"She is totally accepted," Aibel said. "Guys don't have a problem with hitting her in the face, and vice versa. At first, it was a little weird because most girls only fight other girls. But, the coach wanted Joy to spar with us. She's one of the coolest people in the club."

Fellow teammate Franklin Liu, a senior, said, "She's a natural athlete. It's not weird to spar with a female. She beats me up."

Joy is quick to point out that statement is not true.

Although most guys do not have any problems with the notion of a girl boxer, some guys--either out of fear or traditional chivalry--still refuse to fight females.

"The common response when I tell people that I box is, `Wow,'" Joy said. "Then, they assume that we don't really fight because we're girls. Then, I tell them to check it out."

Watching Joy fight leaves no room for doubting her strong ability.

"Some people give me a little attitude because it's not the normal thing to do," Joy said. "It doesn't really bother me; I have been playing sports with boys since I was little."

Regarding her future, Liu, a government concentrator, is considering sports marketing.

"If I could have one fight and make a million, I'd be totally into it," Joy said. "As it is now, I could never cover the plastic surgery I'd have to get."

Boxing is a fun, recreational event for Joy, as it is for most boxers at Harvard.

"We can't let this interfere with their school work," Coach Rawson said. "The primary thing at Harvard is education. Boxing is here for their recreation."

As Joy continues to have fun with boxing, she is also preparing to defend her recent victory in a fight at Boston Arena March 27. Her legacy and talent will perhaps motivate even more females to break one of the stingiest remaining gender barriers and take up boxing.