Mav Akram did not set out to prove a point—she set out to build a space. A space where women could move freely, punch hard, and breathe deeper. A space where confidence was trained like muscle, and barriers fell like sweat to the floor. A space shaped by boxing—because Mav Akram is both a fighter and a coach.
After losing her father at 18, Mav Akram found herself in the ring. Boxing became a way to grieve, to channel pain into purpose, and to begin again. What started as personal release evolved into public transformation. As co-founder of the now eight-time award-winning WBC Women’s Boxing Club, Mav Akram created something rare: a club that doesn’t just build bodies—it restores belief.
Mav Akram has trained women of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. She has taught boxing and self-defence in schools, community centres, and safe houses. She has worked with survivors of domestic abuse, young people affected by gang violence, and women seeking refuge, clarity, or simply a breath of their own. Her work is physical—but it is also deeply emotional and profoundly social.
As a British Asian Muslim woman who wears a hijab, Mav Akram has never waited for permission to take up space. When questioned, doubted, or dismissed, she didn’t step aside—she stepped forward. She has fronted a BBC documentary, appeared in a global Nike (M) campaign while 36 weeks pregnant, and been celebrated across Birmingham, from the Commonwealth Games to community murals.
Mav Akram’s vision is not about fame—it’s about force. She is a Sport Birmingham Mental Health Champion, a Queens Baton Relay Bearer, and a catalyst for change. Her coaching is fierce, but her presence is gentle. She meets people where they are, and reminds them of who they’ve always been.
In the world Mav Akram is building, no woman is too quiet, too brown, too visibly Muslim, or too heavy with grief to box. Everyone belongs. And everyone is stronger than they think.
