(FEB 14) Darlina Valdez, hails from Santa Fe, New Mexico, pioneer in women’s boxing, made history on October 21, 1983, by fighting a 15-round, three-minute-per-round bout against Holly McDaniel in Albuquerque, winning by unanimous decision. As the only woman to fight this distance under these rules, and in the world, she will receive a special recognition award at the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame (IWBHF) event on October 10, 2026, in Las Vegas.

The Historic 1983 Fight: Setting a Standard - In an era where women’s boxing was in its infancy, Darlina Valdez and Holly McDaniel took the ring for a 15-round championship match. With the bout going the distance the judges scores were 149-141, 137-133, and 149-143.

There has never been one female boxer in the sport that has fought 15-rounds, @ three minutes per round in the sport and should be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The IWBHF is confirming that Darlina Valdez will be present to receive her Special Award in her historical marker in the sport.

In the early 1980s, Darlina was a dominant force in the bantamweight division (approx. 113–118 pounds). Known for her technical skill, she struggled to find opponents due to the scarcity of female competitors and the difficulty in securing promotions and reasonable purses for women at that time. Her historic fight against McDaniel remains a unique, unparalleled milestone in the history of the sport.

As reported in the media, those who witnessed this fight, the crowd roared with delight as the women competed, and notably continuing despite that McDaniel suffered a broken nose in the 11th round. Darlina and McDaniel wore eight-ounce gloves.

WBAN/IWBHF went one on one with Darlina about how she got into boxing and more!

TL Fox:  What did your family feel about you getting into boxing?

Darlina:  I was already in kick boxing; so it really didn’t come as a surprise to them. I was always athletic.

TL Fox:  How did it happen that put you in contact with Vern Stevenson the promoter who set up the 15 round bout with McDaniel?

Darlina:  I believe Joe Louis Murphy out of Albuquerque was in contact with Vern.

TL Fox:  What did you think about Vern wanting you to fight 15 rounds, at three minutes?

Darlina:  We thought like wow, we hadn’t heard of women having to go 15 3-minute rounds; this will be challenging.

TL Fox:  What was your immediate reaction when the opportunity to fight 15 three-minute rounds was presented to you?

Darlina:  Can I go that many rounds; my trainer told me don’t worry we’ll be ready.

TL Fox:  How did your training regimen for a 15-round, 3-minute-per-round fight differ from standard women's bouts (which were typically 2-minute rounds for 10 rounds)?

Darlina:  A lot of sparring, running and mental training. My trainer (Lupe Trujillo) was big on mental training, he would tell me half of fighting is mental and the rest is physical. He always knew how to build me up mentally.

TL Fox: What was the atmosphere like during that specific fight? Do you remember any standout moments, either in or out of the ring, that captured the significance of the event? And how did the crowd re-act to your fight with McDaniel?

Darlina:  It was held at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  It was packed; when I met Holly at one of the gyms in Albuquerque, my trainer and I were impressed with her; he even told me after our photo shoot, this woman knows how to fight; we need to be focused and train seriously for this fight.

Lupe told, before the fight, I want you to be on your toes this woman knows how to fight, I need you to win the beginning and the end of the rounds; this is a 15 round fight; Holly is tough we will be here for the full 15 rounds; so you need to pace yourself…At one point during the fight, like the 10th round, we were going out to the middle of the ring I thought to myself, man I’m tired; then I snapped my self out of that frame of mind and just pushed forward.

TL Fox:  Do you remember what your purse and McDaniel's purse was for fighting 15 rounds?

Darlina:  Not much, actually its embarrassing what we got paid; then we didn’t get paid for the fight; both promoters blamed the other for the delay in paying us. It took them awhile for them to pay us. Actually months.

TL Fox:  What inspired you to start fighting at a time when women's professional boxing was in its infancy and often overlooked?

Darlina:  I was kickboxing at this time, I figured boxing would help me out. I ended up enjoying boxing more.

TL Fox:  What were the biggest challenges you faced in your career?

Darlina:  The let down of not having fights. We would get a call asking if we would be willing to fight then we would have them cancelled; after training so hard. So, we took exhibition fights in the tough man contests held in Albuquerque nm just to stay busy.

For those who have not gotten your IWBHF Tickets to our upcoming Hall of Fame event, go here! https://iwbhf.com - This is an event you do not want to miss! 


About the IWBHF:

The International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame is dedicated to calling honorary attention to those professional female boxers and industry contributors whose efforts have been instrumental in the growth of the sport.

October 10, 2026 - Saturday
Orleans Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada

VIP TABLES    GENERAL TICKETS

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The International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame (IWBHF) Induction Ceremony/Dinner will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at the ORLEANS HOTEL & CASINO, IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA in the Mardi-Gra Ballroom, where we will honor our new inductees and present special awards to deserving recipients, and More!  You can book your room On Line or call into: 

Phone: 800-675-3267 Group Code: BFHK26C
Cut-Off: September 7, 2026

Link to book hotel room, the cost of room and Resort fee is included:  Go Here

For more information contact the IWBHF:
Email:  wban100@aol.com
Email:  iwbhf@aol.com
Website:  https://iwbhf.com