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5'7½" bantamweight/junior featherweight Lisa "Too Fierce" Foster
was born on April 15, 1968 and grew up
in the Washington, D.C. area. The youngest of five children, and the only girl,
Lisa lived in eleven foster homes. She idolized Muhammad Ali. "I always watched 'The Greatest.' I loved his style, his timing. I enjoyed mimicking his moves," she said.
When Lisa became a boxer herself in 1987, she hoped to emulate his style by using her
own natural mobility and quickness to good effect.
Lisa competed in karate and kung fu in her mid-twenties, but then sought out a sport
with more contact. After watching Christy Martin fight in 1997,
she went in search of a boxing gym.
After months of being turned away because "boxing is not for women"
she eventually found a gym at Midtown Youth Academy in D.C. where she was
trained by Eugene R. Hughes. Nine months later she had the first of
two amateur fights, the second coming in the 125-lb quarter-finals of the 1997 Women's National Championships
where she lost a decision to Elizabeth Aguilera of California.
Lisa made her pro boxing debut on November 21, 1997 at Yonkers Raceway, New York.
She faced 37-year-old Leona Brown of
Pawling New York. Leona, who was making her own pro debut after taking
the silver medal in the 119-lb division at the first US National championships.
Leona Brown (4'11", 118½ lbs)
won a 4-round unanimous decision
over Lisa (118½ lbs).
On
January 29, 1998 in Glen Burnie, Maryland,
Lisa (117 lbs) fought Rose Johnson
(115 lbs) of Silver Spring, Maryland to a 4-round majority draw.
On May 24, 1998 at the Tropicana Resort and Casino in Atlantic City,
Lisa notched her first pro win with a third-round TKO over newcomer Mary Shaida
of Pleasant Hill, California.
On February 26, 1999 at the Orleans in Las Vegas, Nevada,
Australian kickboxing champion Laura Skinner (119 lbs),
now fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, stopped Lisa (119 lbs)
at 1:59 of the third round, moving her pro boxing record to 3-0.
A visitor to the Women's Boxing Page told me: "Ms. Skinner, making
her US debut, won a fairly close bout by way of KO at 1:59 in the third round.
Ms. Skinner looked fairly good ... her footwork and ring generalship was
superior, but when it came to getting inside those jabs, she walked right into
them ... the jabs eventually bloodied Ms. Skinner's nose but she was not to be
denied. Once she got inside she made short work of her opponent, banging her
into submission. Overall a good bout for Ms. Skinner, more action in her bout
than the male bouts before." Lisa had been a late substitute on this card.
In an
interview with Muay Thai Online, Skinner says this was her hardest fight:
"I was losing bad my face a mess blood everywhere. Some how I got some good body
shots in the 3rd and it was all over."
On
February 11, 2000 at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, Lisa (121
lbs) won a four-round unanimous (39-37,40-36, 39-37) decision over Raquel Tebo
(5'4", 119 lbs) of Las Vegas. Foster moves to 2-2-1, while Tebo fell to 0-1-1.
 On
November 15, 2000 at the Angelo Dundee Training Center in Davie, Florida, undefeated
Ada Velez (5'3", 119 lbs) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
moved to 5-0 (4 KO's) with a TKO at 1:48 in the second round over Lisa (119½ lbs) who fell to 2-3-1.
According to correspondent Ryan Wissow, "Velez dazzled Foster,
then administered a beating on her in the second round when Foster turned away and
said "no mas".
On
July 28, 2001 at Oneida Casino in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Lisa (121½ lbs)
evened her record at 3-3-1 (1 KO) with a four-round unanimous
decision over Jessica Flaharty (117 lbs) of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
who slipped to 2-3-1 (2 KO's).
On
September 19, 2001 at Big Kahuna in Wilmington, Delaware, Lisa used her boxing skills to move to 4-3-1
with a six-round split
(60-52,56-55,55-56) decision over LaKeysha Williams of Philadelphia, who fell to
3-3-1. Williams knocked Foster down for a brief count in the second round but
had a point deducted for striking Foster after she was down. Foster knocked
Williams down with a hard right in the third, then held off a late charge by the
Philadelphian in the fifth and sixth to gain the split decision. Fightnews.com called
this "a well-deserved split decision" for Foster, who "displayed her superior boxing ability" and
"boxed beautifully, circling and landing her long left jab."
 On May 15, 2002 at Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner, Louisiana, Lisa (121 lbs)
stunned veteran Kathy Williams (119¼ lbs)
of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada with a knockdown in the opening
round and went on to win the vacant IFBA Junior Featherweight title by TKO at
1:19 in the ninth.
Foster had Williams out of her usually effective counterpunching style and looked
"incredibly sharp" according to my correspondent. The bout was stopped with the more
experienced Williams looking wobbly on her feet. Williams, the IBA Junior Bantamweight champion and #1 ranked Junior Bantamweight
in my computer rankings before this fight, fell to 13-4-0 (4 KO)
with the loss while Foster (previously #6 at bantamweight in my rankings)
advanced to 5-3-1 (2 KO).
On
September 14, 2002 at Volkswagen Halle in Braunschweig, Germany, German-based
Daisy Lang (117 lbs)
of Bulgaria defended the WIBF Bantamweight title with a ten-round
unanimous decision over Lisa (118 lbs). Lang improved to 16-1-0 (6 KO)
while Foster fell to 5-4-1 (2 KO).
On November 21, 2002 at the Days Inn in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Lisa
defeated Shakurah Witherspoon of Williamsport,
Pennsylvania by a four-round unanimous decision.
On March 8, 2003 at Lincoln Theater in Washington, DC
#14 ranked junior lightweight Trisha Hill (126 lbs) of Kennesaw, Georgia
stunned Lisa (130 lbs)
with a TKO at 1:55 in the second round. Foster controlled the first round with
her jab but Hill stunned Foster with a hard punch, then drove her into the ropes
and administered a barrage of unanswered shots that had Foster dazed and wobbly
when the fight was stopped. Hill advanced to 5-2-0 (3 KO) while
Foster fell to 6-5-1 (2 KO).
Lisa
Foster owns Too Fierce Boxing & Fitness at 5517 Colorado Avenue, NW in Washington, DC, where she conducts classes in boxing, body sculpting, and cardio kickboxing. An accomplished and in-demand personal trainer, her clients are primarily professional women. The gym is also the site of a summer program for children, run personally by Lisa.
She has also had success as a promoter of amateur boxing events. Lisa is
sponsored by, and is the celebrity endorser of and official spokeswoman for, the Biochoice line of nutritional supplements and has her own "Too Fierce" line of boxing gear and fitness wear.
She is a USA Boxing-certified coach, referee, and judge, and a wife and mother of a boy and a girl - Gerald and Taylor.
"My kids are my life", Lisa told
The BlackWebPortal's
Christop Cruise. "They train at my gym three days a week. They've both trained to box since they were three, and they both want to compete. But that's totally up to them, I refuse to be one of those parents who press their children into doing something the kids might not want to do."
Lisa admits that she was badly managed, and, at times, badly trained early in her
career.
"I have had several trainers who have tried to change my style. I'm pretty sure that is the reason for at least one of my losses. I vowed to myself that I would never lose that part of myself again," she
said.
"One trainer tried to change my whole style of boxing. I started to hate the thing I once loved. But my current trainer encouraged me to do my own thing and enjoy myself and that is exactly what I have been doing."
 "I will make a mark in this sport for all women to be proud of. Out of the ring I will always be attached to boxing in some way, with my gym, management, and promotion. I would also like to do some stand-up comedy and act, and I want to write a book on my journey through foster care and my life in boxing."
Other Lisa Foster links
To check out fight reports, complete up-to-date boxing records, with huge digital photos you can go to
the WBAN Records Member Site
Page last updated:
Sunday, 05 November 2017 |
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