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Mary Spencer was born the fourth of five
children in the small town of Wiarton, Ontario on December 12, 1984. She
spent most of her life in Windsor, Ontario where she attended Roseville
Public School and W.F. Herman Secondary and began her athletic career.
As a soccer, volleyball and all-city basketball player, it became
apparent that Mary had the natural gifts of an athlete.
At age 17, she wandered into the Windsor amateur boxing club. Her
hard work and athleticism grabbed the attention of Olympic boxing coach
Charlie Stewart and after five months of training, Mary had her amateur
debut. A 6’ boxer from London, Ontario alias Ines Jelic was opposing a
145 pound Mary Spencer who stood at 5’11”. She didn’t remember who she
was or how she got there, but 26 seconds into the first round, all 6
feet of Jelic had to be scooped off of the canvas before Mary could be
awarded a TKO.
After getting a few more fights under her belt, the time came for Mary
to compete at a higher level of boxing. In 2003 she stopped former
Canadian Champion Jennifer McMurter in the second round to become
Ontario’s 66kg (145 pound) champion and three months later in 2004 she
became the Canadian National Champion after defeating Lara Cubitt 42:37
in the finals.
As the Canadian Champion, Mary began her
international travel in hopes to broaden her list of competitors and
increase her skill as a boxer. At the Torneo Italia and the Taiwan World
Invitational Mary earned gold medals against world class fighters from 6
countries. She proved herself as a top competitor for the world
championships and was named Boxing Canada’s athlete of the year.
In 2005, Mary successfully defended her National title and as
Canada’s champion she competed at the PanAmerican Championships in
Buenos Aires, Argentina where she won a gold medal. Every win brought
her closer to the World Championships and every win brought reputation
to her name as one of the world’s finest boxers. Finally the time came.
The world championships were held in Podolsk, Russia not far from
Moscow. All of Mary’s training and hard work was put to the test and she
came through. She defeated national champions from Turkey, India and
Ukraine before the final match against reigning 2 time World Champion
Irina Sinetskaya. After the third round with a score of 28:21 Mary
Spencer became champion of the world beating the Russian champion in her
home country and winning the titles of tournament best boxer and Boxing
Canada’s athlete of the year.
In 2006 Mary became a three time national champion and two time Pan
American champion.
She did not however become a two time world
champion. At the world championships in New Delhi, India Mary won the
bronze medal after a loss to Oleksandra Kozlov of Ukraine scored at 6:9.
Losing the world championship only gave Mary the drive to become a
better boxer. In 2007 Mary became a four-time national champion and
three time Pan American champion. She was also named Boxing Canada’s
athlete of the year for the third time.
When 2008 finally came around Mary went to Ningbo, China for the World
Championships as a five time national champion and best boxer of the
2008 Pan American championships where she claimed her fourth Pan
American title. In China she defeated champions from England, Russia and
North Korea to face U.S. champion Vanessa Nicol Jackson in the finals.
After a 9:2 victory over Jackson, Mary was renamed Champion of the World
and was once again named Boxing Canada’s athlete of the year.
In 2009 after an AIBA weight change, Mary competed in and won the 64kg
(141 pound) Canadian Championship and winner of the Ahmet Comert Cup in
Istanbul, Turkey. She is now fighting at the 75kg (165 pound) weight
category to prepare for the 2012 Olympics in London, England which will
premier women’s boxing at the 51, 60 and 75kg weight divisions.
On August 27, 2021, at the Hotel Holiday
Inn, Cuernavaca, Spencer, 152 1/2, won by a first round KO over Maria
Zamora, 152. The bout was scheduled for four rounds.
On October 29, 2021, at the Auditorio Centenario, Torreon, Spencer
stopped Luz Mondaca, 147 3/4, by TKO in the first round of a
four-rounder. Mondaca had not won one pro fight, and fell to
0-14-1.
On January 29, 2022, Spencer, 152, went four
rounds at the Big Punch Arena, in Tijuana, Mexico, and won by a four
round unanimous decision over Milagros Diaz Perez, 149 1/4. Final
judges scores were 40-36 on all cards.
On March 26, 2022, at the Montreal Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Spencer, 141 1/4, won by a first round KO over Beatriz Aguilar, 144 1/4.
The bout was scheduled for six rounds.
On May 28, 2022, at the CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Spencer won an eight-round unanimous decision Yamila Esther Reynoso.
Final judges scores were 8-72 on all cards.
On June 23, 2022, at the Montreal Casino, Montreal, Canada,
Spencer, 151 3/4, made it a short night when she stopped Chris Namus,
150, in the first round by TKO. The bout was scheduled for eight rounds.
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