Boxing champ helps deliver boxes of supplies during pandemic
The title "boxer" conjures up an image of a fierce fighter packing brilliant punches in the arena. It's a long way from the vision of a charitably minded, warm-hearted woman ready to extend a helping hand to people in need.
Liu Li, a resident of Huangpu District, is both.
She was the 2019 WBA (World Boxing Association) Asia Female Lightweight champion at 135 pounds and is the highest-ranking Chinese female boxer currently in the international arena.
For the last few years, Liu has followed a training routine three times a day at a boxing gym near her home and never missed a session.
But in this special time, she is now more aptly known as a volunteer in her district.
WBA ASIA's Instagram account has information about Liu winning the WBA Asian Women's Lightweight Championship.
Since the resurgence of COVID-19 in the city in March, Liu has been moved on several occasions by the many volunteers active near her home. So she decided to join them.
She searched a local volunteer portal, registered, and got in touch with the volunteer group in Huangpu.
"I told them that aside from my daily training time, I could volunteer at any other time," she said.
Liu was assigned to assist as a long-term volunteer at the Renji Hospital in Huangpu District's nucleic acid testing center.
The first day on her job, she found it formidable.
Liu arrived at the hospital early in the morning of March 15. After receiving basic training in how to wear protective clothing, sterilize, assist the elderly in using the health cloud app, and maintain the queue's order, she was put straight to work after lunch.
She stood at the hospital's entrance, holding a loudspeaker, urging people to line up, get ready their QR code for the test. It didn't take long for her voice to become hoarse, quite unexpectedly.
It rained non-stop in Shanghai in those days. The rain, combined with the sweat locked in the protective gear, left Liu unsure whether it was warm or cold that day.
She also chose not to drink water throughout the day to minimize toilet trips to reduce the number of times she had to remove the suit.
Liu's first job was to organize residents at the hospital entrance.
Volunteers are supposed to stop work at 4pm every day, but Liu had her own schedule.
"I saw a message in the WeChat group asking volunteers to help move supplies in the evening, and I thought I could do a bit more," she recalled.
The few hours left at her disposal she would go to the boxing gym for an hour of training and then she would rush to another neighborhood in the evening to help.
In addition to moving supplies, Liu was also responsible for taking delivered goods and takeouts to residents, assisting with nucleic acid testing, and various other tasks.
With such a busy schedule, she didn't return home until after 11:00pm every day.
Liu helps the elderly use the health cloud app.
Liu helps move supplies.
Liu was quite a celebrity as a boxer.
A video of her boxing during her volunteer work went viral in March - the month she turned 32 - with one netizen musing: "What a cool volunteer, and we had a heightened sense of security!" Boxing fans noted that "her movements are so professional!"
Liu introduces herself as a woman with a strong sense of justice from an early age.
But it wasn't until she was 20 that she began to pursue combat sports seriously.
"I studied Thai boxing initially but had never competed as an amateur, "she said. "In 2014, I flew to Thailand to compete in my first professional Thai boxing competition and won the championship."
Liu began studying boxing after recognizing her talent in combat sports, which gradually became a more focused commitment for her.
"While they both sound like combat sports, they are actually quite distinct," she explained.
In 2019, Liu traveled to the Philippines and won the WBA Asian Female Lightweight championship after defeating a Thai woman in 29 seconds.
However, due to the pandemic, she has not been able to compete abroad in the last two years. But she has maintained her training routine. Even during the full lockdown, she continued to train at home.
When asked to compare her two identities as a boxer and a volunteer, Liu said that the daily training is tough and lonely as a professional athlete. She is more concerned with being able to do it well rather than being happy.
Being a volunteer, on the other hand, is different. Although she was also tired, she enjoyed being side by side with other volunteers and feels the joy that comes from her contribution.
"Given that I am unable to train and compete at the moment normally, I want to do something meaningful during this time," she said.
"There are many things in life that if you don't do them now, you might never have time to do them later."
Liu did not participate in volunteer work during the full lockdown in the Puxi area, which started on April 1, because the Dapu Subdistrict, where she lives, already had enough volunteers.
She will, however, be the first to return to her volunteer position at Renji Hospital once the lockdown is lifted.
"I will continue to assist them until they no longer need it. Boxing training while volunteering is like recharging my body," she said.
