Featured Articles
The Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame Welcomes the Classes of 2020/2021
Las Vegas welcomes the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame when it hosts the 2020 and 2021 inductees to its honor roll on Saturday Aug. 14, at the Orleans Casino and Resort.
Because of the pandemic, last year’s ceremony was not held but will be included with this year’s class in Las Vegas. Here are the newest members:
Class of 2020
Michele Aboro (21-0, 12 KOs) – Though British by birth, she fought primarily in Germany because women’s boxing was not accepted in the United Kingdom in her era. Between 1995 and 2001 the super bantamweight remained undefeated despite facing fellow Hall of Fame fighters such as Kelsey Jeffries and Daisy Lang.
Sharon Anyos (14-3, 4 KOs) – Australia’s “Wild Thing” fought between 1998 and 2007.During those years she engaged against heavy duty competition including fellow inductees Lisa Brown and Jojo Wyman and the great Jane Couch. I personally witnessed two fights including a savage fight against Wyman in Rancho Cucamonga 21 years ago. Interesting side note: the promoter ran away with the ticket money.
Lisa Brown (20-6-3, 6 KOs) – Canada’s “Bad News” Brown was a southpaw technician in the super bantamweight division between 2000 and 2013. A very strong fighter who traveled to Panama, Mexico, South Korea and other parts of the world. Among those she battled were Jackie Nava, Ana Julaton and Karen Martin. I personally remember a torrid battle she had with Jeri Sitzes to win the IFBA title in 2008 at Pechanga Casino in Temecula, California.
Graciela Casillas (7-0-1, 3 KOs) – A native Californian she fought between 1979 and 1986 when professional female boxing was rare but slowly growing. In just her second fight engaged in a 10-round fight versus Debbie Kauffman in San Antonio, Texas. Casillas fought four times in Nevada and only twice in Los Angeles. Established a reputation as a fierce fighter.
Jaime Clampitt (22-5-2, 7 KOs) – A Canadian by birth, Clampitt recently fought but started her fistic career back in 2000. Among those she faced were Eliza Olson, Jane Couch, Mia St. John and Holly Holm to name a few. Most of her bouts took place in the lightweight division.
Melinda Cooper (23-2, 11 KOs) – A native Las Vegas fighter, “La Maravilla” Cooper was one of the first women to develop under the amateur boxing program and fought between 2002 to 2014. Was a fearless flyweight and bantamweight fighter with speed and power, willing to fight in Mexico, France and Costa Rica. Among those she battled were Jeri Sitzes, Anissa Zamarron, Donna Biggers, Ada Velez and Celina Salazar. Few were as physically talented and skilled as Melinda Cooper. She was a big attraction.
Isra Girgrah (28-3-2, 11 KOs) – Fought out of her home state Maryland as a super featherweight between 1995 and 2004. Among those she faced in the boxing ring were Christy Martin, Brit Van Buskirk, Tracy Bird, Laura Serrano and Melissa Del Valle. All were exceptional fighters during that era.
Kelsey Jeffries (41-11-2) – The native Californian was known as the “Road Warrior” and between 1999 and 2014 fought more than 50 times in the super bantamweight and featherweight class. Among those she battled were Layla McCarter, Laura Serrano, Melissa Hernandez, Jackie Nava, Jojo Wyman and Alicia Ashley to name a few. Very well-loved fighter.
Valerie Mahfood (19-14-4, 9 KOs) – The Texas tough pugilist fought in the golden era of the light heavyweights between 1997 and 2008 and was smack in the middle of several top battles. Among those she fought were Ann Wolfe and Laila Ali including a knockout win over Wolfe. Mahfood might have been dominant in the division if not for those two giants in women’s boxing. Still, she held her own in every fight.
Mary Ortega (32-6-2, 9 KOs) – Born and raised in Kansas City she fought a who’s who of opposition from flyweight to super featherweight from 1997 to 2014. Among those she battled were Elena “Baby Doll” Reid, Ada Velez, Susi Kentikian and Hollie Dunaway.
Mary Ann Owen – is a world-famous photographer based in Las Vegas who has chronicled women’s boxing and men’s boxing for more than 30 years. Few female fights took place without her recording the fights for posterity. She also published a book on women’s boxing that has become one of three essential books on the female prizefighting world.
Shelley Williams – A Los Angeles native, entered the world of boxing while working with high powered attorney Robert Shapiro. From then on Williams worked as a publicist, journalist, consultant, matchmaker and all things boxing. Among those she assisted were the late Eddie Futch, Michael Dokes, Ken Norton and Leon Spinks. She was also a commissioner with the International Female Boxing Association.
Class of 2021
Alicia Ashley (24-12-1) – Known as “Slick” she was a speedy southpaw fighter from Brooklyn who fought from 1999 to 2018. Her very last fight took place three years ago in a world title fight against current champion Dina Thorslund in Denmark. Even at age 51 she gave the Danish fighter one of her closest fights. Ashley has fought all over the world and held world titles in the bantamweight and super bantamweight divisions.
Kathy Collins (14-2-4, 3 KOs) – A New York based fighter known as “Wildcat” Collins battled between 1995 and 2001. Her last bout was a war with legendary Christy Martin that she lost by majority decision at Madison Square Garden. Though her career was not very long she was a popular attraction at Atlantic City. She fought 10 times at the casino city and twice at Madison Square Garden. She was a real crowd pleaser.
Roy Englebrecht – a Southern California-based promoter for more than 30 years and a strong supporter for women’s prizefighting. When other promoters ignored female boxing Englebrecht was the only promoter who believed in the sport’s future. He doubled down on women’s boxing and staged numerous world title fights mostly in the Orange County area. Many fighters like Mia St. John, Bridgett “Baby Doll” Riley, Crystal Morales and Para Draine fought on his boxing cards which continue to flourish.
Gina Guidi (16-1-1, 6 KOs) – A California native known as “Boom Boom” Guidi she fought between 1995 and 2001 in the welterweight and super welterweight divisions. Among those she faced were Brit Van Buskirk, Mary Ann Almager and Trina Ortegon. In her very last fight she captured the WIBA title.
Bonnie Mann (13-9, 6 KOs) – has long been an advocate for women’s prizefighting first as a fighter and now as a trainer and promoter. Her fighting career began in 2002 and ended in 2010 with bouts against Holly Holm, Yvonne Reis and Ann Saccurato. Mann now works as a general manager at a boxing gym in Elmira, New York and also serves as a motivational speaker for youth.
Anne Sophie Mathis (27-4-1, 23 KOs) – A native of France the tall welterweight fought between 1995 and 2016 and was famous for her knockout power. Among those she victimized were Holly Holm, Ana Pascal, and Jane Couch. Mathis could hit like a piledriver and won world titles in the super lightweight and welterweight divisions. She was feared for her knockout punch throughout her career.
Ina Menzer (31-1, 11 KOs) – Though a native of Kazakhstan she fought almost entirely in Germany between 2004 and 2013 in the featherweight division. Among those she battled were Fatuma Zarika, Yazmin Rivas, Esther Schouten, and Ramona Kuehne. Her only loss was against American fighter Jeannine Garside. She held featherweight world titles from 2005 until she retired in 2013.
Natascha Ragosina (22-0, 13 KOs) – A tall middleweight from Russia who fought most of her professional career in Germany between 2004 and 2009, which in women’s boxing was the dead era. Germany was one of the few countries that staged women’s prizefighting but during that span of time, even Germany was hard-pressed to promote lucrative fight cards. Ragosina never lost a fight despite fighting tough opposition such as Valerie Mahfood, Yvonne Reis, Dakota Stone and Akondaye Fountain.
Marischa Sjauw (22-6-1, 7 KOs) – “La Matadora” fought out of the Netherlands between 1993 and 2004. Most of her bouts were held in the lightweight to welterweight division against American and European fighters. Among those she faced were Anne Sophie Mathis, Kathy Collins, Jane Couch and Isra Girgrah.
Carol Steindler – Based in Los Angeles she was the last owner of the world famous Main Street Gym and the daughter of world class trainer Howie Steindler. Many of the best fighters in history trained at the Main Street Gym including Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Roberto Duran, Manuel Ortiz, Alberto Davila, Lil Indian Red Lopez, and Jack Johnson. The movie Rocky was filmed at the location. As the daughter of Howie she was right in the middle of the boxing world.
Dora Webber (6-6-3) – Based in Paterson, New Jersey she was known as Dora the Destroyer and fought from 1983 to 1999. Among those she faced were Lucia Rijker, Christy Martin, Jane Couch and Gina Guidi. One of the pioneers of women’s boxing willing to perform against anyone. She even flew overseas to Moscow where she battled Zulfia Kutdyusova in 1997.
Jojo Wyman (11-9-1) – Fought out of Los Angeles and battled against the best of her era between 1999 and 2003. Perhaps her best showing was against Mexico’s great Laura Serrano whom she defeated in 2003 at the famous Playboy Mansion. During that event many future NBA basketball greats such as Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony were in attendance before they played their first pro game.
Check out more boxing news on video at the Boxing Channel
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt that he is the best heavyweight of his generation and one of the greatest boxers of all time with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury tonight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But although the Ukrainian won eight rounds on all three scorecards, this was no runaway. To pirate a line from one of the DAZN talking heads, Fury had his moments in every round but Usyk had more moments.
The early rounds were fought at a faster pace than the first meeting back in May. At the mid-point, the fight was even. The next three rounds – the next five to some observers – were all Usyk who threw more punches and landed the cleaner shots.
Fury won the final round in the eyes of this reporter scoring at home, but by then he needed a knockout to pull the match out of the fire.
The last round was an outstanding climax to an entertaining chess match during which both fighters took turns being the pursuer and the pursued.
An Olympic gold medalist and a unified world champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight, the amazing Usyk improved his ledger to 23-0 (14). His next fight, more than likely, will come against the winner of the Feb. 22 match in Ridayh between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker which will share the bill with the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Fury (34-2-1) may fight Anthony Joshua next. Regardless, no one wants a piece of Moses Itauma right now although the kid is only 19 years old.
Moses Itauma
Raised in London by a Nigerian father and a Slovakian mother, Itauma turned heads once again with another “wow” performance. None of his last seven opponents lasted beyond the second round.
His opponent tonight, 34-year-old Australian Demsey McKean, lasted less than two minutes. Itauma, a southpaw with blazing fast hands, had the Aussie on the deck twice during the 117-second skirmish. The first knockdown was the result of a cuffing punch that landed high on the head; the second knockdown was produced by an overhand left. McKean went down hard as his chief cornerman bounded on to the ring apron to halt the massacre.
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs after going 20-0 as an amateur) is the real deal. It was the second straight loss for McKean (22-2) who lasted into the 10th round against Filip Hrgovic in his last start.
Bohachuk-Davis
In a fight billed as the co-main although it preceded Itauma-McKean, Serhii Bohachuk, an LA-based Ukrainian, stopped Ishmael Davis whose corner pulled him out after six frames.
Both fighters were coming off a loss in fights that were close on the scorecards, Bohachuk falling to Vergil Ortiz Jr in a Las Vegas barnburner and Davis losing to Josh Kelly.
Davis, who took the fight on short notice, subbing for Ismail Madrimov, declined to 13-2. He landed a few good shots but was on the canvas in the second round, compliments of a short left hook, and the relentless Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) eventually wore him down.
Fisher-Allen
In a messy, 10-round bar brawl masquerading as a boxing match, Johnny Fisher, the Romford Bull, won a split decision over British countryman David Allen. Two judges favored Fisher by 95-94 tallies with the dissenter favoring Allen 96-93. When the scores were announced, there was a chorus of boos and those watching at home were outraged.
Allen was a step up in class for Fisher. The Doncaster man had a decent record (23-5-2 heading in) and had been routinely matched tough (his former opponents included Dillian Whyte, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and three former Olympians). But Allen was fairly considered no more than a journeyman and Fisher (12-0 with 11 KOs, eight in the opening round) was a huge favorite.
In round five, Allen had Fisher on the canvas twice although only one was ruled a true knockdown. From that point, he landed the harder shots and, at the final bell, he fell to canvas shedding tears of joy, convinced that he had won.
He did not win, but he exposed Johnny Fisher as a fighter too slow to compete with elite heavyweights, a British version of the ponderous Russian-Canadian campaigner Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Other Bouts of Note
In a spirited 10-round featherweight match, Scotland’s Lee McGregor, a former European bantamweight champion and stablemate of former unified 140-pound title-holder Josh Taylor, advanced to 15-1-1 (11) with a unanimous decision over Isaac Lowe (25-3-3). The judges had it 96-92 and 97-91 twice.
A cousin and regular houseguest of Tyson Fury, Lowe fought most of the fight with cuts around both eyes and was twice deducted a point for losing his gumshield.
In a fight between super featherweights that could have gone either way, Liverpool southpaw Peter McGrail improved to 11-1 (6) with a 10-round unanimous decision over late sub Rhys Edwards. The judges had it 96-95 and 96-94 twice.
McGrail, a Tokyo Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, fought from the third round on with a cut above his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads. It was the first loss for Edwards (16-1), a 24-year-old Welshman who has another fight booked in three weeks.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
In professional boxing, the heavyweight division, going back to the days of John L. Sullivan, is the straw that stirs the drink. By this measure, the fight on May 18 of this year at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was the biggest prizefight in decades. The winner would emerge as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 when Lennox Lewis out-pointed Evander Holyfield in their second meeting.
The match did not disappoint. It had several twists and turns.
Usyk did well in the early rounds, but the Gypsy King rattled Usyk with a harsh right hand in the fifth stanza and won rounds five through seven on all three cards. In the ninth, the match turned sharply in favor of the Ukrainian. Fury was saved by the bell after taking a barrage of unanswered punches, the last of which dictated a standing 8-count from referee Mark Nelson. But Fury weathered the storm and with his amazing powers of recuperation had a shade the best of it in the final stanza.
The decision was split: 115-112 and 114-113 for Usyk who became a unified champion in a second weight class; 114-113 for Fury.
That brings us to tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 21) where Usyk and Fury will renew acquaintances in the same ring where they had their May 18 showdown.
The first fight was a near “pick-‘em” affair with Fury closing a very short favorite at most of the major bookmaking establishments. The Gypsy King would have been a somewhat higher favorite if not for the fact that he was coming off a poor showing against MMA star Francis Ngannou and had a worrisome propensity for getting cut. (A cut above Fury’s right eye in sparring pushed back the fight from its original Feb. 11 date.)
Tomorrow’s sequel, bearing the tagline “Reignited,” finds Usyk a consensus 7/5 favorite although those odds could shorten by post time. (There was no discernible activity after today’s weigh-in where Fury, fully clothed, topped the scales at 281, an increase of 19 pounds over their first meeting.)
Given the politics of boxing, anything “undisputed” is fragile. In June, Usyk abandoned his IBF belt and the organization anointed Daniel Dubois their heavyweight champion based upon Dubois’s eighth-round stoppage of Filip Hrgovic in a bout billed for the IBF interim title. The malodorous WBA, a festering boil on the backside of boxing, now recognizes 43-year-old Kubrat Pulev as its “regular” heavyweight champion.
Another difference between tomorrow’s fight card and the first installment is that the May 18 affair had a much stronger undercard. Two strong pairings were the rematch between cruiserweights Jai Opetaia and Maris Briedis (Opetaia UD 12) and the heavyweight contest between unbeatens Agit Kabayal and Frank Sanchez (Kabayel KO 7).
Tomorrow’s semi-wind-up between Serhii Bohachuk and Ismail Madrimov lost luster when Madrimov came down with bronchitis and had to withdraw. The featherweight contest between Peter McGrail and Dennis McCann fell out when McCann’s VADA test returned an adverse finding. Bohachuk and McGrail remain on the card but against late-sub opponents in matches that are less intriguing.
The focal points of tomorrow’s undercard are the bouts involving undefeated British heavyweights Moses Itauma (10-0, 8 KOs) and Johnny Fisher (12-0, 11 KOs). Both are heavy favorites over their respective opponents but bear watching because they represent the next generation of heavyweight standouts. Fury and Usyk are getting long in the tooth. The Gypsy King is 36; Usyk turns 38 next month.
Bob Arum once said that nobody purchases a pay-per-view for the undercard and, years from now, no one will remember which sanctioning bodies had their fingers in the pie. So, Fury-Usyk II remains a very big deal, although a wee bit less compelling than their first go-around.
Will Tyson Fury avenge his lone defeat? Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and the unofficial czar of “major league” boxing, certainly hopes so. His Excellency has made known that he stands poised to manufacture a rubber match if Tyson prevails.
We could have already figured this out, but Alalshikh violated one of the protocols of boxing when he came flat out and said so. He effectively made Tyson Fury the “A-side,” no small potatoes considering that the most relevant variable on the checklist when handicapping a fight is, “Who does the promoter need?”
The Uzyk-Fury II fight card will air on DAZN with a suggested list price of $39.99 for U.S. fight fans. The main event is expected to start about 5:45 pm ET / 2:45 pm PT.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year
Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year
The Dec. 14 fight at Tijuana between Jaime Munguia and Bruno Surace was conceived as a stay-busy fight for Munguia. The scuttlebutt was that Munguia’s promoters, Zanfer and Top Rank, wanted him to have another fight under his belt before thrusting him against Christian Mbilli in a WBC eliminator with the prize for the winner (in theory) a date with Canelo Alvarez.
Munguia came to the fore in May of 2018 at Verona, New York, when he demolished former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali, conqueror of Miguel Cotto. That earned him the WBO super welterweight title which he successfully defended five times.
Munguia kept winning as he moved up in weight to middleweight and then super middleweight and brought a 43-0 (34) record into his Cinco de Mayo 2024 match with Canelo.
Jaime went the distance with Alvarez and had a few good moments while losing a unanimous decision. He rebounded with a 10th-round stoppage of Canada’s previously undefeated Erik Bazinyan.
There was little reason to think that Munguia would overlook Surace as the Mexican would be fighting in his hometown for the first time since February of 2022 and would want to send the home folks home happy. Moreover, even if Munguia had an off-night, there was no reason to think that the obscure Surace could capitalize. A Frenchman who had never fought outside France, Surace brought a 25-0-2 record and a 22-fight winning streak, but he had only four knockouts to his credit and only eight of his wins had come against opponents with winning records.
It appeared that Munguia would close the show early when he sent the Frenchman to the canvas in the second round with a big left hook. From that point on, Surace fought mostly off his back foot, throwing punches in spurts, whereas the busier Munguia concentrated on chopping him down with body punches. But Surace absorbed those punches well and at the midway point of the fight, behind on the cards but nonplussed, it now looked as if the bout would go the full 10 rounds with Munguia winning a lopsided decision.
Then lightning struck. Out of the blue, Surace connected with an overhand right to the jaw. Munguia went down flat on his back. He rose a fraction-of-a second before the count reached “10,”, but stumbled as he pulled himself upright. His eyes were glazed and referee Juan Jose Ramirez, a local man, waived it off. There was no protest coming from Munguia or his cornermen. The official time was 2:36 of round six.
At major bookmaking establishments, Jaime Munguia was as high as a 35/1 favorite. No world title was at stake, yet this was an upset for the ages.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Remembering the Macho Man, Hector Camacho, a Great Sporting Character
-
Featured Articles1 week ago
A Shocker in Tijuana: Bruno Surace KOs Jaime Munguia !!
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
R.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
Fighting on His Home Turf, Galal Yafai Pulverizes Sunny Edwards
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
The Noted Trainer Kevin Henry, Lucky to Be Alive, Reflects on Devin Haney and More
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Introducing Jaylan Phillips, Boxing’s Palindrome Man
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
Avila Perspective, Chap. 306: Flyweight Rumble in England, Ryan Garcia in SoCal
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City