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."

Bernie McCoy