17-year old Cynthia Ogunsemilore's life is a literal metaphor of the phrase punching above one's weight.
Scouted by a local coach, she started boxing aged 12. She has had to surmount patriarchy and gender stereotypes in her sport.
For every training session she is able to turn up to, Cynthia is punching above weight. Above the weight of jeers from her peers, above the weight of poverty in the hopes of a better life through sporting glory and above the weight of her personal insecurities in this globally competitive sport.
-Grace Ekpu, Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria
Portrait of Nigerian boxer, Cynthia Ogunsemilore during an evening training session in Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria on October 10th, 2018.
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Nigerian boxer, Cynthia Ogunsemilore warming up before her training session in Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria on October 10th, 2018.
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Nigerian female boxer, Cynthia Ogunsemilore doing some stretches before her training session in Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria on October 10th, 2018.
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Nigerian boxer, Cynthia Ogunsemilore’s evening training session in Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria on October 10th, 2018.
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Nigerian boxer, Cynthia Ogunsemilore’s evening training session in Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria on October 10th, 2018.
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Nigerian boxer, Cynthia Ogunsemilore’s evening training session in Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria on October 10th, 2018.
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Cynthia's evening training session in Bariga, Lagos
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Nigerian boxer, Cynthia Ogunsemilore’s evening training session in Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria on October 10th, 2018.
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Nigerian boxer, Cynthia Ogunsemilore’s evening training session in Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria on October 10th, 2018.
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