Jaiden Comer
JRNM 151

Helen Joseph has made a career in boxing through the nickname “The Iron Lady”.
Submitted Photo

A common phrase people often say is “life is a journey” and this couldn’t ring more true for Helen Joseph, an acclaimed national boxer and award winner known as “The Iron Lady”. 
Joseph began her professional career in 2004 while still living in Lagos, Nigeria. From there she has set out goals in the ring and has conquered them all from fights in Ghana, Nigeria to the United States.
Now Joseph is turning to setting goals outside the ring by attending Lorain County Community College, to follow her other dream of a major in communications. But her life hasn’t always been on a positive streak. 

In the Beginning
Joseph’s story began in Nigeria following the death of her father when she was just 10-years-old. She moved her life to days and nights spent on the streets with no money or family members to support her. 
But at the age of 13, Joseph’s life started to turn around. After spending years scraping or a consistent living, she says, “I found myself in the nation’s national boxing gym almost every day.

Enter Boxing
Boxing coaches who regularly attended the gym began to take notice of my persistence and so one day they approached me with an offer.” 
Soon, Joseph began consistent training for her newfound passion in boxing, training that led her to travel the world. “I began competing in several places around the world like Belgium, Australia, New York City and Las Vegas, Nevada,” Joseph says. 

Professional Career
Now at the age of 33, Joseph has won the World Boxing Federation championship in 2017 and the International Boxing Federation championship as well as “best fighter of the year” in 2015. In her career as the two-time featherweight world title challenger, Joseph has won 17 matches with ten being by knockouts. 

The Iron Lady
Going by the name of “Iron Lady” Joseph’s journey is one of untraditional standards. According to her trainer Brian Cohen, “Joseph did training in camp with a 40 lb vest on and we put 200 lbs in a wheelbarrow and she would go olds school Rocky with it.” 
Besides being an iron lady in strength, Joseph’s nickname comes as a symbol of her inspirational journey and a reminder that even when she’s down, she never quits. 

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