Sonya Lamonakis: Working to make it a lucky 7!

Sonya Lamonakis:  Working to make it a lucky 7!

Girlboxing had the chance to interview Sonya Lamonakis (6-0, 1-KO) ahead of her upcoming heavyweight bout on January 21st, 2012 against Carlette Ewell (15-7, 9-KO’s) at the storied Roseland Ballroom in New York City.  The fight is being promoted by DiBella Entertainment as part of the Broadway Boxing series.

1.  Tell us about your upcoming six-round fight against Carlette “The Truth” Ewell on January 21st at the infamous Roseland Ballroom in the heart of New York City.

I’ve been asking her to fight for a year and she finally accepted….this will be our first one and then our next fight will be for a title win or lose. It’s going to be a great fight we both have a lot of experience and have been training hard for this fight. Many of my fights have stolen the show and this might just be another one of the barn yard burners. 

2.  You’ve had six successful outings since your debut as a pro in June 2010 — having most recently defeated Tiffany Woodard in August 2011.  Ewell on the other hand has a 15-7 record with 9-KOs since her pro career started in 2002.  How are you preparing to meet the challenge of such a tough, seasoned opponent.

I had an amateur career and she didn’t so I’m hoping my thirty fights as an amateur and six pro fights will carry me to victory. I’m preparing by training excessively and after studying her video of her last fight I have been working on what needs to be done to get the win. 

3.  Ewell also has an upcoming fight on the books for the UBC Heavyweight Title against Gwendolyn O’Neil.  What sort of message do you want to send to both of them in your January 21st bout against Ewell.

I didn’t even know about that. Gwendolyn I see in Gleason’s and have asked her to fight me many times but she told me she is not fighting heavyweight anymore. Female heavyweights blossom late in life and I feel they are both on their way out and there is going to be a new queen of the heavyweights. 

4.  There’s been a fair amount of trash talk thrown your way in the run up to your battle against Ewell.  What is your reaction to all of that?

Yes, I have read her comments about what she has been saying and I feel fighters that are scared or intimidated talk trash. I have never been a trash talker I’m not that type of athlete. I save it all for the ring. I would rather be a positive example for my students and look like a classy athlete more than one that trash talks. I have been fighting for 9 years and it’s just not me. I have never been a trash talker. For her to say that I lost all my fights and they were just handed me is pretty rude to me. Especially,  being that she has not been at one of my fights and two out of the three were not on tv either. But it’s ok. Some people talk trash to make themselves feel better. It feeds their ego and helps them survive. So carry on Ewell. I’ll see you in the ring. 

5.  What adjustments are you making in the gym as you prepare for this fight and beyond?

I have been working on lowering my height, moving my head, and working angles to improve as a fighter for this fight and the future. 

6.  You recently had a powerful video interview published as part of Yahoo’s online “Power Your Future” series.  What can you tell us about that?

That was a great video. I was proud to show off my school and both of my careers in one. My students were very happy to be a part of my boxing career. I think I’m a special fighter because I have two careers as a fighter and an educator. To be a role model to children is a gift in itself. 

Link to Power Your Future:  Sonya Lamonakis

7.  For those who do not know, you teach technology to K-5th graders at a public school in Harlem.  You’ve been quoted as saying, “I’m an educator before I’m a fighter.”  Even given that sentiment, you bring your “all” into the gym and into your “game” on fight night.  What inspires you to bring so much of yourself to what you do?

I’m a passionate person. I play hard, live hard, and love hard. Teaching is not a job but a passion. I hope to inspire children to be life long learners and instill the value of education in them. My inspiration comes from the joy I receive when I’m with my students currently, and past students that come back to let me know the difference I made in their lives. 

8.  Having watched you work out in the gym, I’ve no doubt that you still have a lot more to accomplish in the sport, what are your goals and dreams?

I want to be a World Champion holding many titles. I also enjoy educating people about the sport of boxing. The determination it takes and the will and drive you must have. One part of boxing that’s important for me is that you must have something to fall back on because you can’t rely on boxing forever. You’re an active fighter for a short period but your work time expands beyond that. Only a small percentage of fighters make enough money to live off of. It’s important to have a back up plan, something that you can count on if the fight game doesn’t work out.

>>>

Tickets are available for what will be an EXCITING night of boxing priced at $45 and $65. Ringside tickets are available upon request at $125.

Contact Gleason’s at 718 797 2872 or info@gleasonsgym.net if you want tickets.

Reminder! Great Women’s Boxing tonight, 8/20/11!

Reminder! Great Women’s Boxing tonight, 8/20/11!

There is some terrific women’s boxing going on tonight!

First off — if you can get Mexico’s Televiso do because there are two fabulous female bouts on HG Boxing’s “Triple Corona” fight card! (Luckily for those of us who can’t get it live, the full bouts will likely be put up on YouTube.  You might also try to find a live video stream for some coin.)

The two co-main feature women’s bouts will include IBF female flyweight world champion Arely “Ametrallado” Muciño (13-0-1, 8 KO’s) defending her title against Susana Vasquez (5-5-1, 2 KOs) in a ten-round bout.  The other co-main feature female bout is none other than California’s own WBO female bantamweight champion Kaliesha “Wild Wild” West (13-1-3, 4 KO’s) defending her hard-won title against Mexico’s own Jessica Villafranca (12-2, 6 KO’s)

Over on the East Coast, Gleason’s own scholar, the ever-popular female heavyweight Sonya Lamonakis (5-0, 1-KO) will be fighting a tough rematch against Tiffany Woodard (4-4-1, 3-KO’s) at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts on the Broadway Boxing card.  To quote Sonya, “it’s going to be war”, and nothing new for a Lamonakis fight night!

 

Women’s Boxing: Sonya Lamonakis to fight on 8/20!

>>>UPDATE>>>

In her usual crowd pleasing fashion Sonya Lamonakis made it an even 6-0 with her win over Tiffany Woodard.  Capturing a majority decision, the judges scored the bout  59-55, 58-56, 57-57 with Woodard the clear aggressor in the early rounds of their six-round bout.

Women’s Boxing: Sonya Lamonakis to fight on 8/20!

Gleason’s own and Harlem Academy’s favorite middle school teacher, Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis (5-0, 1-KO) will be looking to make her record a perfect 6-0 when she takes on Tiffany Woodard (4-4-1, 3-KO’s) at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts on August 20th.

The fight is part of DiBella Entertainment’s popular “Broadway Boxing” series and will feature Edwin Rodriguez (18-0, 13-KO’s) in the Main Event.

Sonya is excited about facing Tiffany again and as she put it, “Hey…yeah…she’s a good fighter…she’s been my toughest fight so far. But I’ve been training hard and I got something new for her.”

Returning to the scene of her first professional victory on June 24, 2010 against Kasondra Hardnette, Massachusetts native (and Greek born) Lamonakis, is itching for a heavyweight title bout. She is currently ranked 2nd in the U.S. heavyweight rankings and 4th in the world.

The fight at Mechanics Hall marks Sonya’s return to the ring after handily defeating Gigi Jackson (2-2) at Foxwoods Resort on April 16th. Lamonakis had hoped her decisive win would put her in line for a title shot against then heavyweight WIBA title holder and Global Boxing Union title holder, Gwendolyn O’Neil, however, a fight was not in the offing and O’Neil has since seen her titles stripped for failure to compete.

The hope is that DiBella Entertainment’s Lou DiBella will be successful in putting together an all-female card at Madison Square Garden featuring Sonya Lamonakis in a main event heavyweight title championship fight.

“We’re hoping it goes through,” Sonya said, “and hoping to get all the local girls that sell tickets on there. It would be a great accomplishment for women’s boxing….Lou Dibella would be smart to do this and support the women.”

Meanwhile, Sonya has been hard at work.

She trains with Lennox Blackmore and Don Saxby and is perfecting her tough, no-nonsense style of boxing that has taken her to the heights of the amateur world and five straight professional victories.

Tickets for the bout are available directly from Sonya Lamonakis on Facebook click here.  Just message her for tickets.  Seats are $55.00 and $75.00. You can also contact  Sharon Lamonakis (Sonya’s Mom!) at 413-863-3052.

UPDATE! Three cheers for boxing’s #1 female heavyweight: Sonya Lamonakis!!!

UPDATE:  Three cheers for boxing’s #1 female heavyweight: Sonya Lamonakis!!!

Girlboxing pal and Gleason’s Gym’s own Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis has made it to the top of the list! Yep, we’re talking # 1 on WIBA’s World Ratings list of female heavyweight boxers!

With the loss of Gwendolyn O’Neil to Nigeria’s Ljeoma Euginine by unanimous decision after their six-round bout Saturday night in Stone Mountain, Georgia, the women’s heavyweight division has undergone an interesting change given the Ljeoma wasn’t even ranked on the WIBA World Ratings.

All we can say is congratulations to Sonya for her achievement in her first year of pro-fighting!!!

Let’s bring on a championship bout!

===WIBA World Ratings - May 17th 2011===

==HEAVYWEIGHT (over 175 lbs / over 79.4 kgs)==
World Champion
-GWENDOLYN O'NEIL (Guyana)
1. Sonya Lamonakis (USA)
2. Pamela London (Guyana)
3. Tanzee Daniels (USA)
4. Tiffany Woodard (USA)
5. Gigi Jackson (USA)
6. Yolanda Fagan (USA)
7. Sydney LeBlanc (USA)
8. Alysia Williams-Stevenson (USA)

 

FLASH! Sonya Lamonakis Takes it! Remains Undefeated!

FLASH!  Sonya Lamonakis Takes it! Remains Undefeated!

Sonya Lamonakis defeats Gigi Jackson @ Foxwoods, 4/16/11, George Willis, NY Post

In a bruising battle with an opponent who outweighed her by 63 pounds, Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis defeated Gigi Jackson 40-36, 39-37, 39-37 in a unanimous decision @ Foxwoods tonight.

With this win, Sonya brings her record to 5-0 since turning pro in June of last year.

Reminders! Lamonakis, Merz & a Uruguayan Women’s Fight Night!

Reminders! Lamonakis, Merz & a Uruguayan Women’s Fight Night!

Fight Reminder:  Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis

Girlboxing friend Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis (4-0, 1-KO) will be fighting on the under card of the “East-West Showdown: Andre Berto vs. Victor Ortiz,” welterweight pairing on this coming Saturday night, April 16, 2011 @ the MGM Grand, Foxwoods to be broadcast live on HBO.  Promoted by Lou DiBello Entertainment and the always exciting Sonya Lamonakis, ranked the number 3 women’s heavyweight contender in the world by   will be mounting her 5th professional fight since turning pro last year against boxer Gigi Jackson (2-1) .

Tickets for the event start at $65.00, and can still be purchased through Gleason’s Gym (minus the ticket handling charges!).  Contact Gleason’s as 718-797-2872 for tickets and further information.

Reminder:  Mischa Merz Book Signing 2night!

Another Girlboxing friend, Misha Merz will be having a book signing 2night for her boxing memoir The Sweetest Thing at Gleason’s Gym running from 6:00 – 8:00 PM.  Misha will be on hand to read from her memoir to the wonderful sounds of the sweet science in the background.  For further information you can contact Gleason’s Gym @ 718-797-2872.  Or just come on by to 77 Front Street, Brooklyn, NY (in DUMBO).

Reminder:  Boxing in Uruguay!  Yep, Uruguay on April 19th!

Cecilia “La Reina” Comunales

Hold the date of April 19th for a great night of boxing in Uruguay promoted by Sampson Boxing.  The main event will be UBO Women’s Lightweight champion Cecilia “La Reina” Comunales (7-1-0, 5 K.O.‘s) from Uruguay taking  on Alicia Susana Alegre (7-4, 7 K.O.‘s) from just across the river in Argentina for an exciting evening of women’s boxing at its best.  Dubbed “La Defensa Del Reino” or “Defending The Kingdom”, the event is being heavily promoted in South America and will be viewed on Vtv, in Uruguay.  The fight will also likely be video streamed – so do some checking online.

 

Upcoming fight! Sonya Lamonakis to fight on April 16, 2011!

Upcoming fight!  Sonya Lamonakis to fight on April 16, 2011!

Sonya "The Scholar" Lamonakis, Photo Credit: Claudia Bocanegra

Always exciting Sonya Lamonakis (4-0, 1-KO), four-time golden gloves winner, and currently ranked #3 women’s heavyweight fighter in the world will be fighting on the upcoming Andre Berto vs. Victor Ortiz undercard scheduled for April 16, 2011 at the MGM Grand, Foxwoods Casino.  Promoted by DiBella Entertainment, the Berto/Ortiz bout will be broadcast live on HBO — and with any luck, HBO will throw some video our way of what we know will be another crowd-pleasing Lamonakis event.

Coming off her decisive win over Tanzee Daniel by unanimous decision on March 12th, Sonya will be fighting Gigi Jackson (2-1 by KO) in the scheduled six-round bout. This will also be Sonya’s fifth fight since turning pro in June 2010.

In Girlboxing’s estimation, Sonya’s ever-growing popularity is part and parcel of the non-stop action work ethic she brings with her into the ring; no doubt a reflection of the effort she puts in day-in and day-out as a New York City middle school teacher.

>>>>>UPDATE>>>>>

To facilitate attendance for this exciting evening of boxing at its best, Gleason’s Gym is selling $75.00 $65.00 tickets without the usual fees.  For further information call (718) 797-2872 or email info@gleasonsgym.net.

***FLASH UPDATE: SONYA “THE SCHOLAR” LAMONAKIS TAKES IT!

***FLASH UPDATE: SONYA TAKES IT!

Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis fought her heart out to the cheers of her legion of fans taking the six round bout against Tanzee Daniels, 59-55, 59-55 and 58-56.  With Sonya’s win she has lived up to her billing as #1 ranked WIBA women’s heavyweight contender and improved her record to 4-0 with 1-knockout.

UPDATE

Fightnews.com has the story here.  Boxingscene.com has some great color about the fight here (scroll down to 8:27 and read-on from there).  FYI, Boxingscene was live tweeting the fight!

Fight Reminder: Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis

Fight Reminder:  Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis!

Sonya "The Scholar" Lamonakis during a recent interview @ Gleason's Gym

Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis (3-0, 1-KO), four-time Golden Gloves champion and WIBA #1 ranked Heavyweight contender will be in an exciting fight with southpaw Tanzee Daniels (4-0, 1-KO) tonight at Foxwoods on the undercard of the Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez vs. Sergiy Dzinziruk bout to be broadcast on HBO.

As quoted in the presser for the Martinez-Dzinziruk fight, promoter Lou DiBella said, “If you like women’s boxing, this is going to be a war.”

Girlboxing has watched Sonya workout over the last weeks and has been inspired by Sonya’s focus as she has pushed herself to reach peak conditioning ahead of her battle.  If Tanzee has worked half as hard, this will prove to be an epic fight.

For further information on tickets, they can be purchased online here or by calling the MGM Grand at Foxwoods at 1-866-646-0609, or in person at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods box office.  You can also contact Gleason’s Gym at (718) 797-2872 for the latest update.

 

 

84th Annual Daily News 2011 Golden Gloves Quarter Finals reminder and Sonya Lamonakis fight reminder!

84th Annual Daily News 2011 Golden Gloves Quarter Finals reminder!

The full week’s schedule is:

3/9/2011 – Brooklyn Masonic Temple, 317 Clermont Street, Brooklyn, NY 11225 >>> For ticket information, contact Gleason’s Gym at (718) 797-2872 or click on link here.

3/10/2011 – Elmcor Recreation Center, 33-16 108th Street, Corona, NY 11368

3/11/2011 – Glen Cove High School, 150 Dosiris Lane, Glen Cove, NY 11542 (8:00 PM Start Time)

3/12/2011 – Suffolk PAL, 99 Third Avenue, Brentwood, NY 11717 (4:00 PM Start Time)

For more information click here.

 

Fight Reminder for Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis March 12, 2011!!!

Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis

Gleason’s own four-time Golden Gloves winner Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis #1 ranked WIBA U.S. women’s heavyweight will be fighting on the undercard of the Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez vs Sergiy Dzinzinuk bout on March 12 @ Foxwoods to be broadcast live HBO.

For a limited time, Gleason’s Gym is offering tickets at $75 each.  (Purchasing through Gleason’s will save you the $12 service fee.)

Gleason’s advises to buy tickets now as they are going fast.  For more information contact Gleason’s Gym at (718) 797-2872 — you can also request information by email: info@gleasonsgym.net.

Click here for a nice write-up on Sonya by Peter Czymbor entitled Sonya Lamonakis: Lady Likes to Fight over on the 8 Count News Boxing/MMA website.  The link is here.

 

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84th Annual Daily News 2011 Golden Gloves Week Seven Reminder and the start of the Quarter Finals!

84th Annual Daily News 2011 Golden Gloves Week Seven reminder and the start of the Quarter Finals!

The full week’s schedule is:

3/1/2011 – St. Finbar Auditorium, 1839 Bath Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11214

3/3/2011 – C-Pac Center, 1020 East 48^th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11203

>>>>>>>Quarter Finals!

3/4/2011 – St. Athanasius, 6200 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11204

3/5/2011 – Saint Patrick’s High School, 9511 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11228 (7:00 PM Start)

For more information click here.

PS – Fight Reminder for March 12, 2011

Sonya "The Scholar" Lamonakis

Gleason’s own Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis #1 ranked WIBA U.S. women’s heavyweight and four-time Golden Gloves winner will be fighting on the undercard of the Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez vs  Sergiy Dzinzinuk bout on March 12 @ Foxwoods to be broadcast live HBO.

For a limited time, Gleason’s Gym is offering tickets at $75 each.  (Purchasing through Gleason’s will save you the $12 service fee.)

Gleason’s advises to buy tickets now as they are going fast.  For more information contact Gleason’s Gym at (718) 797-2872 — you can also request information by email: info@gleasonsgym.net.

Women in the ring and Week Six Golden Gloves Reminder

Women in the Ring

Christy Martin and Dakota Stone, September 3, 2009

Christy Martin:  Fighting back

Christy Martin, center, works out with assistant trainer Richie Sandoval, left, Miguel Diaz, trainer, right looks on. Photo: Julie Jacobson, AP Photo

AP’s Tim Dahlberg has a feature piece out about Christy Martin and her upcoming bout against Dakota Stone on the undercard of the March 12, 2011 Showtime PPV Cotto-Mayorga fight.

A money quote from Dahlberg’s piece with respect to women’s boxing is Bob Arum’s take on the sport:

“Ask promoter Bob Arum and he’ll tell you the biggest problem with women’s boxing is that men don’t particularly like to see women hitting each other, and women like it even less. Though the sport has a small dedicated fan base, women in the ring are generally treated as a side show by fans and boxing promoters.”  This article is really worth the read here.

Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis upcoming bout reminder!

As a reminder, the other great women’s bout on March 12, 2011 will pit WIBA #1 ranked U. S. Heavyweight, Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis (3-0, 1-KO) against Tanzee Daniels (4-0, 1-KO) on the undercard of HBO’s Martinez-Dzinziruk fight to be broadcast live from Foxwoods.

Tickets can be purchased online here or by calling the MGM Grand at Foxwoods at 1-866-646-0609, or in person at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods box office.

You can also contact Sonya Lamonakis for ticket information by calling Gleason’s Gym @ 718-797-2872.

84th Annual Daily News 2011 Golden Gloves Week Six reminder:  Women’s bouts!

At the aptly named, Justice Sotomayer Center on Wednesday night, February 23rd, the first women’s preliminary boxing bouts of the year will be held across several weight classes.

The full week’s schedule is:

2/22/2011 – Bishop Ford High School, 500 19th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215

2/23/2011 – Justice Sotomayor Center, 1000 Rosedale Avenue, Bronx, NY 10472

2/25/2011 – Holy Cross High School, 26-20 Francis Lewis Blvd., Flushing, NY 11358

For more information click here.

Women’s Boxing Upcoming Fight: Sonya Lamonakis

Women’s Boxing Upcoming Fight:  Sonya Lamonakis

Girlboxing had the chance to sit down and talk with Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis (3-0,1-KO)  as she readies for her upcoming heavyweight bout against Tanzee Daniels (4-0, 1-KO) @ Foxwoods on March 12, 2011.  Recently ranked the #1 women’s professional heavyweight in the U. S. by the WIBA, Sonya is excited about the prospect of fighting on the under card of the much anticipated, Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez vs. Sergiy Dzinziruk bout.  The fight card, promoted by DiBella Entertainment will be broadcast live on HBO.  This will be Sonya’s 4th professional fight since turning pro in June 2010.

Sonya Lamonakis Heavyweight Boxer

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