Women’s Boxing Champion Defeats Central American Haters

“Eradicate all hatred,” says Yocasta Valle, who has experienced discrimination. both from being a woman in a male-dominated sport and as an immigrant traveling from Nicaragua to Costa Rica

“Many of my colleagues have told me that if they as men can’t be champions. I can even be a woman too,” she said. “There is nothing a woman can’t do. As I always tell girls, use hate and discrimination speeches to fuel your goals and show the world that our capabilities are limitless.”

Yokasta himself did that. She transformed the frustrations she had experienced throughout her career into energy to defy stereotypes and expectations.

“I started boxing when I was 13 and people always tell me that. ‘You can’t do that,’” she explained in an interview with HollywoodLife.com. United Nations News“But those words just fueled me to say, ‘OK, I’ll show you something else’.

She made good on that promise to become the 105-pound World Boxing Champion of both the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organization.

Yokasta Valle is a five-time boxing world champion.

“Yokasta Valle is one of the best athletes in Costa Rica’s history and for the UN it is an honor to work with women who have overcome such great challenges. Since adjusting to a new country as a child until the confrontation Discrimination and exclusion over time in her life,” said Allegra Baicochi, the United Nations’ coordinator in the country.

As part of his advocacy against discrimination and hate speech, Yokasta met Alice Nderitu, the United Nations Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide. who proclaimed, “Yokasta Valle is not only a boxer on stage. but also a fighter for human rights.”

The two found common ground in fighting discrimination together. “She is a very strong young female boxer in her field. She has many victories, many titles and she is originally from Nicaragua. But moved to Costa Rica as an immigrant. and combat the obstacles that migrants have to contend with,” Ms. Nderitu said.

“She’s not just strong in the ring. But she is also strong outside of the ring,” the special counsel continued. “She has a huge following on social media. And she talks about opposing hate speech. What she said was really connected. Because she talks about how to respond to hate speech against immigrants.”

UNESCO Costa Rica/Jonel Puka

Yokasta Valle Partners with UN in Costa Rica to Promote Sustainable Development Goals

The Special Counsel praised Yokasta’s message not only for its hate speech against immigrants. But also gender discrimination. “She is a very strong human rights activist. and seeing strong human rights activists in boxers Being humble and likable is a very good combination.”

“I was always discriminated against, first of all, for being a woman and for being an immigrant from Nicaragua,” Yokasta recalls. ‘This sport is not for women’ ‘You don’t represent Costa Rica. You represent Nicaragua. Go back to your country’”

Yokasta understands that hate speech tends to circulate on social media. So she encouraged retaliation. “The fact that the post contains hate speech and discrimination makes people

want to repost and comment,” she remarked. “You don’t have to pay attention to everything you read and watch. We have to see the truth of things.”

On International Women’s Day, March 8, the United Nations in Costa Rica announced Yokasta as its new champion at an event held at the United Nations House.

This distinction is given to individuals who act as role models in areas such as sports and who promote human rights through their message.

Yokasta expressed a strong determination to live up to her new role. “Being a champion of the UN comes with great responsibility. and I am willing to take it.”