A group of girls gather each night. Above them, flat windows glow with blue TV light. Below, in the dim, oil-stained parking lot, the sharp rhythm of fists on punching bags and focus pads cuts through the hot, sweat-soaked air. 

With each punch, the girls push back against the weight of adversity, balancing faith and true grit to rewrite their stories.

Curious men stop to watch, drawn to the rare sight of Muslim girls trading fierce jabs alongside neighbourhood boys in Slave Island — a tucked away corner of Sri Lanka’s capital,  Colombo.

Two silhouettes on a cream-coloured wall of two young girls throwing punches These are the unfamiliar silhouettes of Colombo’s young female boxers.

Boxing training begins after the final prayer call echoes from the nearby mosque. It’s a familiar sound, an auspicious one. The girls just prayed in their homes before heading to the parking lot for boxing.

A teenage girl in a hijab kneeling on a prayer mat inside a well lit home with tiled floors Maryam Anas, 17, prays before she starts her training.

For 15-year-old Mehera Banu, who shares a tiny, one bedroom house with her single mother, two brothers, and ailing grandmother, boxing is more than a sport. It’s about forging her place in a fight many didn’t expect her to join.

“When I am in the parking lot, training with the girls, everything else, every hardship, fades away. I feel like I am on top of the world,” Mehera said.

Wide shot of two teenage girls in boxing gloves and hijabs in the middle of boxing training The girls don’t hold back when training.

She understands that without the support of her mother, grandmother and aunt, her future might have looked very different.

“Boxing is not something Muslim girls are allowed to do,” she said, adding that she is lucky everyone around her encourages her on. If not for boxing, she would be spending her evenings in front of the TV.

Mehera’s mother, Sahira Banu, works as a housemaid overseas. On brief visits home, she proudly watches her daughter train.

“When I am at work, I watch her training videos and scroll through her photos. It makes me very proud. I am happy to see my daughter doing what I couldn’t do when I was her age, and sad because I am not with her,” Sahira said.

A mid shot indoor family portrait of two young Sri Lankan children, one male, one female, a mother and grandmother Mehera Banu with her mother (right), grandmother (back left) and younger brother.

While paying off a loan, she managed to save enough to buy Mehera a pair of new shoes to train in.

The boxing training began in 2022, during Sri Lanka’s most severe economic crisis, when even basics like fuel and cooking gas were hard to find and food prices skyrocketed.

Mid outdoor shot at nighttime of a young sri lankan man standing infront of a group of kids in boxing gear Coach Nuwan Dananjaya runs the boxing classes out of this parking lot.

Seeing the neighbourhood youth turning to drugs, Mohamad Anas, a businessman and politician, approached coach Nuwan Dananjaya to start a boxing club. Coach Nuwan even pawned his gold to buy gloves and other equipment to launch the training centre.

Mohamad’s daughters, Maryam and Maiza, were the first girls to join the training when it began.

While her parents stood by her from the beginning, Maryam’s school principal was less enthusiastic, sceptical about a Muslim girl stepping into a “boy’s sport”. It took convincing from her parents, the school vice-principal, and a teacher to change her mind.

Mid shot at night of a young girl in a hijab standing next to a boxing bag with her arms crossed Maryam Anas dreams of starting an all-girls boxing club to encourage more girls to join the sport.

Maryam was relentless, persevering through frowns and discouragement from some — and went on to win bronze at a national level tournament this year. Mehera secured a silver medal, while 15-year-old Saima Fazil won bronze at the same tournament.

“When I won my medal, I was the happiest. It was unexpected and it was magic. I will reach the best I can reach in boxing,” Maryam said.

Now, girls from all over the island reach out to her on social media to praise her and show interest in taking up the sport. Maryam hopes to start an all-girls boxing club soon.

Mid shot of two young girls in hijabs throwing punches in a well lit parking lot at night Mehera Banu and Maryam Anas won medals at a recent boxing tournament. 

“That way more girls will join us. There could be girls who don’t want to train with boys in my community, but with an all-girls club we can overcome that hurdle too,” she said.

Just past 10pm the boxers are exhausted — but their faces are wide with smiles. As they leave, they give Coach Nuwan a quick fist bump.