight to make a name for yourself and be noticed, and that’s all I think I’ve ever done. Being in the ring gave me the spotlight, the stage and the platform to make a name for myself and for that I will be forever grateful to boxing.

“When I started boxing, there weren’t many female boxers. There weren’t any in the gym I went to. When I went to my first boxing gym, I remember the coach at the time telling me “you’re amazing, you’re going to be world champion…”, but when he found out I was a girl, he didn’t. he didn’t want me in the club anymore and he kicked me out.

After being kicked out of the gym, Dubois became a youth Olympic champion, a youth world champion, and a four-time European youth champion.

Since then, Dubois has won the IBO lightweight belt and taken her professional record to 9-0 – taking on Miranda Reyes, Magali Rodriguez, Milena Koleva and many others.

“A few years later, I was able to realize the biggest dream of my career by qualifying for the Olympic Games. For me, it was such an incredible moment, which I will never forget. It was very hard but it was definitely worth it. Now I hope that as a professional I can realize my dream of becoming a world champion.

“It’s been a huge journey. The biggest change for me is going from being a normal girl at the gym to being seen as a role model. I don’t know when it happened, maybe it happened overnight. But it happened and I’m ready to put myself in place.

Ben Shalom, CEO of Boxxer, added: “We are incredibly proud of Caroline and everything she has achieved. She is an inspiration and role model to countless young girls and boys around the world.

“This award is a testament to both his character and his abilities. We believe she will become the first female pay-per-view star and lead women’s boxing to new heights, and we look forward to supporting her in that goal.