Kloe Freeman: “Just because I am a boxer does not mean I am not academic.”
It is a life and, therefore, a boxing career that is still very much in its infancy. But there is real hope and belief that Kloe Freeman could reach the very pinnacle of the amateur ranks. Like many, Freeman has found solace in boxing. The sport came along at a difficult time, and in many ways, she is now thriving both in life and in her boxing career.
The 15-year-old was born in Nelson, New Zealand, but now she resides in Tahunanui, Nelson. “I had a pretty good upbringing,” Freeman says of her early years. “Though my parents separated when I was young. So, I now have two homes, one with my stepmother and father, and one with my mother and younger brother. I was mainly raised by my father, who is very supportive of my boxing, and he still is.”
“Outside of boxing, I enjoy the outdoors, mainly hunting and fishing, which I use as a way to take a breath from everything,” Freeman added in regards to her life away from boxing. “I also enjoy going to the gym and running, which I use as a way to clear my head. I am currently attending Nayland College as a year 11 student, and I have passed my NCEA Level 1. My passions are definitely human anatomy and nutrition, which I do a great deal of studying about in my own time, and I wish to continue into my career and become a physiotherapist specialising in athletes.”
Freeman is academically impressive, but there has always been a passion for sports. “I have always been sport-minded. As a little kid, I always enjoyed football and athletics. For around two years, I also did speed skating, which I competed in around the country. But none of it was really enough for me. I have always been a sucker for an adrenaline rush, having done skydiving and bungee jumping. I find it exhilarating. I think that’s part of the reason I love boxing so much.”
Freeman began her boxing life around two years ago. “I started boxing at the age of 13 because I was having a bit of a rough patch in my life, and I needed an outlet, so one of my uncles suggested boxing,” Freeman says of how her boxing journey began. “That’s when I started at Victory Boxing, a community boxing club in Nelson. I first started in the college girls’ class for a bit of fitness. It was new and exciting, and I loved it because it was hard. Slowly, after a month or two, it wasn’t enough for me, so I talked to one of the coaches there, and he invited me to join the fighters’ class. At first, I was nervous, but after meeting my current coach, Amiee and the rest of the team and training at the intensity they did, boxing turned into my addiction.
“The part I loved about it the most was that there were so many different skills and aspects of it that you needed to learn in order to box properly. It blew my mind, and everyone had their own unique style as well.”
Boxing might have come into her life at a difficult time, but for Freeman, it’s long-lasting and incredibly meaningful. “The attraction of boxing for me is definitely the hard work that led up to stepping in the ring. The fact that you train so hard for months on end, and it all comes down to the six minutes you have to put it all together and prove yourself. It’s challenging physically and mentally. Some may say it’s a rough and ugly sport, but once you understand the science and technique around it, it’s an art form, and it’s beautiful.
“Boxing has also given me empowerment. It’s empowering because it’s a male-dominated sport, which has its hardships, but that only makes the success sweeter. Because of the fact I am a female, I have had people tell me that I would never succeed in the sport and that it wasn’t ‘feminine’ enough. Once again, making success feel even better.”
Kloe Freeman has referenced having to navigate her way through a sport that is still fighting to move away from certain prejudices. But the 15-year-old is fully intent on proving people wrong. “The hardest part of boxing for me was originally, and sometimes still is, dealing with all of the stereotypes and the social aspect of it. I found that a lot of people who knew I was a boxer assumed I wasn’t intelligent because most boxers are perceived as “punch drunk” or not academic. So when I do well in school, everyone seems surprised. I think people need to get over that stereotype.
“Just because I am a boxer does not mean I am not academic. Once kids at my school found out I did boxing, many of them took it as a challenge, especially the boys. There was also a point when body image and social expectations really made me insecure about myself, people telling me that my muscles make me look like a man and that I didn’t have the stereotypical build of a ‘pretty girl’.
“I even remember at extended family dinners, family members telling me that I am ‘gaining too much muscle and that it looks gross for a female’. That really got to me for a wee bit until I realised that I worked my ass of to build the body I have today, and whenever I’m told by somebody that I don’t have a ‘pretty physique’ my response is always, “I would like to see a pretty girl do the shit I do,” because I have built my body to function like a machine in my sport and I am proud of it.
“Social expectations on body image impact a lot of girls around their teen years, and I think that it’s important to remember that your body is working so hard to keep you alive every day so we should give it the respect it deserves.”
Freeman finds inspiration from every female who competes in sport. “I wouldn’t say I have a single person who inspires me. Every single woman competing in a male-dominated sport inspired me, whether it’s boxing, rugby, and so on. I think all of those women deserve to be recognised more and paid more. Women work just as hard as men do and sometimes even harder. A lot of people in power talk about it a lot, and yet nothing changes. Actions speak louder than words, so I will believe it when I see it.”
Freeman is still relatively new to her sport. The memories of her very first fight still linger. “I remember being really nervous before my first fight last year,” Freeman relayed to me. “It was at the 2024 South Island Golden Gloves, and I was debuting against a girl who had already had her first fight, which made me more nervous. Walking up to the ring, I was really shaky, pumped with adrenaline. One of my coaches saw this and told me, “Kloe, this ring is a shark tank, and you are the shark.” That immediately changed my attitude from nervous to wanting the medal, and this girl was the only thing in my way. I still think about how the ring is my shark tank before every fight. It’s a bit corny, but it works.
“As soon as my opponent and I touched gloves, I went to look her in the eyes, but she avoided eye contact, and that’s when I knew I was going to win that fight. I ended up giving that girl two standing eight-counts in the first round, and then her coach threw the towel in. Getting my arm raised for the first time was one of the best feelings I have ever felt.”
Kloe Freeman has moved on since her first taste of competitive action inside a boxing ring. A plethora of titles across multiple weight classes, including the New Zealand National Junior title. Despite a deep resume, Freeman views something else as the high point of her career to date.
“The highlight of my career so far is my coach, Amiee, opening up her own gym so that we all could have a better training and team environment and also winning my national title.”
Freeman is only 15, but she is already looking ahead. “My short-term goal at the moment is winning an international fight opportunity I have been given in November against someone from Australia. If I do well, it could open up more opportunities to maybe make New Zealand’s youth development squad. I would also love to get some sponsors behind me to help me along my journey.
“My long-term goal would definitely be to represent my country in the sport around the globe and to become a coach once I am old enough so that I can help others grow in the sport. I don’t really have any thoughts of turning pro I think that would only happen if I don’t get where I want to be in amateur boxing.”
Time will tell how far Freeman can go in her boxing journey. The ambitions are balanced. A desire to represent her country, to test her skills at the World Amateur Championships, and once the gloves are hung up, Freeman wants to pass on her knowledge to others as a coach. Kloe Freeman is impressive in many ways.