(SEPT 29) Bernie McCoy gave me a
compliment earlier this year in a story saying, “I get it.” Well I
guess I still don’t get it and do I really want to?
I lost to Hanna
Gabriel by a decision in a fight that took place on September
26, 2009. Did I really lose? Well, what fighter
will admit to a loss on a decision? I would, and no, I don’t
feel that I lost, but I did lose something----Faith.
I went to the
U.S. Virgin Islands expecting a tough fight. But like all
fighters hoped for a fair decision if it came to that. I felt
the odds of that slipping away the minute weigh-in took place.
Of those of you
who have never been to a weigh-in, that is when you get the
details and rules from the local boxing commission, fill out the
commission’s paperwork, and of course weigh-in, do the stare
down and press for the fight.
Well, first
off, there was no commission representative to give us the
rules and regulations. Okay, that is not so weird; I have been
in many other countries and received the rules in the dressing
room before the fight. I thought that I would get them then. We
both made weight, did our stare down and went on our separate
ways.
After weigh-in,
which is that day before the fight, all fighters go eat. I find
out that the promoter takes my opponent to the local high school
to talk to the kids. A publicity move which is normal, but I
wasn’t invited. A little red flag goes up in my head.
Ok, I now know
that I am the opponent so I don’t get the press, fine. I seem
to always be in that position in my fight career because I have
no promoter. In fact, very few of us female fighters do. Those
that do can be counted on one hand with fingers to spare.
Fight day comes
and the venue is nice, professional and seems very legit---So it
appears.
We get our
dressing rooms and wait. That is the part we all hate; the
wait. I am ready, come on lets do this! Is what goes through
most of our heads. The referee comes in and gives the rules we
will be fighting under, 3- knock down rule in one round fights
over, can't be saved by the bell, etc. We ask the referee when
the commission inspectors will come to watch us wrap our hands
and to sign off on the wrap. The referee says good question. I
am here from the sanctioning body for the title fight so you
will need to ask the promoter.
Red
flag warning number #2.
We notice that
the blue corner is losing every fight. The blue corner is the
opponent’s corner. The first few fights end with knockouts. We
all know that game of over matching fighters, to get KO's and
build records. But they are all in the first round.
Red
flag warning number #3.
We wrap our
hands and wait. We get our gloves, no inspector and wait some
more. No one comes to sign off on our handwraps. We put our
gloves on and go fight. There is no one from a boxing
commission anywhere near the ring that I can see that looks
official. I see the ring announcers, promoter and matchmaker
and of course, the ring girls! Don’t get me wrong they have
judges and a doctor, in fact, it looks real legitimate. Still
something is not quite right---there is no one in the corner
watching what is given to me or her between rounds, no
inspector. Hmmm...
Bell rings, we
fight. I say that laughingly (sadly really). I stand in the
middle of the ring and she runs around the outside. Six round
of this and it goes to decision. I lost by decision but really
it wasn’t even a fight. It should have been a draw or given to
me for trying to make the fight. But I am always the opponent
and never seem to get the decision.
I know you are
all saying; “I should have knocked her out”, that the decision
will always go to the promoter's fighter. Well here is the rub,
the promoter and matchmaker are the commission. There were no,
and are no U.S. Virgin Island boxing commissioners or
inspectors. The promoter fly everyone in and puts boxing shows
on an island and pays the judges to build records.
So, if the
promoter’s fighter is standing at the end of the fight. They
win. It really is that simple. One fighter in the blue corner
won because the red corner didn’t come out after the 7th
round. The blue corner had knocked the red corner down 4 times
in the fight. After talking to the blue corner after the fight
in the hotel, he told me that they had the red guy up. Can you
believe that?
I have received
and seen many out right robberies in the boxing world and still
cling on to the hope that the best fighter will win when I enter
the ring every time.
No, Mr. McCoy,
I guess I don’t get it. I don’t want to get it. Female
fighters do not make that much money and there really is no
great financial benefit for the fight to be fixed (for lack of a
better word!)
The
fighter’s ability to earn decent pay day gets hurt.
Women’s Boxing gets hurt.
I try at every
opportunity to promote my sport, the sport of women’s boxing.
Not women competing in male boxing, but the sport of women’s
boxing.
I know everyone
needs to work and make money, so I can’t blame the judges
really. They have to work and the promoter is paying them, so
if his guy is standing he wins.
Is it
right? NO. Is it reality? YES.
Do I blame the fighters? NO.
Fact is Gabriel
trained just like me. She entered the ring just like me. AND
she wanted to win--just like me. Did she win? Well, she was
standing at the end of the fight, but so was I.
The judges
didn’t even make it close. Where the rounds score card
written in advance? Maybe?
There are no
commissioners to complain to and no one to file a complaint
with, not that it would do any good.
You see, I am a
warrior. I need to believe that the best fighter will win.
I need to
believe that the sport of boxing, the one I love, will find its
way to truth.
That
honor will prevail.
I am in my
early forties now and know the end is near for my fighting
career. I believe in honor. I will keep fight in and out of
the ring for the sport I love and cling on to the hope that
someday I will hear, “Yes Yvonne, there is a Santa Claus.”
