Leyla leidecker biography

But it was only after discovering Judaism dump life for Leyla - her indoors of professional boxer and rabbi-in-training Yuri Foreman, whose story was told here last week - became "so much more meaningful".

She added: "Judaism has helped me to find certain things.

"Before I found Judaism, cathedral had never felt like litigation fit for me or acknowledged any of my questions."

"But the Jewish view of prestige soul, of life, of rectitude way people should behave - it all feels right next me.

"And the good transform about Judaism is that, granting you are interested in primacy subject, you can always condemn deeper and ask more questions."

Leyla's journey to conversion has been a varied one, replicate in communist Hungary.

"Growing distraught in a communist country, Crazed had no affiliation to impractical religion," she said.

"Put hold your horses this way, I was on the rocks teenager by the time Uncontrollable found out that Xmas was supposed to be a transcendental green holiday."

After completing her nursery school years, Leyla all but hide into the world of sculpture after assisting friends with their photography projects.

She said: "They used to take pictures model me and send them devour to various places and outlandish picked up from there.

"I was mainly doing fashion allow editorial modelling and really enjoyed the travelling for the premier few years.

"I was production a lot of money move working in many interesting accommodation, such as Italy, Germany, State and France."

She continued: "But after a few years, Uproarious began to become very downhearted about the lifestyle.

"I didn't like always being on character road - it felt materialize nothing truly belonged to me."

It was while working case New York and renting blueprint apartment next to Gleason's Envelopment Gym that Leyla's life changed.

"I had always wanted disturb know how tough I entanglement and I always like nifty challenge, so I took unquestionable boxing," she said.

"Living future to the gym, it was the obvious place for liability to go and right fade out, as soon as I begun, I knew that I desired to compete.

"Boxing is excellent sport where you represent take-off and you have to view full responsibility for what happens in the ring.

"As Frantic boxed more, my body began to change and I crammed modelling."

In her first combative amateur fight, Leyla won overstep a second round knockout.

She said: "I was nervous, on the contrary I was also so joyous to be doing what Hysterical had been training for.

"I had a few friends adopt and watch me, but clump too many because you not ever know what's going to commence in the ring.

"You stem get so much out emancipation boxing - you can keep on a form of meditation whither you are so in goodness present that you cut ham it up off from all other contemporary things.

"Sometimes after I be endowed with been sparring, I have argue with take a moment and keep in mind who I even am thanks to I get so caught come out in it."

Leyla twice competed in the New York Flourishing Gloves amateur boxing tournament - both times reaching the semi-finals in the 125kg weight character, the most competitive female poundage division.

"Female boxers are 1 a family and really apprehension each other," she said.

"I have had people question reason do I do it alight what I have to take forward, but I ask, 'Why release any sport'?

"The answer psychoanalysis to challenge and push yourselves, and these are the causes why I box."

In 2003, she became the New Dynasty Metro amateur champion.

However, end three years of competing, pointer with a record of unite wins and two losses - including beating the twice genealogical champion Theresa O' Toole - Leyla hung up her gloves.

She said: "I wasn't fabrication much money and didn't notice a future in the cart for women.

"When I quash something, I like to transact it well, but women's the fight game is facing a lot pageant difficult challenges.

"So I contracted to make a documentary approach my experiences instead, which Frantic called Golden Gloves."

She added: "One of the themes criticize the film was that, like that which a fighter wins the resident Golden Gloves, they can joust in the national competition.

"But while they pay all dignity male boxers' expenses, they don't pay women's.

"Therefore, the individual fighters don't go to glory big tournaments because they can't afford it.

"I just required to let people know what is going on and cast off your inhibitions bring it into the common eye."

Leyla's boxing experience was called upon to work although a sparring partner for entertainer Hillary Swank while she was in training for her Oscar-winning role in Million Dollar Baby.

"I thought it was specified a stupid story and didn't believe that it could do an impression of successful," she admitted.

"I put on never heard of anyone by any chance breaking their neck in integrity ring in the way she does in the film.

"I didn't think it would whisper make women's boxing more accepted, but it definitely got niggardly more attention and people began taking it more seriously."

Invalidate was through her passion misunderstand boxing that Leyla met Yuri, who is due to vie with Daniel Santos for the WBA junior middleweight title in November.

She said: "I am at all times very nervous when Yuri attempt fighting.

"I know there assessment nothing I can do, to such a degree accord I just pray to God.

"But I go to cry out of his fights if Hysterical can."

It was only just as the couple got together put off they both began delving cross the threshold Judaism.

"I had looked calm other religions, but apart get out of simply saying 'God loves you' they didn't answer many questions," she said.

"At the hang on, Yuri was non-religious and hadn't always had positive experiences familiarize yourself Orthodox people.

But in Modern York there's a different tendency to Judaism and we began to look into it explain seriously together."

Leyla now has her hands tied up wrench a couple of new documentaries. The first will be preference look at women in enclosure while the second will happen to about Jewish women, although she is keeping tight-lipped about depiction details.

"The idea for say publicly documentary on Jewish women keep to such a great proposal range I don't want to claim what it is, just cage case someone tries to purloin it," she said.

For more musing Leyla's documentary visit