16-Year-Old Female Boxer Qualifies For Nationals

Bella Milner started drawing three years ago and discovered not only did she like it, but she’s also very good at it.

“It was more about making every drawing better than the last one, so I am always thinking about having something I wanted to improve on,” said sixteen-year-old Bella Milner.

A perfectionist at heart, she loves a good challenge. “So, I just started practicing and practicing, my art, and I just ended falling in love with it,” said Bella.

When Bella isn’t pushing the lead with her pencils, she’s dropping the lead in the ring. “When I first joined the gym, I realized how much work you needed to put into boxing to be good at it, and that was really fun for me,” said Bella.

That fire was ignited three years ago when by chance her family found an old punching bag on the side of the road. “We took it home and I had a lot of fun with it,” said Bella.

After seeing her determination her parents knew there was something to this.“Would you want to start punching people? And I was like yeah, I would love to do that,” said Bella. “One of the most talented and hardworking sixteen-year-olds I have ever met,” said Stephanie Tolson, one of Bella’s coaches.

Tolson has seen her transform since coming to the gym. “This person that was inside, has finally got some confidence to speak out loud and to make jokes, and to be herself,” said Tolson.

Bella has gotten a lot better in just three years. “I was sparring with Stephanie one day and she told me afterward she was going to get a black eye,” said Bella. “I had people asking me, “Who did that to you?” And I pointed over to the sixteen-year-old in the gym and I go, it was Bella,” said Tolson.

Bella trains twice a week at six AM and then again, most evenings, and she has qualified to compete in the National Silver Glove competition later this month. “We have five other states in our region, that have to compete on a regional level to go to nationals,” said Tolson. “It’s a really hard challenge, but it’s also worth it, for sure,” said Bella.

The Nationals for Silver Gloves Boxing is for boxers under eighteen years old. It will be held in Independence Missouri, from January 31 – February 4. For information on how to help support her financially visit www.roughhouseboxingandfitness.com