Champion city boxer eyes mixed martial art bouts

Thulasi Helen

is a battle-hardened woman in every sense of the word. From facing numerous hardships since her younger days to being the only representation from the state in the ongoing

Super Fight League

(SFL) — a mixed martial art tournament — Thulasi has come a long way. Inspired by her elder sister, Thulasi took to

boxing

when she was 12 and didn’t take long to climb her way to glory at national and international meets.

Not only was Thulasi punching past her opponents in the ring, even outside it — her steely resolve was put to test. Be it issues ranging from a failed marriage, tussle with the state boxing association or even financial troubles, Thulasi has faced it all. "Those tough times taught me never to give up. These lessons in life have helped me a great deal when I am in the ring. While facing an opponent, I set aside all my worries and look to win," Thulasi says.

Boxing may be her forte, but Thulasi underwent rigorous training for the last few months to gear up for SFL. "This tournament is a great platform to promote Mixed Martial Art (MMA) which requires a fighter to employ techniques such as striking, kicking and grappling among many others to get the better of the opponent. This league has eight teams split into two groups of four each, fighting it out for top honours. Each team will have six fighters — five male and one female — and the same number of backups," says the 28-year-old, who dons the Goa Pirates’ jersey in the competition.

Thulasi may have lost her opening match to Hannah Kampf of Bengaluru Tigers, but she is confident of turning things around. She opined that her SFL stint taught her a great deal on how to prepare for any match. "The way fighters train and gear up for any match was something that caught my attention. They keep a tab on the diet and their overall being. To top that, the support staff do a great job in maintaining the fitness level of every fighter," adds the boxer.

Thulasi says she felt the advent of SFL will help MMA get a lot of mileage in Tamil Nadu. "Traditionally, Tamil Nadu has always embraced all sporting disciplines. The SFL matches are telecast live and audiences will not become aware of the rules and regulations but also see top quality fighters in action. I am sure this league will get viewers hooked and you would witness a few fighters emerging from our state in the coming seasons," says Thulasi, who trains at Royal Kickboxing Academy in Bengaluru under her coach Sathya.

The boxer has been keeping a track of the jallikattu issue that galvanised the entire state in the past few weeks. "We protested in a peaceful manner and showed others how to get things going. It is a lesson to all as to how we must all stand up for our rights," she says. Thulasi dreams of starting her own academy to groom talent. "It is definitely something I would want to do. There are a lot of talented youngsters in our state and all they need is proper guidance," she says.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Thulasi’s eventful life has been turned into a documentary titled ‘Light Fly, Fly High’. The work — filmed by Susann Ostigaard and Beathe Hofseth, hailing from Norway — aptly captures the trials and tribulations she underwent in her life. "It was screened at the documentary festival at London in 2014. The sole aim in my life is to help people realise their dreams," Thulasi says.