(JULY 19) This week WBAN had an opportunity to interview Mia "The Knockout" St. John.  St. John talks about the sport, her future plans, some sound advice for other women boxers, and more! 

TL Fox: Do you have any upcoming bouts on the horizon?

St. John: Yes, I plan on fighting in September or October in an MMA bout.

TL Fox: We noticed that you were working Donna Biggers corner on Fox Sports Net, do you plan to do more things with women's boxing out of the ring also? (By the way, I was impressed with your working her corner)

St. John:  I really admire Donna, she has so much heart and determination. People really underestimated her, but I knew she was a much better fighter than her past two fights before the Jeffries bout. However, I have no plans to work in boxing outside of the ring. There is too much corruption and I don't think I have the stomach for it.

TL Fox: You have been in the sport a long time, what is your take on how the sport is progressing?

St. John: We need the big promoters to showcase women like King and Arum did for Christy and I, but right now they seemed to be just focused on the men. It's not enough to have just an occasional female bout on TV, even the female bouts on FSN are not enough. Also, I think it's been over shadowed by the MMA lately. Promoters and networks are putting on more and more MMA bouts because they can do them much cheaper and they feel it's more exciting for the fans. Boxing has taken a back seat, unless your name is Oscar De La Hoya.

TL Fox: Anything else going on that is on your agenda, that may be out of the ring?

St. John:  I just got a publishing deal for my health & fitness book that will come out in March of '08 along with my new workout dvd, and following that will be my memoirs.

TL Fox: You have had an opportunity to meet a lot of other women boxers, out of those boxers, which boxers stand out in your mind that will make a name for themselves in the sport?

St. John:  I am a big fan of women's boxing, especially now that the sport has evolved so much. The women now days fight just as well as the men, some fight better than the men!
I think because so many of them now are starting younger and starting in the amateurs first. Back when I first started most of us came straight from the Martial Arts, so as boxers
we were very green. I had to learn to box on national television! One of my favorite fighters is Holly Holm, she's so graceful when she fights and really makes boxing look like
an art, the way it should be. Missy Fiorentino is another favorite of mine, she has so much spunk in her! It's non stop action from beginning to end with her.

TL Fox: If you had advice to give to other women boxers, what would you tell them from all the experience you have gained in the sport?

St. John:   Protect yourself at all times! Because no one else will, not the promoters, trainers, managers or even the commission.  When you're in the ring it's your life that is on the line and sometimes we can't always make the best decision for ourselves, so have someone in your corner that you believe you can trust with your life.  That person for me is my mother. My safety is always her number one concern, not whether I win the fight, or if the fans are happy, or how much I'm getting paid. None of that matters when it comes
to my health and well being.

TL Fox: You are probably one of the TOUGHEST boxers in the sport who has taken the good and the bad with the news media, what advice would you tell other women about handling the media when they receive negative and or positive news coverage?

St. John:   My sister once gave me the best advice while sitting in my dressing room once, don't believe any of it! She said, "The critics don't really hate you and the fans don't really love you. The only people that really love you are the people sitting in this room right now". She told me that because I would go out into the arena and feed off the cheering crowd, it was such a rush, then I would come crashing down when I would read all horrible things the critics would write about me, then go back up when I did fluff pieces or TV shows that would boost my ego. It was like being on a constant rollercoaster ride! She helped me come to the realization that none of it was real, my image was something that was created, but it was not a true representation of who I really was. Therefore, none of it really mattered, it did however, make my bank account bigger, which enabled me to do things that really did matter to me, like my foundation for Latino kids here in California. If I didn't use what money and fame I had made in this business to help better the lives of others, then my career would have meant nothing.

WBAN would like to thank Mia St. John for taking the time to be interviewed.