Super lightweight Cathy Boyes, born on August 2, 1957, in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, fought as a professional boxer out of  Kamloops, BC, Canada from 1998 to 2003. Before boxing professionally Boyes talks about some of her early experiences in contact sports.

"Article on the Sentinel - What's a woman doing on a top-ranked kickboxing card? In real life this mild-mannered mother of three children works as a bookkeeper out of her home. At night She's a competitive kickboxer who trains with the "tough guys" in Adkin's Downstairs Gym."

In 1994 in Abbotsford, Boyes, 37, fought the much younger Diane Dutra.  Boyes said of what she recalled of the fight said the following:  "She [Dutra] kept holding my head down and got warned."   Dutra won the bout.  At the time that Boyes took the fight, but did not have a coach, and just used a boxer friend. 

 

One of Boyes'  of those experiences took place  in kickboxing in 1996 in Victoria BC Canada.  This was before she got into the one amateur boxing bout she had before turning pro. She said that in a five-round kickboxing match in the 129 lb. division against Luraina Undershute, she had an unusual experience.   

Boyes told WBAN that the last minute the day she arrived to fight, she was told that the kickboxing match was for a Bantamweight World title, that Undershute was defending.  There were about 5,000 in attendance, and to her surprise (probably not a good one) she was booed by all who were in attendance as she walked in.  She had no coach, and a boxer friend and she asked someone from another club to work her corner! She did not win the closely fought match---but she earned the respect of some of the crowd who felt she had won the fight.

In 1997, Boyes again fought Dutra in kickboxing at the PNE Gardens, Vancouver BC, Canada in Dutra's hometown.  Boyes said, "it was after her world boxing title win with Helga Risoy, but I could not get the video of my fight with Diane."

In a third hand comment Boyes recall that one of the ringside judges had said at that time that she had won that fight with Dutra, but with Dutra being the hometown girl, and that I didn't get the knockout to take it out of the judges hands."  When the winner raised her hand in victory, Boyes says that the crowd remained silent.

Prior to boxing professionally Boyes participated in many fitness programs and also spent many years in kickboxing.

At the age of 41, Boyes made her pro debut on May 8, 1998. She fought  Olivia Gerula, 2-1-1, and 20 plus years younger, fought a five-round battle.

At the time WBAN wrote the following on that fight, "All five rounds were hard fought and evenly contested, and the fight was described to me as "just an old fashioned slugfest throughout".  One judge had Boyes winning the bout, and two had it for Gerula., with Boyes losing by a split decision.

To prepare for her pro debut with Gerula, she trained at the new Golden Eye Boxing & Fitness Centre.  Prior to the fight with Gerula, she had one amateur fight with the Golden Gloves.

Her coach and former boxing champion Kelly Ricketts said at the time,  "There's this rush when you step in the ring.  It's something that those who love the sport feel when they're in there.  I've noticed especially with women it's like a power trip for them when they go through the ropes and walk around the ring."

"I had only one amateur boxing bout at age 40 with a coach (training for six month).  I had done some kickboxing at age 35 for two years (one year with a coach) but the lack of gyms, and sparring and coaches made it difficult to pursue", added Boyes.

On March 20, 1999, she took a fight against Snodene Blakely, at a venue in Yakima, Washington.  Boyes said, My time was off.  She was my toughest fight, and very strong."

On September 20, 2000, at the age of 43, and taking a fight with Jaime Clampitt, without having a coach, told WBAN that she was cosidered more of a test for Clampitt than her previous two fights. 

Boyes said, "I didn’t fight or train for three years after losing to Jaime Clampitt.  In 2003 the promoter needed a fighter and called me up for Jelena Mrdjenovich. by then I was 46 years old.  I was 46 years old. The payday helped me a lot. I’d been a single mom raising three boys. It was crazy to take but I hung in there best I could. It is what it is." 

Boyes told WBAN that when she was training that she had a distance gym (300 km away) that most my fights she actually trained herself with hardly any sparring or a coach.  Most of the females that she fought were 20-25 years younger.

Out of the five professional bouts that Boyes had in boxing--- she took on some very tough female boxers. Out of those five---three opponents eventually becoming world champions. Boyes did not let that deter her from taking on tough competition and was a true warrior in the sport!

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