Mexican amateur Sulem Urbina (46-10) has her eyes on the prize, as she battles in the amateur ranks hoping to land a spot on the Mexican Olympic team in 2016. A 23 year-old flyweight, Urbina now resides in Phoenix, AZ and trains under the tutlege of her husband, Andy Soto, at the Knockout Boxing Gym in Phoenix. Sulem, who also attends Phoenix College, has won Golden Gloves championship in Arizona in 2007 and 2009. She placed third in the 2009 National Golden Gloves tournament, all though she contemplated going pro, the boxer/puncher opted to remain an amateur in hopes of representing Mexico in 2016. 

Sulem, who will be fighting in the Amateur State Tournament in Mexico this weekend, will be doing so with a heavy heart. 

This past September 3rd, Sulem’s seventeen year old brother, Alexis Urbina, a 2013 USA Boxing National Champion and USA National representative at 141 pounds, was brutally attacked in his home and died from the resulting injuries two days later. This will be Sulem’s second fight since the tragic passing of her younger brother. But she will battles on knowing that Alexis would have wanted her to do so. 





Sulem Urbina: 
I started because my older brothers started going to a boxing gym, and I begged them to take me because I always enjoyed playing sports. I used to play basketball, softball, volleyball and other sports in school. But, when I started boxing I realized how competitive it was. And that was what made me fall in love with it. I love how hard you have to work to be able to win those fights. So it really motivated me. 



SU: 
At first, my Dad always was supportive.  He always pushed me to accomplish what I wanted to do. He forced my brothers to take me to the gym. My mother did not like me coming home with bumps and bruises.  She was not having it, she really was not happy about it. 



BH: 
You seem to be a favorite to represent Team Mexico in the 2016 Olympics. Your thoughts on the possibility of representing Mexico?



SU
:  It is a huge deal for me, I want to be the first woman to do so in Mexico. The last Olympics, none of the girls from Mexico qualified for the Olympics. So, that is motivation for me. Just representing my culture, born in Mexico, my family is Mexican, I just want to do a good job of representing my family. 





SU:  
It is very hard, when something like this happen to you.  It changes so many things in your life.  You look at things in a different way. But, boxing wise, it is like he is still here with me at the gym all the time. I think that we are out running together. It is really hard, but it motivates me now. Before he passed away, I promised him that I would keep going, so I have to be strong. 





SU: 
I knew I was going to get back in the gym because I know that was what he would have wanted. It was weird, my little brother was never afraid of dying. It was something that I never understood about him, but, he was always a happy kid. And he would always tell me that if he ever died... I don’t know if he knew, I just don’t know.  It just doesn’t make sense...  Even when he was little he would say that he was not afraid of dying, but if he did that he wanted our family to keep going and to stay strong. So, the first week that I went back to the gym was the hardest. I imagined him working out with us. The first time I sparred, I broke down crying after sparring because that was the first time I did not hear him giving me instructions. So, it is very hard. 





SU: 
Past, I would say Arturo Gatti was one of my favorites. Those wars that he had with Micky Ward were really something. I also liked Kostya Tszyu. Right now I like Andre Ward, Juan Manuel Marquez and Nonito Donaire. 

SU: 
I am very lucky to be blessed, my genes in my family, we were all physically strong. But I am also blessed to have a great coach.  He has taught me so much over these past seven years. I love to go out there and brawl, but you cannot always do that, so I can box, I can counterpunch, I can do a little bit of everything. I can mix it up, and that is what makes me special. I believe you never know which Sulem is going to show up. 





SU: 
Yes sir, I am married to my boxing coach. 



SU
: Before we started our relationship, we had a big long talk that boxing stays in the gym. It is almost like he is two different people in my life. My coach and my husband are two separate people. When I am in the gym, he is not my husband.  He does not take our personal things out on me in gym, or treat me nicer than the other guys. He trains me hard. Whatever happens in the gym stays in the gym. I hate him in the gym, he trains me so hard, I mean, if you like your coach all the time, then he probably doesn’t train you hard. But, that stays in the gym, but, on the way home, he is back to being my husband. Two in one. 



BH: 
With you being a lady in the sport, have you had to deal with anyone trying to say a woman should not compete in the sport of boxing?



SU: 
There have been a few guys in boxing that aren’t very smart guys. They have told me that boxing is not made for women, that I should not be out doing that, because it will not take me anywhere. Thank God that has only been a few.  Most of the people around me are very supportive. 





SU: 
They will for sure see an exciting fight, because I make every fight fun for the crowd. I go out there and give it my all, and hopefully people like my style and how I switch it up. People usually end up falling in love with the way I fight. 



SU: 
I just want to tell everybody to keep an eye our for 2016, I will do my best to make it to the Olympics, and please keep supporting women’s boxing, because we need everybody’s support.