\n<\/p>\n
Pu grew up in Taiwan and moved to London in 2004 to study before returning permanently in 2009.<\/p>\n
After doing some pad work during a personal training session, she thought about finding a boxing club for fitness.<\/p>\n
Her fitness hobby turned into amateur competition, then judging, before she stepped out of her comfort zone to become qualified referee in 2018.<\/p>\n
“My family are kind of like a traditional Taiwanese family – quite protective and lots of rules – so I think being traditionally brought up, I was quite risk-averse,” she said.<\/p>\n
Pu’s parents were fully supportive of her decision to transition into refereeing, although they did have concerns over her safety and being a target for racism.<\/p>\n
“Obviously, they were proud when they heard I was the first and the only one in the UK,” said Pu. “But mums being mums, she was asking if it was going to be dangerous.<\/p>\n
“I said: ‘They’re not punching me, they’re punching each other!’<\/p>\n
“Obviously, they worry about racism, they worry about a woman in a really male-dominated space.<\/p>\n
“I had to kind of reassure them that it’s OK and that I can protect myself. When I was doing training, I got told you need to be thick skinned and I am that.”<\/p>\n
Pu took on further responsibility inside the ring a month after her professional debut – scoring Robert Lloyd-Taylor Jr’s win over Denis Hnidek as well as refereeing, before becoming fully qualified in 2025.<\/p>\n
“On the professional side, I have to say the reaction has mostly been really positive,” Pu said.<\/p>\n
“During the amateur days, there were some odd comments and stuff. I think one of the hesitations I had before turning professional was also for that reason.<\/p>\n
“I just thought: ‘Well, it’s a very different demographic, the professional boxing supporters’, and I just thought: ‘Is it going to be worse than the amateurs and with the people that I work with?’<\/p>\n
Boxing referees are regularly criticised and, for a woman, the risk of that is heightened, but Pu says her experience so far has been positive.<\/p>\n
“People have just been so supportive, knock on wood, I haven’t really had any criticism directed at me because of my sex or because of my race,” Pu said.<\/p>\n
“I’m really grateful and I hope that it continues, that people should see me as a referee. They can give me stick as a referee, not as a female Asian referee.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n