Female fight club: The escape route from public housing


BROWNSVILLE, Brooklyn — In a shocking documentary called "The Brooklyn Girls Fight Club," women in Brownsville, Brooklyn, are literally knocking down odds.

PIX11 News took a look at how this gritty venture helped a few women make enough money to change their lives.

The executive producer Samson Styles tells us he started the fight club shortly after he was released from a New York State prison.

"We were just telling their stories, women in Brownsville were fighting anyway so I figure why not make it constructive," Styles said.

The fight club attracted crowds of people who bet on bouts, to see their favorite women go for rounds.

Styles and two other women were able to use their earnings from the Fight Club to move out of Brownsville, get jobs and lead better lives.

Former fighter Kia was a single mother of three boys. She now works in construction.

"The money came in handy. I used it for my kids," she said.

Danielle was able to move her family to Delaware with her winnings.

The fight club is no longer active but Styles said there are other fight clubs going on given the conditions of the neighborhoods.

"We were not exploiting the women we only told the truth we told their story but if people want to criticize they need to go to the neighborhoods and try and fix the problem," Styles said.

While PIX11 News was investigating the Brooklyn fight club, we found another fight club in Queens and the NYPD said it's difficult to bust these rings unless they're caught in the act.

The full fight club documentary is available online.
