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

Cardio, cardio, cardio

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Cardio, cardio, cardio

I had my annual physical yesterday.  All looks good so far, though my doctor recommended upping my cardio.  It got me thinking how I would fit that in when I’m already at my max on time — not to mention the fact that I box on Saturdays which is about the best cardio I know!

Then it occurred to me that I wasn’t being consigned to an hour on a treadmill or the nordic trak.  I’m free to be as creative as I can while accomplishing the benefits in short spurts like climbing stairs in lieu of elevators (where possible), taking a faster pace when I walk and throwing in a few rounds of shadow boxing using my handy iPhone timer app whenever I can!  Dancing to three butt-buster songs from YouTube can also do the trick!  Or as my husband suggested going back to the idea of an evening “constitutional.”

The point is — once you reach a certain age you are pronounced an official medical grown-up which means it’s all about prevention!  And while strength is important for healthy bones, stretching for flexibility and stress reduction, the aerobics are necessary to keep your heart healthy.

Your moment, your time.

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Your moment, your time.

This is as good an early morning as any to admit that getting up before dawn to breathe deeply as I contort myself into poses my body has no way of holding is just plain silly.  Okay, well maybe not silly, but given that my eyes are at half mast and I’m drifting as I write there is the question as to whether I am hitting diminishing returns here.  Yes, I got the junk out of my bones as I stretched and released — with the added benefit of giving the cat a place to scratch as I attempted the right hand on my outstretched left foot pose (that’s the donuty looking one — great on the tape, ridiculous on me!).

The gripes aside — it being Wednesday after all when these sorts of doubts hit my consciousness — I got to thinking that it is still my little bit of quiet including all this baby-bitching. Yep, let’s face it, sometimes we need some time to complain. We need that arrrghhh growl. That “damn-it nobody changed the toilet paper” grumble. Or my favorite, the loud as I can be empty out the kitchen sink plate slamming session where the object is to make as much noise as possible with nary a scratch to any of the pots, pans, dishes or cutlery. Where I draw the line is with the mucked up sponge which in my world just gets tossed out with a few under the breath curses to the moron who left it there to soak in the overnight potpourri of bacteria languishing in their special stew.

The point is the moments that are yours don’t always have to be pretty. Let’s face it, why else would you want to hit things?  Punching a heavy bag does have its attractions after all. As does beating down a huge mound of clay, digging in the dirt to plant bulbs or running till your heart feels as if it is going to burst. And that’s okay. Release is not always a slowly modulated intake and outtake of breath kind of thing. Sometimes its messy and full of rage, and sometimes its plain old complaint city when for the 116th time in a week you plead, cajole and beg one of your loved ones to pahleasssseee open the hamper lid before stacking their dirty laundry.

The other side of the fight

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The other side of the fight.

Franchesca "The Chosen One" Alcanter, Women's WBO Super Bantamweight Championship fight

Often in big draw fights whether its men’s professional boxing, women’s professional boxing, amateurs in the Golden Gloves or in related sports such as MMA, we forget about the other side of the ticket.  The fighter who has the challenge not only to climb through the ropes, but getting ready for the fight knowing his or her opponent is garnering all of the attention.

Such is the case for Franchesca “The Chosen One” Alcanter as she readies to meet Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton this Friday in the ring at what is sure to be a spectacle in Riverside, California as they battle for the women’s WBO Super Bantamweight title.  Hailing from a self-professed boxing family, Franchesca Alcanter, 37, brings an impressive 18-9-1 record to the 10-round championship bout.

This will be Franchesca Alcanter’s 5th shot at a title having lost a heart breaker in Breman, Germany against opponent Ina Menzer in 2009.  As quoted in an article by Pete Grathoff in her home town paper, the Kansas City Star, Alcantar said, “I feel really good about this fight,” I’m the strongest I’ve ever been. I’m a seasoned fighter. I know right now that this is my time.”

Whatever happens on Friday night, win, lose or draw, Franchesca Alcanter will box her heart out not only for herself, but for the future of women’s boxing, a sport she loves.  Click here for a link to Pete Grathoff’s article.  For more information on Franchesca Alcanter and her upcoming bout click here.

Women in the ring and Week Six Golden Gloves Reminder

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Women in the Ring

Christy Martin and Dakota Stone, September 3, 2009

Christy Martin:  Fighting back

Christy Martin, center, works out with assistant trainer Richie Sandoval, left, Miguel Diaz, trainer, right looks on. Photo: Julie Jacobson, AP Photo

AP’s Tim Dahlberg has a feature piece out about Christy Martin and her upcoming bout against Dakota Stone on the undercard of the March 12, 2011 Showtime PPV Cotto-Mayorga fight.

A money quote from Dahlberg’s piece with respect to women’s boxing is Bob Arum’s take on the sport:

“Ask promoter Bob Arum and he’ll tell you the biggest problem with women’s boxing is that men don’t particularly like to see women hitting each other, and women like it even less. Though the sport has a small dedicated fan base, women in the ring are generally treated as a side show by fans and boxing promoters.”  This article is really worth the read here.

Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis upcoming bout reminder!

As a reminder, the other great women’s bout on March 12, 2011 will pit WIBA #1 ranked U. S. Heavyweight, Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis (3-0, 1-KO) against Tanzee Daniels (4-0, 1-KO) on the undercard of HBO’s Martinez-Dzinziruk fight to be broadcast live from Foxwoods.

Tickets 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 Sonya Lamonakis for ticket information by calling Gleason’s Gym @ 718-797-2872.

84th Annual Daily News 2011 Golden Gloves Week Six reminder:  Women’s bouts!

At the aptly named, Justice Sotomayer Center on Wednesday night, February 23rd, the first women’s preliminary boxing bouts of the year will be held across several weight classes.

The full week’s schedule is:

2/22/2011 – Bishop Ford High School, 500 19th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215

2/23/2011 – Justice Sotomayor Center, 1000 Rosedale Avenue, Bronx, NY 10472

2/25/2011 – Holy Cross High School, 26-20 Francis Lewis Blvd., Flushing, NY 11358

For more information click here.


Women’s Boxing News Roundup – 2/20/21

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Women’s Boxing News Roundup – 2/20/11

Women’s IBF Bantamweight Championship

Suzie Q Ramadan, Women's IBF Bantamweight Champion, Photo: Alex Coppel, Herald Sun

Australia’s Susie Q Ramadan (20-0,KO-8) scored a decisive runaway victory last night to win the Women’s IBF Bantamweight Championship over America’s Terri Lynn Cruz (17-7-2, KO-8).  In commanding fashion, Ramadan scored 99-91 on all three judges scorecards as she routed Cruz in the fight on her home turf venue, the Reggio Calibria Club in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia.  Well publicized in her native Australia, Ramadan hopes to crack the American and European fight markets as well as to continue to bring honor to the sport of boxing for Australia. Article links here and here.

Laila Ali tapped as President of the Women’s Sports Foundation

Laila Ali, radiant in red and expecting her 2nd child in April, Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Former women’s boxing champion Laila Ali a board member of the Women’s Sports Foundation since 2007 has been chosen as the organization’s incoming President.  As quoted in a press release issued by the Women’s Sports Foundation, Ali said, “I’m thrilled to serve as president of the Women’s Sports Foundation, and help girls and women from all walks of life understand the important role of sports and getting active.”  Ali will also become a member of the Women’s Sports Foundation Board of Trustees during her two-year term as President of the foundation.  For more information about this important organization, click here.

Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton training with Freddie Roach!

Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton

Score another Philippine boxing champion for Freddie Roach’s corner as Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton (7-2-1) begins training with Freddie for her February 25th fight against Franchesca ”The Chosen One” Alcanter (18-9-1) in a fight night spectacle at Craneway Pavillion in Riverside, California.  Julaton who is the WBO & IBF Super Bantamweight champion had also recently indicated that she would drop her professional status to compete in the 2012 Olympics on the Philippine national team.  Meanwhile, her upcoming fight will be televised live on TV5, a singular honor for women’s boxing.

Saturday morning workout

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Saturday morning workout.

I’ll be working out with Lennox Blackmore today.  My aim is continue my back-to-fundamentals work on the focus pads with a lot of emphasis on the jab-jab-right combination to position myself for the left to the body, or a jab, left hook.  Mostly, I’ll changing things up this morning with four rounds of slip-rope as my shadow boxing warmup — and some heavy bag work after the focus pads, to practice on the interchange between “upstairs” and “downstairs” before finishing up with some rounds on the double-ended bag and the speed bag.

Here are some heavy bag tips I’ve found that seem pretty good a la Freddie Roach.

PS – If you’re in and around NYC tonight, Gleason’s Gym will be presenting their exciting USA Boxing sanctioned All Master Boxing Show starting at 7:00 PM.  You can also catch a live-streaming version of the show on Go Fight Live TV here and as Gleason’s puts it, their very own Champion Sonya Lamonakis will be providing the commentary for the fights.

Girls to women, keeping it real

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Girls to women, keeping it real

Cassy Herkelman, Iowa High School wrestler

Joel Northrup, a talented young high school male wrestler forfeited his match in Iowa’s state championship tournament rather than face his female opponent, Cassy Herkelman, one of two young women who met the qualification criteria to participate in the tournament, the first young women to do so in the state’s history.  In a written statement quoted in an article from Bloomberg.com, Northrup noted that “as a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner,” further stating, “It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high school sports in Iowa.”   A more in depth account in the Des Moines Register notes that Northrup who fights for Linn-Mar High School had declined to fight Herkelman in a match on January 13, 2011, however, given that it was not a state tournament, the team put in a substitute to fight Herkelman.  Articles can be found here and here.

All right, so much for the facts, that include statements from the Herkelman’s father  saying that it “takes a lot of guts,” to follow religious convictions.  From where I sit, admittedly comfortably ensconced in my Brooklyn, NY living room — the entire episode is an outrage.

What, the first young woman to qualify in a state championship tournament gets the win ’cause her opponent thinks “combat” with a girl is inappropriate!  Yes, Cassy, you get the win, the first win for a “girl,” but  there’s also the tiny asterisk forever associated with that honor — won by forfeit.

Where are we living???  What year is this???  I’m sorry but as mother and the mother of A GIRL, I find this beyond the pale.  Forfeit??? I don’t care how talented Joel Northrup is or the depth of his convictions, the sport of high school wrestling in the state of Iowa is open to qualified boys AND girls and if that is too much for him, he SHOULDN’T PARTICIPATE at all.  That his coaches and his school continue to enable this behavior because he’s got some talent in the ring is no less outrageous.    What’s the message to the young women in that school and in the community at large — oh, it’s okay to dis’ girls in the name of some “holier than thou” convictions about a women’s place in the world?

Any if you read the news and the blogs on this story (just google the story under “google news”) the contortions to be all PC are funny if it weren’t really, really sad.  And let me repeat this is sad, a very sad statement on where we are when a young woman who has trained her heart out and fought hard to earn her place at the state level has to stand alone in the ring to the cheers and jeers of a crowd because her opponent can’t face her.  Give me a break.

I didn’t see it coming…

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I didn’t see it coming…

Sometimes one can say “I didn’t see it coming” and eat canvas literally or figuratively.  Whether it’s a quick right to the temple or bad news in an email the effect is pretty much the same — shock, awe and a stunned sensation before jumping up for the mandatory eight-count in the hopes of mitigating any further problems.

The thing is somewhere between the canvas and the wait that seems forever before you resume your fight, the mind is racing all over the place with the calculus of just how you got to canvas in the first place.  As if reliving all the moves in a chess game and all the possible outcomes if only move b replaced move a, the momentary, “I got caught” feeling takes one down a path of roads not taken.  That space also brings the sickening shoulda’, coulda’, woulda’ sensations of lost opportunities as one licks back the blood, shakes it all off and readies for what happens next.

When it’s a life moment:  a sick parent or sibling or spouse, the death of someone close, those sensations are not very different.  We reel with stars and that winced brain feeling, choke back the giant ow, and somewhere in the midst of getting back to ourselves walk down the how-come-I-didn’t-see-this-coming path.  And it’s the I-should-have-known feeling that really lays us out because the longer we hold onto those feelings, the longer it takes to get back to our best game.  Those are the moments when we take to our beds and hiding in a tight ball under the covers absorb the waves of emotions that inevitably come with difficult news — or news we just don’t want to absorb.  At some point, however, the covers have to come off ’cause as nice and warm and cozy as the bed might seem, it’s not the messiness of a well-lived life.    Sometimes all it takes is a good night’s sleep before perspective kicks in and one finds in the promise of a new day, opportunities to move on with a feeling of joy for all the things you can see.  Let’s face it, no matter how hard we try, some things just get away from us and while we can dwell in the unfairness of our inability to “see” — as my Theravada Buddhist Dharma teacher used to say, “it’s just that.”

Update: Emily Klinefelter

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Update:  Emily Klinefelter

Emily Klinefelter

Boxer Emily Klinefelter who suffered a burst blood vessel in her brain during her recent bout with Christina Ruiz has been released from the hospital.  The 26 year old fighter had undergone surgery to repair the damage following the February 5th fight.

Emily will continue to recuperate at home and is expected to make a full recovery.  As quoted in the Daily Iowan, her mother Cynthia Parsons sent an email noting, “She is well on her way to a full recovery, and she wishes to thank everyone for the tremendous outpouring of support, care, and concern throughout this difficult situation.”    Click here and here for more details.

Sometimes you win …

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Sometimes you win …

BroBrooklyn Bridge at Night, 1948 Gelatin Silver, by Andreas Feininger

Brooklyn Bridge at Night, 1948 Gelatin Silver, by Andreas Feininger

 

 

I managed to crawl out of bed at my usual ridiculous weekday hour in the morning today.  My head is still spinning a bit from being tired and I’ve been fighting off waves of didn’t-get-enough-sleep headaches — not to complain, which I’m not, but to state that the inconveniences of those feelings are out-weighed by the suppleness my limbs feel after my third downward dog pose and all the other stretches these creaky bones held this morning.

While I may or may not get to four rounds of shadow boxing when I finish this piece, the hiss of the steam, wanderings of the kitty and the sounds of the house as it reverberates with the slow morning echoes from the street below gives me something else.  A kind of serenity as I greet the day before the stresses and hustle and bustle of all the have-to’s begin to settle on it.

When one has a busy life with a tons of constituent parts that demand time, attention and thought, it’s so very nice to have the gift of a few minutes that aren’t in competition.  Rather, they’re just for oneself.  A little piece of the world one can own — if not quite the room Virginia Wolfe envisioned where one could state, “I am,” this place has more to do with a gift of quiet.  And sure, predawn self-ministrations get “old” by Thursday morning when the accumulated hours of missed sleep are wearying, however, the idea of finding a part of the day for quiet doesn’t.  I’ve been keeping to this schedule for six weeks now and have to say that occasional grumpiness aside these moments of quiet have truly given me something I didn’t expect:  a place of peace that’s a little of my own.

 

Women’s Olympic Boxing schedule released for 2012!

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Women’s Olympics Boxing schedule released for 2012!

Women's Olympic Boxing

Well, here it is, the schedule of events!  What a giant wow!  Women’s boxing as an olympics sport!

August 5th:  Round of 16 for Flyweights, Light Weights and Middle Weights

August 6th:  Quarter-finals for Flyweights, Light Weights and Middle Weights

August 8th:  Semi-finals for Flyweights, Light Weights and Middle Weights

August 9th:  Finals for Flyweights, Light Weights and Middle Weights & Medal ceremonies

The boxing events will be held in in the ExCel venue near London City Airport in east London’s Royal Victoria Dock.

Stepping up to fight against domestic violence plus a Daily News Golden Gloves Week Five Reminder

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Stepping up to fight against domestic violence plus a Daily News Golden Gloves Week Five Reminder

 

Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez takes on the challenge of ending domestic violence against women

For the uninitiated, the sport of boxing has become associated with violence of all kinds including domestic violence against women.  Boxers know that contrary to its reputation, the discipline and work ethic associated with the sport often curtails the kind of personal explosive outbursts of violence that have come to be associated with it.

That’s not to say that all boxers are necessarily non-violent, but it does mean that boxers are for the most part practitioners of the art of the sweet violence and abhor violence outside of the ring.  The exceptions are heartbreaking and the suicide of Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero last April after confessing to murdering his wife is no exception.

Enter Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez to take on the cause of domestic violence against women.  Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KO) who is fighting @ Foxwoods on March 12th in his much anticipated HBO main event fight against Sergei Dzinziruk (37-0, 23 KO) used the opportunity of his recent press conference to talk again about the cause he took up in the wake of the Valero suicide saying, “violence against women is simply unacceptable.”  Bleacher Report has a piece about his efforts here.

84th Annual Daily News 2011 Golden Gloves Week Five reminder!

2/15/2011 – Red Hook Center, 110 West 9th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231

2/16/2011- Hempstead Kennedy Memorial Park, 335 Greenwich Street, Hempstead, NY 11550

2/17/2011 – Elmcor Recreation Center, 33-16 108th Street, Corona, NY 11368

2/18/2011 – St. Raymond’s High School, 2151 Saint Raymond’s Avenue, Bronx, NY 10462

For more information and to check on any changes due to weather, please click here.

Getting back to basics: the boxing stance

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Getting back to basics: the boxing stance

I had a terrific morning yesterday working out with Lennox Blackmore.  We spent four rounds on the focus pads on such fundamentals as clean doubled-up jabs which brought us all the way back to the beginning — the stance.   Yep, by sitting lower in my stance with my body angled forward, my jabs were crisper, my slips more economical and rights in the pocket with a nice hard “thwack” sound every time it hit the pad.

Once on the double-ended bag for my second set of four-rounds, I worked more and more on keeping my stance low and thereby really pushed out punches from my core.  And that, I realized, is the entire point of the stance.  Sure, a proper stance provides a boxer with the right amount of balance, but more fundamentally it allows a boxer to use his or her core energy and strength to throw punches that are swift and sure with an economy of movement that saves energy and shaves milliseconds off the time needed to connect.

Talk about a wow.

And that’s the thing about boxing.  Many training sessions follow a rout pattern of warm-up, training steps such as shadow boxing, focus pads, sparring, slip rope, heavy bag, double-ended bag, speed-bag and so on in whatever combination is being worked on that day, however, every once in a while, it all connects and boom — it comes together again in some new more fundamental way.

A lot like life, no?  One wanders along doing the same thing day after day and suddenly a thunderbolt hits and the pathway seems clearer.  And while it might be nice if every day was greeted with an epiphany of the day, the fact is there’s something down right sweet about finding it buried deep within the work.  Leastways, I find it to be the case.

Women’s Boxing Upcoming Fight: Sonya Lamonakis

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Women’s Boxing Upcoming Fight:  Sonya Lamonakis

Girlboxing had the chance to sit down and talk with Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis (3-0,1-KO)  as she readies for her upcoming heavyweight bout against Tanzee Daniels (4-0, 1-KO) @ Foxwoods on March 12, 2011.  Recently ranked the #1 women’s professional heavyweight in the U. S. by the WIBA, Sonya is excited about the prospect of fighting on the under card of the much anticipated, Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez vs. Sergiy Dzinziruk bout.  The fight card, promoted by DiBella Entertainment will be broadcast live on HBO.  This will be Sonya’s 4th professional fight since turning pro in June 2010.

Women Boxers: The New Warriors

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Women Boxers: The New Warriors

I came across a fabulous book of photographs entitled Women Boxers: The New Warriors, by photographer Delilah Montoya.  Containing essays by Maria Teresa Marquez and C. Ondine Chavoya, the book explores the world of women boxers in vivid black and white portraits inside and outside of the ring.

Women Boxers: The New Warriors, Jackie Chavez, by Delilah Montoya

Women Boxers: The New Warriors, Jackie Chavez v. Audrey Vela, by Delilah Montoya

As noted by Marquez in her opening essay written in 2006, “Women boxers do not just fight one another, they fight against the belief that it is unnatural for a woman to be athletic, strong, aggressive, and confident in a sport historically dominated by males.”  Those sentiments are not so far off the mark as women boxers continue in their struggle to be recognized on the amateur and professional level.

The book is published by Arte Publico Press and is available from such online booksellers as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.  Further information about the accompanying gallery show of Delilah Montoya’s photographs is here.