Zambia’s Barbra Banda: ‘I was a pro boxer. I had no option but to go one way’

The Copper Queens’ leading striker, who has played in Spain and is now in China, has come through a traumatic time with her country

When Barbra Banda scored successive hat-tricks at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, in Zambia’s 10-3 defeat against the Netherlands and a dramatic 4-4 draw with China, she laid down her marker as a world-class striker. But the 23-year-old, who last weekend became the first player to captain her country at a senior World Cup, could have taken a different career path.

After a very successful 60-plus fights as an amateurboxer, Banda turned professional – having five bouts, of which she won four by knockout and one by a points decision. She was combining boxing with playing football and the offer of a professional contract from the Spanish club EDF Logroño in the 2018-19 season, compelled Banda to hang up her competitive gloves.

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