The 25-year-old is forging a growing reputation in
France and dreams of Olympic gold but laments her exile from
Iran, where the idea of a woman
boxing is frowned upon
Sadaf Khadem came from the mountains and underground gyms of Tehran to Royan, a seaside town in the south of France, so that she could have the freedom to fight. She came alone. In the salty air of Royan, she respectfully replaced the hijab with a blue headguard and gum shield. Khadem had already pulled on a vest and shorts and boxing boots.
Mahyar Monshipour, a former world champion boxer based in France, was her trainer. As a man, who was not her husband, he was not meant to be close to her. But Monshipour wrapped her hands and slipped on the gloves. Khadem’s arms and her legs were bare as she walked to the ring in April 2019 for her first fight as an amateur boxer.