#AcceleratingAction | Growing Women’s Boxing in Ontario Through Community, Collaboration and Training

Mar 8, 2025 | Female Development Committee

One of the persistent challenges facing women’s boxing in Ontario is finding matches and sparring partners. Boxing Ontario’s Female Development Committee (FDC), alongside member gyms across the province, aim to combat these challenges by hosting training camps that are designed to unite female athletes from across the province (along with their coaches) to train, spar, network, and prepare for competition alongside their fellow female athletes.

The FDC hosted their first Performance & Development Camp of 2025 in partnership with DC Boxing Academy in Guelph on Sunday, January 19.

The latest camp welcomed a group of over 20 boxers: including seasoned veterans and many athletes just beginning their competitive journeys. The day’s activities consisted of a boxing warmup and drills, pad work, technical rounds, and open sparring. The athletes challenged each other with competitive, controlled, pre-matched rounds with the guidance of camp coaches.

Julia DiMarcantonio, who is a coach at Napper’s Boxing in Welland, a previous Team Ontario coach, a former Ringside World Champion, and a member of the Female Development Committee, led an insightful discussion on mental and physical preparation for competition.

Timed in advance of the 42nd annual Brampton Cup, this camp presented an ideal opportunity to complete additional rounds and finalize preparations ahead of the tournament.

Sparring camps such as these are essential to female athlete development because it gives boxers experience against other female athletes of similar skill levels, divisions, and weight classes. These opportunities can help athletes simulate and prepare for competition, sharpen their skills, and challenge themselves.

Through these camps, the FDC’s goal is also to cultivate a sense of community and learning, which is important to retaining athletes in the sport and developing athletes to the next level.

Boxing Ontario would like to extend a sincere thank you to Sebastian Cordova, head coach and owner of DC Boxing Academy Guelph, for hosting the athletes and coaches and sharing his expertise. Special thanks also to Coach Julia DiMarcantonio for her guidance, and to the Female Development Committee for their commitment to support and expand opportunities for female athletes and women’s boxing in Ontario.

Full album available on Boxing Ontario’s Flickr account

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is Accelerate Action: “a worldwide call to acknowledge strategies, resources, and activity that positively impact women’s advancement, and to support and elevate their implementation” including elevating women and girl’s participation and achievement in sport. Here are just some ways to involved more women in boxing, and how all Boxing Ontario members can support them:

  • Host a future FDC Camp: If your club would like to host a future FDC Performance and Development Camp, please visit Boxing Ontario’s website to complete the FDC Camp Hosting Request. 
  • Host all-female sparring: If your gym hosts open all-female sparring which is open to other Boxing Ontario competitive/sparring members on a regular basis, please email [email protected] so you can be added to the Female Sparring in Ontario list.
  • Host an all-female card: Club competition requests can be submitted at boxingontario.com.
  • Register for a coaching or officiating course: More women are enrolling in coaching courses and officiating clinics, and we need to keep the momentum. All courses and clinics plus registration info will be posted to Boxing Ontario’s event calendar.  
  • Inspired to start boxing competitively or recreationally? Join a Boxing Ontario member gym!
  • View our event calendar. Upcoming female sparring opportunities will be listed on our website.