Ready: Boxer Esther Phiri (l.) weighed in Friday before defending her title by defeating Belinda Laracuente of the US (r.) in Lusaka, Zambia.

By Joseph J. Schatz

Lusaka, Zambia - The surge of young Zambian girls chanting "Esth-ah, Esth-ah, Esth-ah!" told the story Saturday night as Esther Phiri waved triumphantly to the crowd at Woodlands Stadium in the Zambian capital of Lusaka.

Moments earlier, Ms. Phiri had successfully defended her Global Boxing Union super featherweight world title, winning against Belinda Laracuente, a more experienced and polished American fighter, and adding another victory to her improbable run as the first female boxing champion from this southern African nation.

To many observers, Phiri – a single mother and former street vendor with little education who is now a household name – could strike a large blow for women in a country where major gender inequalities remain in everything from sports to politics to HIV/AIDS.

That's a tall order for a young woman who only recently emerged from Mutendere – the impoverished area that many of Lusaka's urban poor call home – and who is now grappling with the confusion of newfound fame. But with encouragement from her corporate sponsor, the National Milling Corporation Ltd., the soft-spoken Phiri is beginning to use her celebrity to set an example for Zambian children.

Phiri says she sees herself as a role model for Africans. "It's not good to be staying idle," she says, explaining that young girls in Zambia's hardscrabble neighborhoods often fall prey to drinking and prostitution. "I just give them encouragement.

"Everything has changed because of boxing," Phiri adds. Before, "I lacked something to do with my life. God blesses me through boxing."

After her father died when she was in sixth grade, Phiri – one of eight children – was forced to leave school and sell vegetables on the street. Then, at the age of 16, she became pregnant.

How Phiri got her start as a boxer
But after taking up boxing as part of a local initiative promoting HIV-awareness and participation in sports, Phiri was introduced in 2003 to Anthony "Preacher Man" Mwamba, a retired Zambian boxer who advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and now works as a trainer.

"When we met that time she was just a novice, but she had heart," says Mr. Mwamba, who took Phiri under his wing. "She didn't even know she could be someone."

By July of 2005, Mwamba had Phiri in the ring. Her early fights included a draw and a series of losses, and there were no frills – they traveled long distances by bus.

Male boxers didn't make things easy. "They used to insult me," says Phiri with a laugh, recalling how they said she just came to the ring because she wanted to be near the men.