Doina Costin: A Fighter Who Just Wants To Fight
Doina Costin came to England from Moldova a few years ago with no aspirations of being a boxer.
Costin came with hopes of finding a better life. She wanted to work for that better life. There were long hours in dead-end jobs. A sporting life wasn't even on the agenda. In truth, her aspirations were a million miles removed from a career with any kind of sport involved. She even joked with her boyfriend when he hinted at trying the Noble Art that she would leave him if he did. The thought of black eyes and a bloody nose wasn't something that appealed. But then something unexpected happened. Doina Costin found boxing. Or, as normally happens in stories like this, boxing found her.
There was time spent on the semi-professional scene. Before Costin went the more traditional route of amateur boxing. Six fights, five wins only a 'hometown' decision in her last fight spoiled her resume in the unpaid ranks.
Costin then moved on. She turned professional. A winning debut in February got her up and running. A comfortable 40-36 four-round points victory over Sherriee Barnes in Northampton, her place of residence, looked as though it could be the start of something. It should have been. But another side of the sport had other ideas.
A second professional fight scheduled for May was pulled when Costin couldn't sell enough tickets. Another planned fight next month in Northampton on a BCB Promotions card looks like it is going the same way.
It is a side of the sport people don't see. Tickets need to be sold to guarantee a place on a small hall show. Prospective opponents need their costs covered. If you don't sell enough tickets, you simply don't fight.
Costin is understanding. A time of the year when costs are high. Priorities lie elsewhere. But there are broken promises. People say they will come and support. But when the exchanging money part of the process is due, things change. It's a hard sport inside the ring. Even harder outside of it.
Doina Costin puts her body through hell on a daily basis. The constant physical and mental pain of her sport can get too much. How much longer will she put herself through it all? A question that only she knows the answer to. There has to be an end result to all that suffering. Without it, what is the actual point?
At 30, Costin doesn't have time to waste. Or lose. It might be more the emotional turmoil that comes without reward, that hurts the most. She is a fighter who has ambitions. A desire just to see how far she can go. In many ways, she wants the opportunity to see her story run its natural course.
The super-featherweight hopeful needs to sell around fifty tickets for her scheduled fight on Friday, September 6th. At the moment, she is short of the required amount. She needs help. The final push to secure her place on that hometown show.
It's extremely difficult not to have empathy with Doina Costin, even though her story is one of many. Her plight is something akin to putting all the long hours into studying for an exam and then being pulled from doing the actual exam at the last minute. All the effort and long hours of preparation are then wasted. Boxing always finds a way to disappoint.
You sense it will be a long road ahead. But September 6th could be a nice little stop to make that journey ahead a little smoother.
If you can help Doina with purchasing tickets, she can be reached on Facebook and Instagram.
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