Sarah Liegmann – From the Ring Corner: America Calls

Before I get started, I’m really glad you’re here to read my column. It’s going to be chaotic, funny, but mainly 100 percent real. I’ll be sharing lots of anecdotes and experiences from the world of boxing, but also giving you some exciting insights into my everyday madness. And now it’s time to clear the ring!

Sometimes a big feeling can be summed up in one little word: “Approved.”

Today I was sitting at the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt and finally heard the very words I’d been waiting to hear for ten months. My new visa has been officially approved. So it’s official: Starting August 5, I can finally fly back to the U.S. Back to my team. Back to my athletic home.

As a professional boxer, you get used to the fact that things don’t always go according to plan. Fights get postponed, opponents change, and injuries set you back. You learn to be patient, keep training, and focus on the things you can control. But this kind of waiting was different. Because there was nothing I could do to speed things up. I couldn’t train any more, I couldn’t work any harder, and I couldn’t just win the next round. All I could do was wait, because it was out of my control.

For many people, a visa is probably just a document. A stamp. A bureaucratic formality. For me, however, this document determines whether I can travel to join my team. Whether I can train where I’ve developed as a boxer over the years. Whether I can work again with the people who have been an important part of my career. That’s why the past ten months have been marked by constant uncertainty. When can I go back? How am I supposed to plan my next few months, my training, and my fights if I don’t know when that door will open again? Today, it opened. Of course, I was nervous before the interview. Probably in a different way than before a fight, but waiting for such a crucial answer takes its toll on you. And then, finally, that one word came: “Approved.” At that moment, a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.

Starting August 5, I’ll finally be heading back to the U.S. Back to my team. Back to the daily training routine I’ve missed for so long. And this time, I’m sure I’ll appreciate this flight in a whole new way. In boxing, we often talk about how patience is a strength. That you can’t force every opening. That you have to wait until the right opportunity presents itself. For ten months, I had no other choice. Now the waiting is over.

USA, I’m coming back!