Nancy Franco de Alba moved quickly to the center of the ring. She is usually a slow starter. She was not wasting any time in her WBC Silver Female Super Fly Title against Adelaida Ruiz. Ruiz was taller with a much longer reach. This was the seventh time Alba had fought for a title. In 2013 she had won the Minimum Weight title against Kayoke Ebata in Japan. Having several opportunities to fight for a title is not unusual for female boxers because there are so few of them. Though she be small, she be mighty.

Photo credit:  Richard Baker

De Alba never took a backwards step in the fight and constantly moved ahead throwing quick punches. In the end the long arms and height of Ruiz were too much to overcome and the fight was stopped in round nine.

With 36 fights De Alba is a true professional, one who has made a career of boxing, something unusual for women. Most women fight for only a few years. She will fight anyone at any time.

Manager Ray Frye recently brought de Alba to Washington from Mexico. He had several boxers on the Alba/Ruiz card and he worked her corner. He noticed her considerable skills and he spoke to her after the fight. Frye was surprised at how little she had gotten paid. For the 10 round title fight against Adelaida Ruiz she was paid about the same as a new male boxer in a four round debut bout. Her story is typical of many boxers, not just women. Fly-by-night managers had looked to make a quick buck off her hard work, then dropped her and often ran off with the money. She had constantly been thrown in over her head while she was learning then tossed into championship fights before she was ready or on short notice. Only once was she prepared for a title fight, and that one she won.

Alba was born in Guadalagara, Jalisco, Mexico where her father is a candy maker. The minimum government wage is $7.10 a day, not much to live on but better than nothing where jobs are scarce. She has never been much bigger than a grasshopper and opportunities were few. She was always athletic and energetic and she saw boxing as a way to earn a living. Both her father and brother boxed as amateurs. At age 32 she is intense as ever and intendeds to fight until she is forty. She is now training at the Jose Benavidez gym in Burien, Washington, where she will receive excellent advice and professional help. Frye intends to get her fights for decent money and not just spare change. He is slowly building a stable of decent female boxers.

“She is too good to be treated so badly,” he said. “With me she will get more notice before fights, better conditioning, and better sparring.” He has already scheduled a rematch with Ava Knight December 5thor 11that the Muckleshoot Casino in Washington. Alba lost the first fight by unanimous. She took the fight on eight day’s notice.

“I wanted to put her into a fight with someone who beat her to see what she can do with proper training. She is a fast little fireball and I think Knight will be surprised at the change.”

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