Avila Perspective, Chap. 145: Olympics, Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame and More

Women’s prizefighting has steadily grown by leaps and bounds for one particular reason: the Olympic Games.

The opportunity to compete in the Olympic games has proven to be the fuse that lit the growth of women’s professional boxing. Every year the sport grows bigger and at a faster rate than the year before.

Competition to represent each nation’s team is fierce.

Professional boxing, or prizefighting, has been around for decades when it comes to women. But the inability to find opportunities to perform kept it hidden under the rug as fighters like Barbara Buttrick, Lady Tyger Trimiar and Bridgett “Baby Doll” Riley emerged and then quickly disappeared with nary a trace.

Here and there women prizefighters would get a boost from actors like Clint Eastwood or promoters like Don King. They would assist certain female boxers, but the sport never got serious traction until the Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016.

Now, you can’t stop them with anything less than an atomic bomb. Not even a worldwide pandemic can stop them.

The advent of women’s boxing in the Olympics has led to an explosion of women prizefighters led by Claressa Shields, Mikaela Mayer and Katie Taylor.

After decades of low pay for world title fights, a few women are finally receiving six figures to perform in front of worldwide audiences. Blame it on the Olympics.

Search through your local sports programming to find Olympic boxing schedules for both men and women. The future will be performing.

Olympic Action This Weekend

Friday, 10:00 pm EST

Featherweights (57 kg) Yarisel Ramirez, Las Vegas, NV vs. Nikolina Cacic, Romania

Featherweights (57 kg) Duke Ragan, Cincinnati, OH vs. Samuel Kistohurry, France

Saturday, 4:00 am EST

Welterweights (69 kg) Delonte “Tiger” Johnson, Cleveland, OH vs. Brian Agustin Arregui, Argentina

 International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame

A large class will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year that takes place on August 14 at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Because of the pandemic the induction ceremonies did not take place last year. This year will include inductees for 2020 and 2021. It’s also the first time that the IWBOF holds a ceremony in Las Vegas.

Here are the inductees:

2020 inductees

Sharon Anyos, Lisa Brown, Kelsey Jeffries, Michele Aboro, Melinda Cooper, Valerie Mahfood, Mary Ortega, Isra Girgrah, Mary Ann Owen, Shelley Williams, Graciela Casillas, Jaime Clampitt,

2021 inductees

Gina Cuidi, Anne Sophie Mathis, Alicia Ashley, Kathy Collins, Jojo Wyman, Natascha Ragosina, Roy Englebrecht, Carol Steindler, Bonnie Mann, Marischa Sjauw, Dora Webber, Ina Menzer.

Texas Scoring

Public outcry rang out worldwide over the scoring for the super welterweight undisputed world championship last week between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano. The split draw decision did not sit well with many.

Charlo was wobbled a few times and so was Castano.

Viewers who participated in a survey overwhelmingly voted that Castano should have been awarded the decision. There will be a rematch.

It was a decent scrap with Argentina’s Castano quickly realizing that he needed to risk whatever it takes to get inside and do his work. Early on Charlo tagged him with a counter left hook that stalled Castano’s attack. But he quickly realized there was no other course he could take. It was either go inside or get tagged repeatedly by the much longer arms of Charlo.

The rematch should be held in Las Vegas or Los Angeles.

Crawford and Porter

WBO welterweight titlist Terence Crawford has been clamoring for Errol Spence Jr. but he will have to fight Shawn Porter instead said the WBO sanctioning body.

Porter is a perfect fit.

The number one contender on the WBO rankings gave Spence all he could handle when they met in Los Angeles two years ago. I felt Porter won the fight by one point, but the judges felt otherwise that night on Sept. 28, 2019.

Porter has fought the better competition at welterweight and seems to get better every year. He is the perfect test for Crawford who though talented, has not been able to compete with the best because of the rival promotion companies Top Rank and Premier Boxing Champions being at odds with each other.

A purse bid will settle things if the rival companies can come to terms on their own.

Sons of El Feroz

The sons of retired boxing great Fernando “El Feroz” Vargas, Fernando Vargas Jr. and Amado Vargas will both be fighting in Mexico on Friday June 23. It will be shown on pay-per-view. The cost is $12.99.

Vargas Jr. (3-0) fights Abel Luna in a middleweight bout at Los Mochis, Sinaloa. Brother Amado Vargas (2-0) meets Fernando De La Cruz in a featherweight fight.

Both Vargas brothers are managed by Egis Klimas who also guides Vasyl Lomachenko and others.

To purchase the fight go to this link: https://wbc.vivetv.network/events/july-2021/cuentas-pendientes/

Photo: Two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields

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