When Naiimo Bulhan goes to the ring, he doesn’t put on the traditional boxing shorts and sleeveless shirt.
The body is usually covered with a hijab scarf under the helmet. However, the face is visible. A wide smile is revealed from there.
– I try to wear loose, not tight clothes, says Bulhan.
The training schedule needs to be adjusted differently for a month in the spring. Then Bulhan can hardly train.
– Yes, then you would be able to train if you don’t think too much about food. I’m just not able to train 5–7 times a week. I might jog a bit, stretch and hit the sack.
Bulhan is talking about Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month.
Otherwise, he trains and enjoys himself in the ring in exactly the same way as other boxers at the Ruskeasuo training hall in Helsinki.
22-year-old Bulhan is of Somali background, Muslim and a youth European Championship medalist.
Because of his background, Bulhan has attracted a lot of attention and wonder even in Somalia.
Bulhan started boxing over three years ago, inspired by his brother.
He won the SM bronze after only a few matches.
According to the coaches, the development of the boxer has been incredible.
“It became a saying”
A fitness boxing class is going on in Ruskeasuo’s sports hall. A dozen or so young people and a couple of slightly older ones hit sacks at a fast pace. Sweat flies.
The ring next to it is reserved for Bulhan, who hits “spots” on his trainer Risto Heinonen into gloves. The situation is clearly memorable, when a young Somali woman puts an experienced, already slightly older Finnish coach to the test.
And the situation is special anyway: Bulhan says she is the first woman of Somali background to box.
The scarf-headed Bulhan’s roots are deep in Somalia, where sports are not a common hobby for women. In Muslim cultures, women have traditionally been seen as wives and mothers. Sports is primarily a male field.
The use of covering clothes and the hijab may have influenced the participation of Muslim women in sports competitions. The hijab was allowed to be worn for the first time at the Olympics in 2012.
Bulhan immediately received feedback in Finland when he competed in his own clothes.
– In the first match, I was not allowed to wear long pants and a long shirt. It became a saying. People are different, we dress differently, underscores Bulha, who represents the boxers of Vyborg.
Bulhan wonders why the scarf is still used in boxing. Religion comes first in Bulhan’s life.
– In any case, every boxer has a scarf to keep their hair up. Why not wear a hijab? It’s really great that the reform has come and you can wear a scarf in international competitions.
The effect has been seen as far as Somalia
Born in Finland to Somali parents, Bulhan does not see anything miraculous in his competitive boxing career in terms of his background.
– Some may ask, is it allowed to play sports in our religion? It hasn’t been a problem. Of course, in our religion you can play sports, it’s not about that.
Bulhan, who works at an electronics company in Vantaa, also gets his colleagues interested in his competitions. Bulhan says that he has received mostly positive feedback from Finns.
– I believe that the first thing that comes to mind for people is that a girl with a headscarf plays sports and the sport is boxing. Maybe football and basketball have seen something like this before. Maybe boxing is the biggest question, Bulhan reflects.
Bulhan answers calmly and directly, even though the subject may be difficult in places. On the other hand, he has answered these same questions more this year.
In the beginning of 2022, Bulhan won the European Championship bronze for under-22s and the interest in the athlete increased even more.
– The news of my success spread all the way to Somalia. There have been encouraging people there too. There have been messages from girls about how you started boxing.
Bulhan wants to set an example and be a role model for others with a similar background. Somali girls have been in contact with him in Finland as well.
It shows that role models are needed.
– There has to be someone who makes an exception. Then others will be able to join more easily. Then they try something of their own. I hope to get them excited with the help of these interviews, says Bulhan.
Making an impact was not on Bulhan’s mind when his career began.
– I didn’t think then that I would like to be the first in this and I would like to show others. It came by accident. I didn’t even know if I would succeed and how long I would continue boxing. I got lucky and now I’m here.
Bulhan is aiming for a place at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Bulhan says that he will proudly represent Finland at the Games.
In the future, he would like to be a doctor, but now he has his sights set on boxing.
Viipur’s boxers finance his competition trips abroad, but otherwise the funding mainly comes from his own pocket.
Bullied and hard-tempered
There is a riding school and horse stables outside the Ruskeasuo sports hall. When Bulhan goes to the front of the corral, the horses come to greet him.
Bulhan could very well be mistaken for a rider when he is stroking the horses. However, the truth is elsewhere: it all started less than five years ago in a boxing gym in Lohja.
Naiimo’s older brother always came home from training at the Lohja Boxing Club full of enthusiasm. There was a lot to tell the rest of the family, what had been learned.
Naiimo’s interest was piqued, and after a couple of months he played his first matches.
Bulhan immediately noticed that he has qualities suitable for boxing.
He is a reacher and left-handed. It is a rather rare characteristic for a Finnish boxer. Left-handers can easily mix up the rhythm of right-handed boxers.
– I just hit hard, says the boxer.
However, Bulhan’s greatest skill is perhaps between the ears. He has exceptional character and courage in the ring, say the coaches.
– Does Naiimo know how to excite? His face doesn’t even waver before matches, says Bulhan’s coach Heinonen. He considers Bulhan to be a dream coach because of his good attitude.
Bulhan’s former coach Risto Lindstedt describes Naiimo as “fearless” in the ring.
Bulhan noticed the same thing himself when he stepped into the ring for the first time.
– Not just anyone dares to enter the ring. Stepping in there doesn’t scare me.
Bulhan reflects that his tough character developed as a child, when he lived with his family in Lohja. Bulhan says that he experienced racism.
– As a child, I always had to defend myself. There could be bullies and I had to stand my ground. Somehow I’ve been hard-tempered since childhood. Nothing has scared me. From an early age, I knew how to throw a little “hands” if there were any situations.
The fact that Bulhan is the only girl child in her family, there are several brothers, could also have contributed to the birth of her tough character.
– We always traveled together with the brothers. I also became hard on that side.
In Bulhan’s first matches, he immediately faced more experienced strikers. Fighting with the better develops, Bulhan thought.
He wasn’t afraid, mom was.
– Mother’s reaction had nothing to do with religion. It was a mother’s instinct. He didn’t want his own child to take hits. When I started doing well, I received positive feedback and encouragement from the whole family.
Now the family is a big support. Bulhan’s husband is trying to get sponsors. Two of them have been received, both companies with a Somali background.
– Otherwise, getting sponsors has been really difficult.
Because of the success, Bulhan’s life has changed and new routines have been found for everyday life. The departure for training comes after the working day. Boxing has become a way of life.
In his spare time, he spends his time in other pursuits, and the boxer says that watching professional boxing in particular becomes less popular. His biggest role model is an American boxer Claressa Shields. The undefeated champion.
Idols can also be found from years ago. Sometimes Bulhan watches legendary boxing clips on the internet.
– Absolutely Muhammad Ali is one of the idols and other legends like Mike Tyson. They are iconic boxers.