Cuban women boxers say they have had to endure sexist jabs. Now they’re punching

(CNN) Even before they could climb into the ring, Cuba’s female boxers had to roll with the punches.

While the island has long been famed for its top-level male boxers, women were blocked by an official prohibition on their practicing the sport competitively.

Cuba’s government-run INDER sports institute claimed the sport was too violent for women, even as Cuban female athletes competed successfully in judo, karate and taekwondo.

For many hopeful women boxers on the island, the ban smacked of sexism — and a missed opportunity.

“From the time we were in our mother’s wombs we are fighters,” long-time boxer and trainer Namibia Flores Rodríguez told CNN.

“We are always fighting for something, to raise our kids, to help our families, to be independent.”

Flores says she trained for years as many women interested in boxing do in Cuba: on her own dime and in gyms lacking in even the most basic equipment.

While they could learn and practice the sport as a hobby, the ban on women’s boxing meant Cuban female athletes could not take part in tournaments on the island or abroad.

At least officially, women’s boxing in Cuba did not exist.

A new dawn

In December, the first cracks in that glass ceiling appeared when officials made an about face after announcing that they had obtained the proper safety equipment for them — such as padding and head…