Women Box … Wordless Wednesday, February 26, 2014
The boxing Gordon Sisters, 1890s variety stage artists.
Women Box … Wordless Wednesday, February 26, 2014
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Women Boxing in a Bookstore?!?
Women Boxing in a Bookstore?!?
It seems that historically, women who had the skills and desire to box were consigned to all manner of places in order to ply their skills. Last month’s Bookstore Boxing event at BookCourt in Brooklyn was in the grand tradition of those earlier exhibitions.
The twist is that the event included author’s Mischa Merz (“The Sweetest Thing”) and Binnie Klein (“Blows to the Head”) reading excerpts from their books. The main event featured the incredible boxing prowess of reigning WBC Super Bantamweight Champion Alicia Ashley and 2008 New York Daily News Golden Gloves Champion Camille Currie.
The event also provided some insightful commentary on the challenges facing women who choose to enter the sport professionally — decidedly as a labor of love.
Women’s Boxing at Roseland Dance Hall, NYC, 1920’s or 1930’s
The Boxing Gordon Sisters at Edison Studios, May 6, 1901
Popeye Cartoon, “Never Kick a Woman” (Sporting Goods Store Window), 1930’s
Boxing women
Boxing Women
I get annoyed at the notion that women’s boxing is some sort of “novelty.” Boxing is tough both mentally and physically and anyone with the temerity to get in the ring deserves our support. My “beef” is in trying to find boxing results for women’s bouts the morning after! They are hard to find, WFAN excepted, though they may not have them on an “up-to-the-minute” basis. What really steams me is when the results from the card are posted “absent” the women’s bouts.
Okay, I’ll get off the soapbox and show you a short from one of the thousands shot by the Thomas Edison Company in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s). This “novelty” film of the boxing Gordon Sisters was shot on May 6, 1901. The women were advertised as “Champion Lady Boxer’s” and had a boxing vaudeville act for several years. If you are interested in more information you can find it here.
PS. Girlboxing offers a shout out to heavyweight pro Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis for her win last night as part of Broadway Boxing’s fight night card at B. B. King’s. With this win Sonya improves her record to 3-0.
Update: Nice piece about Sonya from Boxing 24 News.com here.
Girlboxing 