As WBAN Celebrates our 25th Anniversary This year...we pay Special Tribute to Female Boxers who are no longer with us

(MAY 7) As much as it is such a landmark for Women Boxing Archive Network (WBAN) to celebrate our 25th Anniversary of being in existence, it is truly a bitter sweet moment also.

Through all the success hopefully WBAN has possibly been a part in keeping the sport alive when many wanted it to go away, which I refused to let happen, I cannot ignore the sadness I have seen through the 25 years of female boxers who lost their lives in one way or another that I covered throughout the years.

So while I celebrate the longevity of WBAN I want to give Special tribute to those who are no longer with us---as we know all of these boxers shared the dream in one way or another to go far in the sport.

JASMINE MARZO OF ARGENTINA - 23 Yrs. Old

Jasmine was on the Argentine National Team and was set to travel to Brazil to train before heading to Bulgaria. According to news sources she suffered a Cardiac Arrest shortly after being taken to the Emergency room by her parents in Cordoba, Argentina. She passed away in 2018.

AMINA BULAKH - UKRAINE - 18 Yrs. Old

Female boxing champion, 18, killed by train as she crossed railway �using smart phone and wearing headphones� - On November 14, 2019 - Amina Bulakh, 18, was walking towards her home in the village of Tarasivka outside Kyiv, Ukraine when she was struck and fatally wounded.

GISELLE SALANDY - 21 Yrs. Old

Multi-World Champion Giselle Salandy, 21 years old, died in a vehicular accident on the morning of January 4, 2009, when she crashed into a concrete pillar while driving west into Port of Spain on the Beetham Highway. She was 21. Giselle Salandy was inducted into the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016. More Details

ANA VICTORIA POLO - 37 Yrs. Old

Ana Victoria Polo, 37 years old, of Mexico City, Mexico, passed away with Cancer. She had 15 fights as a professional. Her last bout took place on 08-07, 2021. She passed away in 2022.

ROSI REED - PIONEER BOXER - 71 Yrs. Old

Rosi Reed, a pioneer female boxer from the 1980's. She won the women�s World Flyweight Title in 1980. She was also an attorney, an auto mechanic, a world-class poker player, a member of the Foothill High School athletic hall of fame and more. Passed away in 2021.

BECKY ZERLENTES - AMATEUR 34 Yrs. Old

She was a college teacher and former regional boxing champion who died from a head injury she sustained in a Golden Gloves competition over the weekend in Denver in 2005. Zerlentes, a regional Golden Glove champion in 2002, was hit by a punch from Heather Schmitz, and despite wearing protective headgear fell unconscious during the third round of the bout.

MARIA JESUS ROSA - 44 Yrs. Old

History-making Maria Jesus Rosa, of Madrid, Spain, she was the first female to become a world champion from Spain, was diagnosed with cancer a couple of months ago. She was 19-1-0 (4KO) as a professional. Rosa has been inducted into the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame for 2024 and will be honored at the upcoming event in Las Vegas, Nevada. She passed away in 2018.

JEANETTE ZACARIAS ZAPATA - 18 Yrs. Old

18-year-old Mexican boxer Jeanette Zacarias Zapata passed away at the hospital after her fight against Marie Pier Houle. Houle caught her with a left uppercut and a right hook that knocked her out. Passed away in 2021. More Details

ASIA K. MAYS - 24 Yrs. Old

Asia K. Mays, 24, professional boxer who fought three pro fights, 1-2-0, making her pro debut in 2004, and having her last pro fight in April of 2005. She passed away unexpectedly at her residence on August 8, 2007 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was born September 3, 1982 in Fayetteville North Carolina. She enjoyed boxing, fitness competition, aerobics and traveling. More details

SHELBY WALKER - 31 Yrs. Old

Shelby ""Shelby Girl" Walker, was born February 27, 1975, and passed away September 24, 2006. Walker was a professional boxer, fighting from 2002-2006, with a 7-6-1 (6KO) record. She was also a mixed martial artist. After five years in active duty and in the reserve of the US Army, Walker began her career as a mixed martial artist. In 2002, More details

VICKI WOODS - 56 Yrs. Old

Vicki Woods of Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, was born on February 21, 1963. She passed in 2019. In her time of fighting as a professional boxer, she had 23 fights and she absolutely avoided no one in the ring---fighting many of the top female boxers from her career that spanned from 1997 - 2001 with a 9-11-3 (6KO) record. Vicki was ranked as high as #5 in the world in the super lightweight division, by the WIBF in December of 2001. More details

CASHMERE JACKSON - 26 Yrs. Old

National boxing champion Cashmere Jackson, 26, was killed in a bizarre incident at a gas station in Cleveland on July 16, 2014. Cleveland police said Jackson died when she jumped onto the hood of a car driving toward her, then fell off and was accidentally run over following an altercation at a gas station. Jackson won light welterweight titles in 2010 and 2011. Photos: Facebook

AMANDA LYONS - 20 Yrs. Old

Amanda Lyons, just 20 years old, of Conway, Arkansas, was killed in a tragic vehicle accident on Sunday, August 26, 2007. Although she only had been fighting less than a year, she would always call Stacy Goodman, asking when the next time she could fight. She had four professional bouts in 2007 before tragically being killed in the accident. more details

NATALIE CORONA - 22 Yrs. Old

Rookie officer Natalie Corona, and amateur boxer was killed on duty. She was ambushed on a call while responding to a three-vehicle crash, Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said. In addition to Natalie fulfilling her dream of being a police officer, and following in her father's [Merced Corona---a retired Colusa County sheriff's sergeant], and she was a former amateur boxer. Full Story

CAROLINE SVENDSEN - 82 Yrs. Old

Pioneer female boxer Caroline Svendsen, of Virginia City, Nevada, at the age of 34 years in 1975, was the first female to get a boxing license in the state of Nevada obtaining her license on July 11, 1975, passed away on June 24, 2016. She fought from 1975 to 1977. more details

GEBORIA MAYFIELD - 27 Yrs. Old

Geboria boxed from 2006-2010. She was a featherweight, who boxed out of Columbus, Mississippi. Born on August 28, 1984, she passed away on August 23, 2011. Gerboria was a very special young lady who loved life and lived it well. She left twin girls who would ultimately carry on her legacy. Photo by Alan Messick.

CLARA DE LA TORRE - 48 Yrs. Old

Featherweight Clara de la Torre, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, She made her pro debut in boxing in 2007 and boxed until 2010. She fought in Muay Thai (Thai style kickboxing) under Khun Kru Doug Pandorf and Kru Natalie Roy, with seminars by Ajarn Surachai Sirisute �Ajarn Chai.� Torre was killed in an motorcycle accident in New Mexico. She died on Saturday June 12, 2021. more details

CARMEN "LA GUAPA" MONTIEL - 57 Yrs. Old

Carmen �La Guapa� Montiel, a significant pioneer of women�s boxing in Argentina passed away August 21, 2022, when she had died in a fire in her home. She was just 57 years old. Prior to turning pro at the age of 31 years old, she had a reported 22 amateur fights. Carmen left with a legacy of being the second female boxer to be issued a professional boxing license by the Argentine Boxing Federation. more details

ELENA SABITOVA - 28 Yrs. Old

Russian amateur boxing champion Elena Sab�tova, 28 years old, passed away on in 2008, after lying in a coma for three days. There were no details as to why Sabitova was in a coma. She was married to world kick-boxing champion Anatoli N�sirev with whom she had a daughter, the couple's only child. more details

LIZ SHERMAN - 35 Yrs. Old

Super featherweight Elizabeth Sherman, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, passed away on October 27, 2015. She fought from June of 2009 to April of 2013. Sherman was known for being an all-action fighter, that was a tough as nails boxer. After not boxing professionally in 2013, she was working as a personal trainer in Charleston, South Carolina at the Title Boxing Club. more details

LILLY RODRIGUEZ - 59 Yrs. Old

Lilly Rodriguez, a pioneering female boxer and world kickboxing champion who helped establish kickboxing as a sport for women, died January 13, 2007 of an infection. She made great strides and successes as a kickboxer, and came from a famous family that pioneered kickboxing. Photo credit: Mary Ann Owen more details

FREEDA FOREMAN - 42 Yrs. Old

Freeda Foreman boxed professionally from 2000- to 2001. She had six fights with 5-1-0 boxing record. She was found unresponsive inside her Houston home on March 9, 2019. The Harris County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Tebben Lewis said in a statement that the death was an apparent suicide. more details

JOANN HAGEN - Unknown Yrs. Old

JoAnn Hagen was a pioneer boxer from the 1950's and 1960s. She passed away in 2004. She fought the likes of Phyllis Kugler, Pat Emerick, and Barbara Buttrick. On July 10, 2014,posthumous JoAnn Hagen was inducted into the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame in Florida. iwbhf.com More Details

DONNA PEPPER - 30 Yrs. Old

Australian Boxing champion Donna Pepper died in holiday tragedy in Cambodia. She had died in a motorcycle accident while she was on vacation with her family in February of 2012. She was a state boxing champion in 2006. Her father, David Pepper, said Donna was an outstanding boxer who was as talented out of the ring as in it. Photo credit: Facebook

LEIGHANDRE JEGELS - 25 Yrs. Old

Leighandre "Baby Lee" Jegels of South Africa, was murdered in Mdantsane, in the country's Eastern Cape. Officials say the suspect was known to her and was a serving member of the South African Police Service. Jegels was 9-0-0 (7KO) as a professional boxer. The officer was her boyfriend, and he ultimately died after being in a car accident with head injuries.

MERICIA QUINONES - 27 Yrs. Old

Mericia Quinones, an amateur female boxer, passed away on June 13, 2019. Her desire in the sport of boxing she said to WBAN that she would love to compete in the Olympics either represent USA or Mexico due her families roots being from Durango, Mexico, and maybe become a Pro one day. more details

PHINDILE MWELASE - 31 Yrs. Old

Phindile Mwelase, light middleweight pro female boxer a south African female boxer died after failing to wake from coma after a fight. She boxed from 2012 to 2014. Her last fight was against Liz Butler, on October 10, 2014. She passed away without regaining consciousness two weeks later. Her record: 0-5-1.

PHYLLIS KUGLER - 80's Yrs. Old

Phyllis Kugler, a boxer in the 1950's, who had reported over 50 fights that most were exhibitions, with only one loss is one of the most prominent women boxers in the past, and played a significant part in the world of women's boxing. She passed away on March 6, 2014. In 2015, the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame inducted her in Florida. more details

OLGA DOMULADZHANOVA - 52 Yrs. Old

Russia�s ex-World and European female boxing champ Domuladzhanova took home the gold at the 2001 Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships in the United States (under-81 kg weight category) and at the 2001 Women's European Amateur Boxing Championships in France (under-81 kg weight category). Passed away from Covid complications in 2021..

JORJA HALLIDAY - 15 Yrs. Old

15 year old boxing prodigy Jorja Halliday passed away from a �rare heart condition� - Baffled doctor: �She looked frightened, not just of the situation, she also had a sense something was seriously wrong with her body�. There were very few details as to the causes her what had happened to this young teen.

Let us all pay a special tribute to these unique women who decided to pave the way in women's boxing from way in the past to the modern era. If I have missed anyone, please email me with the details and links to a female boxer.