(MAY 12)  With the WIBA bantam title at stake, Corinne VanRyckDeGroot (11-1, 5 KO) has been preparing to rematch Guyana's Shondell Alfred (11-5), again in Guyana May 22, after a September 2009 fight that left Corinne, who resides in Atlanta, Georgia, on the losing end of their first title clash. Corinne offered details of the fight. “She dropped me in the third round, then I dropped her once in the eighth round, and three times in the tenth,” Corinne said “ The last knockdown, there were 10 or 15 seconds left in the round when I caught her with a straight left to the body then a left hook to the head. She went down, her gloves touched the canvas. The referee ruled it a slip, picked her up and walked her back to her corner.” Amazingly, Alfred was given a unanimous decision, but Corinne is not about to let the title go again. “May twenty second,,” Corinne promised, “I am not leaving a decision in the hands of the officials. I'm knocking Shondell Alfred OUT, and she will wish that the first time the referee hadn't cheated.” After securing the WIBA title, Corinne's goal is to keep busy by unifying all of the 118 pound titles, then see what other opportunities present themselves.

Since the first Alfred bout, Corinne has spent time healing a pinched nerve in her neck, doing stunt work for some television shows and feature movies, and mentoring junior high girls in the Atlanta area, and of course, training for the rematch with Alfred.

With her work that includes television and films, Corinne has enjoyed lots of exposure and visibility, but hopes women's boxing is finally recognized and given air time on such premium channels as HBO, but believes promoters need to present better bouts with fighters being of equal caliber. “When female fighters are given opponents of equal caliber and not badly mismatched, you will get good, strong matches,” Corinne said, “instead what happens is promoters mismatching the fighters so badly that the entire skill level of female fighters looks poor. There are very good female fighters out there, they're just not being showcased properly”.

May twenty second Corinne plans to showcase her talents and bring the WIBA bantam title home to Atlanta, then stay prepared for her next ring date. She is looking forward to the challenge of unifying the 118 pound titles and is ready to see who will step up and fight.