A History of Women's Boxing
Page 28
With one win under her belt, the 106-pound fighter sought to compete in the Golden Gloves—then an all-male boxing competition—against men. There was nothing on the books in the state of Michigan that prohibited male-female boxing contests. The rub was the state’s claim to have adopted an amateur boxing rule barring female participation, promulgated by the U.S.A. Amateur Boxing Federation, that had gone into effect in Michigan three years prior—and there was cause for some dispute as to whether the ruling had in fact ever been adopted.
The national press gained wind of her case with a story picked up by the Associated Press with the headline “Battles Sex Bias In Ring,” and by United Press International, under the headlines “Woman Boxer Fears No Court, No Man” and “Woman Boxer Not Afraid of Men.”
When asked why she wanted to enter the Golden Gloves, Lafler replied simply, “Because there is no other competition around.”[62]
Once Lafler’s application was filed, however, the deputy director of the state’s Department of Licensing and Regulation, Virgina Zeeb, had no problem denying Lafler the right to compete, stating, “I do not want to preside over the first girl in the state of Michigan, or in the world, dropping dead in the ring.”[63]
Pushing aside the hyperbole of Zeeb’s comments, Jill Lafler, with the encouragement of her coach, sought out attorney Paul Rosenbaum, a Golden Gloves winner, a former Michigan State house member, and a promoter affiliated with burgeoning Toughwoman and Toughman contests in the state. Rosembaum jumped at the opportunity to take the case on, and in speaking of a planned lawsuit against the ban, was quoted as saying, “Here’s a person who wants to fight, knows how to fight, and the only reason she can’t is because she’s a woman.”[64]
At first, it seemed that Jill Lafler might prove successful in her bid to compete, when a temporary restraining order was issued by Michigan’s Ingham County Circuit Court suspending the final outcome of the Golden Gloves championship in her weight category—flyweight—pending the outcome of her case. In its ruling, the court alleged that Lafler was being discriminated against on the basis of sex discrimination in violation of the equal rights clauses of the United States and Michigan Constitutions, the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Michigan Civil Rights Act, known locally as the Elliot-Larsen Act.
The Michigan Athletic Control Board and the other defendants reacted immediately to the state court’s ruling by moving the case to a federal jurisdiction. When the court papers were filed they requested that the judge dissolve the restraining order, which would allow the Golden Gloves competition in the flyweight division to continue.
By moving the case to a federal court the defendants effectively deflected the circuit court’s support of Jill Lafler’s discrimination suit until the decision—to either keep the restraining order in place or lift the ban—was resolved. What this meant for Jill Lafler was a waiting game—plus keeping herself at her 106-pound weight and an intensive training regimen.
Within days the case was placed on the docket of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan and assigned to Judge Wendell Miles, who issued his ruling on February 9, 1982—one day prior to the Golden Gloves flyweight championship round.
Judge Miles issued an eight-page opinion dissolving the restraining order effectively barring Jill Lafler from the 1982 Golden Gloves competition, while leaving the door open for further litigation.
The ruling by Justice Miles cited a 1977 court case requiring that a plaintiff have the substantial likelihood of success on the merits and proof of suffering irreparable harm. In Justice Miles’s opinion, the plaintiff, Jill Lafler, would not succeed on her merits—meaning she had very little chance to win—nor would she suffer irreparable harm, even though she would be denied immediate access to the amateur experience she needed to adequately prepare her for a professional boxing career.
As for her discrimination case, Judge Miles wrote that because her application to compete was to the Golden Gloves, a private organization—which followed state and federal rules barring mixed-gender amateur competition, previous court rulings, and even Title IX regulations calling for separate male and female teams or programs for contact sport—this meant that the basis for her case was questionable.
Judge Miles stated: “Separate competition for men and women is even more likely to be constitutionally permissible in the context of a contact sport such as boxing.”[65] He continued, “It is unrealistic to believe that women could enter the sport of boxing and operate under the same rules with no detrimental effect on the safety of the participants.”
The court ruling was widely reported in the press and came as a tremendous blow to Jill Lafler and her cause. “I don’t know what happened up there or why it took the turn it did,” Jill Lafler said, adding, “It went the opposite of the way I thought.”[66] The door had been left open for her to continue litigation in federal court, but after careful consideration, she opted to work with Dennis Sprandel of the Michigan chapter of the U.S. Amateur Boxing Federation, having extracted a promise that Sprandel would work hard to form a separate sanctioning body for women. This followed on the heels of the state-based Michigan Athletic Board of Control’s unanimous decision to institute a special set of rules for women’s boxing.
Jill Lafler’s dreams of amateur competition had come to an end with the concurrent announcement that she’d just learned of her pregnancy, and while she had not filed a motion to dismiss her lawsuit, her days of fighting for equal opportunity for women in the boxing ring had come to an end.
Image from a Chalcidian black-figured hydria depicting Atalanta wrestling Peleus at the funerary games of King Pelias. The background shows the prize of the duel, the skin, and the head of the Calydonian boar. Dated between c. 540 and c. 530 BCE. Staaliche Antikensammiungen (Bavarian State Collections of Antiques), Munich, Germany.
From the Tower manuscript, combat manual from between the late 13th and early 14th centuries depicting defensive and offensive sword techniques between a woman named Walpurgis and a priest. National Museum of Arms and Armour, U.K., online collection. Copyright Royal Armouries.
Hattie Stewart, 1884. Known as the female “John L. Sullivan,” Hattie Stewart began boxing in the early 1880s. She toured the country in boxing shows and boxed both men and women. She was prominently featured in the Police Gazette along with a handful of other female pugilists from the era. National Police Gazette, Boxrec.com.
Glass plate negative of two women boxing at Freshwater, Australia, photographer possibly Arthur Phillips, 1895. Phillips Glass Plate Negative Collection, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia. Gift of the Estate of Raymond W. Phillips, 2008.
Boxing was first introduced as a sport during the third Olympic Games held at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. While not invited to participate, two female boxers put on an exhibition match during the games. Women did not officially compete as boxers until the London Games held in August 2012. IOC Olympic Museum Collection.
Fraulein Kussin (left) and Mrs. Rose Edwards boxing match on March 7, 1912. George Grantham Bain Collection/Library of Congress.
Eighteen-year-old English boxer Barbara Buttrick (right) in training with a male sparring partner at Mickey Wood’s Mayfair Gym, London, February 4, 1949. She is training for an exhibition bout at the Kilburn Empire, despite protests from leading figures in the boxing world, who are opposed to women’s boxing. Buttrick went on to world championship titles in the flyweight and bantamweight classes and later founded the WIBF. Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
Jo Ann Hagen (left) handed Barbara Buttrick her only professional loss. The two competed at Victoria Pavilion, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This image was originally published in The Albertan on September 11, 1954. Glenbow Museum Archives/Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Photographer Jack De Lorme.
Jackie Tonawanda working out at Gleason’s Gym, near the old Madison Square Garden, in 1974. Rogers Photo Archive/Keystone Media.
Christy Martin was the first female b
oxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The April 15, 1996, edition of the magazine appeared on the stands shortly after her triumph in the ring. Sports Illustrated/Getty Images. Photographer Brian Smith.
Christy Martin sporting a bloody nose after her triumphant win against Deirdre Gogerty on March 16, 1996. The six-round fight was promoted by Don King and appeared on the undercard of a pay-per-view extravaganza featuring a Mike Tyson heavyweight championship bout. Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Photographer Al Bello/Allsport.
Former IFBA featherweight champion Bonnie Canino and her trainer, Burt Rodriguez, during Canino’s title defense against Canadian contender Nora Daigle. Canino won the ten-round “Satin Storm” fight by unanimous decision. The bout was held on June 26, 1998, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photographer Mary Ann Owen; used by permission of the photographer.
Boxer and author Kate Sekules training at Gleason’s Gym, Brooklyn, NY, in 1997. Magnum Photos. Photographer Bruce Davidson.
Former kickboxing champion Lucia Rijker (left) from the Netherlands became an unstoppable force in women’s boxing, ending her career with a perfect 17-0 boxing record. She defeated Diane Dutra with a third-round TKO in a bout at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 8, 1999. Rijker also appeared in the 2004 film Million Dollar Baby as Billie “The Blue Bear.” Photographer Mary Ann Owen.
Boxer Layla McCarter lands a huge left hook against Victoria Cisneros. It was McCarter’s first outing after breaking her hand ten months earlier against Canadian boxer Jelena Mrdjenovich. McCarter won her bout against Cisneros by unanimous decision at the Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio, Colorado, on April 1, 2006. Photographer Mary Ann Owen.
Boxer Melissa Hernandez lands a straight right against Lisa Brown. The two fought at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for the WIBA Super Bantamweight Championship title. Hernandez won the hard-fought ten-rounder by unanimous decision on November 4, 2006. Photographer Mary Ann Owen.
Ann Saccurato (right) defeated Canadian hometown favorite Jelena Mrdjenovich in the main-event fight at the Shaw Conference Center in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for the vacant WBC Lightweight Championship title. Saccurato had a 10-1-2 record coming into the fight, against Mrdjenovich’s 18-1. Photographer Mary Ann Owen.
Chevelle Hallbeck (right) is renowned for her punching power and physique. Hallbeck’s career began in 1997 and has spanned two generations of fighters. She defeated her opponent, Terri Blair, by unanimous decision in an eight-round bout on July 2, 2007, at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. Photographer Mary Ann Owen.
Women’s boxing star Mia St. John holding her WBC Female Light Middleweight Championship belt. She defeated Christy Martin by unanimous decision on August 14, 2012, and Martin announced her retirement from boxing shortly after the fight. The two first met on December 12, 2002, when Martin won by unanimous decision. Photographer Mary Ann Owen.
Olympic gold medal winner Claressa Shields (right) competing in the National PAL Tournament in 2011. Shields was sixteen and won the middleweight title. She is shown delivering a straight right to former champion Andrecia Wasson. Photographer Sue Jaye Johnson.
1. “San Pedro Slugger Fights at Forum.” Independent Press-Telegram, April 25, 1976, p. S3. [Newspapers.com]
2. Sue TL Fox went on to found Women Boxing Archive Network, a website that has become an important resource for female fighters.
3. Malissa Smith interview with Sue TL Fox, September 27, 2013.
4. Sue TL Fox. “In Sue Fox’s Own Words.” Women Boxing Archive Network. [WBAN.com]
5. Don Terbush. “Sideline Slants: Stateline Fight May Change Rule.” Times Standard, March 4, 1976, p. 9.
6. Sue TL Fox. “In Sue Fox’s Own Words.” Women Boxing Archive Network. [WBAN.com]
7. Don Terbush. “Sideline Slants: Pro Boxing Is Family Affair.” Times Standard, February 19, 1976, p. 9.
8. William C. Rempel. “Girls Invade Male Domain of Boxing Ring.” Los Angeles Times, June 1, 1975, p. D1. [ProQuest]
9. Ed Meagher. “In This Corner . . . a Woman.” Los Angeles Times, January 14, 1975, p. D1. [ProQuest]
10. Steve Sneddon. “From My Corner: Quiet Killer.” Nevada State Journal, March 20, 1976, p. 2.
11. Don Terbush. “Sideline Slants: ‘Princess’ Convinced Them.” Times Standard, March 25, 1976, p. 13.
12. Don Terbush. “Sideline Slants: Girls Impress SAC Onlookers.” Times Standard, April 8, 1976, p. 11.
13. Jack Stevenson. “Kim Maybee Has Sports Future Mapped Out.” Independent Press-Telegram, May 2, 1976, p. S7. [Newspapers.com]
14. Don Terbush. “Sideline Slants: Cheri Thought She Lost Her First Fight.” Times Standard, April 21, 1976, p. 15. [Newspapers.com]
15. Bud Tucker. “Only ‘Ring’ Women Need Is on Finger.” Independent Press-Telegram, April 18, 1976, p. S3. [Newspapers.com]
16. Jim Murray. “And May the Best Boxing Person Win.” Los Angeles Times, April 27, 1976, p. 3C. [Google News]
17. Rich Roberts. “San Pedro Slugger Fights at Forum.” Independent Press-Telegram, April 25, 197, p. S3. [Newspapers.com]
18. Cheryl Bentsen. “California Has Its First Ms.-Match.” Los Angeles Times, April 27, 1976, p. D1. [ProQuest]
19. “Future No Concern of the Lady Boxer.” The Bee, April 28, 1976, p. 44. [Newspapers.com]
20. Robert Lindsey. “Women Try Boxing on the Coast.” New York Times, May 1, 1976, p. 42. [ProQuest]
21. Jack Stevenson. “The Lady Has a Punch.” Bakersfield Californian, April 29, 1976, p. 24. [Newspapers.com]
22. Robert Lindsey. “Women Try Boxing on the Coast.” New York Times, May 1, 1976, p. 42. [ProQuest]
23. Jack Stevenson. “The Lady Has a Punch.” Bakersfield Californian, April 29, 1976, p. 24. [Newspapers.com]
24. “Death Threat to Aileen Eaton.” Independent Press-Telegram, May 25, 1976, p. C2. [Newspapers.com]
25. “Death Threat Sent to Eaton, Chargin.” Los Angeles Times, May 25, 1976.[ProQuest]
26. “Death Threat to Aileen Eaton.” Independent Press-Telegram, May 25, 1976, p. C2. [Newspapers.com]
27. Don Terbush. “Death Vow Won’t Stop Kibby Gal.” Times Standard, May 26, 1976, p. 16. [Newspapers.com]
28. John Hall. “Around Town.” Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1976, p. C3. [ProQuest]
29. John Hall. “Around Town.” Los Angeles Times, June 4, 1976, p. D3. [ProQuest]
30. Don Terbush. “Death Threat Bout Went off Smoothly.” Times Standard, May 30, 1976, p. 13. [Newspapers.com]
31. Sue TL Fox. “In Sue Fox’s Own Words.” Women Boxing Archive Network. [WBAN.com]
32. Gary Smith. “It’s Ladies Day and the . . .” Philadelphia Daily News, p. 54. [Folder: Fighters / Lady Tyger Trimiar. Box 45, Series 13. Fistic Arcana. Hank Kaplan Archive, Brooklyn College Archives and Special Collections, Brooklyn College Library.]
33. Bob Wright. “Bald Woman Boxer Just Being Herself.” Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, January 1976, n.p. [Folder: Fighters / Lady Tyger Trimiar. Box 45, Series 13. Fistic Arcana. Hank Kaplan Archive, Brooklyn College Archives and Special Collections, Brooklyn College Library.]
34. Robert Lindsey. “Women Try Boxing on the Coast.” New York Times, May 1, 1976, p. 42. [ProQuest]
35. Don Riley. “Women Boxers a Smash in Vegas.” Salt Lake Tribune, March 20, 1977, p. 151.
36. “Female Invades Male Territory.” Journal News (Hamilton, Ohio), May 8, 1974, p. 26. [Newspapers.com]
37. Boxing Illustrated, October 1973, p. 62. [WBAN.com]
38. One of those fights may have been on January 27, 1977, at the Olympic Theater in Los Angeles. A newspaper article lists her as scheduled to fight against Lilly Rodriguez, black belt in karate, in a four-rounder. Takatsuki was listed under the name Fumiki Takasuki. See “Perfect fighter.” Valley News, January 27, 1977, sec. 4, p. 3. [Newspapers.com]; “Sandoval Tops Olympic Card.” Independent, January 27, 1977, p. C7. [Newspapers.com]
39. Don Riley. “Women Boxers a Smash in
Vegas.” Salt Lake Tribune, March 20, 1977, p. 151.
40. “Gal Boxers Go to Draw.” Daily Herald (Provo, Utah), March 20, 1977, p. 13. [Newspapers.com]