GREAT FALLS — Madie Stump plays basketball and volleyball and runs track and cross country. As impressive as that is for an eighth grader, it does not scratch the surface of one of her biggest accomplishments in her young life.
Stump is the No. 1 amateur female boxer in the nation for her age (14) and weight class. She battled at the National Silver Gloves Championships in Independence, Missouri, and won three matches on her way to the belt.
Stump began boxing three years ago, following in the footsteps of her cousins. Her parents, who both come from boxing backgrounds, were under the impression that it would be just for self-defense purposes. As Stump became fond of the sport, she made the decision to start competing.
She trains at Electric City Boxing Club under her parents, Tod Foster, and Billy Wagner. There are not many girls that go into the gym and box, so Stump spars against the other boys in the gym and that helped to build her confidence.
“When I spar the boys sometimes, I don’t want to sound cocky, but my dad would be like, ‘You just gave a boy a bloody nose,’ and that would bring me up and I’d be like, well, that’s a new step,” said Stump.
Her first year going to nationals was far from a walk in the park and it nearly brought a close to her young fighting career. In the first round she ran into a young lady who won a national title in years prior, and Stump lost that fight. The emotions after losing brought her to a point of no longer wanting to fight.
After deciding to not quit, Stump made the trip to Missouri for the national tournament again this year. Her first-round opponent was the same young lady she lost to in the previous year.
“When I got in there I was like, OK, let’s do this, Madie. I was just talking to myself," she said. "When I got in there, it was a total different mindset I had. I’ve never had that feeling before. It was so many different emotions. It was something I’ve never felt.”
She completed her redemption and proceeded to win the next two fights to claim the belt. It was a quick celebration for her, though, as she quickly accepted her belt and took it to the car before returning to the arena.
“I’m very humble. I feel like people look at you different when they see someone with a big ego. I don’t want to be known as someone with a big ego or someone who is very cocky. That’s just not me personally,” Stump said.
The title is more than just a belt to Stump and her family. As a member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, she takes pride in being a Native American athlete.
“There’s not many famous Native athletes I can look up to in boxing. My grandpa is a golden glove champion, he’s been here and he’s done that. My dad is Native and he’s done boxing, my mom is Native and she’s done boxing. I just want to carry my tradition on, you know?” she said.
Now that Stump will be heading to high school, she wants to take a miniature break from boxing while she continues her other sports.
In the meantime, she will continue to help train the younger kids that come to the gym since they look up to her and what she has done. Boxing is not out entirely for her, though. Still on her list of things she’d like to accomplish is making it to the junior Olympics and bringing home the gold.
