RUQSANA TAKING INSPIRATION FROM TYSON’S BACKING
TYSON FURY’S words of encouragement will ring in Ruqsana Begum’s ears as she resumes her bid to become a two-sport world champion later this year.
The London-born English Bangladeshi Muslim overcame religious and societal restraints, ME (chronic fatigue syndrome), a failed arranged marriage and depression to become a Thai boxing world champion at the age of 32.
She then set out to conquer the world of boxing after signing with David Haye, but suffered a draw and a defeat in her first two outings.
Begum admits she’d considered quitting if she lost her second fight, which took place a year ago and, like her drawn debut, was against the Bulgarian fighter Ivanka Ivanova.
But the belief that Fury and her coach, Ismael Salas, had shown in her prior to the fight – and the attitude that helped her rise to the top in kickboxing at the third time of asking – convinced her not to give up on her dream.
Begum said: “When I was training in Las Vegas for my second fight, Tyson just said, ‘The gym door is always open’.
“Top Rank is a closed gym but he told me I was welcome anytime.
“He really empathised with me and my struggle, because I was there on my own, and a lot of people didn’t quite understand why I wasn’t there with a manager, a team or an entourage.
“He was the only person who asked, ‘Are you all right, are you here by yourself?’
“Tyson was really nice. I remember he introduced me to his dad, John, at a book signing and he was saying, ‘She’s such a good boxer’. It was really nice to hear.
“I’d always thought that if I lost my second fight I’d retire but afterwards that wasn’t my feeling and my instincts told me otherwise.
“Yes, I’d lost, but anything in life you want, you need to endure. These things take time and patience.
“People have said, ‘You’ve had a great career, maybe you should retire’.
“But I didn’t win my first kickboxing world title fight. Or the second one.
“Deep down, though, I knew I was good enough to do it and I had to continue until I got my world title.
“The character and the endurance that took just gives you a different level of belief and faith in yourself – and not everyone can understand and appreciate that.”
Begum’s autobiography, Born Fighter, is released this week.
And the 36-year-old added: “I’ve encountered an arranged marriage, I came out of it, went through a bit of depression at that time, was going through intense panic attacks, I was housebound for three to six months and the way I found myself was through boxing.
“It gave me a second lifeline. My parents backed me.
“The story I want to tell is more than just a boxing a story. I’m passionate about boxing but it’s just one aspect of my life.
“I’ve faced battles to even walk into the ring at all and I guess that’s the battle the majority of people who read it will be able to relate to.”
Born Fighter by Ruqsana Begum, will be published this Thursday, June 25 (by Simon & Schuster, £12.99)