Miriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, wears a mouth guard that reads "Gender Violence" as she trains at her boxing gym in Madrid, Spain, March 26, 2019. Picture taken March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
MADRID (Reuters) - Miriam Gutierrez boxes with a mouthguard engraved with the words #genderviolence.
Beaten up by her partner when she was pregnant with her first child, the young Spaniard has since used boxing, and now politics, to champion women's rights.
Miriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, fights Samantha Smith for the lightweight European Championship in Torrelodones, outside Madrid, Spain, March 23, 2019. Picture taken March 23, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
And she's had quite a year.
Gutierrez, who has earned herself the nickname "The Queen" at her gym, became European lightweight boxing champion in March and was elected as a city councillor in a Madrid suburb in May.
Now, she is aiming for a world championship title while further spreading the word for women's rights - all that in a country where the issue of gender violence has become very politicised, and divisive.
Miriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, prepares to fight Bianka Nagy (not pictured) during a boxing match in Barcelona, Spain, April 14, 2019. Picture taken April 14, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
"My dream could not be destroyed by anything," Gutierrez said in an interview at her boxing club, as warm and smiling out of the ring as she is focused in it.
The young mother of two recalled how when she was only 21, and eight months pregnant, her partner at the time beat her so severely that she gave birth prematurely - and covered in bruises.
"He hit me in the face in such a way that he broke several bones in my face and I fell to the ground. What I worried about first of all was whether my daughter still had a heartbeat", Gutierrez said.
Miriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, talks to her children in her hotel room as she waits to fight Bianka Nagy (not pictured) in Barcelona, Spain, April 13, 2019. Picture taken April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
The child is now a teenager and doing well, and has a younger brother, both of whom support their mother in her boxing career.
But that came after a long struggle. First, Gutierrez quit boxing for about a year and a half, before going to see her coach, who encouraged her to get back into the ring.
She also started visiting schools, delivering speeches and giving self-defence classes to raise awareness about gender violence and bullying.
Hands of Miriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, are pictured in detail as she waits to fight Samantha Smith (not pictured) for the lightweight European Championship in Torrelodones, outside Madrid, Spain, March 22, 2019. Picture taken March 22, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
"There must be respect, something that nowadays often seem to be lacking anywhere you go," she tells the youngsters.
Violence against women is a prominent issue in Spain now, where media report widely on every case involving women being killed by a partner or ex-partner. There are now just over a thousand such cases since official records began in 2003.
The issue was thrust back onto the agenda by the far-right Vox party, who won 24 seats in parliament in April on a platform that includes scrapping the gender violence law, which it says discriminates against men.
Miriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, trains at her boxing gym in Madrid, Spain, April 2, 2019. Picture taken April 2, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
Gutierrez said that, being a newcomer in politics, she didn't want to comment on the broader public debate, but that she was looking forward to pushing for women's rights as a municipal councillor in Torrejon de Ardoz.
And she will also keep training hard.
"I'm going to be world champion, that's for sure, and it's not a dream, it will be a reality ... it's something I think about every day," she said.
Miriam Gutierrez's youngest son Joaquin, 6, touches her muscles as they take their dog for a walk in Torrejon de Ardoz, outside Madrid, Spain, May 27, 2019. Picture taken May 27, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
"I have no regrets because if everything I've been through has made me the person I am today, I'll take that."
(Reporting by Silvio Castellanos, Elena Rodriguez and Susana Vera; Writing by Ingrid Melander and Elena Rodriguez; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Miriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, celebrates her victory over Samantha Smith (not pictured) for the lightweight European Championship in Torrelodones, outside Madrid, Spain, March 23, 2019. Picture taken March 23, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraSupporters of Miriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, react as she defeats Samantha Smith for the lightweight European Championship in Torrelodones, outside Madrid, Spain, March 23, 2019. Picture taken March 23, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraMiriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, reacts with pain in her shoulder during a physical therapy session in Paracuellos del Jarama, outside Madrid, Spain, March 27, 2019. Picture taken March 27, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraMiriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, reacts as fellow boxers congratulate her on winning the light weight European Championship upon arriving at her boxing gym in Madrid, Spain, March 26, 2019. Picture taken March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraStudents check out the gloves of Miriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, after she talked to them about gender violence and bullying in Alconchel, Spain, March 29, 2019. Picture taken March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraMiriam Gutierrez reacts after her son Joaquin, 6, knocked out a tooth in Torrejon de Ardoz, outside Madrid, Spain, May 27, 2019. Picture taken May 27, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraMiriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, trains at her boxing gym in Madrid, Spain, March 26, 2019. Picture taken March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraMiriam Gutierrez plays with her cat at her home in Torrejon de Ardoz, outside Madrid, Spain, May 27, 2019. Picture taken May 27, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraMiriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, punches Bianka Nagy in the face during a boxing match in Barcelona, Spain, April 14, 2019. Picture taken April 14, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraA picture of Miriam Gutierrez with her kids on the ring of her boxing gym is displayed with the phrase "Family is life's hope, the base for values and the strength for children" on the wall of her living room in Torrejon de Ardoz, outside Madrid, Spain, May 27, 2019. Picture taken May 27, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraMiriam Gutierrez and her oldest daughter Zayra, 14, look at shoes displayed in the window shop in Torrejon de Ardoz, outside Madrid, Spain, May 27, 2019. Picture taken May 27, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraFILE PHOTO: Miriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, gets dressed after training at her boxing gym in Madrid, Spain, March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraMiriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, kisses her husband Joaquin while she is in pain from a blow during her victory over Bianka Nagy in Barcelona, Spain, April 14, 2019. Picture taken April 14, 2019. REUTERS/Susana VeraMiriam Gutierrez "La Reina" (The Queen), 36, punches Bianka Nagy during a boxing match in Barcelona, Spain, April 14, 2019. Picture taken April 14, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
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