Women’s Boxing Olympic Trials set to begin, February 13, 2012!
USA Boxing 2011 National Championships, Credit: USA Boxing
There will be just 24 women competing, 24 women who have worked harder than they ever thought possible to gain the right to compete in the first-ever Women’s United States Boxing Team Olympic Trials. Set to run for six short days from February 13-19, 2012, the women who represent the best that elite women’s boxing has to offer will once again, box their hearts out for one of three Olympic weight divisions spots that will see them go on to the 2012 Women’s World Championship Olympic qualifier in China this coming May.
Set to compete at the Northern Quest Resort in Airway Heights, Washington, just outside of Spokane, these resilient competitors representing the Pan American Games, USA Boxing National Championships, Golden Gloves Championships and National PAL Championships, have not only fought hard-won competitions, but the long odds of battling through the lingering doubts about the sport and whether women should fight at all. Still, they have all come to do battle, and to a person, shall be shouting out a mantra of “I want to win.”
Win or lose, these women should remain forever in our hearts as the champions they truly are! THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS!
U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing Qualified Athletes
Flyweight/112 lbs
1. Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y. (Pan American Games representative)
2. Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas (USA Boxing National Championships)
3. Tyrieshia Douglas, Baltimore, Md. (USA Boxing National Championships)
4. Cynthia Moreno, Phoenix, Ariz. (Golden Gloves Championships)
5.Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas (National PAL Championships)
6. Alex Love, Monroe, Wash. (National PAL Championships)
7. Taversha Norwood, Marietta, Ga. (National PAL Championships)
8. Latonya Wingate (King), Harrison Township, Mich. (National PAL Championships)
Lightweight/132 lbs 1. Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash. (Pan American Games representative)
2. Tiara Brown, Lehigh, Fla. (USA Boxing National Championships)
3. Lisa Porter, Northridge, Calif. (USA Boxing National Championships)
4. N’yteeyah Sherman, Barberton, Ohio (USA Boxing National Championships)
5. Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif. (Golden Gloves Championships)
6. Patricia Manuel Long Beach, Calif. (National PAL Championships)
7. Bertha Aracil, Yonkers, N.Y. (National PAL Championships)
8. Asia Stevenson, Washington DC (National PAL Championships)
Middleweight/165 lbs
1. Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md. (Pan American Games representative )
2. Alyssa DeFazio, Peoria, Ariz. (USA Boxing National Championships)
3. Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa. (USA Boxing National Championships)
4. Tiffanie Ward, Hacienda Heights, Calif. (USA Boxing National Championships)
5. Tiffanie Hearn, Louisville, Ky. (Golden Gloves Championships)
6. Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich. (National PAL Championships)
7. Andrecia Wasson, Centerline, Mich. (National PAL Championships)
8. Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif. (National PAL Championships)
Whether it’s prepping for the first EVER women’s boxing Olympic trials next week or waking up to the fact that there are some fabulous women boxers out there, women’s boxing has arrived!
WNYC Radio has had a fabulous series running entitled Women Box: Fighting to Make History which has included remarkable photo essays by Sue Jaye Johnson as well as radio interviews with Olympic contenders, amateurs boxers, coaches and pro boxers.
Last night, WNYC hosted an event at The Greene Space in lower Manhattan that featured Photojournalist Sue Jay Johnson, 16-year-old Claressa Shields who will be competing in the upcoming Olympic Trials in Spokane, Washington, World Champion Alicia “Slick” Ashley, Golden Gloves contender, Heather Hardy, and host Rosie Perez.
The sold-out event adds momentum to what has become a veritable crescendo of positive media stories that have celebrated the tenacity, hard work and plain courage of these remarkable athletes.
The Greene Space event link is hereand includes the video!
That old chestnut, if you have your health you have everything!
Yesterday was my medical test day. I’m pretty much talking soup to nuts … what with EKG’s, lots of blood work and then an afternoon at Mt. Sinai Hospital getting hundreds of pictures taken of my esophagus and stomach from the “inside” view.
Sheesh. It was enough to make me heave, which I’m proud to say I didn’t, but having been prone on a surgical table for 45 minutes with lots of tubes, IV lines and the like, I do have pains in odd places today that are inexplicable such as the weird spot on my left jaw and the sore in my mouth just below my lip on the right side.
Hiatal Hernia, Credit: Medicine.net
Things are mostly okay with a few surprises — such as a Hiatal Hernia and some funny looking inflammation in my stomach.
For those *not* in the know (such as myself twelve hours ago), a Hiatal Hernia is when part of the stomach pushes through the diaphragm into the space were the esophagus passes through to the stomach.
According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, “Your diaphragm normally has a small opening (hiatus) through which your food tube (esophagus) passes on its way to connect to your stomach. The stomach can push up through this opening and cause a Hiatal Hernia.” (Link)
Many patients who have been diagnosed with a Hiatal Hernia (such as myself) don’t exhibit any particular symptoms other than GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) and may only discover that they have a hernia after undergoing an Endoscopy. (An Endoscopy is a surgical procedure which entails a GI specialist viewing your esophagus through a tube that passes through the esophagus and the stomach all the way to the small intestine. It is also known as an Upper GI Endoscopy.)
The diagnosis of a Hiatal Hernia is also found in patients who have Barrett’s Esophagus — and such is the case with me.
For those who’ve never heard of Barrett’s Esophagus, “it is a condition in which the cells of your lower esophagus become damaged, usually from repeated exposure to stomach acid. The damage causes changes to the color and composition of the esophagus cells.” (Mayo Clinic Link.) The process, known as “metaplasia” actually changes the cells from the normal ones found in the esophagus to the type of cells normally found in the intestines! To quote some more from the Mayo Clinic write-up, “A diagnosis of Barrett’s esophagus can be concerning because it increases the risk of developing esophageal cancer. Although the risk of esophageal cancer is small, monitoring of Barrett’s esophagus focuses on periodic exams to find precancerous esophagus cells. If precancerous cells are discovered, they can be treated to prevent esophageal cancer.”
Acid Reflux, Credit: Greater Baltimore Medical Center
GERD is the usual precursor to Barrett’s Esophagus. In my case, the thinking is that I’ve had this for many years, but because my symptoms were not related to the classic heartburn of old Alka Seltzer commercials, but rather as sore throats and coughs, what I had always thought were seasonal allergies turned out to be LPR or Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease. In other words, discomfort in my throat, not my stomach!
Often called “silent reflux” this particular permutation of gastric reflux is often linked to GERD as well as a risk factor for developing Barrett’s Esophagus and other Esophageal conditions. As well, Hiatal Hernias are also often seen in GERD and LPR patients. (LPR Link)
All of these conditions require diagnosis, treatment and follow-up by skilled GI and ENT specialists and should be taken seriously.
There are also important steps that patients such take to help mitigate the discomfort and risks associated with these conditions. Changes included the following suggestions:
– If you smoke, quit.
– If you are overweight, commit to returning to a normal weight for your height and body type.
– If you don’t exercise on a regular basis, you should strongly consider starting.
– Eat small meals/snacks 5-6 times per day, instead of 3 large meals. This helps to digest food faster, especially if you eat one type of food at a time rather than loading up with lots of different foods as once.
– Try to take a walk after eating. A twenty-minute “constitutional” should do it. This really aids the digestive process.
– Stop eating 3-4 hours before lying down/going to bed
– Invest in a wedge pillow (gradual include to 6 inches) and use this for sleeping at night.
Also realize, that you can affect the outcome of your own health — and while things may not return to perfect, your commitment to yourself and doing what you can to help yourself, really does make a difference.
An interview with Chevelle Hallback, Women’s Boxing Champion for the Ages!
Chevelle “Fists of Steel” Hallback first laced up the gloves in 1996. Given that women’s boxing didn’t have many amateur boxing opportunities, she dove right in and fought her first professional fight less than a year later in 1997, earning her first win against Connie Plosser. Hallback has fought continuously since then with an impressive 28-8-2 (11 KOs) record.
On March 2, 2012, Chevelle Hallback will do it again, fighting a rematch against Terri “The Road Warrior” Blair (11-15-3, 6 KOs) at the Civic Center in Tampa, Florida. In a year of firsts, this will be the first female main event boxing match in the state of Florida, an honor bestowed on Hallback in her first fight fought at home since she began her professional career!
“I’m looking forward to fighting at home for the first time in my career,” Hallback is quoted as saying. “Terri and I had a great battle in 2007. She’s fought the best, has never been stopped and I’m training hard to make this an exciting fight for all the fans. I appreciate Terri for stepping up for this fight.”
The “must see” March 2nd card is promoted by Estrada Entertainment Productions in association with Tampa Baby Boxing Promotions and Reyes “Macho Times” Promotions. (Ticket information can be found at www.tampabayboxing.com.)
Girlboxing had the opportunity to speak with Chevelle Hallback who graciously took time from her training schedule to talk about her upcoming bout, her career and her hopes and dreams for the future.
1. You have a fantastic rematch coming up on March 2nd against Terri “The Road Warrior” Blair, what can you tell Girlboxing readers about this fight?
This is going to be a great fight! This is our second time meeting and when I say her name speaks for itself, I mean she is a warrior. She’s been in there with everyone that is a somebody in boxing. I don’t think her record really speaks for her [11-15-3, 6 KOs] because she is an amazing fighter. The truth is, she got the short end of the stick in most of her fights.
Our first fight [in 2007] was a hell of a fight. It was a tough fight. I came out with a win [78-74, 79-73, 77-75, 8×2], but it was a close fight.
With the upcoming bout, the first time I’m fighting at home, history is being made. The first time a female fight will be the main event on a boxing card in Florida. I can’t ask for anything more. I’m just excited about it and grateful!
2. When you fought Blair in 2007, you were quoted as saying, “It was rough. She never hurt me in the fight, but after the fight, those body shots she landed bruised my ribs.” What are you looking for in your rematch with Blair?
She is a “come get you”, “come right at you” style fighter, but I train for everything. I’ve found through experience that when you think a fighter’s going to come straight at you and you train just for that, they may switch it up on you fight night. To prepare myself whatever they may bring, I fight for all different styles. I don’t know what Blair’s going to do this time around, so I’m training for each and every style of boxing that you can think of.
3. Your last two fights were in Europe against Miriam Lamare and Cecilia Braekhus, both great fighters in the female light welterweight division. You’ve made it known that you are itching to have a rematch against Miriam Lamare after a controversial loss in November of last year. How is that going?
Hallback vs. Lamare
I want a rematch with both, to be honest with you. Right now, I’m starting out with Miriam Lamare, I really, really believe that I got robbed in that fight. I really believe that I beat her hands down. The Braekhus fight, it could have gone either way.
I’m going after Lamare first. I personally asked her for a rematch, but I haven’t had any feedback. After the fight my boxing advisor asked the matchmaker of the fight could we have a rematch and he was like, “no,” at the time.
In terms of a rematch I want it. I want to do this again. I went to her woman to woman. The fans want it, even her fans were saying that they wanted a rematch. I feel that I was robbed, and I’ll even go back to France. I just want the opportunity to get a rematch. [See below for video of Chevelle Hallback’s fight against Miriam Lamare.]
4. Can you tell our Girlboxing readers a bit about your boxing career.
I started training on March 20th 1996 to be exact when I first went into a boxing gym, and I turned pro in 1997, I think it was February of 1997. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I don’t have an amateur background. I never fought any amateur bouts at all so it was on-the-job training! But I progressed fast.
I am a student of the game and I used to study fighters like Roy Jones, Jr. and old fighters like Sugar Ray Robinson. I wanted to fight like them. Fighters that had awkward and unique styles.
I’ve been boxing for a long time, but I never took any serious damage during my career and I thank God for that.
5. What are your goals after you’re upcoming match against Terri Blair?
It’s been a long time, but my goal and my dream is to be the first woman to fight on HBO. There’s never been a women’s bout on HBO, not even Laila Ali. That’s my goal. I’m going to keep going till either one of two things happen: I reach the goal or my body tells me it’s time to quit. Right now my body is not telling me that! Like I said, it’s a plan and a goal and I’m striving for it.
I also want to tell Girlboxing readers, no matter how old you are if you feel that you’re capable of anything you keep going pursuing your dream, because if you don’t you end up saying, “I wish”, “I coulda’ woulda'” and it’s too late.
6. You’ve also had an amazing several months because you started the Fists of Steel Boxing Academy, how is that going?
I just started it this past July and it is going great! I love it!
With any business it takes a while for it to build, but it is coming along and I’m happy about it. I have an amateur now and I have a pro fighter, I have my kids and I also have classes. I even have a professional football player taking one of my classes and he loves it.
My amateur fighter, Rebecca just won a fight at the state level. I was very excited about that and my pro fighter will be fighting on the undercard of my fight against Terri Blair on March 2nd.
7. You’ve been in the sport as a pro since 1997 and you’ve witnessed a lot. What are the two or three things that have really changed in women’s boxing since then?
Well, number one, women will be fighting in the Olympics! That’s huge for women’s boxing!
There are more women fighting and it seems that there’s usually one women’s fight on every boxing card these days, especially when it comes to local shows because the women are as good as the men. And more females are getting involved too.
When I first started, I went to the amateur shows, but there was no one to fight. Either they weren’t in my weight class or they didn’t have the skills. That’s why I turned Pro. Now the amateur shows are amazing. There are many more women fighting and the turnout is much bigger.
We still have a long ways to go, but with the Olympics and with what I’m trying to do, we might get it to the half way point where it’ll tip over and get into the spotlight in a positive way … but from when I first started, there’s a huge, huge improvement.
8. If I mention Chevelle Hallback to a room full of female boxers they swoon! They don’t call you “Fists of Steel” they call you “Abs of Steel.” You mean a lot to the sport and continue to inspire a lot of women from professionals on through “Saturday” boxers. What do you tell your own boxers in the gym to keep them going?
First of all, especially when they come in, I ask them, what they want to do and what their goals are. I then tell them what to expect and what the path they’re going to take will be. If they’re there for at least a week, I remind them of their goals and of what they first told me — when I do that I’m talking to them on the inside. It helps people. It is not an easy sport. Sometimes we have to bleed for it.
Most important of all though is when you say you want to do something and you’re determined, and you have it in your heart and in your soul to do it, and you go through whatever you have to go through to do it, at the end of the day you can say, “I did it.”
I think that’s the best reward that anyone can have.
You say, “I did it,” and no one can take that from you. You can give a person a gold medal, or titles or belts, and they’re going to get old or vanish, but what can never be taken away is that you did it. And that’s what I tell my fighters and that’s what I’ll tell Girlboxing readers.
9. Do you have any closing remarks?
Yes. Tell them, Chevelle Hallback is here — and I’m not only doing it for me, but for women’s boxing and for women to do this in the future, “big time”!
***
Chevelle Hallback vs. Miriam Lamare Rounds 1 – 8 (Fight starts around 12:00 and is in French)
Chevelle Hallback vs. Miriam Lamare Rounds 8 (end)-10
Stereotyping women and other issues in the fight game.
Female Boxer in Pakistan, Photo Credit: Reuters
Watching how the mainstream media has grabbed a hold of women’s boxing as something to promote in positive terms is nothing short of marvelous. Whether it is media in the US, Europe or Asia, however, questions of a women’s “place” in the ring still linger even as national teams ready themselves for the 2012 Olympics.
What I’ve found most interesting are the spate of recent media pieces coming out of Asia. Here are a few examples.
Stereotyping women cannot work anymore and men who claim that women cannot match their abilities are in deep trouble. Even those who choose to stay as homemakers can bring in value addition to their families.
After being asked by the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) to start a women’s boxing programme in 1996, the plan failed due to protests by hardliners who opposed the idea of females gearing up to step in the ring.
However, after a lapse of almost 16 years, the Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) – facing the rage of conservative groups but surrounded by talented women – has decided to hold exhibition matchesin April.
TANG ERMIN (Translation): These girls who we’re training have a passion for boxing. In the past, these girls didn’t have an opportunity to participate. They could only watch the boys fight. They’re very focused on the sport now because they’ve been given the chance to become a boxer.
***FLASH*** Girlboxing on the radio starting at 9:00 AM!
Girlboxing will be on the radio this morning speaking with John M. Phillips on his Courts & Sports radio show. We’ll be talking about head injuries in sport, Ishika Lay, her injury and recovery, Olympic Boxing and the first ever female boxing Olympic trials in Spokane, Washington, and maybe even a little about the Superbowl.
Miracles happen, Ishika Lay on the road to recovery!
Back in October at the 2011 PAL Championships as Ishika Lay lapsed into a coma in critical condition at St. Vincent Mercy Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, her family, friends and the boxing world worried that she might not recover.
Ishika Lay in Recovery, Photo: Florida Times Union
Ishika Lay, a consummate athlete who had been well on her way towards a berth in the upcoming Olympic Trials, has turned the proverbial tide, and while she has lost her shot at representing the United States this year, she is well on the way towards recovery nearly four months later.
It is believed that Ishika Lay suffered from Second-Impact Syndrome. While not as well-known as other head injuries, Second-Impact Syndrome occurs when an athlete already reeling from a blow actually succumbs to a second blow days or even weeks afterwards. As in Ishika Lay’s case, she had taken a shot while sparring ten days before, and had even complained of headaches, but had otherwise not been encouraged to see a doctor or in anyway treat her symptoms.
In her first PAL bout, the likely winner of the contest, she was never hit hard, but athletes suffering from Second-Impact Syndrome can fall horribly ill even from the lightest of impacts due to the fact that their brains haven’t had a chance to recover from the initial impact. This is the likely scenario that felled Ishika Lay.
As noted in Garry Smits article entitledWomen’s Boxer Ishika Lay recovers after coma, the mantra “when in doubt sit it out,” must become the new normal in boxing. In Ishika Lay’s case, while it would have meant disappointment at being scratched from her PAL match, she wouldn’t have otherwise undergone her life-threatening ordeal.
Thankfully, Ishika Lay is on the road to recovery with thrice weekly rehabilitation on an outpatient basis at a hospital near her home in Florida, and lots of additional therapy at home with her mother.
Girlboxing sends lots of love Ishika’s way with the sure knowledge that she is being remembered in a lot of prayers.
The specter of the debut of women’s boxing at the upcoming 2012 Olympics has led to a plethora of interest in the sport!
“Women who box love it for the same reason guys do, boxing requires intense physical and psychological discipline, the ability to overcome fear and anger.” – Morning Edition
Franchon Crews, Photo: Sue Jaye Johnson
This weekend NPR opened a series on women’s boxing which aired on Sunday’s Morning Edition. The piece is wonderfully affirming and I encourage everyone to listen to it and to read the accompanying article.
The first installment, entitled ‘I Am A Boxer’: Fighter In The Ring, Lady Outside It includes sensitive interviews with boxer Bertha Aracil and other fighters vying for an Olympic berth at the upcoming Olympic Trials in Spokane, Washington next month. The piece also gets to the heart of gender, an issue that continues to dog the place of women in the sport. The series is co-produced by Marianne McCune and photographer Sue Jaye Johnson.
Sue Jaye Johnson’s video and photo essay, Bout Time in The New York Times Magazine section was also published yesterday and is another “must read” piece.
Oh, and in case you need any reminding, women have been boxing for a LONG, LONG time. The following is from Pierce Egan’s book Boxiana: Or Sketches of Ancient & Modern Pugilism, published originally published in 1830!
Some days are filled with big things and others have the “usual suspects.” The same it seems with working out: peppy for two or three training sessions in a row and then the dogs. We’re talking no energy, no pop and not so much going through the motions as just having no energy to get where you want to go!
I had one of those mornings at Gleason’s Gym today. Sure, I did my sweet 16 (four rounds each of shadow boxing, pad work, double-ended bag and speed bag), but did I ever have to work for them. Lennox kept shaking his head saying, “wake up, girl!” And maybe that helped because I did manage to bring it towards the end with two hopped up rounds on the double-ended bag and some serious da-da-da-da / da-da-da-da on the speed bag.
In analyzing it later, I realized that part of the problem is I’m still not doing enough during the week to keep the momentum up for a meaningful Saturday session. A clue on how to do that in an otherwise busy life came from my old Peace Corps buddy Mark who had a post on Facebook today proclaiming that he’d hit his goal of 1,000 sit-ups in a week.
I thought, “1,000!?! That is a lot!.” Breaking it down to daily increments, however, brought it more in line with what actual humans can achieve! Reading further, Mark wrote about his formula for success: starting at just 130 for the first week until he had brought himself along to 1,000.
Given that I struggled through my 100 sit-ups this morning at the gym (having only done 20 all week) — it occurred to me that if I followed Mark’s formula of defining weekly goals, it might get me off my tush and into a regular daily sit-up routine. Not wanting to set the mark too high for myself the first week, I’ve settled on accomplishing 300 between Sunday and Friday. That means 50 a day — meaning about 10 minutes! Seen that way, there is no way I shouldn’t be able to achieve it. The same thing for push-ups — or my version of them which means on my knees or against a bar at this point. Sure, I did 20 today at the gym (in two sets of 10 each), but it was hard and strained my shoulder. So there again, I’ve decided on setting a goal between Sunday and Friday. I’m staring off with 60, that means 10 a day — or another 5 minutes a day at most!
Summed together, if I give myself a mere 15 minutes a days, I can meet my weekly goal and have sacrificed nothing. No excuses here!
Claressa Shields (r) and Andrecia Wasson, Photo: Sue Jaye Johnson
What with the first-ever Women’s Boxing Olympic Trials set to commence February 13, 2012 at the Northern Quest Resort outside of Spokane, Washington, it is wonderful to see the media begin to wake-up to the wonders of these remarkable young athletes. (BTW, click here for ticket information.)
This seven-day event will feature 24 athletes competing in the three Olympic weight classes: featherweight, lightweight and middleweight, in a double elimination format. Winners, one from each weight class, will earn the right to represent the United States in what USA Boxing has called “the lone international Olympic qualifier, the 2012 Women’s World Championships” set to occur in May in China. In order to qualify for the Olympics — they will have to have landed in the top eight!
Recent press articles and pieces have included the following all of which are well worth the read!
The New York Times has a piece by Sue Jaye Johnson entitled, Bout Time. It features video and slide shows of three Olympic hopefuls: Claressa Shields, 16, Flint, Michigan, Alex Love, 22, Monroe, Washington, and Tiara Brown, 23, Fort Myers, Florida. The images are just great. The link is here.
Tyrieshia Douglas, WNYC, Sue Jaye Johnson
WNYC-AM radio has put together a series entitled Women Box: Fighting to Make History, that includes two slides show pieces. Boxing Toward the Olympics features a mix of four wonderful photos of Olympic hopefuls. Tyrieshia Douglas offers a 16-slide photo essay of her efforts. All of the photos are by photographer Sue Jaye Johnson. WNYC will also host an event at The Greene Space in New York City on February 10 featuring a conversation about women boxers with Rosie Perez, a 16 year old Olympic hopeful and a four-time world champion.
Queen Underwood, The Spokesman Review, Dan Pelle/AP
Seattle’s own Queen Underwood has featured in an article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer entitled Seattle boxer preparing for U.S. Olympic team trials for women’s boxing by John Blanchette. The piece gives an overview of what Queen has been up to in her quest for a lightweight berth.
Meanwhile, we all still await the AIBA’s final decision on whether boxing skirts will be a necessary part of their uniforms. As if!
Whether it’s perfecting your left hook or flexing your mind (as in keeping a “daily” blog) – getting back to a regular regimen is tough going when you’ve been away from it for a while!
Having stepped into the gym on Saturday for the first time in three weeks was a case in point. I’m nursing sore abs, a creaky shoulder and a mindset that is less focused on perfecting the minute shifts of tuned-up training, than just getting to the gym at all.
So my job is to push my momentum, meaning, getting myself back on a weekly gym schedule that *builds* rather than maintains! I’m also trying to talk myself out of the neat excuses for not going such as, “I’ll be out of town on Saturday” or “I’m tired” or “it’s raining out” … you know the drill!
I can say the same for writing! When I don’t write every day I get out of the habit — so, starting today, I am bound and determined to get back on the writing stick! And yes, I’ll even give myself some slack for having finished up my degree, et alia, but a daily blog is just that, a daily blog. That means putting fingers to the keyboard with a mindset that can get past the range of reasons *not* to do something.
Meanwhile, it’s 2012 and I’m already over three weeks behind in getting my resolutions in order for the year! So here goes!
1. Write a daily entry for Girlboxing!
2. Gain more strength, endurance and flexibility. Being in my late 50s means I need resistance training and a lot of it to keep my bones strong. I also need to do more aerobic training, and yoga. That means getting back to a training schedule that has me doing at least one thing a day and on some days all three!
3. Eating better! Yikes. This one is tough. Having been diagnosed with LPR (Laryngeal Pharyngeal Reflux) and GERD (Gastric Esophageal Reflux Disease) PLUS having Barrett’s Esophagus (the cells in the esophagus near the gastric junction actually CHANGE due to acid erosion), I’ve been living a low-acid/low-fat life! What I have to get to, however, is better balance in selecting meals and foods and how they are combined. This one is a tough to sort out – and I’ll actually do a column on it sometime soon, suffice to say that I’m getting there. I’ve lost nearly 25 pounds since the change in my eating regimen in July 2011, now the trick is to go the rest of the way (another 10 pounds), while continuing to build muscle (which has suffered as late) so that when I eventually meet my goal, I’ll be a healthy and toned – rather than depleted and weak.
4. The next project: now this is the tough one! I’m thinking book and just have to move into the space by DOING rather than angsting about it. And therein lies the sticky problem: getting to the DOING part. Again, it’s a matter of starting and once in the habit continuing the process until it is concluded. Easier said than done? No, probably not ‘cause we all have goals that we set and follow. It’s that pesky issue of getting started!
What it all comes down to for the year: Doing!
So, day one in my reforecast New Year means putting the fingers to the keyboard to say thanks so much to my Girlboxing friends for listening and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
And how nice that it happens to coincide with the Chinese celebration of the Year of the Dragon!
Girlboxing had the chance to interview Sonya Lamonakis (6-0, 1-KO) ahead of her upcoming heavyweight bout on January 21st, 2012 against Carlette Ewell (15-7, 9-KO’s) at the storied Roseland Ballroom in New York City. The fight is being promoted by DiBella Entertainment as part of the Broadway Boxing series.
1. Tell us about your upcoming six-round fight against Carlette “The Truth” Ewell on January 21st at the infamous Roseland Ballroom in the heart of New York City.
I’ve been asking her to fight for a year and she finally accepted….this will be our first one and then our next fight will be for a title win or lose. It’s going to be a great fight we both have a lot of experience and have been training hard for this fight. Many of my fights have stolen the show and this might just be another one of the barn yard burners.
2. You’ve had six successful outings since your debut as a pro in June 2010 — having most recently defeated Tiffany Woodard in August 2011. Ewell on the other hand has a 15-7 record with 9-KOs since her pro career started in 2002. How are you preparing to meet the challenge of such a tough, seasoned opponent.
I had an amateur career and she didn’t so I’m hoping my thirty fights as an amateur and six pro fights will carry me to victory. I’m preparing by training excessively and after studying her video of her last fight I have been working on what needs to be done to get the win.
3. Ewell also has an upcoming fight on the books for the UBC Heavyweight Title against Gwendolyn O’Neil. What sort of message do you want to send to both of them in your January 21st bout against Ewell.
I didn’t even know about that. Gwendolyn I see in Gleason’s and have asked her to fight me many times but she told me she is not fighting heavyweight anymore. Female heavyweights blossom late in life and I feel they are both on their way out and there is going to be a new queen of the heavyweights.
4. There’s been a fair amount of trash talk thrown your way in the run up to your battle against Ewell. What is your reaction to all of that?
Yes, I have read her comments about what she has been saying and I feel fighters that are scared or intimidated talk trash. I have never been a trash talker I’m not that type of athlete. I save it all for the ring. I would rather be a positive example for my students and look like a classy athlete more than one that trash talks. I have been fighting for 9 years and it’s just not me. I have never been a trash talker. For her to say that I lost all my fights and they were just handed me is pretty rude to me. Especially, being that she has not been at one of my fights and two out of the three were not on tv either. But it’s ok. Some people talk trash to make themselves feel better. It feeds their ego and helps them survive. So carry on Ewell. I’ll see you in the ring.
5. What adjustments are you making in the gym as you prepare for this fight and beyond?
I have been working on lowering my height, moving my head, and working angles to improve as a fighter for this fight and the future.
6. You recently had a powerful video interview published as part of Yahoo’s online “Power Your Future” series. What can you tell us about that?
That was a great video. I was proud to show off my school and both of my careers in one. My students were very happy to be a part of my boxing career. I think I’m a special fighter because I have two careers as a fighter and an educator. To be a role model to children is a gift in itself.
7. For those who do not know, you teach technology to K-5th graders at a public school in Harlem. You’ve been quoted as saying, “I’m an educator before I’m a fighter.” Even given that sentiment, you bring your “all” into the gym and into your “game” on fight night. What inspires you to bring so much of yourself to what you do?
I’m a passionate person. I play hard, live hard, and love hard. Teaching is not a job but a passion. I hope to inspire children to be life long learners and instill the value of education in them. My inspiration comes from the joy I receive when I’m with my students currently, and past students that come back to let me know the difference I made in their lives.
8. Having watched you work out in the gym, I’ve no doubt that you still have a lot more to accomplish in the sport, what are your goals and dreams?
I want to be a World Champion holding many titles. I also enjoy educating people about the sport of boxing. The determination it takes and the will and drive you must have. One part of boxing that’s important for me is that you must have something to fall back on because you can’t rely on boxing forever. You’re an active fighter for a short period but your work time expands beyond that. Only a small percentage of fighters make enough money to live off of. It’s important to have a back up plan, something that you can count on if the fight game doesn’t work out.
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Tickets are available for what will be an EXCITING night of boxing priced at $45 and $65. Ringside tickets are available upon request at $125.
Contact Gleason’s at 718 797 2872 or info@gleasonsgym.net if you want tickets.
My daughter had an assignment to write an essay using imagery for her 7th grade English class. She rocked my world with it!
Gleason’s Boxing Gym
Gleason’s Boxing Gym is a place in Dumbo that many people go to. When you hear about Gleason’s, what you may picture is a nice clean gym with the best equipment in the world. However, once you go all that you really see is sticky duct tape holding the heavy bags together, and dirt that is probably two years old.
This is what I love about Gleason’s the most:
When you walk into Gleason’s, what you see are boxers that are young or old, the heavy bag swishing back and forth. People are skipping and sliding trying to dodge the fast perfect jabs from their sparing partners. I hear the speed bag that sounds like a helicopter, the encouraging loud criticism from the trainers.
In Gleason’s Boxing Gym all I can smell and taste is the stench and sweat that comes from lots of hard work. However, as soon as I start to train I can feel the cotton of my hand wraps, the linen covering the ropes. I can feel the pads that I hit, the concrete when I try to strengthen my hands. I can feel the leather speed bag hitting my hands and then coming back, as if asking for more.
In conclusion, I think and believe that Gleason’s Boxing Gym, home to many pro-fighters, is an amazing place filled with imagery. At Gleason’s everything that happens sets your mind into a frenzy of images that will come back when you think about the moments that you have had at Gleason’s Boxing Gym.
Girlboxing 