HISTORY OF
WOMEN'S BOXING

THE TOP BEST PAST
 WOMEN BOXERS

PAT PINEDA

PAT PINEDA was a female boxer in the later part of the 70's, early 80's.  She at one time  fought Kim Maybee at the Olympic Stadium, and lost the bout.   She trained with Lady Tyger Trimiar and was managed by John Dubliss (who is now deceased).   It is unknown if she had any other bouts at this time.  Pat Pineda did not have very many professional fights, and is best known for being the FIRST woman in California to obtain a Boxing license.   Dee Knuckles her manager, was very instrumental in helping Pineda accomplish that goal.   Knuckles managed Sue TL Fox (booked fights for Sue TL Fox without a contract) many women fighters, including, Britt VanBuskirk, and many others.   

CHERYL BROWN

Cheryl Brown of Waterville, Maine, set a record for that state when she stopped Pat Poland, in only ten seconds at the Augusta Civic Center. That was the quickest kayo either among the pros or the amateurs. Ms. Brown's kayo was even quicker than the one recorded by Al Couture over Ralph Walton back on September 26, 1946, which was listed at ten and a half seconds including the count. The shortest fight on record was an amateur bout, stopped without a count. In only four seconds in Minneapolis, MI in  1947.

YVONNE BARKLEY

YVONNE BARKLEY, who was from Harlem, New York and a mother of two children.  According to newspaper sources, BARKLEY fought Lilly Bayardo on 10/9/79 in Houston, Texas, and had lost by a decision. BARKLEY fought Sue "KO" Carlson on 11/20/79, and won in the fifth round by TKO. That fight was three minutes per rounds, 10 rounds, and 8 oz. gloves, which apparently is customary in Texas.  BARKLEY also defeated Lady Tyger Trimiar in the 80's and was #3 in the World in 1984.

BILLIE JO FINLEY

BILLIE JO "FLASH" FINLEY, a Bantamweight from Canada was a very energetic and gutsy boxer.  She had a match with Zebra Girl Tucker in 7/23/82.  The fight resulted in a loss for Finley, but it was a very exciting match to watch. (WBAN has the video on this fight)

SUE TL FOX

Sue TL Fox, creator of WBAN (Women Boxing Archive Network), and as of 2014, the IWBHF (International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame) boxed from 1976 - 1979.  Fox was Ranked #1 in the World as a Super Welterweight at that time.  In that division there was no champion and it was vacant in super welterweight division.  Fox was never offered to fight a world title during her boxing career.  Fox is now a retired police officer as of 2008 from the State of Oregon.  Full Biography

LAURIE  HOLT

LAURIE HOLT, a dynamite super-featherweight that defeated Cora Webber in a 15-round World Title Fight in the 80's in Denver, Colorado at the Radisson Hotel.    She won by a unanimous decision.  HOLT was a very quick, and skillful boxer.  She was light on her feet, hard-puncher, with great timing.  (WBAN has a tape of this fight).

HITOMI CHIKANO

HITOMI CHIKANO, a leading Japanese contender was knocked out by Britt Van Buskirk when it was only BUSKIRK'S second bout. 

GWEN GEMINI

GWEN GEMINI, was one of the most accomplished and versatile welterweight female boxers of the 70's and early 80's. She had the skills and finesse to mesmerize any audience, who had the pleasure of watching her fight. 
GEMINI had the boxing moves of a male fighter, with a strong left jab, a dynamite left hook, and a tremendous right hand. She had the "Ali" shuffle down to a science and moved very skillfully in the ring.  GEMINI had a long reach, and her defense skills were very good. With those combinations of attributes, she was a tough fighter to hit.
Before women were able to fight sanctioned bouts in the states, GEMINI and Tyger Trimiar would perform exhibition fights in different states. When women were finally able to get boxing licenses in some of the states, GEMINI was already ahead of the game.  In 1976, GEMINI, 24 years old, came to Portland, Oregon, and fought Theresa "Princess Red Star" Kibby at the Exposition Center, and won the fight by a decisive four-round unanimous decision. Full Biography

DENISE COLEMAN

DENISE COLEMAN, a featherweight from Los Angeles, California, fought Amy Levit on 1/10/80, but lost the fight by a decision.  No other info on her at this time.

DONNA JENSON

DONNA JENSON, a fighter from Seattle Washington, had a fight on 10/02/79 in Reno, Nevada against JUDY JAMES of Nevada.  She won the fight when she KO'd JAMES in the 3rd round.

FRANKIE JONES

FRANKIE JONES, 168 lbs., had a fight in Belleville, Illinois, a small town near St. Louis.  The fight occurred on 11/27/79.  She won the fight, but the fight had to have been a novelty fight, because her opponent, LINDA HARRISON, weighed in at only 144 lbs.,   JONES won the fight.

GINGER KAUFMAN

 GINGER KAUFMAN,  appears to have had the misfortune to fight Graciela Casillas, a great fighter, on 7/31/79 in a 10-round bout with 8-ounce gloves.  KAUFMAN had to have been a fairly good boxer to withstand ten rounds with CASILLAS.  She lost by a decision.  Reports were that KAUFMAN was "battered."   KAUFMAN went on to fight another well-known fighter in the 70's, Karen Bennett, on 11/23/79.   The fight was a draw, and reports were that both girls were "cautious." Also, Kaufman was mentioned as an Amateur fighter in Minnesota, check out Setting the Record straight on the first sanctioned amateur bout.  All news reports internationally recognize Dallas Malloy as the first sanctioned amateur fighter in the U.S., but WBAN uncovered documents to disprove that! 

PATRICIA LADD

PATRICIA LADD fought SANDRA PECK on 7/17/79 in a four-round bout in Memphis, Tennessee.  She lost the fight by a decision.  

CHERYL LAUDD

CHERYL LAUDD, a Bantamweight, had a fight against Paula Trichel  on 1/10/80. She lost by a decision.

LOUISE LOO

DENISE MOOREHEAD

DENISE MOOREHEAD, a featherweight from Los Angeles, California fought Zebra Girl Tucker  on 1/10/79 and lost by a KO in the 2nd round.  She also participated in a six-bout fight in Japan, but her opponent is unknown. 

SANDRA PECK

SANDRA PECK had a four-round bout against PATRICIA LADD in Memphis, Tennessee on 7/17/79.  She won the fight by a decision.

NANCY THOMPSON

NANCY THOMPSON, known as "LIttle Rock", from San Diego, fought Louise Loo on 11/3/83 at the El Rancho Tropicana in Santa Rosa, California.   She lost the fight by a KO.  

GINATE TROY

GINATE TROY, a Bantamweight, fought Zebra Girl Tucker on 12/11/79 in San Jose, California. She lost by a TKO in the 2nd round.   She had another fight with Lily "Squeaky" Bayardo on 7/13/80 in Los Angeles, and again had lost the fight.

CHARLENE ANTHONY

CHARLENE ANTHONY  a welterweight/middleweight from Hawaii, fought out of Las Vegas, Nevada.    In February of 1977,   ANTHONY at 0-1, then fought Sue TL Fox but lost by a unanimous decision.   ANTHONY's goal  was to have a bout against Sahara 21-dealer, LaVonne Ludian for the city championship.  In one news report in the Las Vegas Sun they wrote, "The most exciting match on the undercard was, for a change, the women's welterweight four-rounder between Sue Fox of San Pedro and Las Vegan Charlene Anthony."  Mike Marley, Sun Sports Writer, February 1977  Las Vegas, Nevada. ANTHONY, RANKED #6 World Welterweight with the Women's Boxing Federations, approved by the WBB and WBBA 1977

ROSETTE "ROSI"  REED
Deceased October 21, 2021

Rosetta (Rosi) Reed was a pioneer female boxer from the late 1970's and 1980's, hanging up the gloves in 1985.
 She made her mark in women's boxing and is one of the great female pioneers from the past.  She won the World Flyweight Title Championship in 1978, when she defeated Prestwood.  She eventually earned a law degree after leaving the world of boxing. Rosi, a talented and inspiring woman who seemed able to do anything she set her mind to, died Oct. 21, 2021 from complications related to COVID-19 at the age of 71.  Born in Tehachapi on Jan. 5, 1950 and raised in Mojave until her family moved to Bakersfield when she was in high school, Reed excelled in an almost unimaginable variety of endeavors. 

LILLY RODRIGUEZ
Deceased January 2007

TONI LEAR RODRIGUEZ

Toni Rodriguez began her fighting career as a welterweight in about 1976.  Rodriguez eventually dropped about 20 pounds and switched to the featherweight division.   Rodriguez went on to fight for the sanctioned World Champion featherweight division against Baby Bear in  1979.  Rodriguez defeated Baby Bear and was named the Featherweight World Champion in Boxing Illustrated in 1979, April issue.  Toni Rodriguez also fought under names of Tony Lear, and "Tough" Toni Rodriguez.  This fighter fought off and on up to about 1993. WBAN discovered an article about her fighting a 0-2 fighter and telling a radio announcement that she was something like 73-0 and was a past world champ (I guess she forgot about the below listed fighters who defeated her). Then she lost to the 0-2 fighter that night of 1993!  Her response to losing that fight to the 0-2 fighter:  Toni said that she "let" the girl defeat her.  (Rodriguez lost twice to Fox by unanimous decisions to Fox at Incline Village in Lake Tahoe, and in Utah). 

JACKIE TONAWANDA

JACKIE TONAWANDA, was first introduced to the sport of boxing by a young friend at the age of nine. TONAWANDA immediately took to the sport. According to reports, for thirteen years, TONAWANDA boxed professionally, although WBAN has NOT BEEN ABLE TO SUBSTANTIATE A BOXING RECORD that is listed in newspapers on this boxer. When the New York State Athletic Commissioner Edwin Dooley refused to issue her a boxing license, she took it to court and won. TONAWANDA still remembers vividly the day in October of 1974, when she applied for her boxing license. She was told to expect an answer in a month. She never heard from them, and after a few months of not receiving her license, she let her lawyers take over.  THREE BOXERS RECEIVED THEIR LICENSES AT THE SAME TIME.  Tonawanda, along with Cathy "Cat" Davis, and Lady Tyger Trimiar were all responsible for earning the right to box in New York State.  TONAWANDA was the first woman to fight at the Madison Square Garden, when she matched up with a top contender male kickboxer.  She knocked him out in the 2nd round.  She thought that the New York Athletic Commission would finally be convinced that she had a right to get a boxing license. They still did not give in. WBAN has now received information from MANY boxing sources that say that Jackie Tonawanda's  boxing record is basically a figment of her imagination. WBAN will have to concur with that as it has yet to find ANY documentation to substantiate her outlandish claims of having a 26-0-0 record, 32-0-0 record (depending on what news source). WBAN has her at 0-1-0 at this time in women's boxing, one documented kickboxing/boxing exhibition match when she boxed a male.

JULIE MULLEN

JULIE MULLENS, a boxer out of Nevada boxed in the later part of the 70's and early 80's.  She was the welterweight Nevada State Champion in 1979, and ranked #3 by the Women's World Federations, and she was also still ranked in 1984 as the #2 welterweight.   She was defeated by Britt VanBuskirk, a fairly new fighter, in 1979, in Las Vegas, Nevada by a KO in the 2nd round.   MULLEN was known for her strong punching ability.  Julie Mullen has also defeated Lavonne Ludian.

AMY LEVIT

AMY LEVIT,  a 112-pounder, that not only tried her hand at boxing, but was also an inspiring actress.   LEVIT appeared  on several TV shows and films.   She LEVIT trained at the same gym as Graciela Casillas in Los Angeles, California. 

JACKIE HOLLEY

JACKIE HOLLEY, a 27-year old in 1984, and a World lightweight Boxing Champion was a very dedicated boxer. She had won the World Title by fighting 15 rounds. She worked long hours training in the gym, but HOLLEY felt it was worth it.   She loved the sport and the excitement that women boxing brought to the public.  On August 24, 1984 in Pensacola, Florida, and sponsored by the International Women’s Boxing Assn., that was based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she was defending her title against Dora Webber, who was 24 years old at the time and fighting out of Los Angeles.   HOLLEY supplemented her pro boxing career with a job as a security officer at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. HOLLEY had to admit that it was very difficult to work a regular job, and try to train at the same time.  HOLLEY who came from a family with seven brothers, the Detroit Michigan native said that having so many brothers in a family helped to develop her confidence in sports. HOLLEY’s other athletic passions, included volleyball, basketball, baseball, touch football, tennis and racquetball. She was also well-skilled in karate and kick boxing.     HOLLEY had been boxing since 1981.  Article on Holley:  Copyright 1984 U.P.I. - July 29, 1984, Sunday, BC cycle- HEADLINE: Female boxing champ says it's all just routine - BYLINE: By ANNA V. SHAW DATELINE: PENSACOLA, Fla. "The long hours of training in a hot gym are routine, and so are the swollen eyes, the bruised face and sore muscles, but the Women's World Lightweight Boxing Champion says it is worth it.  ''I just like the sport. I like the excitement,'' explains Jackie Holley, 27, during a break in her training routine for the August defense of her title.   ''I get a lot of self gratification out of it. Ms. Holley won her title in a 15-round bout in February. The challenge match will be held Aug. 24 in Pensacola, sponsored by the International Women's Boxing Assn., based in Albuquerque, N.M.  Ms. Holley will defend her title against Dora Webber, 24, a Los Angeles housewife and mother, who began boxing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Ms.  Holley supplements her pro boxing career with a job as a security officer at Pensacola Naval Air Station. It hasn't been easy juggling her job schedule with her training schedule, which includes daily sessions of two to three hours.  Boxing generally is considered a man's sport, Ms. Holley acknowledged, but said that, like many other male -dominated sports, boxing is gaining popularity among women. She added that she would not hesitate to recommend it for other female athletes who want to try a challenging sport. ''It's just like anything else. If you want it, you can do it,'' she said.  ''It's just a matter of putting your mind to it.''  While there's a great deal of pain involved in the sport, particularly after a bout, Ms. Holley says she doesn't let it distract her during a match.  ''I look at it for what it is,'' she said. ''You block out the pain during the match. Of course, I don't go into a match intending to get hit.Vern Stevensen, IWBA founder and director, said Ms. Holley is the only female boxer in the area. ''She's one of the finest boxers around,'' he said.  The lone girl in a family with seven brothers, the Detroit, Mich., native said growing up in a family of boys helped to develop her confidence in sports.   ''I was always right in there with them when they played any sports, and I  had to learn how to defend myself, too,'' she laughed.  An active participant in numerous sports, she rattled off a list that includes volleyball, basketball, baseball, touch football, tennis and racquetball. It was her training in karate and kick boxing, however, that led her to try boxing, she said. ''I wanted something with more contact and I guess I just bounced around in sports until I found one,'' she said. Ms. Holley has been boxing since 1981, and has no plans to retire in the immediate future, even if she loses the upcoming match.  ''I don't see quitting anytime soon,'' she said. ''I won't quit until I  just don't want to come in to the gym anymore and that doesn't seem to be in the near future.'' She paused for a moment and added, ''In the meantime, I won't refuse any takers.''

DARLINA VALDEZ, of Santa Fe, was in the women’s first Bantamweight World Championship bout before more than 1,000 screaming fans in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She fought a 15-round battle and won a unanimous decision over Holly McDaniel of Muncie, Indiana. Apparently the fight was a crowd pleaser, and it was reported that the crown "roared with delight" at the performance of the two women. McDaniel, a high school beauty contest winner and mother of a three-year-old got her nose broken in the 11th round, but continued bravely to the finish. The rules at the time in 1983 for fighting a championship was the same as men’s, 15-round for championship fights and eight-ounce gloves. Chest and abdomen protectors were optional and that only about 50 percent of the women wore them. 

ERNESTINE JONES

ERNESTINE JONES, AKA: CONNIE SMITH, was a lightweight.   In the 70's, she had a TKO in the fourth round against Cathy "Cat" Davis.  After the fight, Davis's manager was able to get the results of that fight reversed, and it was classified as a  "no contest."  

Angel Rodriguez, a very quick and skillful fighter fought Louise Loo.  Loo defeated Rodriguez in the early 80's. (WBAN has this fight on video for documentation). 

LAVONNE LUDIAN

Lavonne Ludian was one of the top women boxers in the world in the late 70's.  She fought on CBS Spectacular against Theresa Kibby and has fought many of the top women boxers in the past.  She had a draw with SueTL Fox, three weeks before fighting for a World Welterweight Championship in March of 1977. For full biography, go here.  

THE TOP BEST PAST WOMEN BOXERS
PRE-1970'S WOMEN BOXERS