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The wit and wisdom of the sweet science! Check out http://girlboxing.org

MMA & Boxing: Taking a look!

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MMA & Boxing: Taking a look!

I’m still trying to grapple with the sport of MMA (no pun intended).  It is certainly fast, exciting and tough.  With a growing fan base and movements to legalize MMA bouts in more states including, New York, I  thought it might be fun to post a few videos, courtesy of YouTube to see the great New Mexico fighter, Holly Holm in her first MMA bout as compared to Holly’s performance in a boxing match with Brooklyn’s own Belinda Laraquente.

From Holly Holm’s recent MMA debut bout vs. Christina Domke:

Classic Holly Holm vs. Belinda Laraquente in the ring from 2009:

Your thoughts will be appreciated!

 

Exciting Women’s Boxing coming up in Costa Rica!

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>>>>>UPDATE>>>>>

REMINDER EXCITING BOXING 2NIGHT!

Here’s the video for the official weigh-in!

 

Exciting Women’s Boxing coming up in Costa Rica!

Hanna Gabriel and Melisenda Pérez

If you happen to be in Costa Rica on March 31st, there will be a terrific main event rematch coming up between the W.B.O. Jr. Middleweight Champion from Costa Rica, Hanna Gabriel (11-0-1, 7-KO)

Hanna Gabriel

and Mexican fighter Melisenda Pérez (7-4-1, 4-KO).

Melisenda Pérez

The exciting co-feature will he be an IBF Women’s Super bantamweight title fight between Las Vegas’ own Melinda ‘La Maravilla’ Cooper (21-0, 11-KO)

Melinda "La Maravilla" Cooper

and Ada ‘Ace’ Vélez (18-3-3, 6-KO) hailing from Puerto Rico, via Hollywood, Florida, U.S.A.

Ada "Ace" Vélez

According to boxing promoter Sampson Boxing, the fights will be held in the Costa Rica National Stadium with a visit promised by Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla. Pretty cool stuff!

>>>For further information, click here.

84th Annual Daily News 2011 Golden Gloves Semi-Finals Week Ten Reminder!

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84th Annual Daily News 2011 Golden Gloves Semi-Finals Week Ten Reminder!

The full week’s schedule is:

>>>Semi-Finals + Three Final Bouts on 3/25 @ Empire Raceway Casino, Women’s Bouts on 3/23 & 3/25

3/21/2011 – Saint Patrick’s High School, 9511 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11228, Featuring: 152 lb. Open, 201 lb. Novice, 123 lb. Novice, 114 lb. Novice

3/23/2011 – K2 Boxing Club – Queens Crossing Mall, Mundan Banquet Hall, 136-17 39th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11354, 7:30 PM Start. For Tickets, contact K2 Boxing Club, 718-361-5252 or email Jane@k2boxing.com, Featuring: 132 lb. Open, 165 lb. Open, 112 lb. Women, 132 lb. Women.

3/24/2011 – Blessed Sacrament Church, 198 Euclid Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11208, Featuring: 178 lb. Open, 201+ lb. Novice, 123 lb. Novice, 165 lb. Novice.

3/25/2011 – Empire Raceway Casino, 800 Yonkers Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10704, 7:30 PM Start.  Tickets available at entrance to event only. Featuring: 141 lb. Novice, 201+ lb. Open, 178 lb. Novice, and the following FINAL BOUTS!  108 lb. Novice – FINALS BOUT, 176 lb. Women – FINALS BOUT, 176+ lb. Women – FINALS BOUT.

And get ready for the Finals to be held at the Theater @ Madison Square Garden on Thursday April 7th & Friday April 8th, 7:00 PM start!

For more information click here.

 

USA Boxing Pan American Games Women’s Qualifier Team!

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USA Boxing Pan American Games Women’s Qualifier Team!

A giant Girlboxing shout out to the women of the USA Boxing’s first women’s boxing team to head off to the Pan American Games qualifier to be held from March 25-29 in Cumana, Venezuela.

The team members are as follows:

112 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y.

 

132 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Seattle, WA.

 

 

165 lbs/female: Tiffanie Hearn, Louisville, KY.

 

USA Boxing has the full story here.

Why I love women’s boxing!

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Why I love women’s boxing!

Afghan Women Boxing, Credit: AFP/Katherine Haddon

I came across an amazing piece about young Afghani women training for the 2012 Olympics entitled, Afghan women boxers eye Olympic knockout!  We’re talking from the Taliban to the ring — in a country where girls and women still struggle for the right to leave the house or attend school, never mind don boxing gloves to learn the intricacies of the sweet science.

As Katherine Haddon put it in her lead graph, “In a gym at Kabul’s main stadium, where the Taliban used to publicly execute women accused of adultery, female Afghan boxers hoping to make it to the London 2012 Olympics are practicing their jabs.”

This is why I love women’s boxing.

Sure there’s the “game” side of it and the frustrations of attempting to make it as a professional — but at its heart any woman who boxes has an opportunity to push herself past all of the crap of gender construction in whatever society she is in to work it all out on the bag.  As a case in point, pick any ten random videos of a female boxing match on YouTube and read the vitriol, if the comments aren’t sexualized then they are some nonsense about how women “shouldn’t fight …”  And those comments are written here, in the U.S., so what’s that saying???

Meanwhile, back at the gym, girls and women box anyway because they have figured out it’s a beautiful way of moving beyond that sort of thinking into a realm of physical and mental strengthening.  And whether it’s an Aikido dojo, Tai Chi in the park or young Afghani women with an Olympic dream, taking those steps — and providing opportunities and encouragement for other women, young or old to take those steps is what will ultimately knock down the barriers that still keep so many women locked up inside.

YouTube also has a link, however it will only play on their site.  I recommend it highly!  You can find it here.

Friday morning odd-bins

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Friday morning odd-bins

Good morning fight fans! (Always wanted to says that!)

Todas Contra México Update!

Here’s a first look at Todas Contra México‘s star fighters as they get ready to begin shooting in Chiapas, Mexico!  Nice promo up on YouTube:

Pan American Games Box-off begins today!

Yep, the USA Boxing qualifier for the debut of women’s boxing at the Pan American Games is set to begin today at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado with a “Box-Off” of USA’s top competitors in the three Olympic weight categories:  Flyweight (112 lbs), Lightweight (132 lbs), and Middleweight (165 lbs).

This is historic stuff!

The top women amateur boxers participating in the Box-Off are:

Flyweight/112 lbs
Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas
Tyrieshia Douglas Baltimore, Md.
Cynthia Moreno, Phoenix, Ariz.
Alex Love, Monroe, Wash.
Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y.
Marina Ramirez, Las Vegas, Nev.

Lightweight/132 lbs
Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash.
Patricia Manuel, Long Beach, Calif.
Caroline Barry, Boulder, Colo.
Mikaela Mayer, Marquette, Mich.
Melissa Parker, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Jody-Ann Weller, Pomona, N.Y.
Liz Leddy, Portland, Maine

Middleweight/165 lbs
Tiffanie Hearn, Louisville, Ky.
Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md.

The winners of this event will go on to the Pan American Games qualifying event in Cumana, Venezuala set to run from March 25th to March 30th 2011.  The Pan American Games are set to run in Guadalajara, Mexico from October 14th – October 30th 2011.

WBA Women’s Super Bantamweight Title Fight Tonight

Yesica Patricia Marcos, WBA Women's Super Bantamweight

Bleacher Reports has a story up on tonight’s WBA Women’s Super Bantamweight title fight tonight between Yesica Patricia Marcos (16-0, 5-KO) and Maria Andrea Miranda (13-5) in San Martin, Mendoz, Argentina.  The folks at Bleacher Report opine that the shorted training period for Marcos, and Miranda recent 2-4 record will present challenges to both fighters.  The full story is here including news on other upcoming bouts.  Well worth the read!

Enjoy the day — and if you happen to be in the NY area it’s set to hit the high 60’s, yea!

Yoga mama shadow boxing around my living room

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Yoga mama shadow boxing around my living room

Having fallen “off the wagon” so to speak, I’m on day two of my renewed daily yoga routine what with being a bit hit and miss over the last two weeks — with an every 3rd morning routine.

What can I say — my arms are straining from plank pose, my hamstrings from downward facing dog, and my whole body from the Warrior 1, 2 & 3 sequences, but hey, I’m sitting taller while breathing nice and deep and full.  Even the kitty is excited, finding in my unfurled yoga mat a fun toy she’d apparently, really missed.

Next up, three rounds of shadow boxing around the living room to James Brown’s “Funky Good Time” before prancing my way around the kitchen to make some breakfast for the family.

It’s good to be back.

 

 

 

Slipping and sliding

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Slipping and sliding

My little black cloud has returned.  The one my mother used to say followed me everywhere as a constant reminder of all the doom and gloom in the world.  I felt it coming on as a bad fever dream over the past couple of weeks when I started eschewing morning yoga in favor of reading Google “Top News” headlines.  Next came my compulsive news-watching — and now I’m in full-blown “chicken-little” mode what with four disabled nuclear reactors in Japan spewing radiation and reactors five and six on the way.

I guess it was the earthquake-tsunami combo that really put me over the edge and saw me blow-off a perfectly good weekend of work in favor of the intricacies of nuclear power plants.  Did you know, for instance that after the diesel engines failed, the workers jerry-rigged fire hoses to pour water into the reactors?

Having been to Japan both as a traveler and for work, there has been an immediacy to the events that hit home — not to mention that I not only grew up in the era of “duck and cover,” but having had parents who were active in the Ban-the-Bomb pacifist movement of the late 50’s & 60’s knew rather more than I needed to know about nuclear bombs.

So meanwhile, I have work piling up for grad school, a body that is no longer a supple as a pretzel, and am struggling to find my way into the sunshine again when really — well, you get the point, I’m under my little black cloud!

Talk about a slip and slide.

Well, its time to take my own medicine and get out of my own way so to speak.

Yep.  It’s first-you-cry, wash-my-face time.   I could quote from Casablanca to myself … you know the one, “I’m not good at being noble, but it’s clear to me that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.”

And yeah, I’d be right.  Part of the all the stuff that happens in “this crazy world” is our own obligation to make it a better place.  So while I can’t do much to help in Japan other than sending on a few bucks, (nope, I didn’t major in nuclear engineering), what I can do is get out of my funk to live a better day and save the black cloud for where it belongs, in the sky to provide rain for all of those pretty May flowers.

So in the spirit of sunshine, born-again Pollyanna says, “have a great day!”

84th Annual Daily News 2011 Golden Gloves Quarter-Finals & Semi-Finals Week Nine Reminder!

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84th Annual Daily News 2011 Golden Gloves Quarter-Finals & Semi-Finals Week Nine Reminder!

The full week’s schedule is:

>>>Quarter Finals

3/15/2011 – Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 275 North 8th, Brooklyn, NY 11211

3/16/2011 – Atlas Foundation, Petrides High School, 715 Ocean Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301

>>> Semi-Finals

3/17/2011 – Elmcor Recreation Center, 33-16 108th Street, Corona, NY 11368

3/18/2011 – Electric Industry, 158-11 Jewel Avenue, Flushing, NY 11365

For more information click here.

Queen Underwood’s Quest For Olympic Gold!

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Queen Underwood’s Quest For Olympic Gold!

Queen Underwood, AP Photo: Jack Dempsey

If you happen to have been in and around Seattle over the past couple of days, you may have come across a life-size poster of U.S. Women’s National Boxing Champion and Seattle native Queen Underwood in your travels.

Queen Underwood, 26, has been hard at work in her quest to win Gold in the 2012 Olympic Games in the 132-lb. weight class, one of three sanctioned for the debut of Women’s Olympic Boxing, and is looking for support as she trains full-time in pursuit of her dream.

Just now, Queen is in her final preparations for the upcoming Pan American Games Box-offs set to run from March 18-20, in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the Olympic Training Center.

The winners of this important event will be offered the opportunity to wear the red, white and blue at the upcoming Pan American Games qualifier in Cumana, Venezuela, March 25-30 — a first ever event for the games as Women’s Boxing makes its debut.

Queen hopes “to make history” in the Pan American Games,  “by bringing back the first Gold Medal ever for Women’s Boxing.”

Queen’s pursuit of Olympic excellence is her true motivator, as well as the driver behind what Queen calls her training “lifestyle,” which includes nearly daily workouts at Cappy’s Gym in Seattle, upwards of six hours per day.

This sort of focused dedication to the quest for gold is in the manner of any elite Olympian, whether that athlete be a women’s gymnast, weight lifter or  — thanks to the recent decision made by the International Olympic Boxing Committee, a female amateur boxing champion.

Along with the potential for triumph in the ring at the Olympics are the harsh realities of finding support and sponsorship in an era of continuing financial crisis.

Where “Queen Team” has come up with an edge is in reaching out to the public to help support Queen’s quest for gold through tax-deductible sponsorships, volunteer and in-kind support, small donations, and by building awareness of Queen’s dedication to the sport.

As Queen put it, “The Queen Team takes on the task to get money so I can train full-time.”

“It is my duty and my job,” Queen went on to explain, “All I do is box!”

Queen’s personal goals aside, she also sees herself as a role model to younger women and hopes to establish a high-profile not only to eventually pursue a professional boxing career, but importantly, to act as “a mentor to future boxers.”

Still and all, the Olympics mean everything to Queen: an opportunity to win the first Olympic Gold medal for Women’s Boxing in her weight class, a chance to put “Women’s Boxing on the map” and through her own examples of dedication, hard work and focus, the chance to show the world just what it really means to be a woman boxer.

For more information on sponsoring Queen, or just to check out her fabulous website click here.  You can “like” Queen’s Facebook page here.  And you can follow Queen on Twitter by clicking @Queenteam2012

Sunday odds and ends

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Sunday Odds and Ends

I watched the Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez vs. Sergiy Dzinziruk fight last night and came away truly impressed with Martinez’s fighting ability and the maturity he showed in the ring.  Not only had he truly trained for the bout, but his mental fortitude was also apparent as he kept to his game, never lost focus and put on the kind of boxing show that keeps fans out of their seats in concert with the fighters, all without the kind of self-aggrandizing nonsense that so often, of late, gets in the way of a good bout.  Given his peak physical condition and the kind of training regimen he keeps to, we shall likely have Martinez, 36, around for some time to come.  The fight was truly boxing at its best with a huge shout out to Dzinziruk for his considerable efforts in the fight.

Women’s boxing in Japan

The triple-header WBC title fights to have been held at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall have been put on hold due to the devastating earthquake the hit North-Eastern Japan on Friday.  Apparently all six of the boxers had just completed their official weigh-ins when the earthquake hit.  Thankfully, none of the participants were injured.  The OBPF light flyweight bout was also canceled. For more on the story in WBAN click here.

Todas Contra México – UPDATE

Crystal Hoy, Photo Credit: Mary Ann Owen

A Girlboxing shout out to Crystal “Baby Faced Assassin” Hoy (5-4-3 2-KO) on getting the nod to represent the Philippines in the upcoming Mexican Women’s Boxing reality TV-show:  Todas Contra México.  Crystal will join Karolina Owczarz and Keisher “Fire” McLeod-Wells on the international team as each contestant vies to win the $100,000 dollar prize. Click here for a nice feature piece on Crystal on the GMAnews.tv website.

Ana Julaton – the next bout?

Ana Julaton

Close on the heels of her successful WBO Super Bantamweight defense, The Philippines Star is reporting that Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton “is yearning for a rematch with Lisa “Bad News” Brown in the hope of avenging one of the most heartrending losses in her boxing career.”  This fight, however, will need to occur after her next bout deemed a title defense by a “mandatory challenger,” although neither Julaton nor her team are talking on what fighter that may be or where and when the fight will occur.

Julaton, a popular boxer in both her native California is considering having her next bout on Philippine soil.  Time will tell.  The link to the story is here.

***FLASH UPDATE: SONYA “THE SCHOLAR” LAMONAKIS TAKES IT!

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***FLASH UPDATE: SONYA TAKES IT!

Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis fought her heart out to the cheers of her legion of fans taking the six round bout against Tanzee Daniels, 59-55, 59-55 and 58-56.  With Sonya’s win she has lived up to her billing as #1 ranked WIBA women’s heavyweight contender and improved her record to 4-0 with 1-knockout.

UPDATE

Fightnews.com has the story here.  Boxingscene.com has some great color about the fight here (scroll down to 8:27 and read-on from there).  FYI, Boxingscene was live tweeting the fight!

Fight Reminder: Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis

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Fight Reminder:  Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis!

Sonya "The Scholar" Lamonakis during a recent interview @ Gleason's Gym

Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis (3-0, 1-KO), four-time Golden Gloves champion and WIBA #1 ranked Heavyweight contender will be in an exciting fight with southpaw Tanzee Daniels (4-0, 1-KO) tonight at Foxwoods on the undercard of the Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez vs. Sergiy Dzinziruk bout to be broadcast on HBO.

As quoted in the presser for the Martinez-Dzinziruk fight, promoter Lou DiBella said, “If you like women’s boxing, this is going to be a war.”

Girlboxing has watched Sonya workout over the last weeks and has been inspired by Sonya’s focus as she has pushed herself to reach peak conditioning ahead of her battle.  If Tanzee has worked half as hard, this will prove to be an epic fight.

For further information on tickets, they can be purchased online here or by calling the MGM Grand at Foxwoods at 1-866-646-0609, or in person at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods box office.  You can also contact Gleason’s Gym at (718) 797-2872 for the latest update.

 

 

When life happens

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When life happens.  (UPDATED)

Our hearts go out to the people of Japan as they recover from the devastation of last night’s 8.9 earthquake.  These sorts of events remind us that much of life is out of our control and that no matter how hard we try and how much we prepare, life happens.

The images of a wall of water in some places as high as 30 feet making is way inland over the farmlands and towns of Northern Japan also remind us that life’s knockdowns are filled with twists, turns and the ripple effects of an original event.

Still whether a knockdown in the ring, a terrible personal loss or the experience of an overwhelming natural event, the point is to do one’s best to “roll” with the punches while helping others who may be worse off than ourselves.

UPDATE – scarier than we knew …

The tsunami has had devastating effects on the countryside in the region of Sendai — and now, there are two nuclear power plant facilities that have been declared nuclear emergencies.  One of the plants just sustained an explosion of one of its nuclear reactors, and the roof of that reactor has reportedly collapsed.  Experts are stating that a “Chernobyl”-style incident is unlikely due to the reactor’s design, still, it seems that a meltdown of some kind is occurring — along with the potential for catastrophic outcomes.  It’s not for this post to comment on the relative merits of nuclear power, suffice it to say, we fear for the human toll of these extraordinary events and urge everyone to provide what assistance they can during this terrible time for the people of Japan.

>>> One suggestion is to text REDCROSS @ 90999 to make a $10 donation in support of Red Cross disaster relief efforts for earthquake victims in Japan.

For further updates, the New York Times is here.  Guardian (UK) is here.

Women’s Boxing News Roundup – 3/10/11

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Women’s boxing news roundup – 3/10/2011.

Todas Contra México names Global Boxing Foundation prospect and Polish Amateur sensation Karolina Owczarz as a contestant on the upcoming Reality TV Show!

Karolina Owczarz, Gold Medal Winner in the Polish Amateur Boxing Championships

Production for Todas Contra Mexico is set to begin the week of March 14th in Chiapas, Mexico where Karolina Owczarz is set to have her professional debut.  Karolina will be joined by Keisher “Fire” McLeod-Wells on the international team as each contestant vies to win the $100,000 dollar prize. For more information Click on the Eastside Boxing.com story here.

Women in Sports

To coincide with the International Women’s Day on March 8th,  there have been a few articles from the world press that have addressed the issue if inequality in women’s sports.  From an article by Mike Beamish of the Vancouver Sun and published online in the Montreal Gazette.com, Beamish makes the point that, “Women will come out fighting for the first time at the 2012 Olympics in London, 15 years after British boxing authorities claimed their menstrual cycles made them too “unstable” to box. The concern for women’s reproductive systems and supposed frailty are time-honoured excuses that harken back to the 19th century and, apparently, still have dubious cachet today.”

The story in the Torontoist entited, “Sporting Good: The Toronto Newsgirls,” while not a polemic about the state of women’s sports, is an article about the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club, dedicated to empowering women through boxing.  The club, founded by Savory Howe supports women and girls of all abilities from beginners on through amateur champions with Olympic dreams.  The club offer classes in boxing, individual training, sparring and regular “fight nights” for club participants.  As well, the space is designed to offer women an environment that encourages women’s athleticism at all levels and a safe haven from the work-a-day problems of the world at large. A link to the article is here. For more information about the club click here.

Kaliesha West back to boxing?

8countnews.com is reporting that Kaliesha “Wild West” West is eyeing an April return to the ring after her layoff from competitive boxing following a car accident.  Kaliesha also participated in a podcast that is well-worth a listen.  A link to the article and podcast can be found here.  Please also have a look at an interesting feature story run on Kaliesha last year in PE.com entitled, Boxing Column: Times have changed for Kaliesha West.  A link to the earlier story can be found here.