Women’s championship boxing weekend wrap-up 3/16-3/18/2012

Women’s championship boxing weekend wrap-up 3/16-3/18/2012

Yescia Patricia Marcos (R) defeats Ana Julaton for the WBO Female Super Bantamweight Title. Credit: Alsurinforma.com

Yesica Patricia Marcos takes WBO Female Super Bantamweight Title

Yesica Patricia Marcos (19-6-0, 1-KO) defeated WBO Female Super Bantamweight title holder Ana Julaton (10-3-1, 1-KO) in a ten round decision at Teatro Griego Juan Pablo Segundo, San Martin, Mendoza, Argentina on March 16, 2012.  The bout was scored 98-92, 98-92 and 98-91 and included a second round knockdown of Marcos by Julaton.  Both fighters went toe-to-toe in an aggressive fight — Julaton fought Marcos’ close-in style rather than her usual outside fighting technique in the early going — and while Julaton’s team agreed that Marcos outfought Julaton, their was disagreement on how the bout was scored.

Marcos, a hometown favorite in her native Argentina is known for her busy close in fighting.  No word yet on whether there will be a rematch. You be the judge of the complete fight!

Alicia “Slick” Ashley retains her WBC Super Bantamweight Title!

Alicia Ashley land a right hand against challenger Maria Elena Villalobos on 3/17/2012 to retain her WBC Title, Photo: Alma Montiel

The pride of Brooklyn and Jamaica and Gleason’s own, Alicia ”Slick” Ashley (18-9-1, 1-KO) retained her WBC Female Super Bantamweight title by soundly defeating Maria Elena Villalobos (12-6-1, 5-KO) by unanimous decision in their ten round bout held in Mexico City on March 17, 2012.  Villalobos who’d previously lost her WBO Female Super Bantamweight title to Ana Julaton this past September was no match for Ashley’s truly “slick” style.  With her win Ashley remains the oldest female world boxing champion.  Speaking after the fight, Ashley is quoted as saying “I am thrilled that I was able to retain my title in fine style and I really want to fight in Jamaica next.”

Alicia “Slick” Ashley Defending WBC Super Bantamweight Title against Maria Elena “The Rush” Villalobos on March 17, 2012

>>> UPDATE >>>

AND THE WINNER IS … ALICIA “SLICK” ASHLEY, by decision.  The judges scored the bout 99-92, 98-92 and 99-91.

Alicia Ashley landing a right hand against challenger Maria Elena Villalobos on 3/17/2012 to retain her WBC Title, Photo: Alma Montiel

Alicia “Slick” Ashley Defending WBC Super Bantamweight Title against Maria Elena “The Rush” Villalobos on March 17, 2012

Brooklyn’s own Alicia “Slick” Ashley (17-9-1, 1-KO) and currently the oldest female world champion in boxing will be defending her WBC Super Bantamweight championship against challenger Maria Elena “The Rush” Villalobos (12-4-1, 5-KO) on March 17, 2012 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Alicia "Slick" Ashley training in Mexico for her March 17, 2012 WBC Superbantamweight Title Fight., Credit: Boxing de Gala

Renowned for her “Slick” boxing style, Ashley, a former dancer and kickboxer brings extraordinary boxing skills, agility and style to the ring with a southpaw’s propensity for  catching her opponents off-guard.  As a denizen of Gleason’s Gym in Dumbo, Brooklyn Ashley, 44,  not only trains with a dedication that runs rings around men and women half her age, but is also a talented trainer and coach in her own right, bringing her “Slick” brand of saavy boxing to fighters who have gone on to win titles in their own right.

Maria Elena "The Rush" Villalobos, Credit: Bob Cruz

Maria Elena “The Rush” Villalobos, 39, is also no stranger to the ring having successfully defended her WBC Silver Female Super Bantamweight Title since last July 2011.

While a skilled orthodox fighter, she has not fought the level of competition that Ashley has fought. Villalobos has been reported as stating that she will look to take Ashley with a KO.  She also hopes that her hometown advantage will give her the added impetus to take the fight.

Given Ashley’s skill and propensity to fight an outside/inside game, Villalobos will have her certainly have to work hard to catch a victory.

The fight is scheduled for ten rounds and will be Ashley’s first defense of her title since her decisive win over Christina Ruiz in July 2011 by decision.

Maria Elena Villalobos interview about her upcoming bout with Alicia Ashley from YouTube (in Spanish):

Olympic Fever! Yep, girls boxing everywhere!

Olympic Fever!  Yep, girls boxing everywhere!

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 here and includes the video!

 

 

Women’s Bookstore Boxing!

Women’s Bookstore Boxing!

BookCourt, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

As a New Yorker, September 11th has a particular meaning — especially this year on the 10th anniversay.  One way of honoring the friends and fellow citizens who lost their lives is to embrace all that is positive and wonderful about life!

So, if you looking for something to do that is positive and fun, come on down to BookCourt in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn for a fabulous evening of women’s boxing and readings about boxing!

The evening will include a wonderful exhibition of the sport by Alicia “Slick” Ashley and Camille Currie!

Alicia Ashley and Camille Currie

At 43, Ashley is the oldest women’s boxing champion having recently defended her WBC Super Bantamweight World Championship title against the much younger Christina Ruiz.  Alicia has also been Camille’s trainer and was in her corner when she won the 2008 Daily News Golden Gloves Championship at 132 lbs.   Camille Currie will be making her professional boxing debut on September 17th.

Mischa Merz, Author, The Sweetest Thing

Binnie Klien, Author, Blows to the Head

The literary part of the evening will include Australian national women’s boxing champion, Mischa Merz, reading from her boxing memoir, The Sweetest Thing and author and radio personality Binnie Klien, reading from her boxing memoir,  Blows to the Head.

Details of the event are as follows!

Sunday, September 11th, 7pm
Book Court
163 Court St
Brooklyn, New York 11201
(718) 875-3677

FLASH! And the winner is: Alicia “Slick” Ashley!

FLASH!  And the winner is:  Alicia “Slick” Ashley!

That’s right!  Alicia “Slick” Ashley at the age of 43 became the WBC Super Bantamweight champion of the world routing her much younger opponent, Christian Ruiz 99-91, 98-91 and 100-90 on the judges scorecards!

Alicia "Slick" Ashley, WBC Super Bantamweight Champion! Photo Credit: Power Image PR

Talk about a knockout night!  Girlboxing salutes Slick for her fantastic win!

Women’s Boxing: Two upcoming world bouts to watch for!

Women’s Boxing: Two upcoming bouts to watch for!

Flyweight Championship battle in Mexico!

Championship boxing in the 109 weight division will pit Mexico’s Irma “Guerita” Sanchez (19-5-1, 5KO’s) against Panamanian Carlota Santos (5-2-3, 4KO’s) in a battle for the WBF female flyweight belt. Fighting on the “Puños de Hierro” card promoted by HG Boxing and Hector Garcia, Sanchez is attempting to make history by being the first female Mexican boxer to hold two world championships across two weight divisions. The fight will be held tonight at the Coliseo Olimpico de Guadalajara, Jalisco.  The fights will be broadcast in Mexico by Televisa — and my guess is we’ll be able to catch fight the on streaming video as well as a YouTube posting a few days after the fight.

World Title Middleweight Belt in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad!

Tori Nelson (3-0-1) of Ashburn, Virginia will be flying down to Trinidad to face Las Vegas fighter, Lorissa Rivas (4-1, 3KO’s) to compete for the 10-round World Title Middleweight belt @ the Jean Pierre Sports Complex in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobego on July 29, 2011.  The 10-round bout will be on the same card as the 12-round championship fight for the vacant 147 lb., WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) title pitting Rumanian born, Montreal-based fighter Jo Jo Dan (28-1, 15KO’s) against Trinidad and Tobego’s own Floyd Trumpet (16-8-2, 9KO’s).

In a nice piece by writer Jeff Schneider, Nelson is quoted as saying,”I knew that God was going to bless me with an opportunity to be a world champion, but never this quick. I know boxers who have fought longer and haven’t had a chance. This is a dream come true and truly a blessing.”   The full feature article about Tori Nelson in Leesburg Today is here.  There’s no word on whether the bout will be broadcast.

>>>>>REMINDER!!!

Tonight!  ”Knock Out Cancer” fight card with Alicia “Slick” Ashley taking on Christina Ruiz for the vacant WBC Female Super Bantamweight World Title at the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx, NY! If you can’t get to the fight — you can find it streaming on GoFightLive TV for $9.99.  The proceeds go to fight cancer — as worthy a cause as you could ever find.  The link is here.

Two Great upcoming July Women’s Bouts from Gleason’s Own!

Two Great Upcoming July Women’s Bouts from Gleason’s Own!

Two great female boxer’s out of Gleason’s Gym will be showcasing their considerable talents in the ring this month!

Alicia “Slick” Ashley

The July 23rd “Knock Out Cancer” boxing show at the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx will feature none other than Alicia “Slick” Ashley (16-9-1, 1KO) in a bout against Christina Ruiz (6-3-1, 4KO’s) for the vacant WBC Female Super Bantamweight World Title.  promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing to aid in the fight against cancer, the event promises to be exciting! Ruiz is coming off her knockout win over Emily Klinefelter that sent Klinefelter to the hospital — and Gleason’s own Ashley, a 13 year veteran of the sport is quoted as saying, “It would be phenomenal to win my 4th world title, especially in New York with my friends, family and fans lending support in what should be an exciting boxing match.”

Tickets for this exciting event can be purchased by contacting Gleason’s Gym (718-797-2872 – credit cards accepted) prices are set at $50, $75 and $100. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the first bout is scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m.  Hunts Point Market is located at 772 Edgewater Road, Bronx, NY 10474

Keisher “Fire” Mcleod-Wells

Keisher "Fire" Mcleod-Wells, Credit: Andrea Mohin/NY Times

Fresh off her stint filming the upcoming Mexican reality TV show Todas Contra México, Keisher Mcleod-Wells (4-1) will be returning to the ring for none other than an eight-round New York State Flyweight Title Championship bout on July 30, 2011.  Fire is taking on the current NYS Champion, Melissa “Mighty” McMorrow (5-2-3) in a rematch of their February 9th bout.

The event is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and will be held at The Aviator Sports & Event Center @ Floyd Bennet Field, 3149 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn New York.

Ticket information for this championship event can be purchased by contacting Gleason’s Gym (718-797-2872 – credit card accepted).  Pricing for tickets: $55 (General Standing), $75 (Seating), $125 (Ringside), $1,500 (VIP Table: 10 persons/Table).

Alicia “Slick” Ashley owns the night

Alicia “Slick” Ashley owns the night

Alicia Ashley and Crystal Hoy, Brooklyn Explosion, January 19, 2011

Alicia “Slick” Ashley whipped some butt last night, coming on top to win her 8-round bout against Crystal “Baby Faced Assassin” Hoy on a unanimous decision.  “Slick” truly lived up to her name through a combination of her stick and jab style, smart defensiveness, angles that seemed to defy gravity and a decisive 8th round knockdown that sealed her dominance throughout the fight.  The judges agreed with one scoring the bout 80-72 and the other two scoring the bout 79-72.

Alicia "Slick" Ashley v. Crystal "Baby Faced Assassin" Hoy, 1/19/11

Maureen Shea is to be applauded for putting on a terrific show that included four under card bouts — along with her gamble of promoting a woman’s boxing bout as the Main Event.

Alicia “Slick” Ashley v. Crystal “Baby Faced Assassin” Hoy, 8th Round, 1/19/11

►

Women’s boxing everywhere

Women’s boxing everywhere

Young Afghani Women Boxing, Shah Marai / AFP - Getty Images

MSNBC is carrying a fabulous photo essay of young Afghani women boxing.  The joy in their faces says it all.  The link is here.  The photographs were shot by photojournalist Shah Marai for AFP.

 

Alicia "Slick" Ashley, readies for her Main Event fight on January 19, 2011.

The Brooklyn Explosion boxing card @ Brooklyn’s Masonic Temple will feature Alicia “Slick” Ashley in main event bout against Crystal Hoy tomorrow night.  Promoted by New York’s own “Million Dollar Baby,” Maureen Shea, the evening is historic as the first promoting a woman’s title bout as a main event.

 

LaTarisha Fountain, Photo credit: Savulich/News

The New York Daily News in its continuing series on up-and-coming Golden Gloves contenders had a terrific piece on Olympic hopeful LaTarisha Fountain.  The former point guard for Pace University won her first Golden Gloves last year at 152 lbs. and hopes to repeat it again in her quest for a spot on next year’s US Olympic Women’s Boxing team.  The link to the article is here.

 

84th Daily News Golden Gloves

As a reminder, this year’s Daily News Golden Gloves gets underway on Thursday, January 20th at B. B. Kings Club.

 

13 Reasons …

13 reasons …

Wonder Woman, "I'll finish this fight now."

 

My mother was born in the Depression and grew up during World War II.

In 1942, she moved with her family from the shtetl-like life of her Bronx neighborhood to Providence, Rhode Island where her father had taken a job as an engraver at the shipyard that built Liberty Ships.  Providence was a tough and forbidding place for a young Jewish girl in those days, and she and her siblings fought many a battle against kids yelling anti-Semetic jeers at them and worse.  In those instances, my mother’s favorite and only superhero was Wonder Woman whose dark beauty and formidable strength gave my mother the courage to stand and fight.

Wonder Woman stood out as a beacon for her — because of course, in my mother’s mind, not only was she a woman, but she had to be Jewish!   And unlike Superman or Batman; Wonder Woman in her Red, White and Blue costume was American to the core.  This took on a lot of meaning for my mother’s 10-year-old soul. Not only could Wonder Woman keep her safe from the worst of her fears, but the Wonder Women of her comics kept her country safe from the horrors of war.

The image of Wonder Woman still stands out as one of the very few where a woman can knock the crap out of someone without it being stigmatized, belittled or sexualized — and that’s saying something.

I bring this up because Girlboxing friend Lisa Creech Bledsoe over at The Glowing Edge, is hoping to win a spot to participate in this year’s Ignite Durham evening with her presentation “How to Win a Fight in a Bar.”

Last year’s “13 Reasons Women Should Take Up Boxing,” garnered 253 votes — and is very funny indeed!  Her presentation ends with a Wonder Woman slide — an image we might all want to take to heart.

To help Lisa win a spot at this years Ignite Durham presentations please click here.

 

PS – Due to the weather, Alicia “Slick” Ashley’s Brooklyn Explosion, “Main Event” bout has been rescheduled for January 19, 2011.

For further information contact Gleason’s Gym or Global Boxing Gym.

‘Hope to see you there!

100th post today!

100th post today!

The number 100 seems to have a lot of significance.

In boxing as with many other sports we talk about giving 100% of ourselves to our efforts.  It is also a marker for progress.  We speak of a president’s first 100 days in office as a measurement of success or failure.  We use the 100 degree measurement to signify the boiling point of water in Celsius.  We also often speak of the top 100 — say boxers of all time and consider a centenary birthday as a remarkable achievement as a much a testament to the human spirit to endure as to genetic make-up.

Thus, Girlboxing is proud, if humbled to mark its 100th post today.  Not to say that Girlboxing is even remotely in the league of the aforementioned achievements, rather, the number 100 is a marker for an ongoing personal commitment to a daily something.  To writing it down for personal growth as well as the chance to put out thoughts and ideas to the larger community.

Knowing that these thoughts and ideas have been listened to has been, well, humbling, exhilarating and a bit daunting!

Thank you to all Girlboxing readers and friends who have been so supportive of this blog — and of my efforts.  I am astounded that the blog has gotten this far and again have everyone to thank for encouraging me to keep on going.

I found the following on YouTube — pretty inspiring stuff, it represents the first 8 days of a 100 day fitness challenge!

(Note:  Will only play on YouTube)

PS – Big fights coming up in NYC!  Alicia “Slick” Ashley on January 13th @ Brooklyn’s Masonic Hall. Keisher Mcleod-Wells at B.B. Kings on February 9th.  Tickets available at Gleason’s Gym — link for information here.

Odds and ends about training

Odd and ends about training

Belinda Laracuente

I trained at Gleason’s yesterday.  Due to some time constraints I only had about an hour — but what an hour it was.

First off, thanks to my daily dose of Yoga, my stamina was light-years beyond the week before to the point where Lennox was asking what I’d put in my Wheaties.   Not that I’d ever been one to proselytize (?!?) — but I’ve got to say that Yoga practice, even the Yoga 101 that I do really can make a difference in one’s stamina, core strength and flexibility.

Sonya Lamonakis

The second great thing about yesterday morning was watching the likes of pro-heavyweight fighter Sonya Lamonakis  train.  Sonya, ranked number three in her weight class sparred several hard rounds with Belinda Laracuente another sensational fighter who also works as a trainer at Gleason’s.  As well, I caught sight of Alicia Ashley readying for her upcoming main event bout on January 13th at Brooklyn’s Masonic Hall.

The mention also goes out to all the women I trained with young and old, novice and pro who were working their butts off.

What a great day!

 

84th Daily News Golden Gloves

84th Daily News Golden Gloves

Jill Emery (l.) fires a left at Ann Marie Saccurato on her way to winning the 156-lb. women's championship in 2000. Todd Maise/NY Daily News

If you’re in New York City with the threat of a snowstorm later this morning, it’s hard to imagine that spring is on the way, but it is.  The 84th Daily News Golden Gloves first week of competition begins at B.B. Kings on January 20th.  The prestigious series will culminate in two nights of action-packed boxing at Madison Square Garden on April 8 and 9, 2011.

This year the organization has worked to entice more women to participate in the competitions.  As a run up to the 2012 Olympics, the storied Golden Gloves will be an excellent platform for moving on to USA Boxing sanctioned national tournaments during this all important year for Women’s amateur boxing.

The Golden Gloves series will run weekly competitions leading to the quarter-final bouts beginning on March 4th, followed by the semi-final rounds commencing on March 17th.  These fights are exciting to watch and support — and as for the finals, they make for two terrific nights of boxing.

For more information the Daily News Golden Gloves website link is here.

REMINDER: Alicia “Slick” Ashley has her “main event” bout on January 13, 2011 at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple.  You can contact Gleason’s Gym for further information or tickets here.

The news at 6:30 AM: Women’s Boxing

The news at 6:30 AM:  Women’s Boxing

Clicking “women’s boxing” on Google’s news search brought in the following:

1. Casting call for Girl Fight MMA Reality TV Show. The show is to be called “Girl Fight.”  The article link is here.  The promotional video link is GirlFight TV show from Girl Fight on Vimeo.  This should be interesting. MMA is certainly gaining in popularity — I guess the producers see gold in bringing women to the screen. Girlboxing will keep you posted.

2. From the Himalayan Times:  Shova, Subina enter final.  The article about Nepalese amateur women’s boxing is here.

3. This piece from the UK Guardian is about ESPN-W listing a horse in the number four slot for women’s sports stories of 2010.  The Guardian article link is here and is worth the read.  ESPNW‘s original story links to a video story here.

The whole idea of listing a horse as part of a list of top 10 women’s sporting events is so absurd as to be laughable, however, as a window into the thinking of how such an influential media outlet as ESPN reports on women’s sports, it only confirms what we tend to know already … no surprise here. Just think Friday Night Fights, when was the last time a woman’s bout was featured … enough said.  The link to the FNF schedule for January & February is here.  Grrrrr.

One more thing, as a reminder, Alicia “Slick” Ashley has her “main event” bout on January 13, 2011 at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple.  You can contact Gleason’s Gym for further information or tickets here.

Women’s sports

Women’s sports

Babe Didrikson, 1932 Olympics, Track & Field, USA

I came across a couple of websites specializing in women’s sports that may be of interest.

Women’s Sports and Entertainment Network – reports on several different sports including women’s boxing.  A recent promotional piece on Alicia “Slick” Ashley’s upcoming January 13, 2011 fight caught my eye.  The link to the site is here.

 

Women Talk Sports – does a good job of reporting and publicizing a wide variety of women’s sports and sporting events.   The site also links to blog entries across the spectrum of women’s sports and does a fair job of reporting on women’s boxing and women’s MMA.  The site is comprehensive and worth checking out here.

 

PS – Check out blogs we like for other links.