Maureen Shea and Melissa Hernandez began their professional boxing careers within weeks of each other, in the latter half of 2005. Both women are from the Bronx, New York City's northernmost borough. Both fighters have had successful amateur careers, when which each showed professional promise, Shea in the New York Golden Gloves and Hernandez, primarily, in the amateur ranks in Florida. Both women currently campaign in the featherweight division and train at Gleasons Gym on Front Street in Brooklyn, within sight and smell of the East River. Each fighter has very capable support teams; Hernandez is guided by world champion boxer Belinda Laracuente, while Shea has Hector Roca and Luigi Olcese in her corner.

Maureen Shea's introduction to the national scene came when she worked as a sparring partner for Hillary Swank as the actress prepared for her role in the movie, "Million Dollar Baby." Melissa Hernandez's closest contact with that movie, Clint Eastwood's Academy Award winning epic about the sport of Women's boxing, was, most likely, paying ten dollars to view it in a movie theater.

Hernandez came to national attention when, in her fourth professional bout, last June, she fought a spirited ten round draw with Kelsey Jeffries, a world featherweight champion. Shea's first four bouts were against opponents without a win on their record. Shea's most recent bout, her eighth, last Friday, was a six round unanimous decision over Tammy Franks, a 1-1 boxer, on the under-card of the Evander Holyfield PPV "snoozer" in San Antonio.

Hernandez last fought last in Edmonton, on November 4, winning a decisive ten round decision over Lisa Brown for the WIBA Super bantamweight title, on a widely praised "A Ring of Their Own" boxing card. It was Hernandez's seventh bout.

Clearly, the careers of the two fighters have been, thus far, notably divergent in the manner in which they have gone about achieving their respective unbeaten records (Shea's decision loss, in May, to Kim Colbert was subsequently changed to "No Contest" following Colbert's positive drug test).

Shea has been brought along with great care, traveling a "path of least resistance." To date, she has faced opponents who have have a combined 8-27 record. Hernandez's career path, in contrast, seems to fit her "bring it on" style of fighting. Her opposition's cumulative record is 48-19.

When the two fighters debuted, within eight weeks of each other in 2005, (Shea in August, Hernandez in October), talk, around New York, began, almost immediately, about the "natural" rivalry between these two Bronx fighters. In point of fact, this "neighborhood brawl" talk was largely initiated by Melissa Hernandez, who, at the time, was, by far, the lesser known of the two fighters.

Shea had just come off a loss in the finals of the New York Daily News Golden Gloves, a bout attended by Hillary Swank, with, not surprisingly, a large amount of attendant publicity. In an example of how things have changed in the ensuing months, today, a Hernandez/Shea bout, given the respective quality of each fighters' wins, to this point, would be viewed as an unlikely match-up.

Hernandez is currently established as a major force in the featherweight division, having a win and a draw with top notch fighters, Brown and Jeffries, while Shea, while also unbeaten, has yet to achieve a win over a quality opponent.

But, there remains one more significant consideration when the discussion links these two Bronx fighters: they both possess solid ring skills. Both Hernandez and Shea have learned the sport of boxing the right way, advancing through the amateur ranks, putting in their time in the gym and, importantly, both are currently being guided by very knowledgeable tutors. In the ring,

Hernandez has "speed to burn", with both her hands and her footwork. She can simply "out quick" quick opponents. And Maureen Shea is, technically, a very good, proficient, fighter who, in the ring, can be studied as she appears to be thinking several moves ahead as she breaks down her opponent's defenses.

Add to this the fact, that few, if any fighters in the division, attack the body as effectively as Shea. In simple terms Melissa Hernandez has already made a mare on the sport and her burden is, now, choosing, wisely, the next step up the ladder of the sport of Women's boxing. Maureen Shea continues in the very formative stage of development, her burden being potential, yet unrealized.

Both these boxers have been professionals for slightly over a year, and neither is likely to be included in a defining sentence that includes the word "old." Melissa Hernandez well deserves the plaudits she has received for the manner in which she has come charging "out of the blocks" and quickly established that she can stay with the best fighters in her weight class. Maureen Shea, by contrast, simply has to begin stepping up to fight better opposition.

Eight fights, particularly in the sport of Women's boxing, is a more than adequate gestation period. Shea appears to have the requisite ring skills, but it's impossible to establish that as a fact unless and until those skills are tested against quality opposition; fighters with winning records; fighters who have "been there, done that;" fighters considerably better than those who have come out of the corner opposite Shea, thus far. When, and if, that happens, the eventual winner will be the sport of Women's boxing.

Because, all that talk about a "natural" rivalry, when this tale of two boxers from the Bronx commenced, over a year ago, was exactly right. In boxing, there's few things better than a "neighborhood brawl" and many of the best ones have originated up in that northern borough of New York called the Bronx. Melissa Hernandez and Maureen Shea still could be next.