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The Promise of Women’s Boxing – publication date June 4, 2024!

I am so proud to announce the upcoming publication of my new book!

The Promise of Women’s Boxing: A Momentous New Era for the Sweet Science will be published on June 4, 2024 by Rowman and Littlefield. It is available for preorder now at the link: preorder – Amazon

Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and three-time undisputed champion, Claressa Shields has graciously written the forward.

Overview

The book provides a timely exploration of modern women’s boxing, from its first inclusion in the 2012 Olympics to today, featuring such trailblazers as Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, Claressa Shields, and more.

On April 30th, 2022, the first boxing super-fight of the era, headlined by two women and fought at Madison Square Garden, lived up to its hype and then some. The two contestants fought the battle of their lives in front of a sold-out crowd and garnered 1.5 million views through online streaming. It was the culmination of a long, three-centuries arc of women’s boxing history, a history fraught with highs and lows but always imbued with the heart and passion of the women who fought.

In The Promise of Women’s Boxing: A Momentous New Era for the Sweet Science, Malissa Smith details the exciting period from the 2012 Olympics through the true “million-dollar baby” women’s super-fights of 2022 and beyond. Rich in content, the stories that emerge focus on boxing stars new and old, important battles, and the challenges women still face in boxing. Smith examines the development of the sport on a global basis, the transition of amateur boxers to the pros, the impact of online streamlining on the sport, the challenges boxing has faced from MMA, and the unprecedented gains women’s boxing has made in the era of the super-fight with extraordinary seven-figure opportunities for elite female stars.

Featuring the stories of women’s boxing icons Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, Savannah Marshall, Marlen Esparza, Mikaela Mayer, Natasha Jonas, and more, and with a foreword by two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time undisputed champion Claressa Shields, The Promise of Women’s Boxing offers unprecedented insight into the incredible growth of the sport and the women who have fought in and out of the ring to make it all possible.

Reviews

Malissa Smith has written a compelling book on the progression of women’s boxing, showing us the grit, determination, and perseverance that took the sport from the first ever inclusion in the 2012 London Olympics to today’s era of mega-fights.— Sue Fox, founder, Women’s Boxing Archive Network, International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame

For anyone who follows and enjoys women’s boxing—this is the perfect book for you. It’s not just history and facts; this book is also full of stories and in-depth examinations. Malissa Smith did a terrific job! — Jackie Kallen, boxing manager, 2024 inductee to the International Boxing Hall of Fame

Malissa Smith has given readers a very accurate accounting of women’s boxing. From the Olympics to selling out Madison Square Garden, she has revisited the history I’m proud to be a part of. — Christy Martin, retired boxing champion, 2020 inductee to the International Boxing Hall of Fame

Malissa’s grasp of, eloquence on, and in-depth research into the continued resistance of change to 3-minute rounds for women is equally fascinating and disheartening. A must read for anyone interested in gaining insight into women’s boxing. — Alicia Ashley, retired boxing champion, 2023 inductee to the International Boxing Hall of Fame

There is no one more knowledgeable about or dedicated to women’s boxing than Malissa Smith. Without bias, Malissa is able to translate her passion into words that satisfy an enthusiast while appealing to occasional fans. A must read for any diligent sports enthusiast. — Jill Diamond, WBC co-chair of the Women’s Championships, WBC International Secretary, Global Chair WBC Cares

Malissa Smith is the ultimate chronicler of women’s boxing. Her new book details the last dozen years, during which fighters like Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor, and Amanda Serrano have not only evened the playing field, but at times outperformed their male counterpart — Steve Farhood, boxing analyst for Showtime and 2017 Inductee International Boxing Hall of Fame

Malissa’s effort to document the journey of women’s boxing is nothing short of titanic. In a world where stories are told in spurts of 280 characters on social media, Malissa takes the time to delve into the struggles of every fighter, and she takes us along for a ride that is rich in both journalistic rigor and historical accuracy—with her gift for storytelling making it a pleasure to read. — Diego Morilla, writer, editor, and moderator for the Women’s Ratings Panel, The Ring magazine

Malissa has captured the wonderful growth of women’s boxing in her book The Promise of Women’s Boxing. She highlights how quickly the women have become a major force in amateur and professional boxing. And in many cases, the women overshadow the men. — Bruce Silverglade, owner of boxing’s world-famous Gleason’s Gym

Malissa Smith’s comprehensive analysis and understanding of this very important period in the evolution of women’s boxing makes for a terrific read. — Lou DiBella, President, DiBella Entertainment, 2020 inductee to the International Boxing Hall of Fame

For more information link to Rowman and Littlefield website for more information:

Melissa McMorrow-Unsung in the era of the Olympics

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The inclusion of women’s boxing in the Olympics at the 2012 London Games brought a lot of hope that the sport would begin to flourish anew. Gold medal winners Claressa Shields, Nicola Adams, and Katie Taylor, however, did not begin to cross the threshold of the ropes as professionals until after the 2016 Rio Games. That left the pre-Olympic-era pro boxers continuing to push for opportunities in a sport that was capricious at best when it came to promoting female fighters.

The International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame (IWBHF) recently honored one such boxer, the Brazilian-American retired champion Melissa “Mighty” McMorrow (10-7-3, 1-KO), inducting her into its Class of 2023 at the “Night of the Stars” 10^th Anniversary ceremony held on October 7, 2023, in Las Vegas.

A pint-sized World Fly titlist from Northern California who stood all of four feet, eleven inches tall, McMorrow boxed professionally from 2008-2018, with a career that straddled the era. The post-Olympic period in particular saw her fight in a succession of bouts in Mexico, including a successful second campaign to win the WBO World Fly title she’d had to abandon earlier in her career.

McMorrow, who has spoken often of her life-long love of athletics, was an All-American soccer player at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania’s Carnegie Mellon University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. She also joined the Women’s United Soccer Association as a player in the United States and Brazil until the association disbanded.

Searching around for another sport, McMorrow eventually chose boxing when she was in her 20s. Jumping in full throttle after starting to train in 2005, she began competing in the amateurs in 2006 and even lost to Marlen Esparza in the 2007 USA Nationals in Colorado Springs and again in 2008 with the same result.

Choosing to turn professional shortly thereafter, McMorrow fought a total of eight straight bouts at venues across her native California. She accumulated a 4-1-3 record through May 2010. Her ninth clash, and her first outside of her home state, was in February 2011. The prospect of a coveted fight night took her across the country to New York City. There she faced Keisher “Fire” McLeod (Wells) (8-3, 1-KO) on a DiBella Entertainment-Broadway Boxing card at Times Square’s B.B. Kings. McLeod stood 5’8” tall and towered over McMorrow, who, none the less, demonstrated a decided effort to fight aggressively on the inside. McLeod won the six-rounder on the cards, but McMorrow gave the crowd a gritty and entertaining performance.

Having proven her mettle as an opponent, she came back to the Apple in June to battle a popular local favorite, Eileen “The Hawaiian Mongoose” Olszewski (11-7-3, 1 KOs). The fight was an eight-round title bout for the New York State Fly Championship. McMorrow was also expected to lose against Olszewski, but pulled out the mixed decision win, 78-74, 79-73, 74-78, to capture the title, showing similar aggression and strong defensive tactics while continuously taking the fight inside.

Getting the call again, McMorrow defended her championship belt five weeks later, at the end of July, in an eight-round rematch against Keisher McLeod. McMorrow, ever the aggressive fighter, used her strong inside game and superb defense to avoid the much taller fighter’s jab-right hand combinations. McMorrow’s toughness gave her the “and still” moniker with another mixed decision win.

The strength of these battles gave her a chance to fight in Mexico as an opponent against Arley Muciño (32-4-2, 11-KOs) for the WBA Interim World Fly in February 2012. Though she lost on the cards, it did bring her more attention, netting McMorrow the opportunity to fight the reigning WBO World Fly and WIBF champion, Germany’s seemingly unstoppable Susi Kentikian, who sported a 29-0 record (with 16 wins by knockout) going into their main event battle on May 16, 2012.

Televised on Germany’s Das Vierte channel, McMorrow shocked the world with a mixed decision win on the cards, 94-96, 95-95, 94-96. It also brought her a payday a little south of $10,000, quite unheard of for an American fighter except overseas. With the win, she came into the mix alongside Ava Knight (20-2-5, 5-KOs) and Mexico’s Mariana “Barbie” Juarez (55-13-4, 19-KOs) as elite flyweight fighters.

McMorrow began to actively campaign for a title bout against Ava Knight, to whom she’d lost in the amateurs, including a Golden Gloves championship fight broadcast on Comcast nationally from San Francisco’s Third Street Gym.

Knight was asked her preference for a potential matchup with either Juarez (whom she eventually defeated) or McMorrow, saying at the time, “I think Mariana would be tougher. Her style and experience may outweigh a pushy style for me. I’ve met McMorrow in the ring three times (as an amateur) and already know my strengths over hers. She may have changed a bit and become more of a brawler, but that is my opposition of choice. They are both game, and hopefully we will be meeting them soon in the ring.”[i]

Pundits also felt the Knight-McMorrow showdown would be a logical home-grown match, while acknowledging that both fighters were only gaining traction for big title fights on the road. McMorrow had managed to have her first WBO defense in the United States at the Kissimmee, Florida Civic Center, in October 2012, where she defeated Yahaira Martinez (7-4, 4-KOs) by TKO in the ninth round of their all-action bout, which was also one of the rare female boxing matches televised on the Spanish-language Telemundo channel.

McMorrow’s next defense, however, was back on the road the following March in Germany. She faced the German fighter, Nadia Raoui (15-2-1, 3-KOs). The match itself was another tough battle where McMorrow’s aggression showed through, including an extraordinary punch output per round and her signature inside fighting. She prevailed again by split decision, 94-96, 96-94, 91-99, retaining her title, and earning a purported career high pay day of $15,000. She’d also fulfilled the second of her two-fight deal with Germany’s SES Boxing promotion company, which meant she’d need to seek out her next title defense with a company at home.

Having earned that amount for a bout did not, however, mean that she could earn a living as a professional boxer, pointing out, “There’s just no money in boxing. I could never really justify leaving my job [as an architect],” adding, “It seems unfair that men get paid a lot more. Especially when I feel there would be a draw.”[ii]

As if to bring home the point, boxing writer and pundit Mark Jones put it this way: “Current, American [professional] female fighters, even those that are highly rated, are regional attractions having to travel abroad to participate in prestigious fights. In 2013, the following world class, American-based female fighters fought outside the United States: Diana Prazak (Sweden), Melissa Hernandez (Canada), Alicia Ashley (Mexico), Ava Knight (Mexico), Melissa McMorrow (Germany), Carino Moreno (Germany), and Tori Nelson (Bermuda).”[iii]

Knight remained elusive, however, and after losing a WBC World Fly title to Ibeth Zamora (Silva) (33-8, 13-KOs) in 2013, she had limited opportunities to fight at all, with just one just one bout in 2014 and none in 2015. McMorrow, who fought from 108 to 115 pounds, already experienced the difficulties of finding fights in the United States, especially in the smaller weight classes, telling an interviewer that many of the titles at that size were held by Mexican fighters. “The WBC is doing a lot to promote women’s boxing, and so [Mexico] is the place where things are taking off the most… if [fights] come up, I want to take them.”[iv]

She also had to give up her WBO belt a year after her successful defense against Nadia Raoui, as WBO rules required a defense within a one-year period. “No one in the top-10 wants to fight me unless we have money, which we don’t. It is a losing proposition because it is a risky fight for them for little or no money.”[v]

This harkened back to fellow Californian Kaliesha West (17-2-3, 4 KOs). She’d been willing to retain her WBO World Bantam title at all costs in 2011, even ceding what little money there was to her opponent, Ava Knight, in order to keep her status as a champion.

McMorrow did get to fight Mariana Juarez in her next bout held in February 2014, battling for the WBC International Super Fly championship in Mexico—having already given up on finding the funds necessary to promote the WBO bout. McMorrow easily switched between her inside and outside game with effortless fluidity throughout the fight but lost the bout on the cards, with all three judges agreeing on the 94-96 score in favor of Juarez. At least one outlet called it the robbery of the year, along with grumbling from other quarters that proclaimed McMorrow the winner.

The controversial loss to Juarez was followed by another close decision defeat in August 2014 for the vacant WBC International Fly title against boxer Jessica Chavez (32-5-3, 4-KOs). Of the fight she’d said, “Chavez is a good fighter and we fought a fairly even fight. I think I was the aggressor and landed the harder cleaner shots. I wanted to make the fight very decisive since I know that the judges will not work in my favor, but she did a good job of keeping her distance from me. However, I think I deserve the decision as much as she does. It is frustrating that when I watch the fight I can only claim rounds that are undeniable and she gets credit for everything else.”[vi]

Otherwise taking her fourth Mexican fight night in stride, however, McMorrow had been invited to attend the first WBC Women’s Convention held in September. There, she’d been promised a shot at the WBC Fly title, but that did not actually materialize until 2018.

Her next match offered her the chance to regain the WBO World Fly belt. Traveling again to Mexico, she came in as the opponent against the lethal Kenia Enriquez (27-1, 11-KOs). Enriquez had won the vacant WBO title with ease when she defeated Ana Arrazola (28-17-3, 14-KOs) by unanimous decision in November 2014.

In the ring against Enriquez on February 28, 2015, McMorrow fought in her typical come-forward, aggressive style, prevailing with a split-decision on the cards after ten grueling rounds. McMorrow exuded joy at being announced the winner, a vindication of sorts for having been stripped of the title the year before and for other losses she’d endured in Mexico.

“Honestly, I was surprised that Kenia picked such a big fight [for] her first title defense … And the only thing I can think, is that they just completely underestimated me.”[vii]

Still, what she wanted was the Ava Knight fight, if nothing else than as a coda on her career but the fight that might have been, never happened.

McMorrow battled on with two more fights. What turned out to be her penultimate bout was a 2016 non-title ten-round loss on the cards against the experienced Esmeralda Moreno (35-12-2, 11-KOs) in Mexico City. For her last bout, McMorrow finally fought for the long-promised green-belt fly championship. The match against Ibeth Zamora was set for May 5, 2018, also in Mexico City. Coming off an eighteen-month layoff, McMorrow was less successful at pushing the fight inside. She fought tenaciously, but Zamora’s stinging power proved the difference, which allowed her to earn the unanimous decision win.

Back in 2014 ahead of her battle against Jessica Chavez, McMorrow had said,

“In order to compete in a sport like boxing, you have to love it. It is very difficult to train as I much as I do, and to look after your weight, etc. Sometimes I ask myself why it is so important to me. It sometimes seems really silly … I strive to be good at whatever I do and I hope that when I’m done boxing, a little piece of me will stay with the sport and people will remember who I was …”[viii]

McMorrow retired from boxing with an outstanding record of achievement. She’d had spectacular wins, but the seeming promise of increased opportunities with the coming of Olympic competition for women’s boxing did not really materialize for her. Outside of the small circle of boxing aficionados, she never gained the appreciation nor the opportunity to fight the big bouts at home in the USA, even after such Olympians as Claressa Shields, Marlen Esparza, and Mikaela Mayer were gaining traction on fight cards and on television beginning in 2017.

As with most things in the sport, the usual answer is, “that’s boxing.” One thing is for certain: McMorrow’s induction into the IWBHF will ensure she will always be remembered for her accomplishments in the ring.

Notes:

[i] David A. Avila, “Female Flyweight Division Opens Up With McMorrow’s Win Over Kentikian,” The Sweet Science, tss.ib.tv, May 19, 2012.

[ii] “Fighting like a girl: Bay Area boxer wins world championship,” Eltecolotate.com, March 25, 2015.

[iii] Mark Jones, “The Sweet Side of the Sweet Science – 2013 Year End Reviews & Awards, KO Digest, fitefansho.blogspot.com, January 3, 2014.

[iv] ITRboxing, Melissa McMorrow ‘I want my WBC title shot then Ava Knight fight.,’ ITRboxing, Youtube.com, January 3, 2015.

[v] “Melissa McMorrow: A Lifetime of Breaking Barriers,” University Athletic Association, uaasports.info, October 6, 2016.

[vi] Press Release: Mighty Melissa McMorrow, WBAN, womenboxing.com, August 29, 2014.

[vii] “Fighting like a girl: Bay Area boxer wins world championship,” Eltecolotate.com, March 25, 2015.

[viii] Malissa Smith, “Melissa McMorrow Seeking Redemption in Mexico: Exclusive Q and A,” Girlboxing.org, August 14, 2014.

On Women’s Boxing-what an October!

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I had the honor of introducing the 16 inductees to the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022. Held at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on October 22^nd, the 9^th class of inductees celebrated women’s boxing’s past and present in high style.

The brainchild of founder Sue TL Fox, herself an American pioneer from the 1970s when the denizens of women’s boxing went to court to win the right to box professionally, her insistence that women give themselves the accolades they deserve reverberates through the community.

Yes, we love that since 2020, women have been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. And that in Hall of Fames across the United States and beyond, women are taking their place for the brilliance of their achievements.

There is something; however, to that wonderful notion put forth by Virginia Wolfe, of having a room of one’s own. And whether actual or metaphorical, the sisterhood of brilliant athletes swapping stories is irreplaceable. This year’s class included Tori Nelson and Suzi Kentikian, boxers you may well have heard of, but it also contained Cora Webber who not only boxed in the 1970s, but in the 1990s to great effect. And men too, including Irish promoter Jimmy Finn, who along with 2014 Inductee Barbara Buttrick promoted the actual first all-female card in the UK in 1994; and Tom Gerbasi, who has led the way as a boxing journalist giving space to the stories of women in the ring since the late 1990s.

This year’s event was also held amid women’s boxing’s dazzling October.

The all-female Shields-Marshall card at London’s O2 Arena on October 15^th was held in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,000 cheering fans, not to mention the 2,000,000 eyes that caught the broadcast of the card on Sky and ESPN+. The card delivered not only in terms of the number of fans tuning in, but the brilliance of the performances from one end of the card to the other. The Shields-Marshall fight itself, produced a fight of the year contender to rival the Taylor-Serrano bout on April 30^th whose main-event battle was held in front of a similarly sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden.

What was notable, is that while Taylor-Serrano had 1.5 million views on DAZN, a full .5 million more viewed Shields-Marshall—to my mind, showing the strength of the Taylor-Serrano card to the women’s boxing “brand.” Afterall, it is highly unlikely that Bob Arum and Top Rank would have pushed to have their fighter Mikaela Mayer contest for the unified Super Featherweight title against Alycia Baumgardner, without the precedent of a sold-out Madison Square Garden.

Nor does it stop there.

Katie Taylor after her win over Karen Elizabeth Carabajal. Photo by James Chance/Getty Images

Consider Katie Taylor’s seemingly effortless retention of her undisputed lightweight crown and undefeated record against the mandatory Argentinian contender Karen Carabajal. Taylor led the card at the Wembley Arena—the very place where she had her pro debut. At that event, a mere six years ago, she walked out to nearly empty stands. At her homecoming of sorts, the cheering crowds floated her to the ring on a wave of love and admiration.

The two female fights on the undercard were also great action bouts showing off the prowess of Ellie Scotney as she pressured Mary Romero to a loss. And then there was the impressive professional debut of Maisey Rose Courtney, frankly one of the best I’ve seen, female or male. But think about that for a minute. She had her debut at Wembley Arena on a Katie Taylor card positioned as the swing bout leading into the main event.

Thinking about it more, Maisey’s entire boxing career has been informed by Katie Taylor.

Taylor’s amateur prowess and trailblazing amateur career provided Maisey with a goal to strive for. While her pro debut was on the undercard of a major fight by an undisputed champion in one of boxing’s more venerable arenas in the United Kingdom. This is Maisey’s world with the likes of Adam Smith stating Sky Sports commitment to putting on good cards as demonstrating “a move towards total parity and total equality in pay.”

The latter in particular remains to be seen. The boxing efforts on Saturday, October 29th across the globe; however, gave truth to the idea that parity and equity are long overdue. Consider Arley Muciño who wrested the IBF World Fly title from the Argentinian champion, Leonela Yudica, in a non-stop action fight at San Diego, CA’s Pechanga Arena and shown on DAZN. It should be noted it was Yudica’s 10^th defense of the belt since she first captured it in 2014—a momentous upset by Muciño who had at one time held the WBO World Fly title. Announcing for the Golden Boy Promotions card was none other than current unified champion WBA and WBC World Fly champion Marlen Esparza, who immediately called out Muciño for a unification battle.

Let us also not forget that Yamileth Mercado successfully defended her WBC World Super Bantamweight title against the venerable Mariana “La Barbie” Juarez in her fourth defense of her title, her loss to Amanda Serrano in 2021, notwithstanding.

Those showings, the Taylor card bouts, and the women boxing at venues large and small establishes the sport has the potential for an even more magnificent future.

Let us all hope that actually comes to pass.

Women’s Boxing Circa 2017

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Women’s Boxing Circa 2017

serrano-zarika-ii-photo-by-marilyn-paulino

Amanda Serrano defending title against Calixita Silgado, July 30, 2016. Photo Credit: Behind The Gloves

While women’s boxing has been around since “modern” boxing began in the 1720s, its place in American sports consciousness began with a trickle in the 1950s and grew to a steady flow by the late 1990s before petering back in the late 2000s.

Boxer Christy Martin’s bout against Irish fighter Deirdre Gogarty on the undercard of a Mike Tyson pay-per-view championship in 1996, put women’s boxing on the “map.” Not two weeks later Martin was on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in her characteristic pink boxing attire, and for the likes of boxing impresarios Don King and Bob Arum, it was a race to find other female fighters to add to the undercard of boxing bouts.

Such fighters as Lucia Rijker and Mia St. John, while not household names by any means, were becoming known in the boxing community—and even sported decent pay days that could be numbered in the thousands rather than the hundreds. At the same time, women’s boxing became a sanctioned amateur sport leading to the development of a national team in the late 1990s. The beginnings of international amateur competition began in 2001 coinciding with the legalization of the sport in countries across the world.

In the United States, the entry of Mohammad Ali’s daughter Leila Ali along with other boxing “daughters” such as Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, thrust the sport into the realm of popular culture including covers of TV Guide and a myriad of talk show appearances. With Leila Ali’s ascendency, however, other American female boxers of the period such as Ann Wolfe, Belinda Laracuente, and Layla McCarter, could not find traction on pay-per-view cards or on cable, despite excellent boxing skills (frankly much better than Ali’s) and by 2010, it was hard if not impossible to find female boxing on American television.

At the same time, internationally at least, women’s boxing was in an ascendency in such places as Mexico, Argentina, South Korea, and Japan, not only with opportunities for decent fights, but reasonable paydays, and most importantly, fights which were broadcast on television—and continue to be to this day, with female bouts routinely marketed as the “main event.”

International amateur women’s boxing was also on the ascendency culminating in the inclusion of women’s boxing as an Olympic sport in the 2012 Games in London. For such European fighters as Ireland’s Katie Taylor and England’s Nicola Adams, winning gold medals became very important national achievements leading to endorsements and other opportunities, not the least of which was recognition of their place in history and as role models for younger women and girls. For America’s boxing phenomenon, Claressa Shields, who at 17 was the first American female to ever win a gold medal for boxing, the usual promise of Olympic gold endorsements never appeared, and any sense that the inclusion of women’s boxing in the Olympics would perhaps enable a resurgence of the sport in the United States did not materialize. The other American female medalist who won a bronze in the 2012 Games, Marlen Esparza, had slightly better luck in winning endorsements, with adds for Coca Cola and Cover Girl, and a certain amount of traction in the Hispanic community, but otherwise, her Bronze had little effect on the sport as a whole.

In fact, women’s professional boxing has remained virtually absent from the airways in the United States with very, very few exceptions over the past eight years—and in fact, with respect to national exposure, i.e., network television or nationally televised cable boxing programs (ESPN, et al), such instances can be counted on one hand between 2012 and 2016.

The exceptions have been certain local fight cards such as New York City-based promoter DiBella Entertainment’s Broadway Boxing series, which have promoted and televised female bouts on local cable television channels. The same was true of a few of boxing champion Holly Holm’s fights in her local New Mexico market.

Some women’s bouts are also available live from time to time on US or internationally based internet pay channels at anywhere from $10 to $50 a pop. Otherwise, the only other means of watching female bouts has been on YouTube and other video services, where promoters may upload fights days after the bout. Viewers have also come to rely on uploads from fans that record all or some portions of female bouts. The clips are uploaded to social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram and now Facebook Live, in addition to YouTube, Vimeo, et al. Additionally, it is possible to watch international female professional boxing bouts via satellite television. International amateur female boxing tournaments are also available on occasion for website viewing, and certainly women’s boxing in the 2012 and 2016 games were available on the NBC Sports website, albeit, after much searching.

Three of the handful of professional female bouts broadcast since the 2012 London Games included, boxing champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano’s six-round bout which was televised on a CBS Sports boxing program on May 29, 2015, boxer Maureen “The Real Million Dollar Baby” Shea’s pay-per-view title bout on a Shane Mosley fight card broadcast in August 29, 2015, and the last nationally broadcast women’s bout on NBCSN, which pitted two highly popular local North East fighters Heather “The Heat” Hardy and Shelley “Shelito’s Way” Vincent for the vacant WBC international female featherweight title on August 21, 2016. This latter fight was the first female bout to be broadcast under the new upstart Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) promotion arm that has brought boxing back to broadcast television on NBC and CBS, as well as broadcasting on cable television outlets including Spike TV, NBCSN, and ESPN.

Heather Hardy (R) defeated Shelito Vincent by MD in their ten round slug fest on August 21, 2016. Photo Credit: Ed Diller, DiBella Entertainment

Four months on from the PBC broadcast, with a second Olympic cycle resulting in Claressa Shields winning her second back-to-back gold medal at the 2016 Rio Games – the first American boxer, male or female to have won that distinction – the status of women’s boxing in the United States is at a crossroads of sorts.

Since 2012, mixed-martial arts (MMA) have made significant inroads across platforms on cable, broadcast and internet-based telecasts. Moreover, this increase in visibility has come at the detriment of boxing—with more and more advertising dollars being thrown towards MMA contests. Of significance, however, has been the increasing popularity of women’s MMA (WMMA)—especially since UFC, the premier MMA league added female MMA fighters to their roster. Beginning on February 23, 2013 (UFC157), UFC began broadcasting WMMA bouts.

With the announcer declaring it a “gigantic cultural moment,” Ronda Rousey, a former bronze winning Olympian in Judo, and the Strikeforce* bantamweight WMMA champion, easily defeated her opponent Liz Carmouche with a classic “arm bar” move and in so doing, established a new first for women’s martial sports. Rousey went on to capture the imagination of country with her girl-next-door looks, winning ways, and eventual appearance in films such as The Expendables 3 and Furious 7. This catapult of a female warrior in gloves (albeit not boxing gloves) to include being only the second female fighter to ever appear on the cover of Ring Magazine (to much consternation by the boxing community), did not, however, have any particular visible effect on the fortunes of female boxing, per se,

Her first loss, however, in UFC 193 on November 15, 2015, was to a female boxer turned MMA fighter, Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm. A highly experienced female boxing champion, Holm’s boxing career of (33-3-2, 9-KOs) while very impressive, never led to the kind of breakout name recognition or big dollar paydays that should have been her due, given her talents, and caliber of many of her opponents including bouts with such boxing royalty as Christy Martin and Mia St. John (albeit later in their careers), British boxing star Jane Couch who single-handedly created women’s boxing in England, and the truly fearsome French fighter, Anne Sophie Mathis. Ensconced in her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Holm enjoyed a loyal following and excellent local coverage, and while she was a known quantity in the boxing community; it was only with her forays into MMA that she was able to break through to a larger audience and a chance at bigger paydays and television exposure.

The irony of a Rousy’s loss to a boxer was not lost on the boxing community (nor has the fact that Rousey’s recent loss in UFC207 was due to her inability to defend against her opponents unrelenting boxing “strikes”). A growing number of boxing writers who have also begun to champion the place of women in the sport with such features as Ring Magazine‘s monthly feature by Thomas Gerbasi.

November 2016 brought a flurry of attention to women’s boxing. Claressa Shields appearance on the November 19^th Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward fighting a four-rounder against former foe and USA National champion in the amateurs, Franchon Crews not only ended in a unanimous win on the cards, but the chance to see the fight live as a free streaming event. Shields has been quoted as saying, “It’s definitely a big deal, and it’s a big deal for women’s boxing, period …We really wanted a fight where we could put on a show.”

Claressa Shields delivering a straight right to Franchon Crews in their four round professional debut on November 19, 2016. Photo Credit: AP Photo/John Locher

Boxing writers and Shields herself have asked if this will be the launch point for women’s boxing—and with Claressa Shields recent appearance on the cover of Ring Magazine in celebration of her remarkable back-to-back Olympic gold medal appearances, she is certainly an important figure to be reckoned with as 2017 looms—not to mention her 77-1 boxing record in the amateurs.

Ireland’s Katie Taylor also be turned professional in England in early December, and quickly racked up to back-to-back wins with the second one also broadcast live on Showtime’s streaming online service.

Additionally, in late November, Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President at Showtime stated they intended to include female boxing on the network in 2017—a first since 2009. Espinoza has been flirting with the idea of putting a female bout back on the air for the last couple of years—and has paid keen interest in the success of DiBella Entertainment’s local fight cards that have included such female fighters as Amanda Serrano, Heather Hardy, and Shelito Vincent.

In an interview with The Sweet Science, Espinoza is quoted as saying; “It’s been on our to-do list for a couple of years. It’s really at its capacity. But we made a decision we are going to prioritize it.”

The first event is slated to be a WBO women’s world super bantamweight championship with the remarkably talented Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (30-1-1) set to fight Yazmin Rivas (35-9-1) in what promises to be a hard fought bout between two technically proficient warriors.

AIBA’s (the world international amateur boxing association) rules change just this past week may be the most far-reaching. All women’s amateur elite bouts will now be contested with in three rounds of three minutes each. The parity of the rounds and number of minutes per round is a first in the amateur world—and while elite men will still contest without helmets, there is further discussion of this otherwise controversial rules change that took effect before the Olympics in 2016.

With respect to the number of minutes per round—the normalization of the three-minute round will, in my estimation put pressure on the pros to accept this change, especially as amateurs with experience in the changed format turn professional. Given that in MMA men and women contest using the name number of rounds and same number of minutes per round, there will certainly be more impetus to push through three minute boxing rounds for women. Some states allow this already—such as New York State, but there has been reluctance to push for fights using three rounds based on the perception that women will want more money. Given the pay equity issues that already exist, there may be somewhat of a case to be made, however, with the push to three minutes, that last claim of women’s boxing being “less” than men’s because of the number of minutes in a round will be pushed aside once and for all.

Showtime’s potential entry into broadcasting female boxing along with signs that boxing sanctioning organizations are beginning to put resources into the sport led by the World Boxing Council which has now held two consecutive WBC conventions devoted solely to women’s boxing may help further propel the sport back into a more prominent place in the United States—and in place such as the United Kingdom.

Time will tell whether this actually happens, but as always, I remain hopeful!

*Strikeforce was an MMA and kickboxing league operating out of California from 1985-2013. WMMA practitioners such as Mischa Tate and Ronda Rousey were important champions and helped prove the case for televising female MMA bouts. They were particularly popular draws on Showtime. Strikeforce was bought out in 2011 by Dana White and its roster eventually folded into UFC.

Olympic Trials- The Finalists

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Olympic Trials- The Finalists … with one to come

Triumphant Flyweight Virginia Fuchs (l) and Middleweight Claressa Shields have won their respective finals at the 2015 Olympic Trials in Memphis, TN. They have earned the right to compete at the Continental Olympic Qualifier in 2016 as USA Boxing Olympians. Photo Credit: USA Boxing

Flyweight contender Virginia Fuchs had her night of relentless technical execution and determination that led to the 2-1 unseating of the 2012 bronze medalist Marlen Esparza.

Reigning Olympic gold medalist in the middleweight division Claressa Shields had her 3-0 night, fending off her challenger, Tika Hemingway, who’d loudly proclaimed that she’d take it from her. Shields had other plans and after outboxing Hemingway with an impressive performance, became the United States only two-time female boxing Olympian.

Lighweight Jajaira Gonzales (l) lives to fight another day against Mikaela Mayer. The box-off is set for 4:00 PM on Sunday, November 1 at the Cook Convention Center South Hall in Memphis, TN. Photo Credit: USA Boxing

And lightweight upstart, 18-year-old Jajaira Gonzales, pushed the envelope in her win over Mikaela Mayer to make it one a piece. Today’s box-off will decide which of these two warriors will represent the United States in the Olympic qualifiers next year. Both fighters bring a lot to the contest. Mayer has strong technical abilities and with her longer reach can box tall, whereas Gonzalez brings aggression, pressure and fast hands that seem relentless. For all her youth, Gonzales has won impressive international titles readily matching Mayer’s competitive fire.

Stand ready to applaud them all!

Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing Results
112 lbs: Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas, dec Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas, 2-1

132 lbs: Jajaira Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif., dec Mikaela Mayer*, Los Angeles, Calif., 3-0

165 lbs: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., dec Tika Hemingway, Brackenridge, Pa., 3-0

*This is Mikaela Mayer’s first loss. Championship box-off between Jajaira Gonzalez and Mikaela Mayer will take place at 4:00 PM on Sunday, November 1 at the Cook Convention Center South Hall.

Olympic Trials- The Challengers!

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Olympic Trials- The Challengers!

At 18, Jajaira Gonzalez (l) defeated veteran champion Tiara Brown, for a place in the 2015 Olympic Trials finals against reigning USA National lightweight boxing champion Mikaela Mayer. Photo Credit: USA Boxing

Each of them has endured a loss.

Each of them has fought through that loss and will meet the winner of that contest in the ring on Saturday night for a chance to come away as a prospective Olympian poised to compete on the world stage for the opportunity for a final berth at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.

Each battle for the right to fight in the finals was hard-fought and in some cases, fraught with history as veterans who have encountered each other before in the squared circle knew it was all down to what happens in four rounds of action.

Reigning Olympic flyweight bronze medalist, Marlen Esparza (r), was redeemed last night when she defeated Christina Cruz. Esparza will face Ginny Fuchs in a rematch in the Olympic Trials final. Photo credit: USA Boxing

For the reigning Olympic flyweight bronze medalist, Marlen Esparza, it meant redemption and being on a track for what seemed inevitable at the beginning of the week before she was stopped cold by Virginia Fuchs. In defeating, Christina Cruz, a fighter’s fighter who fought a brilliant outsider’s game with angles and heart, Esparza is now pumped up to rewrite the script with Fuchs and come away with what must feel like her rightful place.

In the lightweight division, the 18-year-old, punches-in-bunches phenom, Jajaira Gonzalez, who’d fought Mikaela Mayer to a 2-1 split decision in their battle, came away victorious over 2014 World Championship bronze medalist, and three-time USA Boxing National Champion, Tiara Brown. Gonzalez, a Junior and Youth World Champion, used aggression and pressure to counter Brown’s veteran technical ring savvy in carving out the 3-0 decision.

Tika Hemmingway (l) claimed victory over Raquel Miller in the middleweight division. Hemmingway will face reigning Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields in the Olympic Trials final. Photo credit: USA Boxing

For former champion Tika Hemingway, contesting for a berth in the finals against reigning Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields, there was an inevitability to her win over Raquel Miller, even though the battle was closely contested with a lot of back and forth in momentum and opportunities to be exploited. No matter who fights Hemingway, there are always costs. She is hard-hitting and physical in the ring–and while she’s lost once to Shields in the Olympic Trials, she’ll fight just as hard tonight for a chance to win.

Win or lose, the 24 women who have come to Memphis to fight for a place at the Olympics are each momentous in their drive, determination and skills as boxers. It is no easy feat to compete at the level of Olympians, harder still for women, and, in my estimation, hardest for female boxers who not only must seek out opportunities for support during their four-year odyssey for a place on the team, but must also endure the slights and prejudices of a wider public that rarely support women in the ring. That it has come down to the three contests tonight is miraculous, but let us not forget all of the days and nights of training and competing in rinky-dink rings with barely enough money for car fare. That USA Boxing has developed a cadre of elite fighters it supports for this go around is fantastic, but there needs to be more. More excitement, more opportunity and much, much more respect.

Watching many of these young women compete at the National Women’s Golden Gloves in July, my heart was overwhelmed by the bravery and humbleness they exhibited both in the ring and out. As a body sport, boxing teaches humility and to step inside the ropes is to exhibit physical and mental strength that is honed through thousands of hours of hard, hard work.

So whatever happens tonight, who ever winds up our Olympians, do applaud all of the women who have fought and dreamed. They deserve it.

Olympic Trials- Women’s Boxing Day 4 Challenger Results

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Olympic Trials- Women’s Boxing Day 4 Challenger Results

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Flyweight Christina Cruz (l) with the win over Giavonna Camacho in the challenger battle, has earned a rematch against Marlen Esparza on Friday. Both will battle for a spot in the finals against Virginia Fuchs.

With the first group of Finalists set – Virginia Fuchs (112 lbs.), Mikaela Mayer (132 lbs.), and Claressa Shields (165 lbs.) – the first challenger bracket bouts were held last night in the double-elimination Olympic Trials Tournament. The winners fight again tonight for the right to box in the finals on Saturday night.

The first of the three contenders for Friday night action is Christina Cruz (112 lbs.). Cruz is 32 years of age and will have her second shot at doing battle with 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist Marlen Esparza whose stunning loss to Ginny Fuchs has put in her the challenger bracket. Cruz lost to Esparza in the second round, but given how much she has amped up her game with her renewed focus, training and diet, she might well push through Esparza on Friday. Cruz handily defeated Giovanna Camacho for the second time to gain the right to keep on challenging for a berth in the finals.

Jajaira Gonzalez (132 lbs.), the 18-year-old who pushed hard in her battle against Mikaela Mayer in the second round only to fall in defeat, used pressure and aggression to defeat Rianna Rios 3-0. Gonzalez will face Tiara Brown, in what promises to be a terrific battle of wills between these two fighters, for the right to face Mayer in the finals.

Tika Hemingway (165 lbs.) narrowly defeated veteran Franchon Crews 2-1. Both fighters had competed in the Olympic Trials in 2012. Hemingway used aggression to finally muscle through to take the contest though Crews was able to gain the momentum throughout the bout. Hemingway will take on Raquel Miller in the challenger contest for the right to fight Claressa Shields in the final.

Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing Results

112 lbs/challengers bracket: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., dec. Giovanna Camacho, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3-0

132 lbs/challengers bracket: Jajaira Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif., dec. Rianna Rios, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3-0

165 lbs/challengers bracket: Tika Hemingway, Brackenridge, Pa., dec. Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., 2-1

Olympic Trials- Women’s Boxing Round Three

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Olympic Trials- Women’s Boxing Round Three

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Virginia Fuchs (l) with the huge upset win over Marlen Esparza to secure a spot in Saturday’s Olympic Trials Final. Esparza will have the chance to earn a challenger berth if she wins on Friday.

Talk about a big night! Flyweight boxer Virginia Fuchs, lightweight Mikaela Mayer, and middleweight Claressa Shields each clinched a berth in the upcoming Olympic Trials finals on Saturday night. All three have been undefeated in the tournament to date–earning them the right for a corner in the finals and two days off.

In the upset of the night, Virginia Fuchs defeated Olympic Bronze Medalist Marlen Esparza, 2-1 in a tough, tough battle. This was their fourth meeting at the championship level–with Fuchs victorious for the first time. As quoted by USA Boxing, Fuchs said, “I stopped her from getting in her rhythm. I got my space and I used my jab. My jab was the key. It feels amazing. It feels so good because this is what I’ve been working for. For the past four years, this is what I’ve been working on. This is what I came here to accomplish.”

Mikaela Mayer came up a 3-0 winner in her fifth meeting against number two seeded Tiara Brown. Each boxer had two victories against her opponent coming into the match. As quoted by USA Boxing, Mayer said, “She was coming toward me and that allowed me to use my boxing skills which is what I’m good at. That 1-2-3 was landing every time.”

Claressa Shields pulled out a flawless technical performance to defeat veteran boxer, Raquel Miller. Shields said, ““She was really patient and backed up a lot of the fight. She came forward some but I landed the cleaner, harder shots. She landed a few right hands but I kept going forward, and kept landing jabs. I landed a lot of jabs.”

In this double elimination tournament, there will be two sets of Challenger bouts to chose the other finalist for Saturday night. The first set will be Thursday, with the winner in each weight category facing Esparza, Brown and Miller on Friday.

Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing Results

112 lbs/challengers bracket: Giovanna Camacho, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., 2-0
112 lbs/challengers bracket: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., dec. Alex Love, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2-0
112 lbs/winners bracket: Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas dec. Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas, 2-1
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Rianna Rios, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. Samantha Kinchen, Lexington, Ky., 2-0 tiebreaker
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Jajaira Gonzalez won on medical walkover over Amelia Moore, Millersville, Md., W/O
132 lbs/winners bracket: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Tiara Brown, Fort Myers, Fla., 3-0
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., dec. Naomi Graham, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3-0
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Tika Hemingway, Brackenridge, Pa., dec. Cierra Taylor, Rochester, N.Y., 3-0
165 lbs/winners bracket: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., dec. Raquel Miller, San Diego, Calif., 3-0

Thursday’s Olympic Trials Bout Sheet
112 lbs/challengers bracket: Giovanna Camacho, Colorado Springs, Colo., vs. Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y.
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Rianna Rios, Colorado Springs, Colo., vs. Jajaira Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif.
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., vs. Tika Hemingway, Brackenridge, Pa.

Olympic Trials- Women’s Boxing day two results

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Olympic Trials- Women’s Boxing day two results

Claressa Shields (r) takes the second round win over Tika Hemmingway in a tough, hard fought battle at the women’s boxing Olympic Trials in Memphis, TN on October 27, 2015.

Another exciting night of results with teammates and old foes Marlen Esparza and Christina Cruz battling for supremacy in the flyweight division in a close contest that still broke 3-0 to Esparza. Other winners included Alex Love who remained in the contest by DQ when opponent Jamie Mitchell came in overweight.

Both Tiara Brown and Mikaela Mayer won as well. Brown fought a decisive 3-0 win over Rianna Rios, while Mayer fought hard against an onslaught from Jajaira Gonzalez to take the 2-1 split decision. Brown and Mayer will fight each other tonight in third round action. Leaving the contest in the lightweight division is veteran boxer Lisa Porter. She will be missed.

In the middleweight division Claressa Shields fought a tough, hard fight against Tika Hemingway with haymakers that writer Sarah Deming (@SarahDeming), who is live tweeting the event, described as coming “all the way from Flint” to take the unanimous win. Raquel Miller defeated Franchon Crews in a split decision, as this is the HH Diva’s first loss in the contest, she has a berth in the third round.

Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing Results
112 lbs/challengers bracket: Giovanna Camacho, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass., 3-0
112 lbs/challengers bracket: Alex Love, Colorado Springs, Colo., won on disqualification over Jamie Mitchell, Las Vegas, Nev., DQ
112 lbs/winners bracket: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas dec. Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., 3-0
112 lbs/winners bracket: Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas dec. Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., 3-0
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Samantha Kinchen, Lexington, Ky., dec. Stalacia Leggett, San Diego, Calif., 2-1
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Amelia Moore, Millersville, Md., dec. Lisa Porter, Van Nuys, Calif., 2-1
132 lbs/winners bracket: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Jajaira Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif., 2-1
132 lbs/winners bracket: Tiara Brown, Fort Myers, Fla., dec. Rianna Rios, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3-0
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Naomi Graham, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., 2-1
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Cierra Taylor, Rochester, N.Y., dec. Iesha Kenney, Alexandria, Va., 3-0
165 lbs/winners bracket: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., dec. Tika Hemingway, Brackenridge, Pa., 3-0
165 lbs/winners bracket: Raquel Miller, San Diego, Calif., dec. Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., 2-1

Tonight’s Round Three Bout Sheet:

Bout #	Red Corner	Wgt.	Blue Corner
1	Amanda Pavone	112 lbs.	Giovanna Camacho
2	Alex Love	112 lbs.	Christina Cruz
3	Marlen Esparza	112 lbs.	Virginia Fuchs
4	Rianna Rios	112 lbs.	Samantha Kinchen
5	Amelia Moore	132 lbs.	Jajaira Gonzalez
6	Mikaela Mayer	132 lbs.	Tiara Brown
7	Franchon Crews	132 lbs.	Naomi Graham
8	Cierra Taylor	165 Lbs.	Tika Hemingway
9	Claressa Shields	165 Lbs.	Raquel Miller

Olympic Trials – Women’s Boxing Day One Results

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Olympic Trials – Women’s Boxing Day One Results

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Tiara Brown (l) handily defeated Amelia Moore 3-0 on the opening night of the USA Boxing 2016 Female Olympic Trials in Memphis, Tn.

The Olympic Trials for the 2016 USA Boxing female boxing team got underway on in all three of the Olympic weight classes: Flyweight (112), Lightweight (132) and Middleweight (165).

As expected 2012, Olympic Gold medalist, Claressa Shields easily defeated her first round opponent, Naomi Graham, 3-0. 2012 Bronze medalist, Marlen Esparza, also won 3-0 over Melanie Costa.

In the lightweight division, current USA lightweight champion Mikaela Mayer won a split decision, 2-1 over Stalacia Leggett, and the number two seeded fighter, the always tough Tiara Brown defeated Amelia Moore decisively by the score of 3-0.

Alex Love, a tough scrappy fighter from the US Army boxing team had a tough loss to an equally scrappy Virginia Fuchs who took the split decision 2-1.

Other winners included New York City’s hometown girl, Christina Cruz who won 3-0 (112 lbs.), and in the middleweight division, a particularly strong division with a slew of tough competitors, Tika Hemingway, Franchon Crews and Raquel Miller all came away decisive winners.

Tuesday’s bouts, however, will give the women who faltered last night an opportunity to continue in their quest for a berth!

The full list results for the opening round is as follows:

Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing Opening Round Results

112 lbs: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas dec. Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass., 3-0
112 lbs: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., dec. Giovanna Camacho, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3-0

112 lbs: Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., dec. Jamie Mitchell, Las Vegas, Nev., 3-0

112 lbs: Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas dec. Alex Love, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2-1

132 lbs: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Stalacia Leggett, San Diego, Calif., 2-1

132 lbs: Jajaira Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif., dec. Samantha Kinchen, Lexington, Ky., 3-0

132 lbs: Rianna Rios, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. Lisa Porter, Van Nuys, Calif., 3-0

132 lbs: Tiara Brown, Fort Myers, Fla., dec. Amelia Moore, Millersville, Md., 3-0

165 lbs: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., dec. Naomi Graham, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3-0

165 lbs: Tika Hemingway, Brackenridge, Pa., dec. Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., 3-0

165 lbs: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., dec. Iesha Kennet, Alexandria, Va., 3-0

165 lbs: Raquel Miller, San Diego, Calif., dec. Cierra Taylor, Rochester, N.Y., 3-0

Tuesday’s bout sheet has some tough match-ups so enjoy the fireworks!

Bout #	Red Corner	Wgt.	Blue Corner
1	Melanie Costa	112 lbs.	Giovanna Camacho
2	Jamie Mitchell	112 lbs.	Alex Love
3	Marlen Esparza	112 lbs.	Christina Cruz
4	Amanda Pavone	112 lbs.	Virginia Fuchs
5	Stalacia Legett	132 lbs.	Samantha Kinchen
6	Lisa Porter	132 lbs.	Amelia Mo
7	Mikaela Mayer	132 lbs.	Jajaira Gonzalez
8	Rianna Rios	132 lbs.	Tiara Brown
9	Naomi Graham	165 Lbs.	Danyelle Wolf
10	Iesha Kenney	165 Lbs.	Cierra Taylor
11	Claressa Shields	165 Lbs.	Tika Hemingway
12	Franchon Crews	165 Lbs.	Raquel Miller

Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing – Rio 2016 !

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Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing – Rio 2016 !

USA Boxing Women’s Boxing Olympic Team Trials set to being on Monday, October 26, 2015 in Memphis, TN. Photo Credit: USA Boxing

The Women’s USA Boxing Olympic Team Trials to represent the United States at the Rio 2016 Olympics starts today in Memphis, TN.

The United States 2012 Flyweight Bronze Medal winner, Marlen Esparza and the United States 2012 Middleweight Gold Medal winner, Claressa Shields will both be competing for a spot in the 2016 Games.

London 2012 Women’s Boxing Gold medal winner Claressa Shields (l) and Bronze medal winner Marlen Esparza. Photo Credit: USA Boxing

As in 2012, there will only be three weight classes: Flyweight (112 lbs.), Lightweight (132 lbs.) and Middleweight (165 lbs.). Twenty-four women spread across the three weight classes will compete:

Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing Qualified Athletes
Flyweight/112 lbs

1. Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas (USA Boxing National Championships)*
2. Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas (USA Boxing National Championships)
3. Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)
4. Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)
5. Alex Love, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)

6. Jamie Mitchell, Las Vegas, Nev. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)
7. Giovanna Camacho, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)
8. Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)

Lightweight/132 lbs
1. Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif. (USA Boxing National Championships)
2. Lisa Porter, Van Nuys, Calif. (USA Boxing National Championships)
3. Jajaira Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)
4. Rianna Rios, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)
5. Stalacia Leggett, San Diego, Calif. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)
6. Tiara Brown, Fort Myers, Fla. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)
7. Samantha Kinchen, Lexington, Ky. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)
8. Amelia Moore, Millersville, Md. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)

Middleweight/165 lbs
1. Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich. (USA Boxing National Championships)**
2. Raquel Miller, San Diego, Calif. (USA Boxing National Championships)
3. Tika Hemingway, Brackenridge, Pa. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)
4. Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)
5. Naomi Graham, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)
6. Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)
7. Iesha Kenney, Alexandria, Va. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)
8. Cierra Taylor, Rochester, N.Y. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)

The bout sheet for Monday, October 26th is as follows:

Bout #	Red Corner	Wgt.	Blue Corner
1	Marlen Esparza (2012 Bronze Medal Winner)	112 lbs.	Melanie Costa
2	Giovanna Camacho	112 lbs.	Christina Cruz
3	Jamie Mitchell	112 lbs.	Amanda Pavone
4	Alex Love	112 lbs.	Virginia Fuchs
5	Mikaela Mayer	132 lbs.	Stalacia Leggett
6	Samantha Kinchen	132 lbs.	Jajaira Gonzalez
7	Lisa Porter	132 lbs.	Rianna Rios
8	Amelia Mo	132 lbs.	Tiara Brown
9	Claressa Shields (2012 Gold Medal Winner)	165 Lbs.	Naomi Graham
10	Danyelle Wolf	165 Lbs.	Tika Hemingway
11	Franchon Crews	165 Lbs.	Iesha Kenney
12	Cierra Taylor	165 Lbs.	Raquel Miller

For further information and for online view go to the USA Boxing website!

2014 USA Boxing Nationals #Womensboxing Final Results!

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2014 USA Boxing Nationals #Womensboxing Final Results!

Olympian Queen Underwood won the closely fought battle with Mikaela Mayer for the 2014 USA Boxing National Women’s Lightweight (132 lbs) championship gold medal in Spokane, Washington. Credit: @HerBoxing

The finals of the 2014 USA Boxing National Championships were an exciting mixture of the expected and the unexpected.

Olympians Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood and Claressa Shields each came away with a national championship in their respective Olympic weight class, but each in her own way.

Esparza won a decisive and unprecedented 8th National title by out boxing her able 112 lbs. division opponent Virginia Fuchs. In the lightweight (132 lbs.) division, Queen Underwood fought a tough battle against “rival” Mikaela Mayer who gave a terrific performance. Underwood came out ahead with the split decision, 2-1, but all things being equal — both fighters deserved the crown.

18-year-old Gold Medal Olympian Claressa Shields jumps for joy after winning the 2014 USA Boxing National Championship in Spokane, Washington. Credit: @HerBoxing

Claressa Shields for her part fought a hard an unrelenting battle against veteran Franchon Crews to take the middleweight (165 lbs.) national title — her first as an elite woman fighter, in a performance that rivaled any in her gold medal winning year.

Alex Love a member of the U. S. Army’s elite athlete team put on a terrific performance to gain the title with her 3-0 win over Natalie Gonzalez, and perennial winner Christina Cruz also won 3-0. Other winners included Tiara Brown who out-fought Lisa Porter in a tough bruiser to gain the split decision, as well as Destiny Chearino who gained her first title in her bout against Jasmine Singh.

To round out the winners, defending 152 lbs. champion Danyelle Wolf impressed with her 3-0 victory over Melissa Kelly. In the heavyweight division (178+ lbs), Krystal Dixon gained an upset winner over last year’s champion, Denise Rico, with a 3-0. Dara Shen also impressed with a 3-0 win over Heidi Henriksen in the 178 lbs. division.

And the 2014 USA Boxing National Boxing Champions are:

106 lbs/female: Alex Love, Seattle, Wash./U.S. Army, dec. Natalie Gonzalez, New Rochelle, N.Y., 3-0

112 lbs/female: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas dec. Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas, 3-0

119 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., dec. Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., 3-0

125 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., dec. Lisa Porter, Valley Village, Calif., 2-1

132 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash., dec. Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., 2-1

141 lbs/female: Destiny Chearino, Warwick, R.I., dec. Jasmine Singh, Anaheim, Calif., 3-0

152 lbs/female: Danyelle Wolf, San Francisco, Calif., dec. Melissa Kelly, Somerville, Mass., 3-0

165 lbs/female: Claressa Shields, Flirnt, Mich., dec. Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., 3-0

178 lbs/female: Dara Shen, Alexandria, Va., dec. Heidi Henriksen, St. Louis, Park, Minn., 3-0

178+ lbs/female: Krystal Dixon, New Rochelle, N.Y., dec. Denise Rico, E. Los Angeles, Calif., 3-0

2014 USA Boxing Nationals #Womensboxing Full Semifinal Results!

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2014 USA Boxing Nationals #Womensboxing FULL Semifinal Results!

Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields celebrates her Semifinal win over the highly skilled middleweight Raquel Miller at the USA Boxing 2014 Nationals in Spokane, Washington

What a GREAT showing by the female amateur boxers who fought at the 2014 USA Boxing Nationals Semifinals in Spokane, Washington!

The finals will be held in two sessions today, January 25th at Noon and 6:00 PM PT. Bouts are available to view live at the link! USA Boxing Watch Live!

The full list of semifinal bout is as follows. Opponents for the finals will be in bold! There are some GREAT matchups including champion Mikeala Mayer vs. Olympian Queen Underwood in the 132 lbs. final, Olympian Marlen Esparza vs. Virginia Fuchs in the 112 lbs. finals and the battle of the titans: Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields vs. champion Franchon Crews. Esparza comes to the final having defeated Katie Durgin by TKO in the 3rd round of their semifinal bout. Tiara Brown’s bout with Lisa Porter in the 125 lbs. final will also prove to be a terrific bout. Other matchup include Danyelle Wolf, no stranger to nationals vs. Melissa Kelly who won on a walkover over Fallon Farrar (no word yet on why) in the 152 lbs. category, and Destiny Chearino who shocked with her win over Bertha Aracil at 141 lbs. vs. Jasmine Singh.

106 lbs/female: Natalie Gonzalez, New Rochelle, N.Y., dec. Sarah Dawson, Spring, Texas, 3-0
106 lbs/female: Alexandra Love, Seattle, Wash./Army, dec. Maureeca Lambert, Glen Ellyn, Ill., 2-1

112 lbs/female: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas, won on TKO over Katie Durgin, Boston, Mass., TKO-3 (1:21)
112 lbs/female: Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas, dec. Ayesha Green, Trenton, N.J., 3-0

119 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., dec. Kathy McPherson, Mesa, Ariz., 3-0
119 lbs/female: Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., dec. Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass., 2-1

125 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Fort Myers, Fla., dec. Kristin Carlson, Carol Stream, Ill., 3-0
125 lbs/female: Lisa Porter, Valley Village, Calif., dec. Carmen Vargas, Houston, Texas, 3-0

132 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash., dec. Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass., 2-1
132 lbs/female: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Melissa Parker, New York, N.Y./Army, 2-1

141 lbs/female: Destiny Chearino, Warwick, R.I., dec. Stacey Parker, Aurora, Ill., 3-0
141 lbs/female: Jasmine Singh, Anaheim, Calif., dec. Faith Franco, Duarte, Calif., 2-1

152 lbs/female: Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., dec. Jobette Nabarro, Keaau, Hawaii, 3-0
152 lbs/female: Melissa Kelly, Somerville, Mass., won on walkover over Fallon Farrar, Brooklyn, N.Y./Army, W/O

165 lbs/female: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., dec. Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif., 3-0
165 lbs/female: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., won on TKO over Krystal Correa, Yonkers, N.Y., TKO-1 (1:04)

2014 USA Boxing Nationals #womensboxing Semifinal Afternoon results!

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2014 USA Boxing Nationals #Womensboxing Semifinal Afternoon results!

Alex Love defeated Maureeca Lambert 2-1 in the 106 lbs. semifinals at the 2014 USA Boxing Nationals. Credit: Raquel Ruiz

Well … here they are so far … the afternoon session Semifinal results from the 2014 USA Boxing Nationals in Spokane, Washington!

By the way, the evening session is available live at the link starting at 5:00 PM PT! USA Boxing Watch Live!

Claressa Shields will be battling Raquel Miller in the 17th bout. Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood, Christina Cruz, Mikaela Mayer, Franchon Crews, and Tiara Brown will also be fighting in the evening session.

106 lbs/female: Natalie Gonzalez, New Rochelle, N.Y., dec. Sarah Dawson, Spring, Texas, 3-0

106 lbs/female: Alexandra Love, Seattle, Wash./Army, dec. Maureeca Lambert, Glen Ellyn, Ill., 2-1

141 lbs/female: Destiny Chearino, Warwick, R.I., dec. Stacey Parker, Aurora, Ill., 3-0

141 lbs/female: Jasmine Singh, Anaheim, Calif., dec. Faith Franco, Duarte, Calif., 2-1

152 lbs/female: Melissa Kelly, Somerville, Mass., won on walkover over Fallon Farrar, Brooklyn, N.Y., W/O

152 lbs/female: Danyelle Wolf, San Diego, Calif., dec. Jobette Nabarro, Keaau, Hawaii, 3-0

2014 USA Boxing nationals #womensboxing quarterfinal results!

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2014 USA Boxing Nationals #womensboxing Quarterfinal results!

Destiny Chearino with tears of joy after defeating reigning 141 lbs. 2013 national champion Bertha Aracil, 2-1 in the USA Boxing Quarterfinals on January 22, 2014. Credit: Raquel Ruiz

The USA Boxing Nationals Quarterfinals were held on Wednesday, January 22, 2014 with some stunning results.

In the 125 lbs. category, Kristin Carlson defeated the reigning 2013 championship Jennifer Hamann 2-1. Destiny Chearino defeated perennial national champion Bertha Aracil in a stunner by the score of 2-1. Champions Christina Cruz, Tiara Brown and Mikaela Mayer each moved on to the semifinals with 3-0 scorces over their opponents.

Semifinal action will pick up again on Friday, January 23, 2014, which will include gold medal Olympian Claressa Shields’ return to the ring as an Elite female fighter.

The quarterfinal scores are as follows:

112 lbs/female: Katie Durgin, Boston, Mass., dec. Brianna Sanchez, Tucson, Ariz., 2-1
112 lbs/female: Ayesha Green, Trenton, N.J., dec. Ivette Delgado, Yonkers, N.Y., 2-1
119 lbs/female: Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y., dec. Jamie Mitchell, Pacific Grove, Calif., 3-0
119 lbs/female: Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass., dec. Elizabeth Leddy, Portland, Maine, 2-1
119 lbs/female: Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., dec. Samantha Salazar, Dallas, Texas,
119 lbs/female: Kathy McPherson, Mesa, Ariz., dec. Rory Santos, Waipahu, Hawaii, 3-0

125 lbs/female: Lisa Porter, Valley Village, Calif., dec. Ashleigh Moore, Buzzards Bay, Mass., 3-0
125 lbs/female: Kristin Carlson, Carol Stream, Ill., dec. Jennifer Hamann, Seattle, Wash., 2-1
125 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Ft. Myers, Fla., dec. Jenelle Leal, Corpus Christi, Texas, 3-0
125 lbs/female: Carmen Vargas, Houston, Texas, dec. Felisha Estrada Gonzalez, San Jose, Calif., 2-1
132 lbs/female: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. Franci Davila, Kapaa, Hawaii, 3-0
132 lbs/female: Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass., dec. Christella Cepeda, Yonkers, N.Y., 3-0

141 lbs/female: Destiny Chearino, Warwick, R.I., dec. Bertha Aracil, Yonkers, N.Y., 2-1
141 lbs/female: Jasmine Singh, Anaheim, Calif., dec. Griselda Madrigal Santana, 3-0
141 lbs/female: Faith Franco, Duarte, Calif., dec. Monayah Patterson, Warren, Mich., 3-0
141 lbs/female: Stacey Parker, Aurora, Ill., Aurora, Ill., dec. Aleah Dillard, Dallas, Texas, 2-1

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