Boxer Mona Ward is preparing for a new season of Team Combat League (TCL) action. The bantamweight is part of the Atlanta Attack. TCL teams are a unique combination of male and female boxers. Each match contains 18 three-minute rounds and teams compete across six weight categories. Each round is scored individually with additional points added for knockouts and knockdowns.
Ward, 26, said once she discovered boxing at age 12 at a local rec center down the street from her home, she’d found her passion. She has seven sisters and brothers, and growing up she was often the protector. Also, from a very young age, she enjoyed working out with a punching bag in her aunt’s home. So, without knowing it she was in training for boxing.
“It actually fits me and my personality,” Ward said. “I believe boxing was a gift that was given to me. Once I started getting involved more and more, I started to learn.” Even losses have provided her insight into the sport.
Ward appreciates female boxers like Claressa Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and professional champion, who provide both inspiration and insights into boxing. Shields even gave information about her pregame meals. “I gained a lot of confidence watching her,” Ward said. “She’s not afraid.”
The next TCL season starts in the spring and will last for four months. When that gets going, Ward, who had considerable success as an amateur boxer, will have weekly fights. “Once I started with TCL, I loved it,” said Ward. “We’re working side by side with each other, going hard. If anyone is slacking, we push each other.”
Before next season, she will try to schedule other professional fights that will move her toward her goal of becoming a bantamweight champion. “I have a pro fight in January 2024. I’m hoping to have something before that,” said Ward, who tells her three children that their mother is a professional boxer. Before she turned pro, she worked as a security officer and a hairstylist.
“I’m trying to be the bantamweight champion of the world,” she said. “I really want to be the first one from St. Louis to do so. I have to continue to work hard in order to do that.”
