A History of Women's Boxing

by Malissa Smith

  Boxing promotion for women seemed to fall precipitously from there, although in regional pockets, female fighters still enjoyed a strong following and even some pay-per-view shows. Layla McCarter, fighting out of Las Vegas, became wildly popular there garnering respect in the sport as a true “boxer’s boxer.”

  In November 2006 McCarter faced Belinda Laracuente for the vacant Global Boxing Union (GBU) lightweight title, contested at the Orleans Hotel and Casino and promoted by CSI Sports. Both boxers were considered among the best in the sport and the matchup excited followers of women’s boxing. While the contest was not going to be aired live, a tape of it was broadcast on cable a week after the fight with a worldwide distribution.

  What distinguished this fight was the decision to allow three-minute-round durations in the ten-round bout—the first since a few had managed to slip through in the 1970s. The issue of round duration had been a contentious one since women’s boxing became popularized as far back as the 1950s. Detractors of the sport had used the shortened rounds as fodder for their condemnation of women’s boxing, claiming women didn’t have the stamina for “real” fighting—an issue that continues to vex the sport.

  Excited by the prospect of fighting with the three-minute rounds ubiquitous in male boxing, McCarter said, “It’s a matter of principle. We train as hard as men and our fights are sometimes better than men’s so we should be allowed to fight the same amount of rounds and minutes.”

  Her trainer, Luis Tapia, who routinely sparred ten or twelve rounds with her on a three-minute-round clock, added, “Layla is very strong mentally. She’s not afraid of anyone. She’s the best.”

  The fight had originally been scheduled to be contested as a twelve-round bout—the standard number of rounds for male championship prizefights—but the Nevada Athletic Commission determined that since Belinda Laracuente had six losses in a row coming into the fight, they would only sanction it for ten rounds.

  Addressing Laracuente’s record, McCarter said, “This is going to be a tough fight. Most of her losses have come to good fighters in their hometowns.”[42]

  Indeed, Laracuente’s 2006 bouts had included two highly competitive back-to-back WBA female light welterweight championship battles against the acclaimed French fighter Myriam Lamare. Both contests were fought in France and went the distance with Laracuente losing on points. (Laracuente went on to win the GBU Light Welterweight Championship at the Orleans Hotel and Casino against Melissa Del Valle by unanimous decision. For her fight against Del Valle, the Nevada Athletic Commission authorized a twelve-round contest, but the rounds were limited to two minutes each. Still, the twenty-four minutes of boxing time was more than the standard twenty minutes for women’s title bouts.)

  The McCarter-Laracuente battle was an exciting one and the commentators made sure the audience knew the historic significance of the fight. Both women were excellent technical boxers, in great condition, with superb defensive and offensive skills. They fought ten electrifying rounds that represented boxing at its best, regardless of whether men or women were fighting.

  McCarter, who sustained a cut under her right eye from an accidental head butt, was given the GBU female lightweight title by unanimous decision. She was also the beneficiary of some overly generous scoring. Nonetheless, she pursued Laracuente with a sustained effort and clearly won the fight.

  Another important aspect of the matchup between two such skilled boxers was that it showed that the sport—outside of the glare of the marquee fighters—had significantly evolved in the ten years since Martin faced Gogarty. Both McCarter and Laracuente had clearly inculcated ring science with a pure commitment to the art of boxing. It spoke to hours and hours of gym time day in and day out, and to the willingness to risk losing a fight in order to box at the highest level of the sport—something that was illusive in large swathes of the careers of Martin, St. John, Rijker, and Ali.

  For McCarter’s first title defense in January 2007, she pushed to gain the approval of the Nevada Athletic Commission to contest an historic twelve-round fight with three-minute rounds. Her opponent was another seasoned veteran, Donna Biggers, who came into the fight having lost only one fight in her last five. Overcoming the objections that had been raised in her fight with Laracuente, the commission sanctioned the contest at twelve rounds.

  McCarter won the historic bout by TKO in the second round, making the twelve-round breakthrough somewhat moot. Speaking about it after the fight, McCarter said, “I wanted it to go 12 rounds to prove women can do it, but I have a cold and didn’t want to risk looking bad.”

  Clearly outgunning Biggers, McCarter had dropped her in the first round with “a six-punch combination.”[43]

  Her next title defense was also a twelve-rounder with three-minute rounds against an up-and-coming New York City-based boxer named Melissa Hernandez who trained at Gleason’s Gym with Belinda Laracuente. Hernandez lost the contest by TKO in the eighth round, but not before impressing everyone with her obvious skills—skills that were so strong she actually defeated McCarter by split decision in an eight-round rematch two months later.

  Other strong fighters on everyone’s pound-for-pound lists winning titles in the period from 2005 to 2012 are American fighters Chevelle Hallback (with her enviable “abs” of steel), Ann Wolfe (who retired in 2006 with a 24-1 record and went on to become a highly successful trainer), Melissa Hernandez, Cindy Serrano, Ann Saccurato, Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm (who defeated Christy Martin and Mia St. John by decisions in back-to-back wins in 2005), Ada Velez, Alicia Ashley, Kaliesha West, Ana Julaton, Melinda Cooper, Olivia Gerula, Victoria Cisneros, and Mary Jo Sanders. With these America-based fighters are Canada’s Jelena Mrdjenovich, French fighters Myriam Lamare and Anne Sophie Mathis, Argentina’s Yesica Bopp and Marcela Eliana Acuna, Mexico’s Mariana “Barbie” Juarez, Jackie Nava, and Ana Maria Torres, Germany’s Susi Kentikian and Rola El-Halabi, Norway’s Cecilia Braekhus, Sweden’s Frida Wallberg, Australia’s Sharon Anyos and Susie Ramadan, and the Japanese fighter Fujin Raika.

  Retiring from the scene was Lucia Rijker, who hung up her gloves in 2004. She returned to boxing as a trainer, most recently working with Australian fighter and WBC champion Diana Prazak.

  Laila Ali left boxing in 2007 and, as a nod to her growing celebrity, appeared on the hit ABC television series Dancing with the Stars. She remains synonymous with women’s boxing in the public’s perception of the sport, and during the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics was identified as an important pioneer.

  Christy Martin took a nearly two-year layoff after her fight with Ali in 2003. Returning to the ring in 2005, she attempted some competitive fights, but was hampered by the lessening of her earlier star power. In the decline of her career, she had mixed results in her ring battles, but eventually went on to defeat another old warrior of the ring, Dakota Stone, in a split decision—taking the WBC middleweight title in 2009.

  Approximately fifteen months later, personal tragedy struck Martin when her husband Jim brutally stabbed and shot her. In overcoming her misfortune, Martin reunited with her onetime promotional foe Bob Arum, who helped put her back in the ring with the hope that she could win her fiftieth fight before retiring from the ring for good. The bout was scheduled for March 2011, although it had to be postponed due to a rib injury Martin had sustained in training.

  Setting up a new date for June 2011, that fight was set for the Staples Center in Los Angeles on the undercard of the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight on HBO.

  Martin’s fight was a six-round rematch against Dakota Stone at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, but it ended in controversy. Showing some of her old style, Martin had thrown a lot of bombs and managed to drop Stone in the fourth round before injuring her hand. Martin was clearly favoring her left in the fifth and six rounds, but in the sixth she let loose her trademark overhand right. The shock caused her to wince and dance away in pain, momentarily turning her back on Stone. As Martin began to turn back to face Stone, referee David Mendoza,
having observed her turning away, stopped the fight. The ringside physician examining Martin’s hand ruled she could not continue, giving Stone the TKO win. Later it was determined that Martin had broken her hand in several places.

  Martin was clearly disappointed with the decision and asked her attorney, Gloria Allred, to contest the decision to the California Athletic Commission. In the lead-up to the hearing, Martin said, “In my 22 years of experience as a professional boxer, I have never seen a fight stopped by a referee or a fight doctor because of a broken hand or because a boxer winced.”

  Allred for her part echoed the position, saying that “Christy had a right to be treated as a fighter, not a female fighter who needed more protection from risk of harm than a male fighter needs.”

  Charging the absence of discrimination, the commission chairman “took issue with the accusations,” and said he was “disappointed it’s come to this.”[44]

  As expected the five-person panel unanimously upheld the referee’s decision.

  Martin’s second attempt at achieving her fiftieth win came a year later in August of 2012 against another boxing veteran: her old foe Mia St. John.

  St. John had also continued to box and had even had some competitive—but unsuccessful—fights against the likes of Jelena Mrdjenovich (losing a ten-round unanimous decision in 2006) and the up-and-coming German fighter Rola El-Halabi (losing by TKO in the fifth round of a ten-rounder). Those fights increased St. John’s stock in women’s boxing, bringing her a lot of respect and admiration.

  Although St. John hadn’t had a bout since 2010 she was still game to have a rematch with Martin. In the end St. John proved that she had more stamina in the ring than Martin when she defeated her with a multitude of clean shots that were enough to win a unanimous decision.

  Martin retired after that loss with an official record of 49-7-3, while St. John went on to wage two more fights, finally retiring in 2013 with a 47-13-2 record.

  The Martin-St. John fight—while lackluster at best—was a bookend to the history of the sport that had first unfolded during Martin’s career in the squared circle. When Martin first fought, the only outlets for female boxers—aside from sports like competitive karate and kickboxing—were the Toughwoman contests or the nearly vacant professional prizefighting ring. And when it came to pure boxing, there were virtually no opportunities to contest in amateur competition. If a woman wanted to box she had to try her luck as a professional.

  As Martin left the ring for the very last time, the first female Olympic champions were basking in the glory of their victories and medals, having fought as competitors in the 2012 London Games.

  It can truly be said that in the end boxers Christy Martin, Lucia Rijker, Mia St. John, Laila Ali, and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde had helped to establish the sport in a way that was inspiring to other women, enabling thousands to take up the gloves. Both Rijker and Ali have credited Martin for inspiring them to enter the ring, much as Barbara Buttrick credited Polly Fairclough Burns for awakening in her a desire to box.

  1. Beth Harris. “Ali’s Daughter Follows in Her Father’s Famous Footsteps.” Galveston Daily News, September 29, 1999, p. 22. [Newspapers.com]

  2. Sam Howe Verhovek. “When a Man Meets a Woman (in the Ring).” New York Times, October 3, 1999, n.p. [NYTimes.com]

  3. Timothy W. Smith. “Boxing; Another Ali Enters the Ring: His Daughter.” New York Times, January 23, 1999, n.p. [NYTimes.com]

  4. “Ali’s Daughter May Fight.” Miami Herald, January 18, 1999, p. 3D. [Newslibrary.com]

  5. Timothy W. Smith. “Boxing; Another Ali Enters the Ring: His Daughter.” New York Times, January 23, 1999, n.p. [NYTimes.com]

  6. Ron Borges. “The Champ’s Daughter.” Boston Globe, October 8, 1999, p. F1. [Boston Globe Archive]

  7. Jayda Evans. “Woman vs. Man Bout Set for Boxing History.” Seattle Times, September 11, 1999, p. C1. [Newslibrary.com]

  8. Jayda Evans. “Woman Boxer’s Foe Drops out of Bout.” Seattle Times, September 16, 1999, p. C1. [Newslibrary.com]

  9. Jayda Evans. “Boxing: Gender Issue Stirs up Headed Debate.” Seattle Times, September 22, 1999, p. D1. [Newslibrary.com]

  10. Jayda Evans. “Male-Female Fight? ‘Freak Show’—Boxing Officials Universally Clobber Seattle Mixed Bout.” Seattle Times, September 16, 1999, p. C1. [Newslibrary.com]

  11. “Battle of the Sexes.” CNN/SportsIllustrated.com. October 14, 1999, n.p. [Sportsillustrated.CNN.com]

  12. Ron Borges. “Women Dealt Low Blows Mismatches Were Sideshows, Not Fights.” Boston Globe, October 10, 1999, p. C18. [Bostonglove.com]

  13. Ibid.

  14. Associated Press. October 19, 1999, n.p. [WBAN.com]

  15. Timothy W. Smith. “Boxing; Frazier’s Daughter Has Fast Debut.” New York Times, February 6, 2000, n.p. [NYTimes.com]

  16. Steve Dunleavy. “Call It Frazier vs. Ali the Next Generation—Joe’s Girl Says She Knows the Ropes & Is Ready for Laila.” New York Post, December 21, 1999, n.p. [Newyorkpost.com]

  17. “Ali-Frazier IV.” Victoria Advocate, p.13. [Google News]

  18. “Joe Frazier’s Daughter Wins First Bout; Ali Next?” Kingman Daily Miner, February 4, 2000, p. 26. [Google News]

  19. Timothy W. Smith. “Boxing; Frazier’s Daughter Has Fast Debut.” New York Times, n.p. [NYTimes.com]

  20. Michael Katz. “Every Daughter of Ali Era Being Fitted for Ring.” Daily News, p. 79. [Newslibrary.com]

  21. “Foreman’s Daughter Next to Throw Hat into Ring.” Herald-Journal, February 11, 2000, p. 10. [Google News]

  22. “Plus: Boxing; Foreman’s Daughter Plans to Fights.” New York Times, February 11, 2000, n.p. [NYTimes.com]

  23. “Foreman’s Daughter Wins Debut.” Star News, June 19, 2000, p. 16. [Google News]

  24. Tim Graham. “Women’s Boxing Becomes a Real Joke.” ESPN.com. February 8, 2000. [ESPN.com]

  25. Penny Hastings. “Is Women’s Boxing a Serious Sport?” Ventura County Star, p. C02. [Newslibrary.com]

  26. Heather Timmons. “Daddy’s Little Girls Come out Swinging.” Bloomberg Businessweek, July 9, 2007. [Businessweek.com]

  27. Bernard Fernandez. “Ali-Frazier, the Second Generation, in the Works.” Philadelphia Daily News, September 27, 2000, n.p. [Philly.com]

  28. Michael Katz. “Flashes.” Daily News, March 4, 2000, n.p. [Nydailynews.com]

  29. “Women’s Boxing Page Open Forum: Belinda Laracuente vs. Christy Martin.” Women Boxing Archive Network. March 3, 2000, n.p. [WBAN.org]

  30. Regina Halmich actually contested in Las Vegas on WIBF’s card but lost the match for the flyweight title after four rounds of boxing with Yvonne Trevino. (A cut under Halmich’s eye led the referee to stop the fight on the advice of the ring physician. Trevino, who had been ahead on the scorecards at that point, was given the win.)

  31. Neil Bennett. “Sport: Round One for Women’s Boxing.” BBC News. November 24, 1998, n.p. [BBC.co.uk]

  32. Nick Halling. “Boxing: First Night Jane Couch—Women Face an Even Bigger Fight.” Independent, August 18, 1998, n.p. [Independent.co.uk]

  33. Jack Newfield. “A Boxing Sham in the Name of the Fathers.” New York Post, June 3, 2013, n.p. [Nypost.com]

  34. Tim Smith. “For Daughters, Thrilla Goes on, Ali-Frazier IV Renews Family Feud.” Daily News, June 4, 2001, n.p. [Nydailynews.com]

  35. “Ali, Frazier Daughters Rekindling Old Rivalry.” SportsIllustrated.com. June 8, 2001, n.p. [CNNSI.com]

  36. James Langton. “Sting Like a Queen Bee.” Telegraph, May 28, 2001, n.p. [Telegraph.co.uk]

  37. Dee William. “Laila Ali vs. Jacqui Frazier-Lyde.” Women Boxing Archive Network. June 8, 2001, n.p. [WBAN.com]

  38. Edward Wong. “Boxing; Laila Ali Wins by Decision in Battle of Boxing Daughters.” New York Times, June 9, 2001, n.p. [NYTimes.com]

  39. Ron Borges. “Fight in Courtroom May Not Go Distance.” Boston Globe, June 12, 2001, p. E3. [Boston Globe Archives]

  40. Sue TL Fox. “Christy Martin.” Women Boxing Archive N
etwork. August 17, 2013, n.p. [WBAN.org]

  41. Lem Satterfield. “Female Boxer’s Death a Shattering Blow to Sport.” Sun, April 17, 2005, p. 7F. [Newslibrary.com]

  42. David A. Avila. “Layla McCarter Meets Belinda Laracuente for GBU title.” The Sweet Science. November 12, 2006, n.p. [Thesweetscience.com]

  43. “Most Popular Articles.” The Sweet Science. n.d., n.p. [Thesweetscience.com]

  44. “Christy Martin Loses Appeal.” ESPN Boxing. August 15, 2011, n.p. [ESPN.com]

  Chapter 11

  The Amateurs