Will Shields vs. Hammer Justify the Hype and Advance the Cause of Women’s Boxing?

Published

6 years ago

April 7, 2019

At long last, the (mostly) undisputed Biggest Women’s Boxing Match Ever is here. Now all that remains is for the two undefeated principals — who see themselves as fighting not only to advance their own level of stardom but for the higher purpose of benefitting their gender in a sport long dominated by men — to produce a riveting, two-way performance that comes at least reasonably close to justifying the hype.

But neither Claressa Shields (8-0, 2 KOs), the two-time Olympic gold medalist from Flint, Mich., who holds the women’s WBA, WBC and IBF middleweight championships, nor Germany’s Christina Hammer (24-0, 11 KOs), the WBO middleweight titlist, is predicting a fiercely competitive matchup that will resemble Hagler-Hearns in sports bras. Each sees herself as winning comfortably, perhaps even brutally, in the Showtime-televised 10-round main event Saturday night from the Adrian Phillips Ballroom in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.

“Christina doesn’t know what’s coming for her,” Shields, 23, said recently from her training camp in Miami. “I’m going to break that Hammer in half. I’m just glad I’m going to get my chance to show her what a real champion is. Someone is going down on April 13 and I promise it’s not going to be me.”

Hammer, 28, holder of at least one sanctioning body’s version of a world championship since 2010, has heard such bluster before and silenced it where it counts, inside the ropes. She figures that Shields, her two gold medals and three pro titles notwithstanding, is too inexperienced and tightly wound to solve the riddle the statuesque fraulein has always posed to opponents who are unable to back up their bold talk with action.

“I know I have the skills to beat her,” Hammer said of Shields, “and my goal is to beat her badly.”

For the sake of a cause both women hold close to their hearts, here’s hoping that the clear demonstration of ring superiority each hopes to inflict upon the other is replaced by the kind of classic confrontation that happens all too seldom in women’s boxing, and especially when presumably elite fighters are involved. When it comes to sheer entertainment value, a case can be made that the best female bout ever took place on Aug. 21, 2016, when Heather “The Heat” Hardy came away with a scintillating, 10-round majority decision over Shelly Vincent at Brooklyn’s Coney Island with the vacant WBC International featherweight title on the line. Each woman entered with an 18-0 record, but with a combined total of just five victories inside the distance. They squared off again on Oct. 27 of last year in the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, with Hardy winning a 10-round unanimous decision and the vacant WBO featherweight crown, but despite the popularity of Hardy, a Brooklyn native, in the New York City area, she is 37 and at this stage of her career unlikely to ever command the kind of global attention that Shields, Hammer and very few other female fighters ever come close to achieving.

Two women’s fights that might have held the distinction of being the Best Ever never came off. One would have pitted Ann Wolfe, arguably the hardest-hitting, ass-kickingest woman ever to lace up a pair of gloves, against Laila Ali, the beautiful and skilled daughter of Muhammad Ali who obviously inherited part of her genetic makeup from her dad. The other was to have paired Lucia “The Dutch Destroyer” Rijker and Christy “The Coal Miner’s Daughter” Martin, the only female fighter to have appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, on July 30, 2005. Each woman was to be paid $250,000, with promoter Bob Arum vowing to reward the winner with an additional $750,000, making her, if you’ll pardon the reference to the 2004 Academy Award-winning flick about a fictional female fighter, the real Million-Dollar Baby. That potential bit of history never came to fruition when Rijker suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in training and retired without ever having fought again.

With those distaff megafights forever remaining theoretical, it fell to the clash of celebrity offspring, Laila Ali and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, daughter of Smokin’ Joe Frazier, to square off in what was ambitiously labeled “Ali-Frazier IV.” The two went at it on June 8, 2001, at the Turning Stone Casino Hotel in Verona, N.Y., as if they somehow had been able channel a bit of what had made their fathers great. Laila came away with an eight-round majority decision in a scrap that was better than many had expected, but nonetheless was dismissed by some skeptics as an exploitation of the hallowed names of the participants’ fathers.

Now Shields and Hammer come along to build on all that had had been, or might have been, involving predecessors who at least had conferred a sheen of legitimacy on women’s boxing. They still face an uphill fight to reach whatever might be considered a summit, but there can be no denying that progress is being made in increments. On May 31, in midtown Manhattan, Shields will receive the second annual Christy Martin Award as Female Fighter of the Year (for 2018) from the Boxing Writers Association of America, which should add some additional incentive for her to follow through on her promise to introduce Hammer to the disappointment of defeat. No matter the outcome of Shields-Hammer, however, it is not a given that the winner will be universally hailed as the best woman boxer on the planet, not with the 2017 Christy Martin Fighter of the Year honoree, Norway’s undisputed world welterweight champion Ceciilia Braekhus (35-0, 9 KOs) and WBA/WBO lightweight titlist Katie Taylor (13-0, 6 KOs) of Ireland getting votes from their share of precincts.

Battles are won or lost, and barring a draw the Shields-Hammer fight will produce one of each. But winning wars of acceptance are quite another thing, and the stated goal of both women is to elevate their version of what used to be called a manly art to something at least within hailing distance of parity with their brothers.

“Of course this is our biggest fight ever,” Hammer said of the implications attached to her date with Shields. “We’ve never had a fight like this before. It will be a game-changer for women’s boxing.

“Times are changing. (The fight is on) Saturday night, prime time, with all four belts on the line. This is huge for women’s boxing. It’s going to change everything, and will show the world that women can be strong and earn good money.”

Shields is anxious to lead the way to bigger paydays for women boxers, but there are other things she wants from the fight game that will no longer consign her to the relative second-class citizenship that comes from having been born with two X chromosomes. She thinks women champions should also be scheduled for 12-round title bouts, at three minutes per round. Presently women fight two-minute rounds, with championship bouts limited to 10 rounds.

“I fight three-minute rounds in the gym, and against men, except when I get closer to a fight and I try to get reacclimated to the two-minute rounds,” she said. “I guess (the powers that be) want to protect us from ourselves, but that’s the stupidest thing I ever heard in my life. I’m just keeping it real. For one thing, I am a woman who chose to box. Two, I’m a grown woman. Three, I don’t need nobody to protect me but me.

“The only way women’s boxing will ever get paid the same as men, and be as respected, is for us to boxing three minutes for 12 rounds. There would be more knockouts.”

Photo credit: Jose Pineiro / SHOWTIME

Bernard Fernandez is the retired boxing writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. He is a five-term former president of the Boxing Writers Association of America, an inductee into the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Atlantic City Boxing Halls of Fame and the recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism and the Barney Nagler Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

7 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Japanese-Superstar-Naoya-Inoue-is-Headed-to-Vegas-after-KOing-Y-Joon-Kim

Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is the winner of the Feb. 2 match between Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa/Fulton have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

Published

13 hours ago

January 24, 2025

David A. Avila

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Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 310: Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue and More

Published

1 day ago

January 23, 2025

David A. Avila

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Many proclaim super bantamweight world champ Naoya Inoue to be the best fighter in the world today. It’s a serious debate among boxing pundits.

Is he Japan’s best fighter ever?

Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) takes another step toward immortality when he meets Korea’s Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) on Friday Jan. 24, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank and Ohashi Promotions card.

Inoue defends the IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO world titles.

This is Inoue’s third defense of the undisputed super bantamweight division that he won when he defeated Philippines’ Marlon Tapales in December 2023.

Japan has always been a fighting nation, a country derived from a warrior culture like Mexico, England, Russia, Germany and a few others. Professional boxing has always thrived in Japan.

My first encounter with Japanese fighters took place in March 1968 at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. It was my first visit to the famous boxing venue, though my father had performed there during the 1950s. I was too young to attend any of his fights and then he retired.

The main event featured featherweights Jose Pimentel of Mexico against Sho Saijo of Japan. Both had fought a month earlier with the Mexican from Jalisco winning by split decision.

Pimentel was a friend of my female cousin and gave my father tickets to the fight. My family loved boxing as most Latino families worldwide do, including those in the USA. It’s a fact that most sports editors for newspapers and magazines fail to realize. Latinos love boxing.

We arrived late at the boxing venue located on Grand Avenue and 18th street. My father was in construction and needed to pick me up in East L.A. near Garfield High School. Fights were already underway when we arrived at the Olympic Auditorium.

It was a packed arena and our seats were fairly close to the boxing ring. As the fighters were introduced and descended to the ring, respectful applause greeted Saijo. He had nearly defeated Pimentel in their first clash a month earlier in this same venue. Los Angeles fans respect warriors. Saijo was a warrior.

Both fighters fought aggressively with skill. Every round it seemed Saijo got stronger and Pimentel got weaker. After 10 strong rounds of back-and-forth action, Saijo was declared the winner this time. Some fans booed but most agreed that the Japanese fighter was stronger on this day. And he was stronger still when they met a third time in 1969 when Saijo knocked out Pimentel in the second round for the featherweight world title.

That was my first time witnessing Japan versus Mexico. Over the decades, I’ve seen many clashes between these same two countries and always expect riveting battles from Japanese fighters.

I was in the audience in Cancun, Mexico when then WBC super featherweight titlist Takashi Miura clashed with Sergio Thompson for 12 rounds in intense heat in a covered bull ring. After that fight that saw three knockdowns between them, the champion, though victorious, was taken out on a stretcher due to dehydration.

There are so many others going back to Fighting Harada in the 1960s that won championships. And what about all the other Japanese fighters who never got the opportunity to fight for a world title due to the distance from America and Europe?

Its impossible to determine if Inoue is the greatest Japanese fighter ever. But without a doubt, he is the most famous. Publications worldwide include him on lists of the top three fighters Pound for Pound.

Few experts are familiar with Korea’s Kim, but expect a battle nonetheless. These two countries are rivals in Asian boxing.

Golden Boy at Commerce Casino

Middleweights Eric Priest and Tyler Howard lead a Golden Boy Promotions fight card on Thursday, Jan. 23, at Commerce Casino in Commerce, CA. DAZN will stream the boxing card.

All ticket money will go to the Los Angele Fire Department Foundation.

Kansas-based Priest (14-0, 8 KOs) meets Tennessee’s Tyler Howard (20-2, 11 KOs) in the main event in a match set for 10 rounds.

Others on the card are super welterweights Jordan Panthen (10-0) and Grant Flores (7-0) in separate bouts and super lightweight Cayden Griffith seeking a third consecutive win. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Diego Pacheco at Las Vegas

Super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) defends his regional titles against Steve Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) at the Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday, Jan. 25. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

It’s not an easy fight for Pacheco.

“I’ve been fighting for six years as a professional and I’m 22-0 and I’m 23 years old. I feel I’m stepping into my prime now,” said Pacheco, who trains with Jose Benavidez.

Also on the card is Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz and Southern California’s dangerous super lightweight contender Ernesto Mercado in separate fights.

Fights to Watch (All times Pacific Time)

Thurs. DAZN 6 p.m. Eric Priest (14-0) vs Tyler Howard (20-2).

Fri. ESPN+ 1:15 a.m. Naoya Inoue (28-0) vs Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2).

Sat. DAZN 9:15 a.m. Dalton Smith (16-0) vs Walid Ouizza (19-2); Ellie Scotney (9-0) vs Mea Motu (20-0).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Diego Pacheco (22-0) vs Steve Nelson (20-0).

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