Marzia Davide (Red) and Usha Nagisetty, 9/12/2009, Credit: Alberto Pizzoli, AFP/Getty Images
Score one for common sense and the best intentions of each member team of the International Amateur Boxing Association (“AIBA”): rather than requiring female boxers to wear skirts compulsorily, the AIBA has made it optional, thanks no doubt to the over 58,000 signatures received from an online petition strongly opposed to the imposition of mandatory boxing skirts.
Dr. Wu, head of the AIBA spoke at the 5th World Conference on Women and Sport noting, “We have never asked the women to wear skirts, compulsorily … some women want to wear shorts and some want to wear skirts … So the decision we have made is that we shall make it optional because many boxers are undecided.”
Dr. Wu further noted that there had been concerns raised by certain of the national federations to the skirting question which led to the decision to make it optional based on the decision of each individual member group.
Given the vehement opposition of boxers such as Ireland’s lightweight champion Katie Taylor, the decision is a wise one. The fact that the issue has come up at all at a time when the boxers should be focused on training in advance of the 2012 London summer games has been a distraction at best and a reminder of how far women’s boxing has yet to travel as an accepted sport.
For Americans who’ve just been treated to the first ever women’s boxing Olympic Trials this past week in Spokane, Washington, the news comes as a nice asterisk on a week of joyous celebration of the sport. From the perspective of Girlboxing, we wish the issue had never surfaced, but given that the Polish national team has already adopted the boxing skirt as part of the uniform, we do welcome the decision as the wise course.
The Three Women’s Boxing U. S. Olympic Trials Champions: Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood, Claressa Shields!
Three Olympic Trials Champions, Marlen Esparza, Claressa Shields, Queen Underwood, Credit: USA Boxing
From the elite list of 24 women’s amateur boxing champions that came to Spokane, Washington to fulfill their Olympic dreams, it is now down to three: Flyweight Champion, Marlen Esparza, Lightweight Champion, Queen Underwoodand Middleweight Champion, Claressa Shields.
In a night of historic significance in the annals of the Olympic Sports movement and importantly, women’s sports these three champions gave everything in pursuit of their goal to represent the United States at the 2012 World Championships — with the hopes of grabbing a berth at the 2012 London Olympic Games this summer.
The non-stop action began with a thrilling battle between flyweights Marlen Esparza and challenger Tyrieshia Douglas. Both fighters have met twice before in the USA Boxing National Championships finals, but it was Esparza’s night once again as she built up points round after round with her stinging outside/inside game and commanding ring generalship for a final score of 32-17.
Queen Underwood & Mikaela Mayer, 2/18/2012, Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
Home town favorite and lighweight Olympic hopeful Queen Underwood, in her second U. S. Olympic Trials bout with challenger Mikaela Mayer fought another tough close bout through four rounds of tactical, smart fighting with her taller opponent. Mayer was able to get within three points of Underwood, but Queen prevailed with a final score of 22-19.
Claressa Shields & Tika Hemingway, 2/18/2012, Credit: James Snook/US Presswire
In the final bout of the evening, 16-year-old middleweight, Claressa Shields, continued her unbeaten record in her bruising battle with Tika Hemingway. This was also their second meeting in the U. S. Olympic Trials. Shields fought off a constant onslaught from Hemingway which saw her pushed into the ropes, however, through sheer nerve and power she was able to claim victory with a 23-18 decision. Claressa was also named the Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament to round out her evening of triumph.
Let us all lend our support to these outstanding women as they work towards achieving their historical goals of being the first representatives of the United States to compete in a women’s boxing event at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Tyrieshia Douglas battling Christina Cruz, 2/17/12, Credit: AP
And then there were three! Challengers that is for tonight’s Championship round in this double elimination tournament.
Last night’s action was all about determination and slogging through the fatigue of what was for some, their fifth bout in as many days!
Flyweight boxerTyrieshia Douglas faced Christina Cruz for the second time, but was able to edge out Cruz with focus and grit through the first three rounds. With her laser-like accuracy and a heart that wouldn’t quit Douglas pulled ahead of Cruz in the final round and won with a score of 22-14. Tyrieshia earned the right to face Marlen Esparza tonight.
Lightweights Mikaela Mayer and N’yteeyah Sherman both fought a confident, highly skilled, technical battle with not dissimilar styles. N’yteeyah with the height advantage was able to pull head in the opening round, but Mayer was able to fight through to tie and eventually to grab the lead, taking the decision with a score of 26-25. She will face Queen Underwood for the second time tonight.
For the middleweight contest, Tika Hemingway took control of the bout against Raquel Miller with quicker hands and a savvy ring style that saw her to set the pace. Tika’s style also meant that she was able to gain a decisive lead from the first round on taking the decision with a final score of 21-6. Tika will face Claressa Shields tonight in a repeat of their Thursday battle.
A word on double elimination: Marlen Esparza, Queen Underwood and Claressa Shields will all be fighting as “winners” tonight. That means if any of them lose the bout tonight, they will have the right to fight their opponents a second time on Sunday as “challengers”. However, Tyrieshia Douglas, Mikaela Mayer and Tika Hemingway as tonight’s “challengers” must win in order to keep their Olympic dreams alive.
Tonight’s bouts can be viewed online at the link here. By the way if you’ve missed any of the action, click on the link to watch previous night’s bouts!
Friday’s Challengers Bracket Finals Results
112 lbs/challengers bracket: Tyrieshia Douglas, Baltimore, Md., dec. Christina Cruz, 22-14
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif., dec. N’yteeyah Sherman, 26-24
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa., dec. Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif., 21-6
Saturday’s Championship Round Bout Sheet
112 lbs: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas vs. Tyrieshia Douglas, Baltimore, Md.
132 lbs: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash., vs. Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif.
165 lbs: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., vs. Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Women’s Boxing Olympic Trials Day Five, 2/17/2012!
Mikaela Mayer landing a left hook against Tiara Brown, 2/16/2012, Credit: Wally Skali / Los Angeles Times
Last night’s boxing efforts are why these exceptional women are called champions!
For the six fighters in the challengers bracket it meant overcoming losses and finding the courage to make the course corrections necessary to win. For the champions in the winners bracket it meant stepping up to bring that much more of themselves and their ring saavy to come out on top.
In the first flyweight bout Marlen Esparza did just that. She outfought Christina Cruz’svaliant effort by literally beating her to the punch through a mixture of sheer nerve and technical prowess. Both fighters were rangy, cagey and filled with tactical brilliance, but it was Esparza who was able to pull out with a final score of 13-10. Tyrieshia Douglas also proved that she was in the tournament to win with her decisive “never look back” win over Virginia Fuchs. Both competitors were fierce, however, Douglas, who will fight Christina Cruz tonight for the right to go on to the finals on Saturday, never, ever let up through four rounds of boxing. The final score was 31-19.
Queen Underwoodalso brought it last night in a tough, tough match that gave her rangy opponent N’yteeyah Sherman a one point edge through the first three rounds. Queen’s constant barrage and willingness to dig in ultimately gave her the ammunition to take the fight with the final score of 25-24. On the challenger’s side, Mikaela Mayer fought a decisive win over Tiara Brown by using her outside/inside prowess for a final score of 23-18. Sherman and Mayer will battle it out tonight for the right to go on to Saturday’s Final Round.
Claressa Shields, fighting her toughest bout in the tournament continued to impress as she strong-armed two-time light heavyweight national champion Tika Hemingwaythrough four rounds for a final score of 23-15. In the final challengers bout of the night Raquel Miller pushed through to handily defeat top seed Franchon Crewsby using her tactical prowess to avoid being trapped in a slug fest. With a final score of 26-15, Miller will go on to fight tonight against Hemingway.
Tonight’s bouts can be viewed online at the link here. By the way if you’ve missed any of the action, click on the link to watch previous night’s bouts!
The full results for Day Four of the Trials are as follows:
Women’s Boxing Olympic Trials Day Four, 2/16/2012!
Queen Underwood throws a right at Mikaela Mayer, 2/15/2012, Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
Last night was a WAR: Twelve fighters on the precipice of elimination from the tournament fought their hearts out to claim a place on today’s bout roster, all of their hopes and dreams for Olympic glory on the line.
For flyweight Tyrieshia Douglas that meant a crescendo of battle tactics that saw her to first overwhelm and then finally stop Taversha Norwood at 1:18 in the fourth round when the referee ended the bout. Virginia Fuchs also fought a non-stop battle from the outside to defeat Alex Love by a 21-16 decision. Douglas and Fuchs will battle each other tonight in the Challenger’s bracket.
The lightweights were equally exciting. Tiara Brown, the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships silver medalist proved herself a winner in a very close tactical battle with Bertha Aracilthat saw the momentum shift from Aracil to Brown with a final score of 12-11. In the other lightweight contest, Mikaela Mayer was relentless in her pursuit of Asia Stevensonwho was given two standing eight counts at the end of the second round, one at the end of the third and was finally stopped at 1:24 in the fourth round. Mayer’s style was relentless from the outside but she showed no fear in the clinches. Stevenson fought as a southpaw and showed a nice stinging jab in the first round, only to lose momentum from the second round on. The battle tonight between Tiara Brown and Mikaela Mayer should certainly prove to be an exciting matchup!
Franchon Crews fought a tough slugfest against Tiffanie Hearn, but managed to pull off a close decision 27-26. Both fighters fought in close and lost points for “wrestling.” In the last contest of the night, Raquel Miller did her best to slug it out with Andrecia Wasson, finally winning the contest by a score of 7-6 — on her birthday no less. Neither fought a particularly clean fight, but Miller proved to be more effective. Crews and Miller will meet tonight in what will likely be another all out war.
Tonight’s Bouts are a combinations of the winner’s bouts from Valentine’s Day and last night’s successful challengers. There will be a total of six fights, two from each division.
Thursday’s Bout Sheet
112 lbs/winners bracket: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas vs. Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y.
112 lbs/challengers bracket: Tyrieshia Douglas, Baltimore, Md., vs. Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas
132 lbs/winners bracket: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash., vs. N’yteeyah Sherman, Barberton, Ohio
132 lbs/challengers bracket: Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., vs. Mikaela Mayer, Los Angeles, Calif.
165 lbs/winners bracket: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich., vs. Tika Hemingway, Pittsburgh, Pa.
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Franchon Crews, Baltimore, Md., vs. Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif.
Women’s Boxing Olympic Trials Day Three, 2/15/2012!
Patricia Manuel (L) & Tiara Brown, 2/13/2012, first round, U. S. Women's Boxing Olympic Trials, Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
What a great night of boxing!
In the middleweight division, Claressa Shields continued to impress with her decisive win over world champion Andrecia Wasson by the score of 31-12. New York’s own flyweight Christina Cruz also fought a brilliant tactical fight against Tyrieshia Douglas to pull out a 20-15 decision. Christina Cruz will face the powerful heavy favorite Marlen Esparza on Thursday. Esparza who had a walkover in her opening bout, fought a rough and tumble bout against Alex Love taking the decision with a score of 22-12.
In the lightweight division, Queen Underwoodwas truly on her game and in control taking the 27-20 decision from Mikaela Mayer who proved herself to be a tough challenger. Underwood will face N’yteeyah Sherman on Thursday who won a decisive victory over Tiaira Brown, 32-24 last night. Underwood and Sherman last met in the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships.
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Franchon Crews won on medical disqualification over Dara Shen, Alexandria, Va., DQ
165 lbs/challengers bracket: Raquel Miller, San Francisco, Calif., dec. Tiffanie Ward, Hacienda Heights, Calif., 23-12
Tonight’s Bouts will be fought by the challengers — and will consist of six fights in total, two from each division. Winners in this double elimination tournament will have the opportunity to continue on Thursday.
There have been some remarkable truths that have come out about the women who box. I found the following video about the featherweight boxing powerhouse Tyrieshia Douglas to be particularly moving.
Please give this a view. Her honesty and straight forward compassion for her family are overwhelming. We need more people like Tyrieshia in the world. Kudos to Andre Chung for this beautiful video essay.
Saw this update in the Los Angeles Times. Link is here.
[Updated at 11:27 a.m.: Patricia Manuel iced her injured right shoulder late Monday but after she awoke Tuesday in greater pain, she and trainer Robert Luna elected to withdraw from the double-elimination tournament rather than risk further injury. “I’m sorry my story ends like this,” Manuel wrote in a text message.]
Women’s Boxing Olympic Trials Day Two, 2/14/2012!
Women's Boxing Olympic Trials, The 24! Credit: Sarah Deming/Huffington Post
For those of you who tuned into the live video stream, you got to watch some very exciting boxing last night! We’re talking all the drama of a prize-fight with some surprising outcomes such as Franchon Crews‘ loss to Claressa Shields, 31-19. Of course, being a New Yorker, I was cheering on Christina Cruzand was not disappointed. She fought a terrific four-round bout against Virginia Fuchsdefeating her 15-12. One thing that came shining through was the caliber of the boxing! The competitors truly “brought it” last night!
Tiara Brown (r) & N'yteeyah Sherman arriving at Northern Quest Resort, Credit: USA Boxing
The brackets have been set for this week’s historic competition.
The four top seeds are the four top finishers from the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships held last summer. According to USA Boxing, the “unseeded boxer each drew a ping pong ball to determine her opening round opponent in the historic event at Sunday’s manual draw.”
That is pretty heady stuff indeed with the action set to begin tonight with a total of twelve bouts starting at 7:00 PM tonight Pacific Time.
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!
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.
Girlboxing 