Sameenah Toussaint: “Qualifying for the Olympics would be a dream come true.”

Sameenah Toussaint: “Qualifying for the Olympics would be a dream come true.”

A life in sports was always in the mind of Sameenah Toussaint. There were never any thoughts of a ‘normal’ working life. Initially, boxing wasn’t for her. Now, after ten years and six National titles, it most certainly is.

The 22-year-old Watford-born fighter is a three-time European bronze medallist, a GB podium fighter, and competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Toussaint has achieved plenty, but she is at an age where you sense she is only just getting started.

“I was raised by supportive parents who encouraged me throughout my childhood to take sports seriously,” Toussaint says of her upbringing. “Especially my dad. He ingrained being fit and active into me from a very young age. I did a lot of sports growing up, including football and swimming. I was always involved in extracurricular activities after school and I was in all of the school sports teams. But as important as sports were, my parents made sure I took my education seriously, and I was pushed in that department as well. I have a half-brother on my dad’s side, but he is a lot older than me, and we never lived together. So I was essentially brought up as an only child, meaning a lot of time and effort was put into me by my parents, which I am grateful for.

“I’ve been sports-oriented for as long as I can remember. Like I said before, my parents raised me to be active, so I never knew any different. Due to this upbringing, I never had any desire to grow up and do a regular 9-5 job. I knew from a very young age that my career would be in the sporting sector. I just never knew what particular sport it would be.”

The entry into her sport of choice came at an early age. After a somewhat reluctant start, that early reluctance soon gave way to something a little more.

“When I was around 10 years old, my dad took me to my local boxing gym, Northolt ABC, in West London. Initially, I never really liked boxing, I preferred the other sports that I took part in. I felt like the atmosphere of the gym was pretty hostile, especially being a girl in a male-dominated sport. Furthermore, I was the only girl there. And I generally disliked the thought of being punched in the face. But once I got over the initial fear of being hit, training became a lot easier. Later on, when I started competing, I quickly realised my potential and the feeling of winning made me start to enjoy boxing a lot more.

“The feelings and emotions that come with succeeding in sport are amazing, and that feeling is unmatched. Boxing is one of the hardest sports in the world, so being successful in it, it gives me a real sense of accomplishment. This feeling is what fuels and drives me to accomplish even more.

“Boxing teaches you to be disciplined. Because without discipline, you won’t get far in the sport. For example, there can be times when I may not feel like training or lack motivation in general. But it’s my disciplined nature that pulls me through and gets me to train hard. This also translates into everyday life. Outside of the ring, it gives you mental toughness that helps you in a lot of ways.”

Sameenah Toussaint is now ten years and sixty fights into her boxing journey. But she still recalls her very first fight. “My first bout was in 2015, and I was 12 years old. I was up against a girl from West Ham BC, which was a pretty big club at the time. I had previously had a skills contest with her a few months prior, which went well. So, I was fairly confident in beating her. I remembered from our last encounter that she liked to come in head first, so my coach Brian Smith (who is still my coach to this day) told me to lead off with an uppercut. And without surprise, it landed almost every time. After securing the victory, many people came up to me saying they’ve never seen someone land so many uppercuts in one fight.”

A short career has already produced many memorable moments, but one fight stands out Toussaint told FightPost. “I have many favourite moments in my career for different reasons. One of my highlights is winning my first National title in 2015 as a schoolgirl. This is particularly special to me as I won it against a girl who had previously beaten me a few weeks before. In fact, she absolutely battered me in the first fight, giving me a bloody nose and receiving a standing count. So, to defeat her (unanimously) was a massive achievement, and I displayed a lot of willpower and courage. I also know for a fact that if I lost that bout, I would have quit boxing by now. That win gave me the confidence to push on and achieve more.”

Toussaint has a big year ahead of her. My next confirmed tournament is the Gee Bees, hosted in Finland in April. My aim is to perform well and win gold,” Toussaint says of what is next. “But my main goal for this year is to be selected to represent GB at the World Championships this September in Liverpool. I know that as long as I keep pushing myself in training, the results will come in these smaller competitions. This will only strengthen my case to be picked for the World Championships.”

The professional ranks are ever-growing. But while Toussaint isn’t ruling that prospect out, her focus right now is on staying amateur. “Turning over is not on the cards as of now,” Toussaint relayed to FightPost. “But never say never. Amateur and professional boxing are almost two different sports, especially for women. I would like to reach my full potential as an amateur before making any decisions of turning professional. I feel like I have definitely got a lot more to give and a lot more learning to do in the amateur game. But if I receive an offer that I can’t refuse, then who knows.”

Before any thoughts of a run as a professional, Toussaint has more immediate ambitions. “My long-term goals are to be selected for the major tournaments and to medal in them,” Toussaint says of what her current targets are. “Tournaments like the Europeans, Worlds and of course, the 2028 Olympics Games. Qualifying for the Olympics would be a dream come true, and I will do everything in my power to make sure I have the best chance of being selected for the qualification events, which start in 2027.”