(MAY 23) This week I had an Opportunity to catch up with professional female Olivia Gerula, to get the latest updates on her boxing career.  Olivia is presently living in Canada.  As many of the female boxers in the sport the Covid-19, put the brakes on their careers and we are all hoping and waiting to see the sport come back, and boxers be able to follow their dreams in the sport. 

Sue TL Fox:  Your last fight was in 2018, was there a reason for not fighting in 2019?

Olivia:  Trust me any long lay off between fights has never been by choice.  Boxing is kinda' like the man your mother always warns you not to date - its never reliable. The only predictable thing is it tends to get your hopes up only to disappoint you. Can’t say I don’t have a type ahahah.

I was scheduled to fight in Denmark, on June 15, 2019, but the fight was canceled the night prior due to a misdiagnosed MRI result that has since been corrected, retested and confirmed. I am of perfect health but lost the opportunity to compete, the purse I was counting on and 8 months of my life trying to straighten out the mess it made.


Sue TL Fox:   Did you have any fights lined up when we were hit with the Pandemic restrictions in March?

Olivia:  It took until January to deal with the ‘Denmark debacle’ and that’s when I started to reassess my career goals. If fights weren’t coming to me then I was going to go to the fights. I contacted Sandro Gelke; who I’ve worked with over a decade, made a proposal to move to Vegas, checked if he was available to make fight connections, line me up with the right coach and help me get situated. He was immediately on board. We got the ball rolling and I was scheduled to fly out to Vegas April 5th but covid19 halted all plans and my new Date is July 5th provided borders are open and travel in an option.

Sue TL Fox:  What have been ways you have been staying in shape while we are in self-containment and gyms are closed?

Olivia:  First off,  I have to admit to a huge love of food and a detrimental passion for ice cream (lol) ----that being said much like the rest of the world I indulged and enjoyed myself until I ran out of pants that fit and got my act together.   As a pro Athlete and personal trainer,  I am fortunate to have a fully equipped in-home gym as well as a grimy basement outfitted with all my boxing gear need (minus the coach and sparring partners of course) I have been able to continue training clients online and keeping up my boxing skills sharp with 40-50rounds on double end/heavy bag a week. And been putting roadwork and copious amount of hrs on my tread climber. I really have zero excuse not to be in top fighting form for July.

Sue TL Fox: You have officially signed with the Arete Agency, can you tell us how that came about? And details of being signed with them?

Olivia:  Between speaking with Sandro and coming up with a game plan, I’ve rented out my house, ended my job contracts that would have continued once the epidemic restrictions let up and am also in the process of applying for a P-Visa. I officially signed with Arete Agency to solidify my case and commitment to the team going forward. I’ve self-managed and self-promoted for the last 10 yrs. It is a great feeling to hand that responsibility over to Arete Agency knowing they will have my best interests at heart and I can focus solely on training.

Sue TL Fox:  You are definitely considered a road warrior in the sport and a veteran with many fights, including championship bouts where you have won titles, etc, how much longer do you see yourself in the sport since beginning as a pro in 1997?

Olivia:  At this rate,  I am going for the record of longest female boxing career (lol) I have to be close, if not already there?! It has been very cool to witness the sport.   I love grow and evolve over the years.   I hope the same can be said about me. My first professional fight was on October 4,1997. I won the prestigious WBC super feather weight world title by defeating Jelena Mrdjenovich on April 9, 2009. I won the WIBA featherweight title against Simone Da Silva on April 30, 2015. And my third title win it was for the UBF Women’s International title against Nydia Feliciano on October 20, 2016. I am dedicating one year of my life to finishing my career with the respect it deserves. It will be title hunting season as soon as I step foot in Las Vegas. The plan is to eat, sleep and breathe boxing! It is the only way I will be able to walk away knowing I gave it everything I had. Beyond that, time will tell...

Sue TL Fox: When you are not training, what other things are you involved with?

Olivia: I’m pretty much a big kid pretending to be a mature adult but fooling anyone. Tennis, bowling, pool, mini golf, trampolines - I’m there. I have some strange creative outlets. I love making art out of mannequins (my basement is pretty creepy if you don’t know me...and even a little creepy if you do!) but I swear the finished product turns out great. I also write smutty romance novels, hoping one day to look into getting published and fancy myself a carpenter because I almost always have a reno/project on the go. Just built a 30’ barn wood feature wall in the house I rented out but when your stuck in home during quarantine - what’s a girl to do? (lol)

Sue TL Fox:  Do you have any “veteran” advice to other female boxers who may be contemplating turning pro?

Olivia:  It sounds cliché but my best advice to any one young, coming up in the sport or turning pro is to learn to roll with the punches. There are many ups and downs. Boxing has broken my heart on a number of occasions but I’m a fighter to my core and with every hit I’ve taken; both literally and figuratively, I’ve learned, I’ve grown and I’ve gotten stronger.

We all box for the love of the sport. Not for the money or the fame because both can be sadly underwhelming. Always hold that passion close. Let it guide you in the ring and along your path. And if there comes a day when it’s not fun any more it’s time to move on. Oh and of course KEEP your damn hands UP!

I would like to thank Olivia for taking the time to go one on one with WBAN!   We will keep boxing fans updated on Olivia and her progress when she finally will be able to relocate to Las Vegas to begin her goals of what she is going to do in the sport!