Photo courtesy of Donna Gallardo
Donna Gallardo - SheWolf Boxing Gym
Donna Gallardo, founder of SheWolf Boxing Gym
Donna Gallardo was just 12 years old when she first boxed at Milwaukee’s United Community Center (UCC). Fed up with schoolyard bullying and seeking greater self-confidence, “I was able to find myself [through boxing],” says Gallardo. “It woke up this inner animal.”
Decades later, Gallardo now runs SheWolf: Milwaukee’s only gym dedicated exclusively to women’s boxing. On founding the gym, she says “it was a full circle moment. This is exactly what I needed when I was younger.”
Disparities in Women’s Athletics
Photo courtesy of Donna Gallardo
SheWolf Boxing Gym
SheWolf Boxing Gym's sparring ring.
Gallardo’s first visit to a boxing gym was certainly not without trial or tribulation. Surrounded mostly by boys and neglected initially by coaches, she recalls feeling intimidated and isolated. But tween Gallardo was determined, drawn back to the gym time and time again until the head coach finally took notice, eventually training her and challenging her to step into the ring with other young boxers.
She describes fond memories of early coaches and mentors, including fellow boxers’ parents, taking her under their wing—most of whom, though, were male. Back then, Gallardo says, it was rare to see women in the ring, professional or otherwise. Girls like young Gallardo had few if any female boxing role models, leaving them less inclined to jump into the physically-risky sport.
Nowadays, through concerted efforts across athletics, Gallardo notices a shifting tide in women’s professional sports. Public enthusiasm for women’s athletics has grown over the last decade, and with that has emerged an entire culture around women’s sports, one that Gallardo feels women’s boxing has an obvious and demonstrable home in. “I think this generation of female empowerment is definitely on the rise...you see a lot more men supporting and standing behind women [in boxing.]”
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Gallardo confesses her women-only approach for SheWolf received some criticism when she began imagining what the space could look like in Winter 2023. Some argued that the gym would miss out on revenue if they didn’t include male athletes, but Gallardo was undeterred. She says it had always been a “loose” dream to open a space exclusively for women, especially after coaching seasonal girls boxing camps at UCC. She also describes the birth of her daughter in January 2024 as a catalyst; seeing as she wrote SheWolf’s business plan during her maternity leave, it’s no surprise that her early ideation put women’s safety and empowerment at the forefront.
SheWolf is a trauma-informed space, which Gallardo explains is about a broadly inclusive intention as much as it is about the little details. She describes the environment—color palette, aesthetic, cleanliness—as crucial to tone-setting and curating a sense of belonging for female boxers of all backgrounds. “In this space, it’s really important that [women and] girls get their time to find their voice.”
SheWolf and the Community
Photo by Julia Watt
SheWolf Boxing Gym
SheWolf Boxing Gym on Pierce Street in Milwaukee (August 2026).
SheWolf Gym can be found in Silver City, next to neighbors Escuela Verde, Newline Cafe and the Urban Ecology Center’s Menomonee Valley branch. Gallardo says her sights for the gym’s location were originally set on Walker’s Point, but upon seeing the converted metal parts manufacturing shop on Pierce Street “it was exactly what I pictured when I imagined opening a gym.”
The Southside also holds personal significance for Gallardo. Like many fellow SheWolf coaches and members, Gallardo spent a large portion of her childhood on Milwaukee’s predominantly Latino/a/x Southside. Combined with her nostalgia for watching boxing matches with her father, Gallardo says “it makes me feel great to be serving my community and providing access to women’s gyms.”
Though access to women’s boxing gyms has certainly grown, as has the platform for professionalizing, economic and gender disparity in classes and workshops for young girls remains across many sports, including boxing. Gallardo is proud to offer youth classes through SheWolf’s non-profit program, the Lioness Academy. Through Lioness, girls as young as six are safely introduced to age-appropriate basic boxing foundations and fitness, though the classes also heavily incorporate games and life skills.
She says programming for young girls is just as important as the adult classes, and that many young boxers advance so far in their classes that they ultimately are welcomed and challenged in adult classes—“because they can handle it.” Gallardo also feels a sense of personal fulfillment and healing through offering youth classes. “To see their smiles hitting the bags or when a combo clicks ... that’s when we know we’re doing our job.”
Two years since opening their doors in Silver City, SheWolf hopes to expand, whether offering more classes or opening additional locations. Gallardo still dreams of a central gym in Walker’s Point and envisions a more robust youth program there.
SheWolf is also increasingly foraying into community events. Training for SheWolf’s first ever fight night, La Femme, has already begun. On October 10, SheWolf’s very own boxers will be matched with each other and fellow female boxers from Chicago, Madison and beyond, promising 12-15 bouts. The USA Boxing-sanctioned event, in collaboration with Rebels For a Cause/Strength In The City, will celebrate the camaraderie and sportsmanship of women’s boxing. Proceeds go towards the Lioness Academy, and cocktail attire (for those not stepping into the ring) is encouraged.
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