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5'5½" Belinda "Brown Sugar" Laracuente was born on
January 29
1979 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 1989 she moved to
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. She was always active in sports, and as a
long-distance runner won a Puerto Rican national cross-country
championship. Her brother Laureano is
a boxer, and at age 12 she was motivated to try the sport herself by
hanging around the Mayaguez gym where he trained. They
became two of the best amateur boxers in Puerto Rico.
She moved from Puerto Rico to
Miami, Florida, in May 1998 with just one goal ... a world title belt.
Belinda is a stylish ring general who built her skills and a solid ring
record carefully at first with fights mainly in the Miami area and
Puerto Rico.
Laracuente defeated
Philadelphia fighter Karen Nye in
her pro boxing debut in Pennsylvania on February 12 1997, dopping Nye's
pro record to 1-1.
On march 14, 1997 in Miami she
won a first-round TKO over debut fighter Stephanie Hopkins.
She lost a four-round decision
to veteran Cora Webber of
Ocala, Florida in Miami on May 23, 1997. Webber had been a pro boxer
since 1986, and went the full 15-round distance with Laurie Holt for
the WIBF Super Featherweight title.
On September 27, 1997 in
Condado, Puerto Rico, Belinda TKO'd 16-year-old Haydé Núñez of Condado
in the fourth round.
On October 24, 1997 in Miami,
Florida she scored a four-round unanimous
decision over Atlanta's Tawayna Broxton, dropping Broxton to 1-3-0.
On February 13, 1998 in Miami,
Belinda (132 lbs) stopped Shannise Davis (134½ lbs)
of Atlanta, Georgia by TKO at 1:05 of the first round. Davis fell to
0-2 with the loss.
On April 3, 1998 at Coliseo de
Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, she
continued her knockout ways with a first-round
TKO of debut fighter Sharon Tiller.
On April 18, 1998 in Miami,
Florida she knocked out debut fighter Jasmine Lawson in the first round.
On June 28, 1998 at North
River Boxing Gym in Miami, Florida she stopped debut fighter Latasha
Church at 1:25 in the first round.
On September 12, 1998 in
Miami,
Belinda won by TKO in the first round over Gail Grandchamp of North
Adams, Massachussetts,
who fell to 0-5.
On October 10, 1998 in New
Orleans she was held to a 4-round draw by Jeanne
Martinez of Slidell, Louisiana, whose record was then even at
2-2-1.
On October 17, 1998 in Miami,
she resumed
her winning ways with a six-round unanimous decision over Atlanta's
Tawayna Broxton, who fell to 1-6 with the loss.
On December 3, 1998 at Casino
Magic in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi,
she suffered a setback when she lost a four-round unanimous decision
to former New York Golden Gloves and U.S. national amateur champion
Denise Moraetes
of Augusta, Georgia, who
progressed to 2-0 with the win. (This wasn't a good trip for Belinda,
who was
arrested the night before the fight for gambling while under
Mississippi's legal
age for that recreational activity and spent a night in jail.)
On February 5, 1999 at the Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida,
Belinda (137¼ lb) defeated former WIBF world champion Daniëlla Somers
(139¾ lbs) of
Brecht, Belgium by eight-round unanimous decision.
She put Somers on the canvas in the opening round with a left hook,
and used her defensive skills and ring movement well to stay away from
the former world champion's punching power for the decision. The win
moved Laracuente's pro record to 14-2-1 with 9 KO's, and dropped Somers
to
8-2 (4 KO).
On February 26, 1999 at
Milander Auditorium in Hialeah, Florida,
Belinda (138 lbs) won an eight-round unanimous decision over
Shakurah Witherspoon
(134 lbs) of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, who fell to 2-10-1
A Women's Boxing Page correspondent described the
fight
as "a cakewalk for Laracuente, as Witherspoon was in her
customary
survival mode from start to finish." This win netted Belinda
the WIBF Americas Junior Welterweight title.
On March 26, 1999 at the Park
Plaza Hotel in Hialeah, Florida,
Belinda (138½ lbs) won a unanimous 6-round decision over
Glenda Watkins (141 lbs) of Lima, Ohio. Belinda's speed and combination
punching had Watkins confused
and reeling several times during the bout. When Watkins tried
to assert her trademark brawling style, she was bested at her own
game. Watkins' record fell to 6-4.
On May 29, 1999 at Roberto
Clemente Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico,
over 8000 fans saw Belinda (137 lbs) win
a unanimous (79-73) eight-round decision over Mitzi
Jeter (140 lbs)
of Dalton, Georgia. Belinda used her speed and lateral movement to
give Jeter few chances to set down on her punches and kept Mitzi
chasing her in the later rounds. Laracuente moved her own
pro record to 17-2-1 while dropping Jeter's to 9-3-1.
On August 14, 1999 at Loew's
Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida,
Belinda met her match against
Zulfia Koutdoussova
of Moscow, Russia in a ten-rounder for the IWBF lightweight title.
She came out on the short end of a ten-round majority decision
as the Russian kept pressure on her for the whole
fight despite Belinda's apparently superior punching power.
Koutdoussova improved
her record to 11-2 with this win.
Belinda would now go on to her
greatest challenge so far ... a showdown in Las Vegas with the
best-known name in women's boxing, Christy Martin.
Belinda looks confident at her weigh-in against Christy Martin
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On March 3, 2000 at Caesar's
Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada,
Christy Martin
(140 lbs) of
Orlando, Florida won a controversial eight-round majority decision over
Belinda (who also weighed in at 140 lbs).
The decision was booed after
judge Dave Moretti had it a 76-76 draw, and louder when it was
announced that judges Carol Castellano and Patricia Jarman-Manning had
scored it 77-75 for Martin.
Martin moved to 39-2-2 in a fight where she was generally the
aggressor but was often beaten to the punch as Laracuente landed
telling blows to her head while backing up.
When Martin tried to punch in flurries she had trouble
finding the range to Laracuente, who showed textbook skills at getting in, doing
damage, then getting out quickly.
Belinda vs. Christy Martin Photo Crdit Mary Ann Owen
Laracuente had looked
confident, even cocky, throughout this fight and said she was "totally
sure" she won it, adding "I beat up the old lady".
By the end of the
fight, Martin's face was testimony to Laracuente’s words, as her right
eye was swollen and cut, so she quickly found a pair of sunglasses to
conceal the damage done by "Brown Sugar".
Martin admitted after the
fight that Laracuente was "probably the best skilled boxer,
mover and runner I have seen". Most of my Women's
Boxing Forum visitors who saw the fight live on PPV agreed
that Belinda was robbed (see the
fight
report by Sue TL Fox, also
fight
reviews and pictures). Promoter Rick Kulis summarized the
majority view in the Forum: "Once again the judges in Nevada saw a pay day and
not a fight. This was the worst decision in women's boxing."
On May 12, 2000 at Jim
Davidson Theater in Pembroke Pines, Florida,
Karla Redo (142 lbs) of West Palm Beach, Florida won a six-round
unanimous decision over
Belinda (136 lbs). Laracuente aide David Marks told me: "I
have no idea what
went wrong. The real Belinda simply never showed up. She hardly threw
any
punches." Redo moved to 4-1 with the win, and a clearly
disheartened Belinda dropped out of active pro
boxing for a while.
On August 30, 2002 at Holiday
Inn Center in Manchester, New Hampshire,
Belinda returned to competition and won an eight-round unanimous
(80-72,80-72,80-73) decision over Shakurah
Witherspoon of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, who fell to
9-29-1 (4 KO).
The 23-year-old "Brown Sugar" dominated perennial "opponent"
Witherspoon in this
lightweight bout that was the card's co-main event.
"I
am starting all over, from bottom to the top, so I can bring them all
down again," Laracuente said. "I am putting the
pieces back together."
On January 18, 2003 at
Seminole Okalee Native Village in Hollywood,
Florida, USA, Belinda
(131 lbs) won a six-round unanimous (59-55,60-54,59-54) decision over
Janae Archuleta Romero (135 lbs) of Denver, Colorado. After a slow
first round, Laracuente
went to work with hard lefts and right uppercuts and opened up a cut
over Romero's right eye. Romero fell to 4-3-1 (2
KO).
In March 29, 2003 at Seminole
Coconut Creek Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida, Belinda (136 lbs) won a
six-round unanimous
(60-54,60-54,60-54) decision over an outclassed Gina Greenwald Leathers
(133 lbs) of St. Louis, who fell to 3-11-0 (1 KO).
On June 28, 2003 at Seminole
Coconut Creek Casino, in Coconut Creek, Florida, Belinda (129 lbs) and Tracy Byrd (129½ lbs)
of Flint, Michigan fought to an eight- round draw (77-75,75-77,76-76).
Laracuente sustained a broken eardrum and was
kept on defense for most of the bout by Byrd's aggressive head and body
attack. Byrd controlled the early going with her
jab and a strong left hook that landed frequently to Laracuente's head,
but the elusive Puerto Rican also scored with some
nice combinations in the third. The middle rounds were evenly fought
with both getting in solid shots at close
quarters but Byrd generally looking stronger and beating Laracuente to
the punch. Laracuente may have saved the fight by
coming on strong in the final round, and peppering Byrd with
combinations. Laracuente was now 20-5-2 (9 KO) and Byrd
13-7-1 (4 KO).
On
February 28, 2004 at Seminole Coconut Creek Casino in Coconut Creek,
Florida, Belinda (135 lbs) won an eight-round unanimous
(79-73,79-73,78-74)
decision over previously undefeated Iva
Weston (139½ lbs) of Trinidad. Weston
seemed intent on staying away from Laracuente, and threw very few
punches. Laracuente was the aggressor and landed the cleaner shots but
the referee had to exhort them both to box. Weston's defense was good,
but she had virtually no offense or punching power. Laracuente was
coming off an injury and appeared to be happy just to be back in the
boxing ring. Laracuente improved to 21-5-2 (9 KO)
while dropping the teenager from Trinidad to 8-1-0
(1 KO).
On January 22, 2005 at Grand
Coushatta Casino Resort Pavilion, in Kinder, Louisiana, a crowd
estimated at 3000 saw Sumya Anani
(143¼ lbs) of Kansas City defeat Belinda (136¼ lbs) by a ten-round
unanimous (100-90,97-93,99-91) decision, defending her IBA Welterweight world
title.
Anani improved to 25-1-1 (9 KO) with this win.
Belinda in action vs. Jessica
Rakoczy
© copyrighted photo taken by Jessica Trevino
On April 1, 2005 at the Palace
Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore, Belinda (131½ lbs) lost a
unanimous (99-91, 98-92, 98-92) ten-round decision to Canadian
Jessica Rakoczy
(134¼ lbs) of Las Vegas for the vacant North American Boxing
Association women's lightweight title. Although Rakoczy lost only two
rounds on any judges' scorecards, she was critical of her own
performance. "I should have been a lot busier," she
said, "she was really awkward. I've never fought anyone who
fought like that before. … It's something we have to work on in the
gym." Rakoczy improved to 19-1 (6 KO's).
Belinda vs. Mary Jo Sanders
© Copyrighted photo by Patricia Butaud of J & P Photography
On May 14, 2005 at the
Coushatta Casino Resort Pavilion, in Kinder, Louisiana, Mary Jo Sanders
(143 lbs) of Detroit, Michigan won a clear (100-90, 99-91, and 98-92)
10-round unanimous decision over Belinda (141 lbs) for the IBA
Welterweight Continental belt. Laracuente was a late replacement for Lisa Holewyne, who had
injured her elbow during a sparring session. Mary Jo Sanders improved
to 16-0 (5 KOs) with the win.
On June 10, 2005 at the State
Fair Grounds in Detroit, Michigan, Canadian Kara
Ro, who fights out of Detroit, won the vacant WIBA
Lightweight title with a convincing (99-91,98-92,| 98-92) 10-round
unanimous decision over Belinda. The
taller Ro stalked Laracuente throughout, landing body shots and left
hooks fairly consistently. Laracuente tried to use movement and
counterpunching to outfox her younger opponent, but wasn’t busy enough
to win many rounds. Ro improved her pro record to 13-0 (7
KOs).
On July 9, 2005 at Casino
Ballroom in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, Melissa
Fiorentino (125¼ lbs) of Cranston, Rhode Island pounded out a
one-sided six-round unanimous (60-54 x3) decision over Belinda (124
lbs). Laracuente, who took the fight at short
notice, seemed overwhelmed by Fiorentino's non-stop attack
and spent almost the entire fight in a cover-up defense, often against
the ropes. Fiorentino threw a steady barrage of leather at her from all
angles but could not put her away. The bout was carried live
on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights.
Fiorentino improved to 12-1-0 (6 KOs).
On
August 26, 2005 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New
York, Belinda won a six-round split (56-58,58-56,59-55) decision over
local favorite Ann Marie
Saccurato. In the first two rounds, Saccurato was
the aggressor and landed hard shots to Belinda's head and body, but
Laracuente took these shots in her stride while countering with her
jab. From the third round onwards, Belinda out-boxed
Saccurato and began to land with fast combinations that kept Saccurato
at bay, repeatedly snapping her head back. The crowd began to cheer for
Laracuente as she continued to control the action.
Laracuente broke a five-fight losing streak against top fighters with
this close win, while Saccurato fell to 9-1 (2 KOs) with her first pro
loss.
On October 1, 2005 at Roppongi
Velfarre in Tokyo, Japan, Emiko Raika
(129 lbs) of Japan won an eight-round decision over Belinda (130 lbs)
in an eliminator for the WIBA Super Featherweight title. Raika
improved her record to 13-2-1 (5 KO).
Belinda vs. Chevelle Hallback in Edmonton, Canada
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On November 18, 2005 at the
Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Chevelle Hallback (129 lbs)
of Tampa, Florida won a clear ten-round unanimous (98-92,98-92,98-92)
decision over Belinda (129½ lbs) defending her WIBA Super Featherweight
title. There were no knockdowns during the bout. Hallback moved to 25-4-1 (11
KOs, 1 ND) while Laracuente fell to
22-12-2 (9 KOs).
On February 3, 2006
at the Win-River Casino in Redding, California, In what was called the
"fight of the night" Belinda fought local favorite Valanna McGee to an eight-round
(78-74 Laracuente, 78-74 McGee, 74-74) draw. McGee showed her punching
power in the early going but Laracuente turned it around in the later
rounds. Laracuente's record moved to 22-12-3 (9
KOs), McGee's record moved to 11-2-2 (5 KOs).
Belinda was named WBAN
Fighter of the Month for March 2006 for pulling off this result on the
highly-rated McGee's home turf.
On March
18, 2006 at Palais des Sport Marcel Cerdan in
Levallois-Perret, France, Myriam Lamare (139¾ lbs) of Marseille, France retained the WBA Junior
Welterweight title with a ten-round unanimous (99-92,97-94,99-91)
decision over Belinda (134½
lbs). This was a good, high energy fight throughout with TV
commentators saying that Laracuente was easily the best opponent Lamare
had faced. Lamare said she enjoyed the fight as every round was
different and hoped they'd give Laracuente a rematch. There was some
booing as the lop-sided scores were announced; the TV commentary agreed
that Lamare had won but only by two or three rounds, not by the wider
margin on two scorecards.
On July 14, 2006 at Le
Cannet, France, Myriam
Lamare (139¾
lbs) again won a convincing (98:93,97-93,97-93) ten-round unanimous
decision over Belinda (135¾ lbs) in a rematch of their March bout.
According to WBAN correspondent Ewan Whyte, "Despite
another stylish display and hampered by an injury to her right hand,
Belinda Laracuente failed for the second time to do any real mischief
last night to the WBA super lightweight champion".
Lamare remained unbeaten as a pro boxer at 14-0-0 (7 KOs).
On September 2, 2006
at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Jessica Rakoczy (132 lbs) and
Belinda (131½ lbs) fought to a no contest when their scheduled
six-rounder was stopped at 0:47 in the third round after an
accidental head-butt cut Rakoczy.
On November 17, 2006 at the Orleans Hotel and
Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, Layla
McCarter (133½ lbs) of Las Vegas won a clear
(100-90,99-91,97-93) 10-round unanimous decision over
Belinda (132 lbs) for the vacant GBU
Lightweight world title. The bout fulfilled a long-standing
wish of McCarter's to fight a title fight with three-minute
rounds. Layla moved her record to 21-12-5 (3 KOs).
On December 1, 2006 at the Rhode Island Convention
Center in Providence, Rhode Island, Missy
Fiorentino (128 lbs) won a six-round unanimous
(58-57,58-56,59-55) decision in a rematch with Belinda (128¾ lbs).
Fiorentino improved her record to 15-1-0
(6 KOs).
On February 10, 2007 at the Delta South Hotel, in
Edmonton, Canada, a sold out crowd saw local favorite
Jelena Mrdjenovich (130½ lbs) of Edmonton win an eight-round
unanimous (77-75,78-74,79-73) decision over Belinda (127
lbs). Mrdjenovich told the local news media that it was hard
to fight Laracuente because she kept her hands so low, and backs up a
lot. She also said that Laracuente was tough and talented. Laracuente
said after the fight that Mrdjenovich was “a great
champion.” Jelena advanced to
19-2 (11 KOs) while Laracuente fell to 22-17-3 (9 KOs).
On March 17, 2007 at Companhia
Athletica Brooklin in São Paulo, Brazil, Duda
Yankovich (137
lbs) of Brazil successfully defended her WIBA Junior Welterweight title
against Belinda (136¼ lbs) by a 10-round unanimous decision. The
judges' scores were 98-95, 97-94, and 98-95. Yankovich
improved to 8-0-0 (5 KOs) with the win while Laracuente fell to 22-18-3
(9 KOs) in what many observers felt was a home-town decision.
On
June 15, 2007 at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada,
Belinda (137 lbs) won the GBU Junior Welterweight title with a 12-round
unanimous (115-113,115-113,116-112) decision over a tough and gritty
Melissa Del Valle
(139 lbs) of Miami, Florida. For details, see the WBAN
report
by Lori Steinhorst. Del Valle fell to 29-6-1 (11 KO's).
On December 1, 2007 at Woodlands Stadium in Lusaka,
Zambia, Belinda Laracuente lost a controversial eight-round split
decision to Esther Phiri
of Zambia for the GBU Intercontinental Junior Lightweight title. Laracuente
fell to 23-19-3
(9 KOs) whle Phiri improved to 6-3-1 (1 KOs).
On February 7, 2008 at the Pechanga Resort and
Casino in Temecula, California, Belinda fought Holly
Holm
of Albuquerque, New Mexico for Holm's IFBA Welterweight title. This was
considered a low-risk fight for the taller, naturally heavier, and also
harder-punching Holm who has rarely fought outside her native New
Mexico. Holm used her reach and quickness to stave off Laracuente's
attacks throughout a somewhat lack-luster fight compared to a thriller
of a co-main featuring Chevelle
Hallback and Laracuente's protege Melissa
Hernandez . Late in the fight Laracuente switched from her
normally elusive counterpunching style to try to make something happen.
She landed her best shot of the night in the eighth - a straight right
hand that jolted Holm’s
head back, and she connected with good body shots in the tenth, but the
rally was too late to swing the outcome. The
final scores were all in Holm's favor: 97-93, 99-91, and 98-92. Holm
improved to 20-1-2 (6 KOs) with
the win..
On February 29, 2008 at the Tachi Palace Hotel
& Casino in Lemoore, California, Canadian-born
Jessica Rakoczy
(134½ kbs) of Las Vegas won a 10-round unanimous decision over Belinda
(135 lbs) for the NABF Lightweight title.
Rakoczy advanced to 28-3-0 (11 KOs) as Laracuente dropped to
23-21-3 (9 KO's).
On March 14, 2008 at
the Twin Rivers Event Center in Rhode Island, Canadian-born
Jamie Clampitt
(135 lbs) of
Rhode Island retained her IWBF lightweight title with a 97-93,
95-95, 97-93 majority decision over Belinda (133¾
lbs). Clampitt improved to 19-4 (7 KO's) with the win.
On November 22, 2008 at Les
Vielles Forges, Les Mazures, Ardennes, France,
Anne-Sophie Mathis of Dombasle, France won a 10-round
unanimous decision over Belinda for the WBC Junior welterweight title.
The judges' scores were 98-92, 96-94, and 97-93. Mathis
improved her record to 19-1-1 (16 KO's).
On December 20, 2008 at Charter Hall in Nairobi,
Kenya, Zarika Njeri of
Nairobi won a
controversial
10-round unanimous (97-96,97-95,97-94) decision over Belinda for the
WIBF Super Bantamweight title. Correspondent.
The 23-year-old Njeri's record
advanced to 20-3-1 (12 KO's).
On
April 23, 2009 at the Tachi Palace in Lemoore, California,
Jessica Rakoczy
(130½ lbs) of Las Vegas won a six-round unanimous (58-56 on all
scorecards) decision over Belinda (133½ lbs).
Rakoczy, who was
returning to the ring after giving birth to a baby boy and taking a one
year layoff from boxing. improved her record to 30-3-0 (11 KOs).
On September 26, 2009 at the Yesha Center in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Belinda (130 lbs) won a four-round
unanimous (40-36,39-37,40-36)
decision over Lakeysha Williams (125½ lbs) of Philadelphia,
who fell to 9-15-3 (1 KO).
On
October 16, 2010 at the Santa Ana Star Casino in Bernalillo,
New Mexico, Belinda won a six-round unanimous (60-54x3) decision over
DJ Morrison of Billings, Montana who fell to 2-6-0 (2 KO's).
On
August 13, 2011 at the Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio, Colorado,
in the main event of a mixed MMA/boxing card Layla McCarter (138¾ lbs) of Las Vegas, Nevada won an
eight-round unanimous decision over Belinda (137¾ lbs). Layla McCarter progressed to 34-13-5 (7 KO's)
while Laracuente fell to 25-26-3 (9 KO's).
On March 17, 2012 at the Grand
Ballroom in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Belinda (134 lbs) won a six-round
majority decision over Nicole Woods (138 lbs) of Stone Mountain,
Georgia who fell to 11-9-2 (3 KO's).
On June 22, 2012 at the Shaw Conference Centre in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Jelena
Mrdjenovich (129¾ lbs) of Edmonton who had opponents fall out
before this bout won an eight-round unanimous (80-72,79-73,80-72) decision
over Belinda (130¾ lbs) in an
non-title bout. Mrdjenovich improved to 27-8-1 (13 KO's) while Laracuente fell to 26-27-3 (9 KO's).
Laracuente
is a stylish and skilled boxer, who brings good knowledge of boxing
fundamentals and a strong dose of charisma to her fights. She likes to
frustrate an opponent with her movement and elusiveness and her use of
angles, but she will stand and trade when she has to, though
often
not soon enough in a fight to earn her a decision from judges who value
aggressiveness.
Page
last updated:
Monday, June 25, 2012
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