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Women’s Nationals Results – Day 1!

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Women’s Nationals Results – Day 1!

2010 USA Boxing National Championships

Nationals!  

Nationals got off to a rousing start in the Olympic divisions with Queen Underwood easily overtaking her opponent, Maria Madrigal with a first round stoppage.  She will take on Darina Mims (Greensboro, N.C.) in second round action on Tuesday afternoon.  Also look for Christina Cruz to fight Noemi Bosques (Pinellas Park, Fla.) who decisively won her first preliminary bout on Monday night over Cassandra Mendoxa (Greeley, Co.).

Early favorite for a medal Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) won on walkover over, Tiffany Perez, (Hammond, Ind)

Monday Afternoon Preliminary Bouts!

132 lbs/female: Sherry Whetten, Tucson, Ariz., won on walkover over, Kymmberli Stowe, Pittsburgh, Pa., W/O

132 lbs/female: Bertha Aracil, Yonkers, NY., dec. Brenda Gutierrez, Sacramento, Calif., 35-6

132 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash., stopped Maria Madrigal, Wenatcher, Wash., RSC-1 (1:32)

132 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Fort Meyers, Fla., dec. Storm Chandler, New York, N.Y., 18-14

132 lbs/female: Amorena Baca, Denver, Colo., dec. Marianne Kraus, Nauvoo, Ill., 25-7

132 lbs/female: Lauren Fisher, Dania Beach, Fla., dec. Amber Smith, Fort Worth, Texas, 24-7

132 lbs/female: Ishika Lay, Jacksonville Beach, Fla., dec. Jenelle Leal, Corpus Christi, Texas, 30-7

132 lbs/female: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Robin Conroy, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 13-3

132 lbs/female: Rita Martinez, Las Cruces, NM., won on walkover over, Takesha Edward, W/O

Monday Evening Preliminary Bouts
112 lbs/female: Poula Estrada, Palmdale, Calif., dec. Ginny Fuchs, Houston, Texas, 15-9

112 lbs/female: Noemi Bosques, Pinellas Park, Fla., dec. Cassandra Mendoza, Greeley, Colo., 21-14

112 lbs/female: LaTonya King, Harrison, Mich., stopped Rhonda McGee, Vacaville, Calif., RSC-2 (1:42)

112 lbs/female: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas, won on walkover over, Tiffany Perez, Hammond, Ind., W/O 

132 lbs/female: Sherman N’yteeya, Barberton, Ohio. dec. Alecia Gutierrez, Chicago Ill., 33-19

165 lbs/female: Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., dec. Jennifer Egan, Mohopac, N.Y., 18-13

 

N A T I O N A L S ! Yep, Women’s Amateur Boxing Rules!

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N A T I O N A L S !  Yep, Women’s Amateur Boxing Rules!

Cool fact!  This year’s women’s national champions will give us all a look at the possible Olympians for next year’s Olympic games in London!

The 2011 USA Boxing National Championships are set to begin on June 19th and will run through June 26th in Colorado Springs, Col

As stated on USA Boxing website, “For the first-time ever, one event will serve as a qualifying tournament for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for both male and female athletes with the top four finishers in the three female Olympic weight classes and 10 men’s divisions clinching the critical qualifying spots.”

As a reminder the three Olympic divisions are:  Flyweight (112 lbs). Lightweight (132 lbs) and Middleweight (165 lbs).

So look for the defending champions in the three Olympic weight divisions to rock the house: flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) competing for her sixth straight national championship, lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) boxing for her fifth title and middleweight Tiffanie Hearn (Louisville, Ky.) vying for her second consecutive middleweight crown and third overall.

The going won’t be easy though as there are a record 36 women vying for the Lightweight title alone this year including 2010 National PAL Champion Stephanie Han (El Paso, Texas), four-time winner Caroline Barry (Boulder, Colo.), former featherweight national champions Melissa Parker (Camp Lejeune, N.C.) and Jody Ann Weller (Pomona, N.Y.), as well as 2010 bantamweight gold medalist Lauren Fisher (Dania, Fla.).

The middle weight division is no lock either with 21 entrants including Franchon Crews (Baltimore, Md.) who was AWESOME in the Pan Am trials, plus former light heavyweight champion Tika Hemingway (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and defending heavyweight titlist Denise Rico (Los Angeles, Calif.) both of whom moved down to the middleweight division in the hopes of making the team.

Action will begin for the Olympic weight classes on Monday with the start of their preliminary bouts.  According to USA Boxing’s rules, the athletes in the three Olympic divisions will need to win their preliminary bouts and the quarter finals to earn a place in Thursday’s semifinal action.  Only Semi-finalist and above will be able to clinch a spot in next year’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing.

The roster of fighters set to compete is impressive to say the least!

2011 USA Boxing National Championships Female Athletes by Weight Class

Light flyweight/106 lbs (Six Boxers)

Natalie Gonzalez, New Rochelle, N.Y., Elizabeth Rodriguez, Gilroy, Calif., Lisa Ha, Honolulu, Hawaii, Vanessa Guzman, Chula Vista, Calif., Marina Ramirez, Las Vegas, Nev., Amy Sowers, Bozeman, Mont.

Flyweight/112 lbs (22 Boxers) – Olympic

Tyreishia Douglas, Baltimore, Md. (2010 USA Boxing National Championships silver medalist), Noemi Bosques, Pinellas Park, Fla., Megan Rembold, Oswego, Ill., Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas (Five-time National Champion), Alicia Avila, Colorado Springs, Colo., Jamie Mitchell, Pacific Grove, Calif., Bernice Hernandez, Las Vegas, Nev., Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y. (2010 National PAL Champion), LaTonya King, Harrison, Mich., Heather Han, El Paso, Texas, Rhonda McGee, Vacaville, Calif., Nicole Pasillas, Aurora, Colo., Autumn Anderson, Bellevue, Neb., Paola Estrada, Palmdale, Calif., Cassandra Mendoza, Greeley, Colo., Alex Love, Monroe, Wash. (2010 USA Boxing National Championships bronze medalist), Cynthia Moreno, Guadalupe, Ariz. (2008 National Champion), Taversha Norwood, Marietta, Ga., Virgina ‘Ginny’ Fuchs, Baton Rouge, La., Tiffany Perez, Hammond, Ind., Ashlee Reyes, San Antonio, Texas, Maryguenn Vellinga, Salt Lake City, Utah

Bantamweight/119 lbs (12 Boxers)

Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., Rayleen Williams, Lincoln, Del., Rosa Rodriguez, Miami, Fla., Tiffany Griffin, Chicago, Ill., Shanice Herron, St. Louis, Mo., Shanne Ruelas, Fresno, Calif., Bryonna Jumandig, Tacoma, Wash., Haley Pasion, Waipahu, Hawaii, Nephateria Miller, New Haven, Conn., Lindsay Bartels, Omaha, Neb., Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., Erica Rosenburg, Fountain, Colo.

Featherweight/125 lbs (10 Boxers)

Heather Hardy, Brooklyn, N.Y., Alecia DeFrank, Rickey, Fla., Ronica Rodriguez, Lansing, Mich., Carissa Casey Morton, San Francisco, Calif., Lori Argumedo, Commerce City, Calif., Andrea Peters, Ft. Carson, Colo., Elizabeth Leddy, Portland, Maine (2010 USA Boxing National Championships silver medalist), Kristen McKnight, Angien, N.C., Asia Stevenson, Washington, D.C., Emily Dagnan, Jasper, TN

Lightweight/132 lbs (36 Boxers) – Olympic

Comel Chandler, Brooklyn, New York, Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., N’yteeyah Sherman, Barberton, Ohio, Marianne Kraus, Indianola, Iowa, Jeanelle Leal, Corpus Christi, Texas, Earnestine Wesley, Garland, Texas, Amorena Baca, Denver, Colo., Jayli Fimbres, Newton, N.D., Brenda Gutierrez, Sacramento, Calif., Maira Madrigal, Wenataliee, Wash., Lisa Porter, Northridge, Calif., Caroline Barry, Boulder, Colo. (Four-time National Champion), Melissa Parker, Camp Lejeune, N.C. (2009 National Champion), Mikaela Mayer, Marquette, Mich., Stephanie Han, El Paso, Texas (2010 National PAL Champion), Queen Underwood, Tacoma, Wash. (Four-time National Champion), Jody-Ann Weller, Pomona, N.Y. (2010 Featherweight National Champion), Darina Mims, Greensboro, N.C., Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., Bertha Aracil, Yonkers, N.Y., Storm Chandler, Brooklyn, N.Y., Robin Conroy, Wilmington, N.C., Stefanie Taylor, West Hills, Calif., Jasmedh Rosales, Los Angeles, Calif., Micaela Arce, Reno, Nev., Rita Martinez, Las Cruces, N.M., Madeline Guzman, Perth Amboy, N.J., Jessie Owens, Virginia Beach, Va., Amber Smith, Ft. Worth, Texas, Selina Barrios, San Antonio, Texas, Alecia Gutierrez, Chicago, Ill., Ishika Lay, Jacksonville Beach, Fla., Takesha Edward, Houston, Texas, Lauren Fisher, Dania, Fla. (2010 Bantamweight National Champion), Sherry Whetten, Tucson, Ariz., Kymmberli Stowe, Millersville, Pa.

Light welterweight/141 lbs (12 Boxers)

Kathleen Walsh, Rankankama, N.Y., Samantha Griffith, Pittsburgh, Pa., Rebecca Laborde, Tampa, Fla., Cashmere Jackson, Cleveland, Ohio (2010 USA Boxing National Champion), Jessica McCaskill, St. Louis, Mo., Urbana Hernandez, El Paso, Texas, Ariel Beck, Deer Lodge, Mont., Luvisa Matali, Denver, Colo., Griselda Madrigal, Wenataliee, Wash., Rachell Wehrle, Stafford, Va., Kendra Macon, Charlotte, N.C., Kristin Gearhart, Oak Park, Ill.

Welterweight/152 lbs (Seven Boxers)

LaTarishia Fountain, Flushing, N.Y., Christine Poulauskis, Oakland Park, Fla., Amournix Stamp, Milwaukee, Wis., Lindsey Soderberg, Holt, Mich., Faith Franco, Duarte, Calif., Jen Johnson, Kalispell, MT., Diona Wigand, Lexington, Ky.

Middleweight/165 lbs (21 boxers)  – Olympic

Christina Jenson, Centereach, N.Y., Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md. (Four-time National Champion), Heather Bassett, Jackson, Tenn., Audrey Drew, Dallas, Texas, Tara Weisshaar, Burlington, Colo., Amy Castillo, Bakersfield, Calif., Fallon Farrar, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Tiffanie Ward, Hacienda Heights, Calif., Raven Barnes, Marquette, Mich., Kalita Marsh, Smithfield, N.C., Denise Rico, Los Angeles, Calif. (2010 USA Boxing National Champion), Alyssa DeFazio, Peoria, Ariz. (2009 National Champion), Tiffanie Hearn, Louisville, Ky. (2010 Heavyweight National Champion), Dara Shen, Fairfax, Va., Melinda Levasseur, Magnolia, Del., Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa. (2009 Light Heavyweight National Champion), LaTeisha Darden, Wilmington, N.C., Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., Maria Dominguez, Wouchula, Fla., Jennifer Egan, Mohopac,NY, Marie Ybarra, Greeley, Colo.

Light heavyweight/178 lbs (1 Boxer)

Kimberly Olech, Canton, Ohio

Heavyweight/178+ (3 Boxers)

Natalie Pacheco, Bronx, N.Y., Charnita Johnson, Columbus, Ohio, Natacia Manuma, Mililoni, Hawaii

One year on…

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One year on…

The giant pinnacle game in the sky got a new player a year ago today.  It was always my mother’s favorite game — and she’d have a twinkle in her eye whenever she’d talk about playing pinnacle with her uncles and aunts during her childhood in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.

My hope is that she’s been playing the game, surrounded by all of her old kitties, every sock she ever lost neatly reunited in a dresser drawer, and otherwise hanging with her favorite relatives plus those members of her old gang of girls that have gone on to join the pinnacle table at the heaven club.

It was in my mother’s retelling of her old memories of Brighton Beach that my brother and I always saw her at her happiest.

As if in a slip stream of joyous abandon she’d say, “I swam from May to November,” while my brother and I tried to envision her as a young girl diving into the waves in late October sunshine on an “Indian” summer afternoon. She’d also tells us about how she and her gang hung out along the boardwalk, hit Steeplechase in Coney Island for what felt like a thousand times a season or played handball for hours on end.  The lone photo I remember seeing of her of that time (the late 1940’s) shows a smiling face in a white shirt, rolled up dungarees and a pair of saddle shoes surrounded by four or five best friends.

She’d also talk about the music she’d listen to.  She was never a Sinatra fan as that was the province of her older sister, so in those days her favorites where Frankie Lane and Mel Torme, but she also loved opera and would listen to the Metropolitan Opera on the radio with her mother on Saturday afternoons — a bond they shared across the years and a hot topic of conversation on their weekly Sunday calls.

As we enter summer again, I envision my mother as a young woman — the woman of my childhood.  I like to think of her on the beach, the waves at her feet, the sun embracing her as she stares off kind of dreamily.  If ever I asked her what was beyond that kind of gaze she’d tell me about all the places she wanted to go to — and while she never did get to many of them, perched up at her card table on a veranda, the sea close by, my hope is the view is just great with the world laid on in front her of like a giant canopy.

 

Missing boxing today

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Missing boxing today.

I worked out yesterday, and pacing myself due to the coughing and breath problem aside,  the workout was really great.

Training by myself, I was able to take it slow and focus on the things I wanted to work on like pounding away at the double-ended bag for a whole lotta’ rounds mostly working on the upper cut off the jab and the left hook off the jab before hitting with a quick straight right and then a shuffle turn around the bag.

When I woke up this morning my arms felt just great. And all day today, I found myself throwing my arms out to shadow box.  Walking down the street, in the elevator at work, waiting for the elevator at home, online at the Grocery store.  Even now, as I drift trying to come up with a train of thought to jot down, my hands start to throw a shoe shine, from down to up to down and back up again.

‘Guess I’ll head on over tomorrow, even though my big workout with Len is Saturday, I just can’t seem to get enough of pounding away at the double-ended bag even if its only for a little while.

If you’re missing the gym too, check out this cool video with Kostya Tszyu.

Boxing with your breath

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Boxing with your breath.

The last few weeks have been a challenge.  Same workout, and perhaps even a touch more pep, but … the breath’s just not been there.

It started about a month ago on one of the first really hot days when the air was close and filled with ozone, pollen and a bunch of other junk.  The work out was fine, but as I went to hit the speed bag, I just had to stop because it felt as if I’d run out of air. After it happened the third time — bouts of breathless with lots of coughing and a healthy dose of phlegm — I got kind of concerned and like any good hypochondriac immediately hit the web to search on “breathless and exercise”.

It turns out there is a condition called Exercise Induced Asthma or EIA that seems to fit with triggers that include rigorous exercise, high pollutants/pollen/molds/dust, or cold, dry air, mouth breathing, cold or flu that can cause coughing, phlegm, tightness in the chest, and in some cases wheezing.

I’m not sure if this is what I actually have (I’ll be checking it out next week), but if you are  experiencing problems with your breathing there are tests you can take to see if in fact the issues are related to an asthma condition, even if you’ve never exhibited the condition before.  These tests include “challenge” exams where the patient runs or performs other rigorous exercises for a 3 – 5 minutes and then breathes into various apparatus to measure the output of the breath.  This occurs before and after the test at prescribed intervals.

If it turns out that you do have EIA — there are treatments that run from ways of managing breath and exercise on through medications that will help you continue to exercise while avoiding the problems associated with asthma.

My hope is that whatever’s going on with me is just something goofy that’ll go away quickly — if not, there are always inhalers!

If you are experiencing something similar or know someone who is there are some excellent resources around the web.  You can also click here to get started.

Three great women’s boxing victories!

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Three great women’s boxing victories!

There’s been some exciting women’s boxing going on lately.

Amanda Serrano (L) v. Jennifer Scott

Saturday, June 11th, Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano, grabbed the vacant NABF Superfeatherweight championship belt when she clocked Jennifer Scott at a 1:46 into the first round of her scheduled 8-round bout at Roseland Ballroom on the Boricua Boxing II Card. (Boxing News 24 has a nice piece here.)  With the win, Serrano improves her record to 10-0-1 with 6 KO’s.

The second big women’s professional bout over the weekend was South African women’s boxer Noni “She bee stinging” Tenge’s 4th round knockout victory over New Zealand’s own Daniella “The Diamond” Smith to capture the women’s IBF Welterweight Championship at the at the Carnival City inBrakpa, South Africa.  As the first South African woman to win a major boxing title,Tenge has entered the history books for South African sports.  The victory, however has also caused a lot of controversy due to the South African Broadcasting Company’s decision *not* to broadcast the fight as a live event.  Although SABC’s reaction was to say, “why is this SABC’s problem?” promoter Branco Milenkovic is quoted as saying, “If the SABC wants to call itself the national broadcaster, it should broadcast boxing.”  For more on the story from inside South Africa click here and here.

Not to be outdone, Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm defeated Victoria Cisneros on Friday night in her Main Event showing on Telefutura’s “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” series.

A big Girlboxing shout out to both fighters for putting on a G-R-E-A-T show that we hope will inspire other sports channels to headline more women’s bouts!

 

Must see TV: Frederick Wiseman’s “Boxing Gym” on PBS!

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Must see TV:  Frederick Wiseman’s “Boxing Gym” on PBS!

The American documentary filmmaker, Frederick Wiseman’s latest film is called “Boxing Gym.”  Released in 2010, the film presents an unfettered look at Lord’s Gym in Austin, Texas.

The gym is owned and operated by Richard Lord, a former professional boxer who opened the gym over 16 years ago. It accommodates a cross-section of boxers: young and old, men and women, plus an array of kids, all of whom come to the gym for reasons running from fitness on through training for amateur and professional fights!

The film is a loving portrayal of what many of us think of as our home away from home where camaraderie, focus and hard work are our daily diet, not to mention a dream or two.

PBS will be airing the film in its entirety @ 9:00 PM on Thursday, June 16th (Eastern Standard Time). Check local listings for an exact time if you are out of the New York City Area.

For further information on Lord’s Gym click the link here.

For a link to a nice piece on the film click here.

Of villages, gyms and dojos

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Of villages, boxing gyms and dojos

My daughter successfully tested for her next level in Aikido yesterday wowing us all with her prowess, strength, sweet laughter and compassion.

Compassion is perhaps a strange way of describing acts of tossing her “Ukais” from one side of the dojo to the other — but was just that as she worried her way through this person’s hurt back and that person’s smaller stature all while performing the complicated forms she has come to master with such grace.

It got me to thinking that my daughter’s art — as it has become since she donned her first Gi at the age of 5 turning 6 — is so many parts herself, but also many parts her Aikido teachers who have patiently, and sometimes not so patiently, taught her the large and small points of placing her body in this or that posture.

The more important lessons though have had to do with taking responsibility for herself and for how she comports herself through the rituals of the culture of Aikido.  Along the way she is finding moments of body-mind union — where she loses her self-consciousness to act in a kind of unison. This last is the hardest, and yet as I watched her yesterday, I knew that she was well on her way.

It got me to thinking that her dojo has become her village filled with all the nuances of a community each playing a part in helping her to grow into a young woman.  It also got me to thinking that boxing gyms seem to have that same effect on young people. They learn an art — essentially an art of violence, and yet what they learn is not violent at all. What one sees is an inculcation of gentleness, sure not all the time, but the intimacy of learning those arts does give rise to the village life for those kids — seen scampering around, their heads jostled as they imbibe the skills of honing the body and the mind into a kind of harmony.

And its not just kids.  Adults can find that subtle part of village life too.  A community within a community where you work your butt off  — and afterwards just hang around for a while to chit-chat with your friends and cheer on others as they put in the work too.

Now we’re talking, Main Event on Telefutura! Holly Holm v. Victoria Cisneros!

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Now we’re talking, Main Event on Telefutura!  Holly Holm v. Victoria Cisneros!

>>>UPDATE!  HOLM TAKES IT 

Holly Holm (L) defeated a game Victoria Cisneros in the "Solo Boxeo Tecate" Main Event broadcast on Telefutura on 6/10/11. Photo: Pat Vazquez-Cunningham/Journal

After an exciting 10-round competitive bout Holly Holm improved her record to 30-1-3 with an impressive win over Victoria Cisneros.  Holm won by unanimous decision with all three judges rightly scoring the bout 100-90.

In the audience watching the fight was none other than French fighter Anne Sophie Mathis (23-1-0, 20 KOs). Promoter Lenny Fresquez, also announced a long anticipated Holm-Mathis battle scheduled for December 2, 2011!

Victoria Cisneros (L) and Holly Holm, Photo: Chris Cozzone

In an ask and you shall receive moment … the “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” card will be broadcast tonight, June 10th on Telefutura featuring the “Duke City” rematch of Holly Holm  v. Victoria Cisneros.

Holly Holm v. Victoria Cisneros, 2009

Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm (29-1-3, 9 KOs) will be fighting Victoria “La Reina” Cisneros (5-11-2, 1KO) in the 10-round main event rematch promoted by Fresquez Promotions at Legends Theater, Route 66 Casino, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cisneros is a late replacement for the Holm’s original challenger, Cindy Serrano who suffered a fractured nose during training.  Other promoters for the Solo Boxeo fight card are Golden Boy Promotions and Don Chargin Promotions.

Cisneros had been a very late stand-in in their first meeting, filling in for Melissa Hernandez who pulled out of the fight at the last minute due to a dispute with Holly Holm over Holly’s hand wraps — Hernandez’s camp had not observed Holm’s hands being wrapped and while Holm offered to have them rewrapped, Hernandez pulled out of the fight.

As part of the promotion for the main event bout, if you’re local to New Mexico,  you can vote for the fighter in the main event who displayed the most character in the ring by sending a text message to 55333. Voting will be open through the end of the weekend.

The other woman’s bout on card Brandi Montaya (0-1) also saw her opponent bow out and is waiting to see if she will have a replacement.

The full card roster with the weigh-ins is as follows:

Holly Holm 141.5 vs. Victoria Cisneros 137
Joaquin Zamora 158.5 vs. Elco Garcia 158.5
Fidel Maldonado 136 vs. Eddie Ramirez 137
David Proa 126.5 vs. Willie Villanueva 127.5
Marc Selser 140.5 vs. Joel Vargas 145
Martin Gonzales 136.5 vs. Antonio Garcia 136
Brandi Montoya 110 vs. TBA


A couple of upcoming Women’s Boxing Bouts!

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A couple of upcoming Women’s Boxing bouts!

There are a couple of exciting women’s professional boxing bouts coming this weekend that will be worth watching!

Oh right, not on television because they won’t be broadcast, but *hopefully* available by video stream — and thanks to the boxing fans out there, we’ll be able to catch some rounds on YouTube in the ensuing days following the bouts.

Detecting a mood?  Given that no less a bout than Christy Martin’s 6-round heart-breaker with Dakota Stone was relegated to Top Rank’s video stream (that inexplicably gave out at the beginning of the 5th round for some viewers), why should the fighters this week expect any different??  Ssshhhh.

1. Amanda Serrano fighting for the North American Boxing Federation Title @ Roseland!

Brooklyn-based undefeated Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (9-0-1, 5 KOs) will be fighting to capture the vacant NABF super featherweight title against Jennifer Scott (2-3, 2 KO’s)  in an 8-round bout on June 11th!  As quoted on Saddo Boxing.com’s Boxing News, Serrano said, “This is my first fight in New York City as a professional boxer. I’m very excited to know I’m going to have a lot of family, friends and fans there supporting me. I want them all to see how far I’ve progressed.  It’s going to be a fun night.”

Serrano had wanted to fight former NABF champion Maureen Shea, however, the bout was turned down and Shea purportedly was stripped of the title for refusing to take the bout.

The Serrano-Scott fight will be part of the the Boricua Boxing II Card @ Roseland part of which will be broadcast on Showtime.  Given that Scott has lost her last three fights, I leave it to Girlboxing readers to surmise the likely outcome!

The full Saddo Boxing.com article can found here.  WBAN also has a piece on the fight here.

2.  As a reminder there’s great boxing this weekend in South Africa!

As a reminder, New Zealand’s own Daniella “The Diamond” Smith will be defending her IBF Women’s Welterweight title against South African Noni “She Bee Stingin” Tenge on June 11th at the Carnival City Big Top Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa.  The link to the earlier story is here.

 

Working out in the heat!

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Working out in the heat!

We’re talking 95 degrees fahrenheit today people and 98 tomorrow … in New York City!  That means summer is full on upon us and time to think about working out in the heat.

Personally, I love working out  when it’s hot. My muscles have an instant lube job and after a while the cascading sweat is like a cooling shower!  There are, however, some good tips to keep in mind, especially as the humidity begins to rise along with the questionable stuff in the air.

1.  You’ve probably guessed this one! Drink PLENTY of fluids, not so much that you’ll drown, but as a constant flow so that you keep hydrated.  You should also avoid caffeinated drinks and remember to drink some water 15 or so minutes BEFORE you get started.

2. Don’t forget you need to eat in the heat!  They don’t have to be huge meals, but small little tastings will more than suffice — especially salads and fruits.  They’re delicious, nutritious and will help keep you hydrated.

3.  Realize that if the humidity is high, you are that much more susceptible to suffering from overheating and other symptoms of heat stress such as nausea, light headedness, dizziness and so on.  That means you need to drink even more, and recognize your own limitations — before you get started.  So don’t plan a 5 mile run in the middle of the heat of the afternoon if you’re not used to running in the heat!  You could well end up with heat prostration in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge!

4.  Get acclimated to the heat before full-on exercising.  At Gleason’s Gym, while there are exhaust fans and overhead fans that keep it fairly cool (no A/C — its a boxing gym!), it still gets pretty hot on 90 degree + days.  Given that we’ve not had a lot of warm days in the gym, it’s likely a good idea to take it slower than normal to get your body used to performing in the heat and humidity.  A couple of weeks ago we had a pretty hot day — and my problem was the air quality.  Between the high ozone and the pollen I found I actually had to stop a few rounds earlier than planned — so be flexible, and know your body.

One trick is wearing a wet sweat band and throwing water on your head between rounds — I find that helps me a lot.

5.  Be careful not to get caught in extreme temperature changes.  If you’re planning a run and you’re coming out of your really c-o-l-d apartment into the heat, take a few minutes to get used to it.  Conversely, if you’re in the high heat and hit a frozen gym — do the reverse. Acclimatize before hitting full on into a workout.

6.  Wear sunscreen, replace your electrolytes and S-T-O-P immediately if you’re feeling any of the following: dizziness, nauseous, shortness of breath.  You’re going to want to cool down and remember it’s okay to seek medical attention if you really need help.

Enjoy the heat!

June.

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June.

June crept up out of nowhere it seems.  Places like Cadman Plaza in Downtown Brooklyn are a riot of late spring color as flowers pop of everywhere and the heavily laden trees already feel like July from all of the rain.

Last night we sat outside till dusk at the Greek Festival held every June in our neighborhood.

The food was amazing and the deserts that much sweeter when mingled with the early June air.

While not exactly Greece, it felt warm and comfortable to sit outside under the gathering darkness with hints of Greek music underscoring the lively talk of the people sitting around at the festival’s many outside tables.

As as schoolgirl, June was always my favorite.

I counted down the days till the end of the month when school would let out and was forever being chided in the class room for looking dreamily out of the window.

I have that feeling now — wanting nothing better than to don shorts and a pair of flops from here on out.

That and to head on over to the gym to workout in the heat and sweat some more.

 

Why I’m a Christy Martin Fan!

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Why I’m a Christy Martin Fan!

>>>>UPDATE (Video Highlights below)

I watched the Christy Martin – Dakota Stone fight last night*.

Christy put on a F I E R C E performance, matching the much younger Dakota Stone and then some, not to mention putting her down on the canvas for an eight-count with a classic Left-Right combination that was letter perfect.

By now you likely know that Christy broke her right hand during the 4th round — and proceeded to fight much of the 5th round with her left — only to have the fight stopped in the 6th and final round after throwing the right hand once too often and absorbing some punishment as well putting her into a world of hurt.

At that point, the Ringside doctor called the Ref over who stopped the fight giving Dakota Stone the TKO and the win.  The shame of it was Christy was ahead on all three cards and would have won the battle.

What really wowed me was Christy’s TRUE warrior spirit.

She came out swinging and never stopped even as she took some punches in the 3rd round that clearly rocked her a bit. She also worked combinations through out, throwing jab-jab-rights and mixing them up with body blows, upper-cuts, overhand rights and more jabs.

There are a lot of younger, slicker boy-boxers that could learn a thing or two or three from Martin’s performance, not the least of which is old-school true grit.

I applaud Christy’s tenacity and spirit — even as I hand it to Dakota for garnering the win.

Whatever happens to Christy next, she can count this girlboxer as a friend and a fan for life — ’cause let me tell you, she earned it.

* I could only watch the first four rounds and the beginning of the fifth before the webcast signal died (subject for another night I think — Why aren’t women’s bouts being broadcast on television?!?!?).

Working out, working in

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Working out, working in.

So much of a workout is about working in.

By that I mean facing down whatever inner demons are lurking about to wreak havoc with the flow of your energy at any given moment as you push out from yourself to pound the pavement, pound a heavybag or work through the defenses of an opponent.

Often that process means letting yourself get out the way of what it is you’re trying to accomplish so that you can do it at all – analogous to someone in your corner shouting “let your hands go,” only in this case it’s yourself screaming from within impeding your ability to let loose until something snaps and you can.

That knot, that little twist that seems to kink things off can be the difference between gaining and losing.  Finding your way to moment-to-moment accomplishment versus feeling choked off from where you want to go.

Where it hurts most is in the ring.  Rather then feeling your opponent to know how best to move your body — as brilliant an improvisational pas-de-deux as ever one could hope for — somewhere the knot kicks in to stultify movement and telegraph the huge boom of the ego that is the difference between sensing your opponent’s weaknesses so that each movement flows to a perfect place and landing on the canvas because you’re looking for things rather than doing things.

I’m not sure if I had one of those days or not — or why this comes to mind; probably it’s because I’m finding myself getting closed off  for unaccountable reasons, which when I stop and let go, flow out of me so that I’m in a place of calm again.

Whatever it is — letting it go can be as easy as just getting out of one’s own way by doing something to jolt the system; say singing out loud or maybe throwing on some salsa to dance part of the night away.

Friday Night Fights – of our own!

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Friday Night Fights — of our own!

Okay … so when was the last time Friday Night Fights had a women’s bout???  Hmm.

Not in the mood for the non-stop “pithy” banter of Teddy and friends?

I say … how about some Friday Night Fights of our own!

Well here goes … with special, special thanks to the diehards out there that take the time to post these remarkable women’s bouts on YouTube!

Bout #1: Great boxing!  Ana Maria “La Guerrera Azteca” Torres vs. Jackie “La Princesa” Nava!   (From 4/16/2011) Ten rounds of pure non-stop action!  (Shown in two parts)

Bout # 2:  Jr. Middleweights! Layla McCarter vs. Cimberly Harris in Colorado (From 2/12/2011)

Bout #3:  Yesica Bopp vs. Romina Alcantar.  From April 2011. Action starts about 6:00 in. (From April 3, 2011)