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Middleweight
Leatitia "Baby Girl" Robinson trains at Gladiators Boxing Club at Stateway Park in Chicago, Illinois,
with coach Frankie J. “Cat Daddy” Smith.
"Baby Girl" began boxing at age 14 to survive in Cabrini Green ... one of the roughest public housing projects in
Chicago. A month after she began training, she won her competitive debut against a seasoned 26 year old boxer.
She began to train with Tony Sils and Alfonso Hashbro at Sewer Park in September 1995, and fought and won
her first Golden Gloves competition that year.
She repeated the performance in 1996, 1997 and 1998, also winning the
1996 Citywide Tournament in Chicago.
On May 31, 1998 in the 156-lb final of the USA Boxing/Everlast National Senior Championships at the
Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim,
California, she lost to Evelyn Rodriquez of New York by a 10-2 score. This would be her only defeat
as an amateur boxer.
She competed for the last time with Sils and Hashbro in the 1998 PAL tournament.
"Baby Girl" changed trainers in 1999, moving to Chicago's Windy City Gym.
On April 15, 2000 in the 165-lb final of the USA Boxing/Everlast National Championships at
the Chaparral Center in Midland, Texas,
Leatitia stopped Emily Longoria of Phoenix, Arizona at 0:51 in the opening round; the referee
stopped the contest with Robinson already ahead 14-0.
On May 7, 2000 in the 75-kg final of the prestigious Feenix Box Cup international tournament
in Turku, Finland, Leatitia defeated Canadian champion Jennyfer Grenon by a 5-4 margin.
On August 12, 2000 in the 165-lb Open Division Final of the 2000 US National/international Golden Gloves in Augusta,
Georgia, Leatitia won by a 5-0 decision over Angela Josipovic of Toronto, Canada.
On November 18 and 19, 2000 in the 165-lb bracket at the Eastern Gear-Up Senior Tournament for Female Boxers
at Newsome Community Center in Evansville, Indiana, Leatitia defeated Faye Hollis of North
Carolina by a 4-1 margin and Bonnie Mann of North Carolina by a 5-0 score.
Leatitia's amateur boxing career ended with a 37-1 record.
Leatitia made her pro debut on March 23, 2001 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
Weighing in at 158 lbs, she won by a
first-round TKO over Aicheria Bell (160 lbs) of Wisconsin in
a scheduled 4-rounder. Bell's pro record fell to 1-4.
On May 8, 2001 at Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Illinois,
Leatitia moved her pro record to 2-0 (2 KO's)
with a first-round TKO over Theresa Oprysk of Indiana in a 148-lb bout.
On May 17, 2001 she TKO'd Marqueta Robertson in the first round.
On June 14, 2001 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois,
she moved to 4-0 (3 KO's) with a four-round
unanimous (40-36,40-37,39-37) decision over the durable Karen Bill
of Lawton, Oklahoma, who fell to 3-7.
Inside Women's Boxing correspondent Robert Hoffman reports
from ringside that "Robinson was the total package, making Bill miss the mark all night while countering well
with a strong right hook and exhibiting good ring generalship." Robinson was the USA Boxing national
165-lb champion in 2000 and compiled a 37-1 record as an amateur.
Bill was quoted as saying that Robinson was "very well schooled at moving around.”
On October 17, 2001 at Ramada Inn in Rosemont, Illinois,
she advanced to 5-0 (4 KOs) with a third-round
TKO of Jeanine Tracy.
This was a wild bout with Tracy tossing haymakers
and attempting to wrestle Robinson to the canvas. At one
point both boxers and the referee all fell to the canvas together.
Robinson's boxing skills were too much for Tracy, who did not come out
for the third round. Tracy fell to 3-5 with the loss.
On November 21, 2001 at Ramada O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois.
Leatitia moved her pro record to 6-0 (5 KOs) with a first round TKO
over Genevia Buckhalter of Columbus, Mississippi, who fell to
2-9-1 (2 KOs). Robinson dropped Buckhalter with a left hook at 1:48 of the first
round and the fight was stopped. FightNews correspondent Robert Hoffman
wrote that 'Robinson's footwork, versatility, and knockout power rival many of her male
counterparts'.
On June 28, 2002 at Roseland Ballroom in Taunton, Massachusetts, Leatitia
advanced to 7-0-0 (6 KO) with a second-round TKO over an outclassed
Norma Galloway of New York who couldn't answer the bell for the third and fell to
1-1-1 (0 KO).
On September 13, 2002 at National Guard Armory in Braintree, Massachusetts.
Leatitia pounded unranked Evelyn Holly
of Pennsauken, New Jersey into voluntary withdrawal between the first and second rounds.
Holly fell to 1-3-1 (0 KO) with the loss. On December 14, 2002 at National Guard Armory in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
In a battle of former US amateur champions, Leatitia weighed in at 158 lbs and stopped Dakota Stone (159½ lbs) of Aberdeen, Washington at 0:39 in the sixth round for the
vacant IWBF Middleweight title. Both boxed cautiously in the opening rounds, Robinson establishing her jab while Stone
threw occasional exploratory hooks to her body. In the fourth, Stone pinned Robinson in a corner and fired off several
shots before Robinson spun herself out of harm's way and returned the favor. They traded solid shots in the fifth with
Stone landing a right to Robinson's head, but Robinson worked Stone's body well and connected consistently with her
jab. As the round ended, Robinson landed a good right to Stone's face. Dakota Stone began the sixth with a right to
Robinson's face, but just seconds later Robinson tagged her with a hard left hook to the jaw that sent Stone to the
canvas for the first time in her career. Stone lay motionless for a couple of seconds before slowly rising to her feet.
Stone gamely attempted a counterattack, but Robinson backed her into the ropes and unleashed a barrage of rights and
lefts to Stone's head and jaw. The referee stepped in to stop the bout with Stone clearly still shaky after the
knockdown. “She had her hands down by her chin,” said Robinson. “She dropped her hands and I saw my opening.”
"Baby
Girl" progressed to 9-0-0 (8 KO) with the win while Stone, who was the 1999 USA Boxing national 156-lb titlist, fell to
5-3-3 (0 KO). Asked about her strategy entering the bout, Robinson smiled and said
"I just wanted to have fun."
Robinson stalks Eplion in the WIBA title fight
© Copyrighted photo by WBAN Senior Editor Brian Ackley
On February 28, 2004 at Veterans Memorial Field House in Huntington, West Virginia,
in a battle between two undefeated and top-ranked fighters, Leatitia (159 lbs)
won the WIBA Middleweight title with a ten-round unanimous (98-92,97-94,99-91) decision over
Nikki Eplion (160 lbs) of South Point, Ohio.
Former Toughwoman champion Eplion was the favorite of the crowd, estimated at 1,000, and had predicted
a third-round KO at the weigh-in.
But the ring skills that Robinson had honed in her 37-1 amateur career were too
much for Eplion as Robinson
constantly beat her to the punch. Robinson also appeared to be in better condition for a long fight.
A ringside correspondent says that Robinson "hammered Nikki from the left side
and it was like when she was tired with that she hammered Nikki from the right. Nikki didn't have the
endurance that Robinson had. From the stands
it looked like Robinson was just having fun, she didn't look like she was working at all. Nikki on the
other hand was shuffling around and couldn't react quickly enough. Robinson didn't sit there and wait
for Nikki. Maybe that's why it looked like Nikki was only fighting with one hand, she never had a chance
to throw the second punch. About the only thing Nikki had left was to keep hugging Robinson, that was
annoying because we didn't get to see much continued punching for that reason."
Eplion fell to a sanctioned record of
11-1-2 (7 KO); she had other, unsanctioned, bouts since turning pro.
"I’ve been waiting a whole year for this",
Leatitia told WBAN's Senior Editor Brian Ackley.
"We tried to fight Nikki Eplion last year and when our people
talked to her people they said she wasn’t ready, she needed a few more fights, so
I was going to wait until whenever she was ready because
I knew I could beat her. And I knew that she could not beat me no matter how
much she said she could. She gave me exactly what I
expected from her ... nothing", Robinson said. "She basically didn’t have any love
for me when she told me she was going to knock me out and this was going to be
the worst beating of my life. I wanted to show her you are not a boxer, you’re a toughman, and when you become a boxer, that’s when you can get in the ring and
discuss something with me."
"We were able to box and beat her to the punch every time, make her miss,
make her get frustrated by going from side to side, switching all the time. We
wanted to do that and that’s what I did." (See Brian Ackley's full
fight report
and more photos)
On January 30, 2004 at the National Guard Armory in Worcester, Massachussetts,
Leatitia (163 lbs) successfully
defended her IWBF Middleweight title, when she won a 10-round unanimous decision
over Yvonne Reis
(159 lbs) now 3-2-1, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Final scoring was 98-92,
100-90, and 100-90.
Leatitia takes a left from Valerie Mahfood
© copyrighted photo by J & P Photography
On September 24th, 2004 at the Phillips Arena in
Atlanta, Georgia, Leatitia (168¼ lbs) won the IBA Continental title with
a ten-round unanimous decision over Valerie Mahfood
(168¾ lbs) of Groves, Texas. Leatitia outboxed Mahfood while punishing her with
fast jabs and right hands. Mahfood was often left punching air as Robinson moved
masterfully to bamboozle her. As Mahfood tried to increase her pressure,
Robinson showed more skill at giving her difficult angles and countering as
Mahfood pursued her around the ring. Mahfood fell to 17-8 (8 KO) with the loss.
On February 11th, 2005 at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Leatitia (160
lbs) knocked out Mónica Núñez (159 lbs) of the
Dominican Republic with her second punch to earn a shockingly easy 36-second
win. Robinson landed a solid straight right hand to the midsection of Núñez,
feinted to open the way through the guard of her opponent and then dropped her
with a picture perfect left hook to the jaw. The fight had been scheduled
as a ten-rounder for Leatitia's WIBA Middleweight title. Robinson improved to
13-0 (9 KOs) while Núñez fell to 9-3 (4 KOs). The card was promoted by
Laila Ali's husband Johnny McClain and carried live on ESPN2 and Robinson's
spectacular win added to the buzz abut her stepping up to fight Ali.
On December 10, 2005 at Club
O Arena in Harvey, Illinois,
Leatitia won a six-round unanimous shutout (60-54) decision over Cassandra
Geiggar of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Robinson improved to 14-0 (9 KO's) with
the win. Geiggar fell to 6-7-0 (6 KO's).
On December 2, 2006 at the
Moi International Sport Center in Nairobi, Kenya, Leatitia won a ten-round
majority decision over Yvonne Reis of Fort Lauderdale,
Florida for the WIBA Middleweight World Title. WBC Middleweight champion Reis
fell to 6-10-1 (0
KOs).
On April 4, 2009 at
the Convention Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Ijeoma Egbunine (170 lbs)
of Marietta, Georgia won an eight-round unanimous decision over Leaitita (166
lbs). Egbunine said that "Robinson is a
good boxer but she couldn't get through my jab. I had my game plan, when she
boxed inside I would bull her, when she tried to bull me, I would box.”
This loss dropped Robinson, who was coming off a two-year layoff, to 15-1
(9 KO's) while Egbunine advanced to 1602 (10 KO's).
"Baby Girl" is looking forward to being recognized as an undisputed female champion and then
to pursuing her professional and personal goals by moving into a law enforcement
career while running her own boxing gym.
She looks forward to giving back to the sport of boxing by supporting children and women
who are interested in the sport.
She says that the influences in her life to which she credits her successes are God and her mother.
Her mother was always there for her and instilled a strong love of God in
"Baby Girl", who
hopes to pass on this love to her own family and to others through boxing
and all of her future endeavors.
After Leatitia won her second world title, I asked if she had
any advice for girls who are just getting into the sport of boxing. She replied ...
"Stay in school
because you may be a world champ but without education
you won't be able to fend for yourself. There is more
to being a world champ than just being the best boxer.
Believe in God and thank Him everyday. Each day you
wake up is a gift, He can watch out for you when there
is nobody besides boxing, talk to Him, that is how I
made it through some tough years. He will get you
through. Then take care of the people around you, your
friends, parents and family. The love you give will be
returned back to you and will make your achievements
even more special because you have someone to share
them with. Lastly, focus on boxing or whatever your
passion is. In whatever sport or activity you excel,
stick with it, love what you do and one day you will
be recognized as the best and what you dream for will
come true. Don't let anyone tell you that being female
means you can't be a boxer or anything else you decide
to do!"
"I love boxing", she added, "not because I hope to make a bunch of
money but because it is what I do, I love the sport.
Love boxing, learn the game, and work hard. You will
see the results and be rewarded in many ways. You
can't become a true world champion without putting in
the years of blood, sweat and tears. Take your time,
work through the amateurs and really develop yourself
as a fighter, your time will come."
Page last updated:
Monday June 12, 2023
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