Kara Smith, born and raised in Marblehead, is stepping outside her comfort zone and into a boxing ring next month, fighting for a cure for cancer.
The annual charity event Belles of the Brawl is hosted by the Haymakers for Hope. Since 2011, the nonprofit has $32 million for cancer research and care.
“People always say you should do things that scare you,” Smith said.
The 29-year-old executive assistant has been cardio boxing for about six years. However, this will be her first fight. And it’s for a cause she cares deeply about.
“I lost my grandmother to cancer in 2011 and my Uncle Perry is a cancer survivor,” she said.
Smith started cardio boxing in 2018 after graduating from college and moving home to Marblehead.
“I was looking for an outlet,” she said. “They opened a Title Boxing Club in Vinnin Square, and I took one class and was absolutely hooked, obsessed.”
Asked what she liked most about boxing early on, Smith said, “It was honestly mental. I liked exercising, but nothing stuck. I would wander around the gym and pick up whatever. It didn’t feel fulfilling. There was something about hitting a heavy bag that was a full-body release. You have to be really present and challenge yourself.”
Smith teaches cardio boxing at the Title Boxing clubs at Boston’s North Station and Assembly Row in Somerville. She’s training 90 minutes, five to six days a week.
“I jump rope for nine minutes, shadow box, get in some drill work,” she said. She is also practicing sparring.
Her opponent at Belles of the Brawl is a 40-year-old woman who is 5 feet, 1 inch tall. Smith is 5-foot-5.
Fights are scheduled for three, two-minute rounds.
What is her mindset going into fight day?
“You have to have confidence,” she said.
No matter what happens in the ring, Smith said, “I’ll love boxing forever. I hope to get my kids into at least a cardio boxing class some day.”
And she specifically encourages more women to put on the gloves.
“It’s really empowering,” she said. “It’s a pretty heavily male-dominated sport. I think it’s important for women to know how to hold their own. I feel safe out at night, given that I know how to throw a punch.
She added, “I also want to be a mentor for the future Haymaker girls and continue to knock out cancer.”
Belles of the Brawl happens Thursday, Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m. at Fenway’s MGM Music Hall. To learn more about Smith’s upcoming fight, visit haymakersforhope.org/events/boxing/belles-of-the-brawl-2024/fighters/kara-smith
