Maureen Shea once told me that she was a
fan, "a big fan" of the New York Yankees. This is not surprising for
someone who grew up in the Bronx and who still has the sound of that
borough in her voice. Thus, an analogy with one of the all-time
Yankee greats is not too much of a stretch. Lou Gehrig hit 493 home
runs and had a lifetime batting average of .340 over a seventeen
year career with the "Bronx Bombers." And yet, today, Gehrig is
primarily remembered for the (then) record 2130 consecutive games he
played, a rather amorphous mark, and for a speech he gave on the
July 4, in Yankee Stadium, upon the occasion of his retirement in
1939. It can be validly argued that Gehrig is one of the top ten
baseball players of all time and yet he's known for "showing up" and
for a short speech about being "the luckiest man on the face of the
earth" while staring down a disease that would later assume his
name.
Maureen Shea is approaching the two year mark as a professional
boxer. She debuted at the Westchester County Center in White Plains
on August 26, 2005 winning in 39 seconds over an 0-4 opponent. No
one, to my knowledge, has had any discussions about Maureen Shea and
a top ten list of women boxers, at least at this point in Shea's
career. She began that career by reeling off ten consecutive wins
(discounting an NC against Kim Colbert midway through the streak).
Shea, however, was probably best known for her off-screen
involvement with the Clint Eastwood movie, "Million Dollar Baby,"
rather than for any of the ten wins against fighters who were, in
kind terms, very carefully chosen. In fact, following her first win,
one of the initial questions Shea fielded from a reporter in White
Plains was whether she had gotten any advice, prior to her debut
bout, from Hillary Swank, the star of "Million Dollar Baby."
The
celluloid connection was further solidified when Shea chose as her
designated alias, "The Real Million Dollar Baby," a sobriquet that
was, to some, competing neck/neck for cringe inducement with "She
Bee Stingin' ." As a result, like the New York Yankees famed "Iron
Horse," the "Real Million Dollar Baby" of Women's boxing was better
known for accomplishments outside, rather than inside, a boxing
ring.
That may have begun to change last Friday night. At the Eldorado
Hotel and Casino, in Reno, NV, Maureen Shea stepped in the ring with
Olivia Gerula (Pereira), who did not resemble, in any fashion, any
of Shea's first ten opponents (those boxers had a cumulative 18-28
record).
To begin, Gerula is a veteran boxer, having competed
professionally for almost ten years. More importantly, over that
time, Gerula has been in the ring with some of the best female
boxers in the sport: Kathy Collins, Fredia Gibbs, Melissa DelValle,
Jessica Rakoczy and Jelena Mrdjenovich.
Viewed from almost any perspective, the Friday night fight in Reno
was a "turning point" bout for Maureen Shea. It was the first time
she had been in with a fighter with extensive ring experience and it
was, in point of fact, Shea's first bout against what could be
labeled quality opposition. In Reno, Maureen Shea not only stepped
up in competition, but, judging by the result, Shea also stepped up
with her best ring performance to date.
The scorecards were
unanimous for Shea: 60-54 (2x), 59-55, which is, by any definition,
a decisive win over a good opponent. However, before one starts
searching for space for Shea on that aforementioned top ten female
boxer list, let's add just a bit more perspective.
Olivia Gerula is an experienced fighter and she has, indeed, been in
with some of the top fighters in the featherweight ranks. However,
she came to the Reno fight with a losing record, 7-8-2.
Of those top
fighters Gerula has faced, she does not hold a win over any of them.
That said, Olivia Gerula knows how to handle herself in a boxing
ring and viewing the Reno bout from the standpoint of Maureen Shea,
the Gerula fight represents a night/day change from her (Shea) first
ten wins. Thus, the decisive margin of victory can only lead to the
conclusion that this "turning point" bout was a turn in the right
direction for Shea and her career.
Which brings one to the question of "what's next" for Maureen Shea.
Two years ago, fresh from a successful Golden Gloves career and the
publicity from the movie, Shea seemed "type cast" for a rapid rise
in the sport. She is a college graduate (Iona College in suburban
New York), she is very publicity aware (in a good way) and
articulate with the media, (as evidenced by the way she parried
Gerula's pre-fight pronouncement of being "the Predator," to which
Shea replied, "I'm no one's prey.")
As for the "what's next"
question, it's fair to ask will Maureen Shea continue her turn
towards more competitive opposition, in a weight division that is
heavy with quality fighters? Or will Shea look, once again, for the
"carefully selected" opposition that mainly characterized her
career, prior to the Friday bout in Reno?
Maureen Shea has had her share of big venue visibility thus far in
her two years in the ring, including several dates in Madison Square
Garden and a spot on an Evander Holyfield PPV card. Following the
Friday night bout in Reno, she has shown that, for the first time in
her career, she's capable of stepping in with big venue opposition.
Thus, the answer to the "what's next" question for Maureen Shea
seems to be, quite simply, "who's next."
#
# #
#
For Online IWBHF Tickets for
Next Event!
Check Our Next Annual International
Women's Boxing Hall of Fame Event that we have to celebrate hour IWBHF
Inductees and Special Award Recipients!
Next Event, Go Here!
Our Online
WBAN/IWBHF Online Store
Proceeds from the Online Store is to
continue our mission to support the INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S BOXING HALL OF
FAME. The Official collection includes IWBHF and WBAN Merchandise and
Memorabilia from the WBAN Boxing Collection. We will continue to list
items from the collection and merchandise.
