(AUG 15) Mia St. John has literally
gone full circle in this sport.
She has a long history of the good, the bad, and the ugly, of
what women's boxing has brought to this sport. In her early years as a boxer,
St. John was criticized at times for opponents she was up
against when she fought under the tutelage of promoter Bob Arum.
|
Early
years in the sport on a De La Hoya Card.... |
But through it all ....St John
has
stuck to her game plan, and has ultimately succeeded in what she
has wanted to do in the sport. One of her goals was to
fight Christy Martin. St. John
did not only fight Martin once----but twice now, defeating the
"Coal Miner's Daughter" in their second outing.
|
First
Fight with Christy Martin in December 2002 |
When St. John first fought Martin in December of 2002, WBAN's
correspondent Brian Ackley spoke with Mia about her fight.
Ackley wrote the following:
"Mia St. John can laugh, now, about
the dressing room scene moments before stepping into the ring
against Christy Martin. She was, in her own words, very scared.
But not so much as her mother, who like her boxing daughter, was
decked out in always-present pink. She had worked her daughter’s
corner for many fights -- and seen her daughter scared before.
But everyone in the room knew that tonight was different. Mia's
mother said, ‘I’ve got this towel ready and if she hurts my
baby, I’m throwing it in." Mia's response to that comment at the
time was "Believe me, if my life is in danger, I’ll throw in my
own damn towel.”
Ackley went on to write about the first 10-round bout between
St. John and Martin stating: "History will recall no towel was
necessary that night. St. John, fighting a competitive fight
against Martin in their first meeting----Ten rounds later, to
the surprise of many, St. John was still there, standing,
smiling, relieved -- a swirl of emotions as much a trademark of
her boxing career as her pink shorts and luminescent smile."
Mia St. John has now been professionally boxing for 14 years.
At
the age of 45, St. John has currently accumulated a
boxing record of 47-11-2 (18KO).
Photo by Mary Ann Owen -Flash Photo
Slideshow
Last night at the Table Mountain Casino, in Friant,
California, St. John defeated Martin in the mainliner
appropriately titled: "The Final Victory." She won by a
10-round unanimous decision [96-94, 96-94, 97-93], adding the
WBC Super Welterweight title to other world title belts she has
won throughout the years.
Brian Ackley asked St. John in 2002: ."Are you surprised that you
are still in boxing?"
St. John responded, “No, because I always
knew that I would be around for a long time. It’s everybody else
who said ‘just watch, she’s going to come and go’, but I knew
that I would be around for a long time and I’m still going to be
around for a long time. I’ll fight for another year or two, but
I’ll stay in the public eye, still be in the media, still be
around in some way or another. I’m working on my own TV show
right now, or I’ll host a show. But I’ll stay in the sport. You
can’t get rid of me. I know all the Mia haters want to get rid
of me, but you just can’t, I’m not going anywhere. And I’ve
proved it. Seven years is a long time in boxing.”
St. John mentioned in that 2002 interview that she would
probably box 1-2 years more and yet now, 10 years later, she is still
going as strong as ever!
Mia St. John at the weigh-in -August
13, 2012 - Photo by Mary Ann Owen
Last night, after her fight with Martin in Friant, California, she and Martin
both announced they would retire.
WBAN will say 'don't be so
sure' that St. John will not take another fight. We have heard
St. John say this before, just
to see her take another fight. There is nothing
that will stop this strong-willed boxer from doing anything at
anytime what she wants to do, regardless of what anyone says....
WBAN would like to congratulation Mia on her win last night
against a tough veteran boxer as Martin.
*note: You may be able to
see some of the fight on ESPN Friday Night, not sure if they
will show it partially or the whole fight. We have been
told that it will be on the English version and Fox Deportes -
Spanish.
WBAN
ON TWITTER -
