There is only one thing that Yvonne Reis and Leatitia Robinson agree on-that the scheduled December match-up in Africa is the fight that they both want more than anything else. To both these champions, that is their dream fight, a fight to crown the year 2006.Well that’s about all. On other issues, they both feel strongly that they will win in Nairobi.

While Leatitia asserts that she will win outright and woes the fact that she did not KO Yvonne in 2000, the WBC champion takes a more somber approach towards their fight. The fact that unlike her opponent, she is not new to Kenyan boxing fans does not go to her head

“I know that I have gained fans in Kenya and want to give them the best I have against the best there is. Leticia is the number one contender and I believe that in Kenya I will get a fair decision” Yvonne says “If there is an advantage for me over Leticia; it is that I will get a fair decision, not the fans. Sometimes the mystic of a fighter can influence a decision, but I believe that is not the case in Kenya. So for me, this is the one place I could fight her and have an equal chance to win. A level playing field is all that I want. The rest is my job”.

Yvonne fought Leticia once before in 2003 back in her hometown in Massachusetts. It went the distance and she lost by decision. “I did lose that night, but considering I had the flu and my mother was in the hospital, I wasn't at my best” she says, “ It was early in my career and I had not learned my skills yet also”.

Since then, she has fought all of the top girls in 5 different weight divisions, and has lost to the likes of Mary Jo Sanders by decision. “I have learned from every fighter and every fight, wins and losses. The best fighter, I believe, and the one I learned the most from is Mary Jo," Reis says of the current WIBA Light Middleweight champion. "She is the most underrated fighter. She's a very classy lady and boxer. I think fighting people like Mary Jo has been a real plus for me." Today Yvonne is the WBC MW Champion, after winning Kenya’s Conjestina Achieng in Nairobi earlier this year.

Leatitia is however blunt in her view of the WIBF December fight. The WIBA MW Champion; “I am my own toughest opponent because sometimes fights can be easy but I make it hard to myself when I don't do the things in the ring I know I need to do. For example, I should have knocked out Yvonne Reis the first time I fought her, but I didn't. Nobody is tougher in the ring than I am. I would like to fight Yvonne Reis and will be fighting her on December 2! I'd like to fight her again because I didn't get the job done correctly the first time, so second time is a charm”.

Yvonne elicits excitement at the prospect of returning to Kenya “This is the second time I am going to Kenya, and I am very excited. I fell in love with the country, not just because of its natural beauty, but its people. I was humbled at the knowledge level of the Kenyan Boxing fans. After the fight, I had an opportunity to travel to Mt. Elgon. People at the local gas stations would come up to me commenting on my technique. They shared both positive and negative comments. I listened to their comments and work on them when I when back to the US”. Yvonne knows she is in shape to take on Leatitia “I am technically smarter now. So Leticia will see a smarter, healthier, and wiser fighter this time”

Both boxers also believe that the successful hosting of Fists of Steel is a universal plus for women’s boxing. Leatitia agrees that Yvonne is a worthy opponent and that women’s boxing has been full of mismatches with promoters unwilling to risk their boxer against real competition. She adds; “The future is here. In order to make women's boxing grow, the sport needs more promoters to put together the real fights, like the Fists of Steel card. There are many talented and skilled female boxers competing today without the opportunities to demonstrate their skill. This Kenya card is proof of the future of women's boxing and the growth potential”

“To be a part of the FIRST ALL WOMEN"S BOXING SHOW in the history of the continent of Africa is an honor. It promises to be the another history making event which will help make Kenya the Women's Boxing Capital of the World and open doors for many other fighters in Africa and the United States”. Says Yvonne.