(MAY 24) This has been quite a
journey so far, that began in 1996, after wanting to get in
shape to run in the Race For the Cure in Portland, Oregon.
I joined a boxing gym in Portland, after not being in the sport
for 17 plus years. I learned about Christy Martin and the
fantastic fight she had fighting Diedre Gogarty.
Being a pioneer boxer it peeked my interest.
What is odd, is WBAN would have never taken place in May of
1998, because originally, I wanted to create a website on
Breast Cancer, an informational site.
At the same time, I discovered in
September 1996, and only by accident that the history of
women's boxing was not accurate---I knew "first hand" that in
fact the 1970s and 1980s on the net was inaccurate.
I knew that because I was from that era of boxing.
And so I changed from having a breast cancer info site to the
"History of Women's Boxing" online website, naming it Women
Boxing Archive Network.
I spent two solid years of researching the history of the sport,
and by May of 1998, I was ready to go online.
I remember before going online that one of my family member's
told me that no one would be interested in the history of the
sport---even though there was not ONE website on the net
covering the true history of the sport!
Little did that family member know that as soon as I went live
on the net----the site exploded with traffic.
From covering the history of the sport---within a short time
became covering the current pro and amateur boxers who had
contacted me about issues they were experiencing in the sport.
That ended up being my mission in life----Giving any and all
boxers exposure, whether they had one fight or 50 fights---and I
have stuck true to that mission.
I did not care if anyone had ever heard of the female boxer, I
would do any and all stories, biographies, updates, fights,
to give them exposure---some of it was not good exposure but the
truth of what was going on which included mismatches, etc.
I continue to do in that in today's sport ofwomen's boxing, and
will continue to do that.
I want to thank any and everyone from photographers, writers, people who
helped me to write better online (correcting me. lol) and all
the people who have helped me with WBAN, with all the stories,
bios, results, and more on the current boxers, amateur and
professional. I could NOT have ever made the site this extensive
without all of your help.