Blonde with plenty of bottle

Gao Erqiang / Shanghai Star

"I was just so jealous of the girls who were in the ring. I wanted it to be me up there," says Candela. "So I became determined to qualify for my first fight."

This didn't come easy. The gala events in Shanghai are held twice a year, and Candela failed to qualify for a June 2013 bout. She was disappointed, but doubled down and just trained harder.

Opponents have to be evenly matched, with the same level of experience, and not vary in bodyweight by over 2 kilograms. The 24-year-old shed 10 kg in order to fight Jackie Zhang, a good friend and the best female fighter in the gym. She also had to keep a close eye on her diet to stay within the predefined parameters.

"It was really frustrating because when you train, you put on muscle, which weighs more than fat, and I had to time it just right," she says. But her determination paid off in December and she qualified for this year's rounds.

As fight night approached, so did stage fright.

"But then I heard my music, I heard my friends and people I didn't know shouting my name, and I stepped out into the ring and I was ready," she says.

The feeling was exhilarating. "You don't have time to think. Muscle memory takes over. You never know what's going to happen, whether you'll tense up in the ring. But afterwards, people told me it was a good fight."

Her next goal is to have a rematch with Jackie this December, and this time, to win. After that, Candela aspires to try Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), or perhaps cage fighting.

Asked how she feels about the sport's macho image, Candela laughs.

"I don't think I'm that much of a girly girl. But boxing isn't either feminine or masculine," she says. "It's like a game of chess, thinking, keeping cool and looking for an opening to make a move. It's like a dance."

Above all, she loves the way it pushes her limits.

"If it's not a challenge, why step into the ring?" she says. "You learn with every punch that you throw and with every punch that you get."