Navajo woman boxer

From self-doubt to validation

By Lorraine JessepeIt was a fall evening in 2005 when Mioshia Wagoner attended her first boxing event. At the time, Wagoner was sports editor of the Indian Leader at Haskell Indian Nations University.

A Navajo who was raised in tight-knit Native communities in Gallup, N.M. and White Cone, Ariz., Wagoner was attending Amateur Fight Night, sponsored by the Haskell Boxing Club, looking for a sports story.

Though she didn’t know anything about boxing, what she witnessed that evening captivated her for an entire year: Two women boxers going toe to toe in the ring, one pummeling the other with her power and skills.And:Still on the basketball team for Haskell, Yosh soon made up her mind that she wanted to add boxing to her sports repertoire. “My dad always told me I could do anything I wanted.”

So in 2006, she began her journey as a fighter with the Haskell Boxing Club. It would be a journey that led her to the Women’s World Boxing Championships in November 2008. Through it all, Yosh did not envision how far her determination would take her. It meant she would have to continue to train through periods of lingering self-doubt: “Am I good enough?”

In her brief boxing career, the 5 foot 7 inch southpaw has compiled a 6-3 record and become known for her power and speed. Beginning as a light heavyweight, her fighting weight has trimmed down from nearly 180 to 165 pounds. “My punches are cleaner, crisper, stronger.”Comment:  For more on the subject, see Comanche Boxer Does War Dance, Sovereign Nations Boxing Council, and Woman Wrestler from White Earth.