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5'3" featherweight Ronica
"Queen" Jeffrey
was born in Grenada on January 24 1983. Her parents are from Trinidad
and Grenada and she lives
in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Ronica was originally drawn to boxing
training as
an interesting way to exercise for fitness and weight
loss, but she was encouraged to get into
competition by trainer Mike Smith and by boxers Alicia Ashley, Belinda Laracuente and Melissa Hernandez at New
York's Gleason's Gym.
Ronica began boxing as an
amateur in 2005 and compiled a 23-4 win-loss record from then until 2007. She was
a three-time (2005, 2006 and 2007) New York Daily News Golden Gloves
Champion, the 2006 Empire State Games Champion
and Metro Champion, 2006 National PAL Champion. In
the 57-kg division of the USA Boxing National Championships at Colorado
Springs in 2006, Ronica defeated future world pro champ Jennifer
Barber of California by a countback after an initial 8-8
score in the
quarter-final on March 3 and Jennifer Han of Texas on a countback after
an initial 6-6 score in the semifinal on March 9. She then
lost by a
21-18 margin to Melissa Roberts of Connecticut in the final on March
11. Ronica made it
onto the US National boxing team and won a bronze
medal at the 2006 Pan American Games in Buenos Aires in June 2006,
losing in the 57-kg semifinal by a 9-8 decision to eventual gold
medalist Sandra Bizier of Canada. At the AIBA World Championships in
New Delhi. India in November 2006 Ronica lost by a 19-13 score to
Mitriam Dellal of France in a 57-kg preliminary. She was ranked #1 in
the U.S. at
57 kg in both 2006 and 2007.
She first caught the media’s
attention in 2005 in the featherweight final of her first New York
Golden
Gloves tournament at Madison Square Garden. That
year she emphatically shut out fellow Gleason trainee Maureen Shea 5-0 in a bout
where Ronica started
fast to take control from the opening bell. Shea had been a
madia magnet because she had helped to prepare Hilary Swank for her
role as a boxer in "Million Dollar Baby", and Swank was at ringside for
the Shea-Jeffrey bout. [Video]
On
May 5 2007 at West Wind Karate Studio in
Berkeley, California Ronica fought a five-round East vs
West exhibition bout with future professional world champion Ana Julaton of
California that was judged a split decision win for Jeffery.
Rob Waxman told
WBAN:
"Jeffrey was a bit quicker, landing more shots
throughout the fight. They both started out fast, which is probably
typical for amateurs, and got tired in the last few rounds. Neither
fighter was hurt in the fight. Julaton took
more than she gave, though she was game."
 She made
her pro debut on
January 31, 2008 at Utopia Paradise Theater in the Bronx, NY, weighing
in at 122 lbs and winning a clear (40-36x3) four-round unanimous
decision over fellow debuter Karin Dulin (122 lbs) of Mystic,
Connecticut. David Pambianchi described the fight to
EastSideBoxing.com: "For the
first two rounds, a faster Ronica scored better in general with
especially heavy punches to Karen’s body. But make no mistake, tough
and solid to the core, she took the blows and keep fighting. During the
third round, Ronica, again using her speed advantage, started landing
some head shots that took a toll. Karen sometimes looked away to
protect her face, when she might have blocked and countered instead of
losing precious focus. Nevertheless, during the round four slugfest,
Karen fought well despite falling prey to Ronica’s single combinations,
a left to the body then right to the head." [Video]
On
May 30, 2008 at Monticello
Raceway in Montincello, NY, Ronica (125¾ lbs) won a four-round
unanimous decision over Lucia Larcinese of Montreal, Quebec, Canada,
who was making her pro debut. WBAN named Ronica "Top Rookie
of the Year" for 2008.
On
February 26, 2010 at Dover
Downs Hotel and Casino in Dover, DE, Ronica (123 lbs) TKO'd undefeated
Angel Gladney (122½ lbs) of Columbia, South Carolina at 1:10 in the
second round
of a scheduled four-rounder, Gladney fell to 6-1-1 (5 KO's).
On
August 27, 2010 at Dover
Downs Hotel and Casino in Dover, DE, Ronica won a four-round split
(40-36,37-39,39-37) decision over Ashleigh Curry of St. Joseph,
Missouri, who fell to 1-4-1 (0 KO's).
On
February 25, 2011 at Dover
Downs Hotel and Casino in Dover, DE, Ronica (126 lbs) won a four-round
unanimous (40-36,40-36,39-37) decision over Carla Torres (128 lbs) of
Cleveland, Ohio, who fell to 1-1 (0 KO).
On
April 23, 2011 at Benton
Convention Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Ronica (129¾ lbs)
won a six-round unanimous (60-54x3) decision over DJ Morrison (131¼
lbs) of Billings, Montana, who fell to 2-9 (2 KO's).
 On May
27, 2011 at Dover
Downs Hotel and Casino in Dover, DE, Ronica (131 lbs) won a four-round
unanimous decision over undefeated Elizabeth Sherman (133 lbs) of
Philadelphia, PA, who fell to 3-1 (1 KO).
On
August 19, 2011 at Dover
Downs Hotel and Casino in Dover, DE, Ronica ( lbs) won a six-round
unanimous (59-55,59-55,60-54) decision over tough Ela Núñez
(128 lbs) of Jamestown, New York for the vacant NABF Junior Lightweight
title. Núñez fell to 9-10-1 (2 KO's).
On
February 24, 2012
at Dover Downs Hotel and Casino in Dover, DE, Ronica (125 lbs)
won a four-round unanimous (39-37,39-37,40-36) decision over Evette
Collazo (126 lbs) of Chicago, Illinois who fell to 4-4 (2 KO's).
On
May 18, 2012 at Dover Downs
Hotel and Casino in Dover, DE, Ronica (126 lbs) won an eight-round
unanimous (80-72,79-73,78-74) decision over Jackie Trivilino (126 lbs)
of Plattsburgh, New York defending her NABF title. Rick
Scharmberg wrote
for FightNews.com: "Jeffrey proved to be too fast for
Trivilino from
the start. Although there was good action in the exchanges, it was
Jeffrey landing the crisper shots. There was also variety. Jeffrey won
the first round with jabs and right hands to the body, the second with
counter right hands and lead rights, and the third with her left hook.
Trivilino was game. She landed her shots, but
usually ended up on the wrong end of the exchanges. Jeffrey seemed
willing to take one in order to land three or four, much to the delight
of her growing fan base ... Jeffrey continued to hammer home left hooks
and
vicious rights to Jackie’s body. A hard right-left combination near the
end of round four caused Trivilino to hold for the first time in the
fight. The fifth round was close, but Jeffrey had a big
round in the sixth. She opened with a hard double left-right
combination, and continued to hammer home left hooks to the head and
right hands to the body.
Trivilino was still hanging in, but was visibly
weakened from the assault. Jeffrey continued her high work rate over
the final two rounds to handily win the fight on all three cards.
... With the win, Jeffrey took home the traditional
“Fighter of the Night” trophy." Trivilino fell
to 8-5-2
with
the loss.
 On
August 31, 2012 at Dover Downs
Hotel and Casino in Dover, DE, Ronica won a ten-round
unanimous (98-92,98-92,97-93) decision over Lindsay
Garbatt of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada for the
vacant WBC Female Silver Junior Lightweight title. The hard
fought bout was the card's main event and took place
before a large crowd of cheering fans.
Garbatt
chased the back pedaling Jeffrey who countered with jab after jab and
stopped long enough to deliver combination after combination to get the
judges' decision. Garbatt dropped to 7-6-1 (3 KO's). with her third straight loss.
On April 12, 2013 at Dover
Downs Casino and Hotel in Dover, Delaware, USA, Ronica Jeffrey (126
lbs) won an eight-round unanimous (79-73,80-72,79073) decision over Natasha Spence (129 lbs) of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada for the WIBA's Interim Junior Lightweight title. Spence fell to 6-2-1 (5 KO's).
On May 24, 2013 at
the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York, USA Ronica
Jeffrey (126 lbs) won the vacant IWBF Junior Lightweight title with a
unanimous (99-91, 99-91,98-92) ten round decision over Olivia Gerula (125¾ lbs) of WInnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. WBAN contributor Bernie McCoy described the fight: "After Jeffrey and Gerula traded the opening two rounds, the new
champion seemed to shift into a different gear in the third
stanza. Jeffrey's fast hands got faster, her in and out movement
got quicker, and her ring speed kept her away from courageous
attempts by Gerula to slow down the new champion with
counterpunching tactics. For the next eight rounds, each two
minute stanza took on a mirror like pattern: Jeffrey constantly
moving around the ring, suddenly, quickly closing on Gerula,
landing head and body shots and just as quickly, moving out of
Gerula's punching range. Gerula, to her credit maintained a
dogged pressure on Jeffrey throughout those eight rounds, and,
at times, managed to force the new champion to the ropes or a
corner, taking the opportunity to land an overhand left hook or
right cross, but the game effort fell short." Jeffrey
improved to 13-0 (1 KO) with the win while Gerula, a several-time
former world champion with a deceptive overall record, fell to 13-14-2
(3 KO's)
Her parents
and two
siblings help to keep her grounded, and she says that her
father Ronald, an electrician. made many sacrifices
to further her dual interests in boxing and her education. “With school and
boxing, it’s hard for me to have a full-time job, so I am very grateful
for the support that I receive,” Jeffrey told
Robert Mladinich of bloodlineboxing in 2008. “It gives me much more
inspiration to be successful in everything I do.” Ronica says what she
appreciates most about boxing is the way good boxers move in
the ring: "It's
more than physical, it's like a game of chess where every move is
thought out".
Other
Ronica Jeffrey links
To check
out fight reports, complete up-to-date boxing records, with
huge digital photos you can go to
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last updated: Monday, May 27, 2013
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