A lawyer by day and a fighter by night, Lise Knudsen is no ordinary woman. She is one of the few female boxers in the country and has been breaking down barriers for decades as she bids to be accepted in a sport which is dominated by her male counterpart.
For more than 15 years, Knudsen has been proving herself both in and out of the ring, demonstrating strength of mind as well as body. Clearly an individual with many talents, not only does she fight professionally but she also offers boxing based private fitness classes for women and children. And that’s not all; she even somehow finds the time to occasionally pose for the camera as a boxing model.
Since the age of three, sport has always been part of her life. She started training in gymnastics and went on to compete at elite level by the age of 10. Subsequently she moved to group gymnastics and continued training until she was 14 after which she became a gymnastics coach for six years in Norway.
However, Knudsen had her mind set on something other than gymnastics.
“In Norway we all love sports, my mother wanted me to do ballet and gymnastics. But it was never my kind of thing,” explains the ultra dedicated Knudsen. “I was always wrestling with the boys and wanted to pursue it, but they did not have the facilities in my city so I tried kick boxing, after which I went into boxing and I have loved it ever since.”
Knudsen’s journey into the world of boxing was not an easy one. At every facility she trained, she would be the only female willing to work alongside the men.
“I was fighting in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, but only as an amateur and semi pro. Even when I trained in the UK I was the first woman to be allowed to train in one of the boxing gyms. Most of the women were not even allowed to enter,” she explained.
Even now there is a stigma that women should not be involved in boxing but Knudsen is convinced she has witnessed a vast increase in participation from her fellow females. “I have definitely noticed more women wanting to try boxing. A lot of women come in and train just for fitness or to do something different, but quite a few take it very seriously.
“It is a sport mostly for men, but considering that when I was training fifteen years ago I was the only woman, now I can see a lot of progress” she added.
Despite enjoying teaching others the sport, and preaching the benefits that come with boxing training, minor injuries are something Knudsen must deal with on an almost daily basis.
“I probably get a little injury every week, small injuries here and there are usual. I think in a sport you have to expect them. I’ve had black eyes and even broken my nose. In fact two months ago I passed out and lost my memory for an hour and half. But fortunately I have always been able to recover very quickly.”
Despite playing down her injuries, it seems Knudsen could well have been forced to give up the sport she loves.
“I got a bad injury in my shoulder that kept me out for ten years, but I’m glad to be back and competing right now and I owe it all to Dr. Aleta Bezzic, due to whose guidance I could get back to fighting.”
Injuries are not the only obstacle for the Norwegian to overcome. Being a lawyer by day and training regularly for her fights, a busy schedule is something she has to juggle with in order to excel in both fields. She begins work at 9am at Panicker Partners and after a long day in the office she immediately heads to the gym where she will spend at least three hours perfecting her skills.
But how does she find balancing her battles in the courtroom with her fights in the ring?
“Fortunately I love being a lawyer and I am in a company that backs me,” adds Knudsen. “I’m working for one of the top law firms in the country and they are very supportive with my training. If they were not, I do not think I could manage, so I’m very lucky.”
Knudsen is currently training for her upcoming fight in the Elite Fighting Championship on 7 February at Sofitel JBR. Her opponent Sandra has a thai-boxing background, but the Norwegian fighter firmly believes she can walk away victorious.
“Even though she is bigger than me I can take her, it does not worry me. I’ve just got to get in there and do some damage,” says Knudsen, who goes by Killer Bunny inside the squared circle. “I really hope lots of people come to watch the fight, I would like everybody who is supporting me to wear something pink as it is my signature colour.”
As well as encouraging people to come and watch her in action, Knudesen hopes that with boxing and Mixed Martial Arts on the rise in the UAE, more women will try something new.
“If you have an idea just do it, and don’t say ‘I will do it tomorrow’. I always say I am going to do it today and no excuses. “Especially with training, I treat it like my job. I have to go everyday, it’s not negotiable. You have to be dedicated if you want to achieve something.”
Apart from the upcoming boxing event Killer Bunny will also be participating in an MMA fight, her first of venture into the sport at the Dubai Fighting Championships; the most reputable series in the UAE.
Each event welcomes elite level fighters and at DFC5 Knudsen will be looking to make her mark in the world of MMA. She will be the first ever female to compete in the Championships, proving that even after more than a decade she is still breaking down barriers.
DFC 5 is scheduled to take place in March this year.
