Women try boxing to knock off fat

Boxing can be a rough, brutal sport that scares some people away. But aside from the fighting, traditional training has many health benefits. That's why many women are putting on the gloves for a slimmer, stronger body.

Patrice Taylor, 38, is a member of L.A. Boxing in Durham. She said she doesn’t want to knock anybody out. She just wants to knock off some fat.

“I had gastric bypass surgery in December and so I had lost about 40 pounds from that, and my surgeon cleared me to exercise,” she said.

In four months, she lost 23 more pounds, punched out high blood pressure and threw an upper-cut to a borderline risk of diabetes.

An hour in Hameed Sanders’ class will burn 1,000 calories.

“Our instructors are professional fighters or former professional fighters, so what they're going to do is train our members the way they were trained themselves,” said Mohamod Youssef, with L.A. Boxing.

Taniya Bishop has a 2-year-old daughter at home and said her goal is to drop her baby weight.

“It's a total body workout, and it helps me to build up my endurance, my strength and everything and burn the calories that I need to burn and be healthy,” she said.

With stronger body can come a stronger mind.

“I have a lot more energy at home. It’s even changed my attitude. I feel like I have a healthier attitude,” Taylor said.