Women's boxing in Ireland has taken an important step towards serious recognition with an event at the University of Ulster's Coleraine campus.
At the weekend, 20 of the country's top female boxers took part in the first national ladies' boxing summer camp held in the 32 counties. The participants, aged 12-27, were kept on their toes with four days of intensive training and sparring.
According to Anja Norman, development officer for women's boxing with the Irish Amateur Boxing Association, part of the point of the event was to break down the gender stereotyping which has dogged women's involvement in the sport.
"These strong, devoted girls are training as hard, or even harder, than the boys. The public see the roughness of boxing but we see the skills involved - the tactical and the technical thinking. It's not about rough punching. Boxing is actually a very controlled sport - and it's great for fitness and health."
Norman was dismissive of claims that boxing is inappropriate for women. "It's a kind of prejudice, because boxing is a very safe sport. The girls use headgear, gum shields and breast protectors. And anyway, a good boxer knows how to protect herself."
In addition, every boxer must undergo a pregnancy test a week before competitions, and instead of the usual four rounds of two minutes, there are three rounds of two minutes. Other than that, the same scoring and basic rules apply to all competitors.
As their wiry trainer darted among them correcting posture and technique, the participants put on a nimble-footed display of jabbing, ducking and sparring. The odd glittery pink headband or sparkly pair of training boots aside, there were no concessions to female niceties. Perhaps that can be put down to the necessity to claim an equal footing with their male counterparts.
Kelly Harrington (16), who has been training for a year with Corinthians Boxing Club in Dublin, said: "I am the only woman in my club. So I have to do better than the boys - I have to be extra tough."
Sinead Kavanagh (20), from CIÉ Boxing Club in Inchicore, agreed about the increased need to prove oneself in an all-male environment. "My family are involved in the sport, so it was natural for me to take part. But, being a woman, it was hard at the start. It's different once the men see that you really can compete."
Yet women's boxing is not new, said Norman. It has existed since the 1720s. "In 1904, there was female boxing at the Olympics. There were great female boxers in England and Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s. But for a period during the 20th century, women were excluded from amateur competitions. Today the sport is on the increase again, and there are currently at least 130 actively training and competing female boxers in Ireland."
Boxing coach Pat Ryan said there is no reason young Irish women should not become successful boxers. "Just look at Katie Taylor from Bray, the European gold medallist. She is every coach's dream. She has a wonderful attitude and she is an incredible athlete. Ask any coach how they rate her skill factor, and they all say they rate her equally - if not better - than her male counterparts. Gender is simply not an issue."