Faces of Kansas City: Local Boxer Following in Mother’s Footsteps

Faces of Kansas City: Local Boxer Following in Mother’s Footsteps

by | Aug 16, 2012 | Media

by Laura McCallister and Brad Stephens | August 16, 2012 – KCTV5:  To put it mildly, the U.S. Men’s Olympic boxing team failed miserably in London. For the first time in the history of the men’s team, not a single boxer medalled. But maybe, just maybe a young Overland Park, KS, boxer will turn the tide when Brazil hosts the summer games in 2016. It’s definitely a family affair when 21-year-old Matthew Anani is in a boxing ring. His mother, Sumya Anani is his trainer. So too is her long-time partner, Barry Becker, whom Matthew affectionately calls “dad. “The hardest part is being family. They’re not only my mom and dad, my coaches. I work for Barry laying carpet. It’s a weird, sticky situation, but it makes us all closer because of boxing,” amateur boxer Matthew Anani said. And although Matthew Anani only has a handful of amateur fights to his credit, he is already a two-time amateur champ. “My first fight was in the Kansas City Golden Gloves tournament. I had back-to-back-to-back fights. I won all three of those. I was considered the Kansas City Middleweight Golden Gloves Champion,” he said. For those who are wondering how Matthew’s mom knows so much about the sport, it’s because she was once the most feared woman in the ring and a four-time world boxing champion. KCTV5’s Brad Stephens shared her story in a June 2010 “Faces of Kansas City” segment explaining how she now devotes her passion to teaching yoga and spirituality. Sumya Anani said she never pushed her son to box and was blown away when he finally decided to take...
Your Body…Your Home

Your Body…Your Home

by | Mar 1, 2012 | Media, Yoga

by Sumya Anani | March/April 2012 – YOGA CHICAGO: Your body is your earth. It’s time to come home. The practice of yoga developed as the yoga masters studied life all around them. They observed the movement of the sun, the trees, and animals in their natural surroundings. This is how and why ahimsa, nonviolence toward all life, evolved as the first yama (observance) of yoga. All life is sacred. Read the full article...