I got a bloody nose. Some of my teeth
were knocked out. My head was pounding. But other than that, I was
fine.'' "Fine?" Rodriguez wrote, "Sparks suffered a
second round TKO."
Rodriguez also mentioned the fact
that Sparks was one of the fortunate ones that had crossed the paths
of Sumya Anani, who had previously
fought Katie Dallam
the "all-of-four-weeks" trained boxer, who had had a car
accident a day before her ill-fated match up with the Island Girl. As
most probably recall, Dallam fell into a coma shortly after
the fight when she went to her dressing room, and barely survived
her ordeal---ending her boxing career, and
changing her life forever.....
Well, Sparks will be mentioned
again-----but this time it will be on WBAN. And, why?
Because Sparks is one of many women boxers that are fighting today
that are offered up as "fresh meat" to other fighters that
ARE well-trained, and ARE encouraged to win.
So where did Sparks begin her
glorious boxing career of one win, seven loss record at the ripe old
age of 24 years old?
Sparks was not picked out of a boxing
gym, or kickboxing Center... She just happened to meet a character
by the name of Reggie Strickland after Strickland had gotten her
friend, Susie Saylors a fight.
Reggie had gotten Saylors a boxing
match (her pro debut) with Dianna Lewis.
After Sparks saw that fight with Saylors and Lewis, she expressed an
interest to Saylors about getting a boxing match. Sparks ended
up getting a call from Strickland where he offed her a fight.
Sparks with absolutely no training, no trainer... was offered a
fight to box Lewis.
Lewis was a new fighter herself with
only two bouts on her record 1-0-1. But, regardless of Lewis'
record, Saylors nor Sparks who had never seen the inside of a boxing
gym, had absolutely no business in the ring with th3e likes of a
boxer like Lewis. Saylors fought Lewis in March of 1998, and
was stopped in the third round. Sparks fought Lewis on May 19,
1998, and was stopped in the second round. Saylors has
never had another fight...
I asked Sparks how did Saylors get
the matchup with Lewis...Sparks said that "Saylors" was
simply chosen by Strickland when he approached her after he noticed
that she looked like someone that would be able to fight.
Sparks said that the only reason why
she boxed in the first place was that she wanted to do it because
she thought it would be fun. Sparks said that she viewed
herself as "tough", and that she had had street
fights and felt that she could handle herself in the ring.
Sparks also did not anticipate that
she would gain a love for the sport, even though in her pro debut
against Lewis, she was clearly overmatched. Sparks never
realized that she was truly a "Fighter without a
chance."
PART II - SPARKS IS INTERVIEWED BY TL
FOX AND SHE TALKS ABOUT HER FIGHTS WITH SOME OF THE TOP CONTENDERS
IN THE WORLD |
