A “Boxing” Robot…Sometimes Truth is stranger than fiction!
According to news sources (ABC News Online), reported in Dec. of 2002, they reported that Chinese scientists have constructed a boxing robot. Apparently a team of scientists from Beijing University have constructed a life size robot capable of playing China’s traditional for of shadow boxing – TaiChi. The robot has 32 joints and walks at one kilometre per hour.
Husband – Wife Make Pro Debuts on Same Card!
On Thursday, October 9, 2008, at the Battle in the Ballroom boxing event, held at the Irvine Marriott Hotel, in Irvine, California, an interesting combination of scheduled bouts made this card unique. On the undercard, they featured a history-first when married couple, Ana Tangero and Ricky Tangero, both made their pro debut. Bantamweight Ana Tangaro, 116¾, won her pro debut by unanimous decision over Michelle Nelson, 116¼, while her husband did not fare as well when he lost by a decision.
Paret Defeats Emile Griffith September 30, 1961-and dies six months later in rematch
September 30, 2008 Video of fatal 12th Round!
(SEPT 30) Forty-seven years ago, on September 30, 1961, Benny ‘Kid’ Paret, 35-12-3 (10KO), fought Emile Griffith in a world title welterweight bout, defeating Griffith on points in New York. Paret then rematched Griffith on April 3, 1962, and was stopped in the 12th round, after taking on a barrage of punishment.
A father, son and daughter fight on same boxing card
by Mike Collins – News-Gazette Sports Writer – November 14, 2006 MUNCIE – It was another history making evening Saturday night at the downtown Muncie Horizon Center as Richard Crabtree Entertainment hosted yet another outstanding King of the Ring boxing program. A large majority of the fine crowd on hand came to witness boxing history. A large majority of the fine crowd on hand came to witness boxing history. For the first time anywhere in the history of boxing, the evening saw a father, son and daughter all participating on the same fight card. Big Al “White Lightning” Hughes along with his daughter Angela (18 at the time) had already made boxing history three years ago when they became the very first father/daughter duo to fight on the same boxing card. That feat took place during the King of the Ring ‘Hoosier Brawl” at the Delaware County Fairgrounds. Saturday night saw the 57-year old Hughes realize a longtime personal dream when 20-year old Al Hughes III made his long awaited boxing debut to join his father and sister in the record books.
Women Boxing Outlawed After Male Boxer Dies
After the death of a male fighter in October of 1997, the Federazioni Pugilistica Italiana outlawed female boxing entirely. They even stopped a televised WIBF flyweight fight that was to be in Milan to enforce this ban. The police were brought in to restore the peace and order.
Woman Boxer Goes on a month long hunger strike against Don King….1987!
Lady Tyger Trimiar, former World lightweight champion, made headlines in April of 1987, when she went on a “hunger strike” for over a month, losing 30 lbs., in protest to how women boxers were treated and paid. Her hunger strike was directed at infamous DON KING. Two other female fighters were also on a hunger strike along with Trimiar, but the other two backed out. TRIMIAR said that if women did not get more recognition, that they would continue to be regarded as a “Novelty” act, and that there would be no future for women boxers. The women picketed the RAY LEONARD-MARVIN HAGLER fight on April 6, 1987 in Las Vegas, protesting promoter ROBERT ARUM’S refusal to work with female boxers.
Laila Ali may not have been able to spar with her famous dad–but Tonawanda did in 1976
Jackie Tonawanda got the opportunity to work out in the gym and spar with MUHAMMAD ALI On September 2, 1976, at his training camp at the Concord Hotel Kiamesha Lake, N.Y. TONAWANDA’S remarks about ALI: “Ali’s hands were faster than ever, I’m glad they weren’t touching me. His combinations were beautiful–a jet plane would do second to him.”
Jackie Tonawanda Spars With Muhammad Ali – September 26, 1976
Jackie Tonawanda got the opportunity to work out in the gym and spar with MUHAMMAD ALI at his training camp at the Concord Hotel Kiamesha Lake, N.Y. TONAWANDA’S remarks about ALI: “Ali’s hands were faster than ever, I’m glad they weren’t touching me. His combinations were beautiful–a jet plane would do second to him.”
Fredia “The Cheetah” Gibbs Makes Movie
FREDIA “THE CHEETAH” GIBBS made her debut in a movie that is based on a “Rocky” type story, about a Latino family who loses their young son that is a fighter. The daughter decides to following the boy’s footsteps in an effort to fulfill his dream vicariously. GIBBS is the villain in the movie, and the movie is called “Knockout.”
Boxing is a Manly Science and Art – January 1995
STEVE ACUNTO, who served on the NEW YORK STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION for 49 years, proclaimed that BOXING is a manly science and art, who at the time in 1995 was teaching the only accredited boxing course in the country at Westchester Community College. He went on to say that he had women begin to sign up for his class in the last three years, and were entering the ring. ACUNTO who fought as a professional in the 1940’s declared that he DOES NOT THINK women should box.
Zambia Decides to Introduce Bill to Allow Women to Boxing and Wrestle – November 1994
Zambia’s Sports Minister Patrick Kafumukache took a jab at tradition as he promised to introduce a bill that would allow women to participate in boxing and wrestling. The sports minister felt that it would cause a few cultural and traditional anxieties, but that the country needed to move forward with the rest of the world.
On the day another man dies of injuries suffered in fight-female amateurs win the right to take part in the sport – Nov. 1996
Boxing faced renewed criticism when on the day another male fighter died after fighting, women and girls aged 10 and over would be allowed to fight as amateurs for the first time in Britain. The coincidence of the announcement from the Amateur Boxing Association of England and the death of the Italian Fabrizio De Chiara, a 25 year-old middleweight, after collapsing at the end of a title fight, sparked an angry reaction from campaigners against the sport. But among the voices raised in concern about women’s new rights to fight was a medical expert who has been one of boxing’s highest-profile defenders. Dr. Adrian Whiteson, chief medical adviser to the British Boxing Board of Control, said: “I’m terribly concerned about this. I don’t think enough is known about the potential risks to women for such a decision to be made. Blows around the breast or chest can induce bruising, and the nodule which is created is difficult to distinguish from cancer.
Man vs. Women Bout – Was it really Sanctioned?
October 9, 1999
This fight was declared “Internationally” and from the “state of Washington” as the “first-ever sanctioned” bout between a male and a female, Margaret MacGregor vs. Loi Chow. But, few knew that the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) instructed Fight Fax, the official boxing record-keeper designated by the ABC under federal law, to list this event as an “exhibition” for both boxers. They were quoted as saying in a press release, “It is the position of the ABC not to recognize the results from the proposed male vs. female match-up scheduled for this weekend in Seattle, Washington. The ABC has informed Fight Fax, the official boxing record-keeper designated by the ABC under federal law, to list this event as an exhibition for both boxers. This action is being taken to express the ABC’s strong opposition to any type of male vs. female boxing event that will be recognized by the standard set by this Association.” Dated October 6, 1999, three days before the fight! Sue TL Fox/WBAN
Mia “The Knockout” St. John got an Opportunity to be on Pacific Blue – October 10, 1999—-But WHO DO YOU THINK she played?
Pacific Blue featured Mia St. John as herself.... It’s was an episode about Mia St. John and all the criticism she was getting as a fighter, and it turns out that another female fighter is so jealous of her that she tried to kill her.
You have seen the mixed match fight–the 0-3 fighters on major boxing cards —but have you seen “Foxy Boxing?” –It’s been tried also- 1979
“Foxy Boxing Era” In 1989, These women would set the trend in boxing in skimpy bikinis. Bikini-clad female boxers punched and pounded their way in clubs like the Coconut Club in Southampton. They call themselves the “Foxy Fighting Knockouts.” The weekly two-hours shows had created a not to favorable response with the community. Apparently before foxy boxing took hold in Hampton, it had been a rage for a long time in other Long Island and New York area nightspots.`
So did you really think that no other women ever tried to get into a Mixed Match before the Margaret Macgregor versus Loi Chow bout?
Shirley “Zebra Girl” Tucker – Matches between male and female were approved in November of 1982 – After the legality of boxing matches between women and men was argued by the American Civil Liberties Union, the California Athletic Commission voted to approve professional boxing matches between the sexes effective immediately. DON FRASER, the commission’s executive officer said that they had no recourse but to approve it. The only female at the time that expressed an interest into fighting men was Shirley “Zebra Girl” Tucker.
Mama’s manly art; once the best female boxer in Cuba, Silvia Torrer now manages a mean-Street Gym. Even at 81, she still packs a wallop, BY MATT SCHUDEL
Six mornings a week, without fail, a tiny, fierce and lovable woman comes to work in a steamy cinder-block shell that holds the heart like a boiled egg. Before 12 noon, the thermometer in Silvia Torres’ office registers 90 degrees. By 4 pm, her stifling domain is filled with men sweating toward a perfection of fitness, alertness and deadly strength. And ageless Silvia, who claims to be one year older than she really is, scurries across the concrete floor carrying a bucket full of spit. She is the only woman in this raw, unreformed world of masculine power. “My entire life is boxing,” she says. ” This is what makes me happy.”
Woman Has to Box on the Job – She Files Lawsuit – June 17, 1994
A Cliffside Park Woman, Vivian Mondello, went to work as a saleswoman at a Manhattan company. She said that she was not advised that her job description included boxing. She claimed that she was left “disfigured for life” by a match she alleged her bosses ordered. The woman sued for $6 million. In her lawsuit, first filed in state court and then moved to federal court in Manhattan. Unknown about outcome of the case.
Two Women were “Knocked out” before even getting in the ring! – February 19, 1994
Two women due to compete in Britain’s first full-scale women’s boxing event were “knocked out” before even getting into the ring. Both contestants were unable to participate after getting broken noses prior to their scheduled fight. One fighter got a broken nose when she was sparring a man and the other was hurt in a street attack.
Boxing Isn’t Good for your Health – Growing Evidence
Copyright 1990 The Jerusalem Post, The Jerusalem Post, November 4, 1990, Sunday, Features, 1277 words, BOXING ISN’T GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH, JudySiegel-Itzkovitch, GROWING EVIDENCE, Report of the health dangers to amateur and professional boxers has moved doctors to call for limits on the practice of the sport and demand better protective measures for the fighters. Under pressure from the medical profession, boxing has been banned in Poland, Sweden, Norway and Nicaragua, and in England it is forbidden in schools and the army. Here, according to Nora Hanne-Paparo of the Wingate Institute, the Hapoel sports organization eliminated boxing from its sports program, but it was reintroduced about five years ago. Writing in the latest issue of Harefuah, the journal of the Israel Medical Association, Hanne-Paparo found that there were 353 recorded boxing deaths around the world between 1945 and 1983, but in recent years, this rate has decreased. More frequent are serious injuries, especially to the brain and eyes (longtime world-champion boxer Muhammed Ali developed symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that experts say were caused by his injuries). Autopsies of boxers who died in the ring showed that every blow that results in a knockout or knockdown causes brain damage and – potentially – death.
Women Boxers Must Wait Beyond 1996 Olympics – March 1990
Even though women’s boxing had been sanctioned in the United States in 1994, the sport still did not attract enough women for the sport’s governing body to allow them to box in the 1996 Olympics. Susannah Nix, speaking for the U.S. Amateur Boxing Inc. in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said that as of February 28, 1995, there were 317 registered female boxers compared to 24,000 men.
Husband and Wife Fight A lot!
Husband and wife, Curt and Pauletta Muhl fought a lot. They started slugging it out in their living room of their mobile home in Iowa in 1984. Their kids would watch on as they boxed, and the children would make popcorn and watch. After she started boxing with her husband who was an ex-golden gloves champ, she walked into a a boxing gym, and found herself less than welcome. Muhl did overcome the ups and downs of boxing, and eventually compiled a boxing record as of 1987 of 3-2. She also won a title on Jan. 17, 1987 in a two-round decision in Battle Creek against Andrea Deshong of Cambridge, Ohio, to win the Professional American Karate Assn.’s world featherweight title.
Woman vetoed as a judge in a world boxing title fight – January 1995
A woman was vetoed in January 1985, as a judge in a world boxing title fight because the challenger’s manager said that a woman’s place was in the home. Carol Polis, an American, was on a list of possible officials for the World Boxing association welterweight match.
“Hardest Knockout in women’s boxing in the 80’s”
This honor goes to none other than GRACIELAS CASILLAS. The date was September 18, 1980. Her manager yelled to CASILLAS, “Tres Derechos” (three rights). CASILLAS proceeded to bomb her opponent, Cha Cha Wright with a powerful and accurate right cross, followed by a right uppercut that seemed to snap Wright’s head back. Wright laid on the floor for nearly nine minutes, before she finally rose to her feet.
Funniest Knock out in Female Boxing – 1976
Caroline Svendsen vs Ersi Arviso was knocked out 1:26 in the second round at Incline Village, in Nevada, when she went to adjust her protective cups that had slipped in her bra. She stopped to fix it, and Ersi KO’d Svendsen. She delivered a smashing right to Svensen’s jaw and that was the end of the fight.
First Husband – Wife fight on same Boxing Card” – November 19, 1979
On November 16, 1979, Lilly Rodriguez, a kickboxer and boxer, and William “Blinky” Rodriguez made history as the first husband and wife to box on the same professional card. “You have no idea the pressure she put on me,” said Blinky Rodriguez. “She (Lilly) went out there and dazzled them.” Both Blinky and Lilly won their matches. The event was promoted by Don Fraser. Update: Lilly Rodriguez passed away on January 13, 2007 at the age of 59 years old.
Women’s Boxing promoter, Before his time – 1970’s / 1980’s
VERN STEVENSON had been a keen supporter of female boxing in the 70’s and 80’s. STEVENSON, an old pugilist inducted into Canada’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 1975, believed that women would one day fight for big money. He also thought that women would some day fight men in the lighter weight classes. Vern invested $200,000 toward the promotion of female boxing. In 1983, STEVENSON staged the women’s first 15-round bantamweight world championship before more than 1,000 crowd, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (TL Fox tried to locate Vern Stevenson, but unfortunately he passed away.
Woman Has to Box on the Job – She Files Lawsuit – June 17, 1994
A Cliffside Park Woman, Vivian Mondello, went to work as a saleswoman at a Manhattan company. She said that she was not advised that her job description included boxing. She claimed that she was left “disfigured for life” by a match she alleged her bosses ordered. The woman sued for $6 million. In her lawsuit, first filed in state court and then moved to federal court in Manhattan. Unknown about outcome of the case.
Cheryl Brown of Waterville, Maine, set a record for that state when she stopped Pat Poland, in only ten seconds at the Augusta Civic Center. (1982)
That was the quickest kayo either among the pros or the amateurs. Ms. Brown’s kayo was even quicker than the one recorded by Al Couture over Ralph Walton back on September 26, 1946,