Mia St. John Finally Retires: “We’re All Addicts”

Published

11 years ago

June 28, 2013

Mia St. John is really retiring.

Few realize that St. John has been prizefighting for nearly two decades and her metamorphosis from boxing pinup girl to world champion represents the sport of women’s boxing.

In the beginning female boxers were seen as an oddity with unskilled ponytailed girls flailing about. Amateur boxing soon pumped in hundreds of female boxers into the sport with all of the tools necessary to perform at a high grade.

St. John similarly progressed on the same road, but she did it as a pro.

Now in her 40s, St. John announced her retirement and this week had an operation on her hip during her birthday. It represents the taking-care-of-business attitude the Mexican-American brunette has exhibited her entire career. She had told ESPN that she was retiring a few weeks ago, but then contemplated another fight. But the operation has convinced her it’s over.

“I’ll still work out twice a day,” says St. John.

While at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills, St. John (pictured above, in June 1, 2011 photo by Chris Farina-Top Rank) leisurely recounted her life as one of the most recognizable female boxers in the world today. In the outdoor patio of the famous restaurant, the brunette athlete talked about her start, her rise to fame and her journey to win a world title and more.

Over the years St. John has announced similar plans to retire and somehow would be drawn back into the boxing ring. A good example was her retirement announcement after winning the WBC junior middleweight title against Christy Martin. She returned soon after to fight Tiffany Junot and welterweight world champion Cecilia Braekhus.

“My ex-husband told me ‘you will not enter the boxing ring again. I will physically stop you from entering the boxing ring again’,” St. John said. “We’re all addicts.”

St. John said many boxers cannot simply hang up the gloves and that the attention, the money, the challenge, the physical training routines and the aura surrounding a big fight are all addictive components of prizefighting. One or all of them combined are things that make it extremely difficult to abandon.

“Fighting is a drug in itself,” said St. John. “It’s like the song Hotel California, you can’t get out.”

Rare Financial Success

Very few female boxers have been able to reach the economic levels St. John reached over her 17-year career. Aside from Regina Halmich, Daisy Lang, Laila Ali and Christy Martin, other female prizefighters never reached six figure purses.

In her early days St. John received large amounts of money to fight on the undercards of first Julio Cesar Chavez and later Oscar De La Hoya. Those events remain her favorite.

“Oscar’s fights and the big fights with Chavez at Caesars Palace, those were some of my favorite moments in boxing,” said St. John. “I met Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns when Oscar fought Felix Trinidad. I became good friends with Tommy.”

Money was pouring in for St. John and she needed it for her entourage in the beginning. Her mother Socorro Rosales stopped her from spending lavishly on cars and entertainment.

“She was strict,” said St. John of her mom, who passed away several years ago. “She told me not to buy toys. She told me to invest it.”

St. John, whose given name is Rosales, took her mother’s advice and was very frugal and remains so. Investments in property and construction have given her security. She remains one of the best business minds in boxing, though few realize it. It’s one of the reasons she has become the most successful female boxer today.

Boxing is Pain

In her last fight on April 13, St. John accepted a fight with female welterweight world champion Braekhus for the WBO, WBA and WBC titles in Denmark. Despite a broken hip suffered many months earlier, she entered the ring against one of the best female boxers today. In the second round, unable to maneuver because of her hip, she withstood a barrage and fought off the attacking Braekhus. She remembered telling her corner to stop the fight but they told her she never said anything to them.

“I told my corner to stop the fight,” St. John thought she told them. But she had suffered a concussion and had never actually mentioned those words. She re-engaged with Braekhus in the third round and actually pushed the referee away but the fight was stopped. “I was glad the referee stopped it. No fighter wants to admit they’re too old to do what they love.”

It’s actually a love-hate relationship St. John has with professional boxing. The sport has given her recognition and success that few women know. But injuries and losing are not things she would wish on anyone.

Her proudest moments were fighting in Mexico in front of adoring fans.

“Those fans in Mexico made me so happy,” said St. John. “My mom had me in the U.S. but she told me to never forget where my family is from in Zacatecas.”

After losing in Mexico in 2009 she announced to a few that retirement was coming. Then other offers came and suddenly she was back full throttle. Six-figure money offers remained for St. John so she took advantage and remained fighting for several more years though her reflexes were waning.

“It’s all the sparring that really impacts you,” she said.

Boxing is in the Blood

St. John had won the IFBA lightweight world title in 2005 and other regional titles. Last summer, a rematch with her old rival Christy “Coalminer’s Daughter” Martin took place for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title in Northern California. She won by decision and announced retirement once again. Then she fought and lost to Junot in November.

Martin, who first fought and beat St. John in 2002, was both a rival and friend outside of the boxing ring. The two female warriors are among a select elite that have more than 50 pro fights. It’s a very rare feat even in male boxing today.

Before they fought last August 2012, St. John was hobbling around with a walking cane when people were not around. Her hip had been injured during a weight-lifting workout session. She wanted to keep the fight with Martin who also had injuries. Boxing is in their bloodstream.

“Christy says that’s a drug in itself,” St. John said of boxing.

They fought and St. John won the rematch.

But the sport lured her back into the ring for two more fights. During a mixed martial arts fight featuring Ronda Rousey, a number of female boxing proponents arrived to see the historic event at the Honda Center. Among them was the great female champion boxer Lucia Rijker. She walked up to St. John and had kind words to say.

“Lucia told me she knows what I am feeling,” said St. John. “That it is hard to quit boxing, but to let it go.”

Throughout the years St. John has heard criticisms and false praise but continued her trek in female boxing. Most people, especially the actual fighters, know what she’s done in the game.

“Mia St. John destroyed the stereotype that women boxers want to be manly. Athletic women are often tomboys and criticized for their appearance or demeanor. Mia never fit that mold. She was feminine and still an a** kicker. She is also a fighter who speaks well,” said Layla McCarter the current WBA junior middleweight titleholder who many consider the best female fighter today. “Mia is an all-around contradiction who makes people think twice about what they think they know, and that is a good thing.”

Others have sparred many times with St. John and know she was never easy to pin down.

But now it’s the end of the road for the female boxing icon.

“I’m glad my last fight was against one of the best,” said St. John. “I don’t want to fight girls that are 1 and 4 like other girls just for the money.”

Her business associates know St. John has always been passionate about whatever she does.

“Mia has always given 100 percent toward both the business and fighting in boxing,” said Claudia Ollis, who has worked with St. John on various projects. “She’s a very strong Mexican woman and is successful in whatever she does.”

That is the real St. John.

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David A. Avila

In a Massive Upset, Dakota Linger TKOs Kurt Scoby on a Friday Night in Atlanta

Published

8 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Arne K. Lang

In-a-Massive-Upset-Dakota-Linger-TKOs-Kurt-Scoby-on-a-Friday-Night-in-Atlanta

Although it was an 8-rounder on a show with two “tens,” Kurt Scoby’s match with Dakota Linger was accorded main event status on tonight’s card at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. This had everything to do with Scoby (pronounced Scooby), a former record-setting college running back who was considered one of the brightest prospects in the 140-pound weight class. “[Scoby] works harder than almost anyone I’ve ever seen,” said veteran New York promoter Lou DIBella in a conversation with Keith Idec. “But he’s literally getting better after every fight and he’s got the hammer of Thor, man. He can punch through walls.”

The Duarte, California product who has relocated to Brooklyn and trains at Gleason’s Gym, was undefeated (13-0) heading in and was expected to make Linger his ninth straight knockout victim. But Linger, a 29-year-old Buckhannon, West Virginia policemen whose first ring engagements were in Toughman competitions, wasn’t intimidated by Scoby’s press clippings or by Scoby’s bodybuilder physique.

Linger, who improved to 14-6-3 with his tenth win inside the distance, took the fight right to Scoby and repeatedly found a home for his overhand right. In the sixth round, after Linger strafed the ever-retreating Scoby with a barrage of punches, referee Malik Walid determined that he had seen enough and waived it off. The decision seemed a tad premature, but neither Scoby nor his cornermen offered anything in the way of a protest.

Tournament results

In the first installment of an 8-man super welterweight tournament, Brandon Adams returned to boxing after his second three-year layoff and showed no ring rust whatsoever. Adams, a 34-year-old family-man who grew up in the Watts district of LA, dismissed Ismael Villareal with a wicked punch to the liver in the waning seconds of round three. The official time was 2:59.

A former wold title challenger, Adams who improved to 23-3 (16 KOs), has become the king of boxing tournaments. He first attracted notice in 2018 when he won the fifth edition of “The Contender” series, scoring a wide 10-round decision over Shane Mosley Jr in the championship round.

Villareal, a second-generation prizefighter from the Bronx whose dad fought the likes of Hector Camacho, declined to 13-3.

Adams next opponent will be Francisco Veron who will bring a record of 14-0-1 (10).

In an energetic 10-rounder, Veron, a Florida-based Argentine with a strong amateur pedigree, scored a unanimous decision over Mexico-born, LA southpaw Angel Ruiz (18-3-1). The judges had it 100-90, 99-91, and 96-94.

Ruiz certainly had his moments, but Veron launched and landed many more punches despite fighting the last six rounds with a damaged eye.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 281: The Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia Show

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2024

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-281-The-Devin-Haney-and-Ryan-Garcia-Show

Over the years bouts between old foes such as Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia tend to be surprising.

Yes, both are only 25 but have known each other for many years.

When undisputed super lightweight champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) steps into the prize ring at Barclays Center to meet challenger Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) on Saturday, April 20, fans will be witnessing the continuation of a feud that began more than a decade ago.

And though the champion is a heavy favorite, familiarity is Garcia’s best weapon heading into their fight on the Golden Boy Promotions card that will be shown on PPV.COM with Jim Lampley and friends. DAZN pay-per-view is also streaming the card.

In many ways Haney and Garcia have ventured down the same path. From amateur sensations to fighting in Mexico while teens to asking for the biggest challenges available.

“Whichever version of Ryan shows up on April 20, I will be ready for him. Ryan Garcia is just another opponent to me,” said Haney who holds the WBC super lightweight title after his win over Regis Prograis.

The first time I saw Haney as a pro he battled the dangerous Mexican contender Juan Carlos Burgos at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula. It was an impressive performance against a fighter who fought three times for a world title.

Haney was 19 at the time.

My first look at Garcia as a pro was in his first bout in the U.S. when he met Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Cruz at the Exchange in downtown Los Angeles. The Boricua looked at Garcia and tried intimidating him with stares, taunts and the usual patter. During the fight both swung and missed until the second round when Garcia zeroed in and took him out.

Garcia had just turned 18, the legal age to fight in California.

Both fighters did not have the Olympics credentials that lead to fame. But their talent has allowed them to fight through the dense smoke that is professional boxing.

Haney has defeated numerous world champions such as Prograis, Vasyl Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr., while Garcia has stopped champions Javier Fortuna and Luke Campbell.

As amateurs, Garcia and Haney battled six times with each winning three.

“They know each other very well,” said Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions. “Ryan is going to beat Devin Haney.”

Haney has a buttery-smooth style with one of the best jabs in boxing. He’s very adept at keeping distance and not allowing anyone to fight him inside. His reflexes are outstanding, yet he seldom fights inside. That’s his weakness.

Garcia fights tall and has superb hand speed and a lightning quick left hook. Though his defense lacks tightness his ability to rip off three-punch combinations in a blink of an eye pauses opponents from bullying their way inside.

“These guys always just look at me and look at me like I don’t know how to box,” said Garcia on social media. “Why was I one of the best fighters in the amateurs. Why was I a 15-time National champion…why did I beat everyone I came across.”

Haney is a strong favorite by oddsmakers to defeat Garcia. But you can never tell when it comes to fighters that know each other well and are athletically gifted.

When Sergio Mora challenged Vernon Forrest he was a big underdog. When Tim Bradley fought Manny Pacquiao the first time, he was also the underdog. And when Andy Ruiz met Anthony Joshua few gave him a chance.

Haney and Garcia have history in the ring. It should be an interesting battle.

PPV.COM

Jim Lampley will be leading the broadcast on PPV.COM for the Haney-Garcia card at Barclays and texting with fans on the card live. He will be accompanied by journalists Lance Pugmire, Dan Conobbio and former champion Chris Algieri.

The PPV.COM broadcast begins at 5 p.m. PT. and is available in Canada and the USA.

Other News

MMA stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal will be holding a media day event on Friday, April 19, at NOVO at L.A. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Diaz and Masvidal will be boxing against each other in a grudge match on June 1 at the KIA Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The two MMA stars met five years at UFC 244 with Masvidal winning by TKO over Diaz due to cuts.

This is a grudge match, but under boxing rules.

Fight card in Commerce, Calif.

360 Promotions returns to Commerce Casino on Saturday April 20 with undefeated super lightweight Cain Sandoval leading the charge.

Sandoval (12-0) faces Angel Rebollar (8-3) in the main event that will be shown live on UFC Fight Pass. Also on the card are two female events including hot prospect Lupe Medina (5-0) versus Sabrina Persona (3-1) in a minimumweight clash.

Doors open at 4 p.m.

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Boxing Odds and Ends: The Heavyweight Merry-Go-Round

Published

3 days ago

April 16, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Boxing Odds and Ends: The Heavyweight Merry-Go-Round

There were few surprises when co-promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren and their benefactor HE Turki Alalshikh held a press conference in London this past Monday to unveil the undercard for the Beterbiev-Bivol show at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 1. Most of the match-ups had already been leaked.

For die-hard boxing fans, Beterbiev-Bivol is such an enticing fight that it really doesn’t need an attractive undercard. Two undefeated light heavyweights will meet with all four relevant belts on the line in a contest where the oddsmakers straddled the fence. It’s a genuine “pick-‘em” fight based on the only barometer that matters, the prevailing odds.

But Beterbiev-Bivol has been noosed to a splendid undercard, a striking contrast to Saturday’s Haney-Garcia $69.99 (U.S.) pay-per-view in Brooklyn, an event where the undercard, in the words of pseudonymous boxing writer Chris Williams, is an absolute dumpster fire.

The two heavyweight fights that will bleed into Beterbiev-Bivol, Hrgovic vs. Dubois and Wilder vs. Zhang, would have been stand-alone main events before the incursion of Saudi money.

Hrgovic-Dubois

Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 13 KOs) and Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) fought on the same card in Riyadh this past December. Hrgovic, the Croatian, was fed a softie in the form of Australia’s Mark De Mori who he dismissed in the opening round. Dubois, a Londoner, rebounded from his loss to Oleksandr Usyk with a 10^th-round stoppage of corpulent Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller.

There’s an outside chance that Hrgovic vs. Dubois may be sanctioned by the IBF for the world heavyweight title.

The May 18 showdown between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury has a rematch clause. The IBF is next in line in the rotation system for a unified heavyweight champion and the organization has made it plain that the winner of Usyk-Fury must fulfill his IBF mandatory before an intervening bout.

The best guess is that the Usyk-Fury winner will relinquish the IBF belt. If so, Hrgovic and Dubois may fight for the vacant title although a more likely scenario is that the organization will keep the title vacant so that the winner can fight Anthony Joshua.

Wilder-Zhang

The match between Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) and Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) is a true crossroads fight as both Wilder, 38, and Zhang, who turns 41 in May, are nearing the end of the road and the loser (unless it’s a close and entertaining fight) will be relegated to the rank of a has-been. In fact, Wilder has hinted that this may be his final rodeo.

Both are coming off a loss to Joseph Parker.

Wilder last fought on the card that included Hrgovic and Dubois and was roundly out-pointed by a man he was expected to beat. It’s a quick turnaround for Zhang who opposed Parker on March 8 and lost a majority decision.

Other Fights

Either of two other fights may steal the show on the June 1 event.

Raymond Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs) meets Nick Ball (19-0-1, 11 KOs) in a 12-round featherweight contest. New Jersey’s Ford will be defending the WBA world title he won with a come-from-behind, 12th-round stoppage of Otabek Kholmatov in an early contender for Fight of the Year. Liverpool’s “Wrecking” Ball, a relentless five-foot-two sparkplug, had to settle for a draw in his title fight with Rey Vargas despite winning the late rounds and scoring two knockdowns.

Hamzah Sheeraz (19-0, 15 KOs) meets fellow unbeaten Austin “Ammo” Williams (16-0, 11 KOs) in a 12-round middleweight match. East London’s Sheeraz, the son of a former professional cricket player, is unknown in the U.S. although he trained for his recent fights at the Ten Goose Boxing Gym in California. Riding a skein of 13 straight knockouts, he has a date with WBO title-holder Janibek Alimkhanuly if he can get over this hurdle.

The Forgotten Heavyweight

“Unbeaten for seven years, the man nobody wants to fight,” intoned ring announcer Michael Buffer by way of introduction. Buffer was referencing Michael Hunter who stood across the ring from his opponent Artem Suslenkov.

This scene played out this past Saturday in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It was Hunter’s second fight in three weeks. On March 23, he scored a fifth-round stoppage of a 46-year-old meatball at a show in Zapopan, Mexico.

The second-generation “Bounty Hunter,” whose only defeat prior to last weekend came in a 12-rounder with Oleksandr Usyk, has been spinning his wheels since TKOing the otherwise undefeated Martin Bakole on the road in London in 2018. Two fights against hapless opponents on low-budget cards in Mexico and a couple of one-round bouts for the Las Vegas Hustle, an entry in the fledgling and largely invisible Professional Combat League, are the sum total of his activity, aside from sparring, in the last two-and-a-half years.

Hunter’s chances of getting another big-money fight took a tumble in Tashkent where he lost a unanimous decision in a dull affair to the unexceptional Suslenkov who was appearing in his first 10-round fight. The scores of the judges were not announced.

You won’t find this fight listed on boxrec. As Jake Donovan notes, the popular website will not recognize a fight conducted under the auspices of a rogue commission. (Another fight you won’t find on boxrec for the same reason is Nico Ali Walsh’s 6-round split decision over the 9-2-1 Frenchman, Noel Lafargue, in the African nation of Guinea on Dec. 16, 2023. You can find it on YouTube, but according to boxrec, boxing’s official record-keeper, it never happened.)

Anderson-Merhy Redux

The only thing missing from this past Saturday’s match in Corpus Christi, Texas, between Jared Anderson and Ryad Merhy was the ghost of Robert Valsberg.

Valsberg, aka Roger Vaisburg, was the French referee who disqualified Ingemar Johansson for not trying in his match with LA’s Ed Sanders in the finals of the heavyweight competition at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Valsberg tossed Johansson out of the ring after two rounds and Johansson was denied the silver medal. The Swede redeemed himself after turning pro, needless to say, when he demolished Floyd Patterson in the first of their three meetings.

Merhy was credited with throwing only 144 punches, landing 34, over the course of the 10 rounds. Those dismal figures yet struck many onlookers as too high. (This reporter has always insisted that the widely-quoted CompuBox numbers should be considered approximations.)

Whatever the true number, it was a disgraceful performance by Merhy who actually showed himself to have very fast hands on the few occasions when he did throw a punch. With apologies to Delfine Persoon, a spunky lightweight, U.S. boxing promoters should think twice before inviting another Belgian boxer to our shores.

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