'I have this passion for boxing:' Chinese woman defies tradition to try sport

Growing up in China, Joyce Yang never thought she'd have an opportunity to box.

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As a child, when her friends were talking about super heroes, she was thinking about boxers. But her ideas of boxing herself were strongly discouraged by her family.

"My mom, my family, they were just like, 'You're a girl. You shouldn't do that stuff,'" said Yang.

When she moved to P.E.I. for university four years ago, she had little hope that the small Canadian community would give her an opportunity. But then, just a few weeks ago, she heard about women boxing at Ko-Ed Boxing Academy in Charlottetown.

"I didn't even hesitate. I'm just going to call. I'm just going to come here," she said.

A way to focus

It has been two weeks since she first tied on the gloves, and she is loving it.

"I have this passion for boxing," she said.

At this stage, Yang is not even thinking about competing. She just likes to get into the gym, pull on the kit, and work out.

"It's a way to get focused, so I don't have to think about any other stuff," she said.

"After I've finished the punching, I can just focus on homework or study."

Her family and friends don't understand, but Yang said that is not going to stop her.

"Even though I told my mom last week and my mom was like, 'Nope' I'm just going to do it," she said.

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