Tyla Promnick has heard all the cheesy lines.
“Oh, you think you can take me?” some ask when they discover she is an aspirant professional fighter.
Or, predictably, “You don’t look like a boxer.”
Come December 6, the doubters will know. That’s when the 19-year-old will make her pro debut, fighting on the “Rivalry Reloaded” card at Emperors Palace.
She will be more than simply a fresh new face on the local scene; she will be a pioneer: her and older brother Dean, an unbeaten middleweight, will be the first South African brother and sister to hold pro licences.
Promnick had a handful of amateur bouts, including white collar, but the dearth of women at mini-flyweight limited her activity. That’s when she opted for the paid ranks.
Regulars at Emperors Palace may even recognise her given that she’s a vocal fan, her brother’s biggest – and loudest – supporter.
“I feel like I want to climb in the ring when I watch him,” she says of her brother, now 4-0. “He’s one of my biggest supporters and I want to be one of his. I know his potential and how good he is. It’s a thrill watching him fight.”
Boxing may seem an unlikely pursuit for a young woman who looks too tiny and fragile to take a shot, but word from Alan Toweel’s gym, where she often spars with bigger, heavier men, is that she is no shrinking violet.
She explains: “Boxing is the only thing that really takes my mind off my struggles. I feel in control of my body, and powerful. It really calms me. I can take care of myself.”
Her poise and good looks belie an inner steel, something she partly attributes to growing up in a home that included two biological brothers and a step brother. All the rough and tumble taught her how to be tough.
She isn’t naïve about the associated dangers of the sport and prides herself on her defensive prowess, aligning with the truism that the aim of boxing is to hit without getting hit.
“I know there are risks both for me and my opponents, but I won’t be presenting an easy target.”
Indeed, as she runs off a list of her favourite female boxers – Amanda Serrano, Katie Taylor, Laila Ali, Skye Nicholson and Tiara Brown – she mentions their virtues as stylists and habitual winners, habits she hopes to acquire
Her favourite male fighters, too, are accomplished throwbacks: Manny Pacquiao and Sugar Ray Robinson, one of the greats, the latter arguably the GOAT.
In Toweel, she has both a trainer and a father figure. The Toweel legacy is the stuff of lore, but Alan jnr brings more than skill and smarts to the partnership.
“He’s like a father to me,” says the young aspirant. “I can hardly put into words what he’s taught me, like heart and integrity being more important than any punch you throw. He doesn’t teach me about sport, he teaches me about life.”
She frequently spars with male fighters, who tend to take her under their wing, and sometimes she travels to the Smith gym for sparring against another woman. From time to time others pop in and they’ll go a few rounds. Given the dearth of female boxers locally, they form an unofficial sisterhood, grateful to have each other, and happy to help.
As early December looms, Promnick wants more than a winning start. “The biggest thing is to prove to myself that I can do it,” she says. “I have the love for boxing and the determination. When it comes down to it, what matters most is producing it when it matters most.”
