I met Maria for the first time in a gym, during a sparring session. In the ring, I was immediately struck by the contrast between her appearance and the way she fought. Italian, of Russian origin, she was a radiant, beautiful young woman, with an open, spontaneous smile. Nothing hinted at the boxer who emerged once she put on the gloves: highly skilled, aggressive, determined, she kept her opponent under constant pressure. At first glance, I would never have imagined that her nickname, Hurricane, was so fitting.
A friendship grew between us, one that led me to follow her over the next four years. I went with her to training sessions, on her travels, to her fights, even to Spain in the final stretch of her career. In those years she earned significant sporting achievements, including the Italian championship title and the WBC Mediterranean belt in the super bantamweight division.
The more time I spent with Maria, the more I realized that boxing was only one part of her identity. I discovered a woman deeply devoted to friendship and loyalty. Entering her world required trust. She loves cats — she’s had many, and they’ve always been a constant presence in her life. Around her revolves a community of friends, musicians, DJs, people who inhabit the night and who, to her, are a second family.
Every time I thought I had understood who Maria was, another side of her life would surface. The night, the music, her past as a dancer in the nightclubs of the capital. An underground world she moved through for years and then left, in search of a different kind of independence — through her decision to open an OnlyFans profile that could cover the many costs of a sport like boxing: a space where she could manage her own image first-hand and express her sensuality without filters.
Maria lives in constant balance between opposing worlds. On one side, the training, the discipline, the sacrifice that boxing demands; on the other, the nightlife, the music, the friendships, and that search for a personal freedom that led her to move through worlds far removed from one another. Over time I came to understand that hers was not simply the story of a champion. Boxing stories often follow a linear path: the sacrifice, the challenge, the victory or the defeat. With Maria, it was different. Every story held another within it. A boxer, a woman, a person able to move between seemingly irreconcilable worlds without ever giving up on being herself.
Maria now lives in Ibiza and no longer competes in boxing, though she still trains. The violence she suffered at the hands of her partner, which impaired her vision, had already left a deep mark on her life and on her relationship with boxing. Even today, Maria refuses to let herself be confined to a single definition, and that is what has stayed with me about her: the strength of a woman who, despite everything, keeps choosing to be free.
Even today, Maria refuses to let herself be confined to a single definition. That is what has stayed with me about her: the strength of a woman who, despite everything, keeps choosing to be free
A Commitment Beyond the Ring
Maria began devoting herself to boxing around 2015, first as an amateur, even wearing the national team jersey and winning several silver medals. Her nickname, “The Russian Hurricane,” comes from her roots — Russian on her mother’s side — and from a fighting style that overwhelms her opponents like a hurricane.
On November 24, 2020, in the ring of the PalaSantoro in Rome, she won the first Italian women’s super bantamweight title — a belt that, until then, had never been established for women in this category. Maria dedicated the title to her father, who had encouraged her to see it through to the end, and to all women who are victims of violence, so that her strength might serve as an example of courage and determination. The fight against violence against women is a cause Maria has also brought to other events and public awareness initiatives.
A setback in her career came in mid-2022, when she failed to win the European title. Maria changed gyms and coaching team, and opened an OnlyFans profile to support her career.
On November 25, 2023, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Maria won the WBC Mediterranean super bantamweight title in Barcelona. On that occasion she reaffirmed her commitment to the cause, speaking of self-respect as the starting point for recognizing and refusing to accept any form of violence — even the everyday, less visible kind.
