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Chevelle "Fist of Steel" Hallback, a 5'6" lightweight/junior welterweight burst into prominence in the world of women's boxing on March 6, 1998
when she defeated veteran Bonnie Canino on Canino's
home turf in Fort Lauderdale
to take a newly created WIBF Intercontinental Super Featherweight title.
Chevelle was born on September 3, 1971 in Plant
City, Florida. She began training as a boxer in June 1996 and went directly into
the pro sport six months later. (She told us that she tried to get
matches as an amateur ... but nobody would fight her!). She made her
pro debut against another debut fighter, Connie Plosser, in Miami in January 1997, winning by TKO at
0:47 of the first round. (Plosser hasn't fought since).
With this brief fight as her only competitive experience, Chevelle
next found herself
matched against the most dangerous opponent in the world, Dutch
junior welterweight Lucia Rijker,
on the undercard of Nelson-Hernandez on
March 22, 1997 at Memorial Coliseum in Corpus Christi, Texas.
This would have been a stretch under any circumstances, but
Chevelle told me that she was unaware of who she was fighting ... until
she saw an HBO special on female boxing the night before she was
due to fly to Texas for the fight! That was how she learned that her
next opponent was a world-famous undefeated kickboxer who was now carving
a swath through the ranks of professional female boxers as a junior
welterweight!
Chevelle took the first round from Lucia with her high
pressure offense but Rijker's experience and power (as well as her ability to
fight effectively mocing backwards!) prevailed and led
to a knockout in the fifth round when Chevelle was clearly
exhausted. (For more details please read the full
fight report). It was scandalous that Chevelle Hallback
was thrown into this fight with less than one minute of competitive
boxing experience ... against probably the best female boxer in the world!
Chevelle now says that this was "the biggest mistake that I have made".
The story behind the scenes of this fight is alarming.
She had been told that Rijker had had only three
previous fights and "she was not good at all." The moment she saw Lucia
on the HBO special, Chevelle knew that she had been lied to, and that
she was not ready to fight her. But she felt that if she did not still
take the fight, she would not be able to get any more. "So I went",
she says. "When the bell rung I thought if I could just rush her and hit
her with some good blows I would take her out and win the fight! WRONG!
I was doing very good the first round. But after the first round I was so
tired, I did not know whether I was coming or going!" She says her
trainer was not giving her any useful advice, but her pride would not let
her let give up. "So I went out there and gave it all I had!" She
feels that if she had had more experience and had been in better
shape, she could have given Lucia a much harder time.
This was clearly an example of cynical matchmaking at its worst, and
one that could have spelled an early end to Chevelle Hallback's ring
career. But she now says that she learned from the experience and will
make sure that nothing like it will ever happen to her again.
Chevelle stuck to her own goals, changed trainers, and went on.
On May 21, 1997 she defeated Judy Mayrand in Tallahassee, Florida by TKO at 1:07
in the 1st round, dropping Mayrand to 1-1 (1 KO).
On 20 September 1997 she fought
Bethany Payne of Atlanta in Boca Raton, and won by TKO at 0:46 of the
first round. Payne fell to 2-4.
Chevelle began training with Luis Avila about four months before she
fought Bonnie Canino for the WIBF Intercontinental (Super)
Featherweight title in Fort Lauderdale on March 6, 1998.
Although Hallback was still seen as an underdog
against the veteran Canino, the outcome of this match was very
different from her encounter with Lucia Rijker.
Hallback's hard-charging style had Canino backing up from the opening
bell and she constantly pressured the veteran, firing punches from down
low. Bonnie retired after the 6th round after being cut over
the right eye and on the left eyelid, with Hallback
leading on the scorecards. Canino dropped to 5-2-0 as a pro boxer with this
loss.
"Bonnie was a warrior ... it was a good
fight!", says Chevelle. "I think I was just too quick for her and when she went to hit me
she could not find me. When she would try to run from me I was right
there to cut her off."
With this win, Chevelle Hallback "arrived" on the radar of most
women's boxing fans, but she did not fight again until June 11, 1999 in Bossier
City, Louisiana,
when she moved to 5-1 with a four-round unanimous decision over Haydé Núñez of Puerto Rico, who fell to 1-3.
This illustrates
a common problem of unaffiliated female boxers. Promoters
often refuse to put unaffiliated fighters on their cards, a practise that
keeps many good fighters out of the ring and many good fights from
happening. Boxers and fans alike lose out when nobody can find a
way to bring the top boxers together. Chevelle's long absence from
public view after her match with Bonnie Canino was an unfortunate example of
how boxing politics can keep an exciting (and eager) fighter out of the
ring.
Chevelle told me in 1999 that she'd like a rematch with Lucia Rijker eventually, but only after
she got more experience. "I do not want to go up in class right now", she says.
"But give it about another year and if
she is still around, it will be a rematch! Because I know I am not going anywhere!"
Chevelle's opponent drought ended when the IFBA sanctioned a bout
with Canada's undefeated Doris Hackl for its
vacant Junior Lightweight belt
on April 26, 2000 in Kenner, Louisiana. Hackl brought a 3-0 pro record but
had been 17-0 in national and international amateur competition.
Doris outpointed Chevelle over ten rounds to win the title
by majority decision, but many observers felt that Chevelle's
aggression had been enough to win a very close and well-fought fight. Ryan
Wissow reported to WBAN: "An excellent fight, and
a good clash of styles. Hallback was the aggressor and clearly the much harder
puncher, but the taller southpaw Hackl was very precise with her combinations,
although she sometimes slapped with her punches. Hallback missed with some wild
punches, but she also managed to land several bombs and she had Hackl clearly in
trouble on a couple of occasions. But Hackl came on strong later in the fight as
Hallback began to slow down and lunge ... Hackl counter-punched pretty well.
Hackl couldn't hurt Hallback with a baseball bat, but she showed good stamina
and fought a pretty smart fight. Although I feel that Hallback did enough to win
the decision, the fight was VERY close with rounds that could have been scored
for either fighter, and Hackl was awarded the decision, which the crowd booed."
Chevelle battles Laura Serrano in July 2001
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen On July 8, 2001 at Texas Station in Las Vegas, Nevada,
WIBF Junior Lightweight champion
Laura Serrano (5'4", 130 lbs) of Mexico moved to 11-0-2 (3 KO's)
with a six-round majority (58-56,59-55,57-57) decision over Chevelle (also 130 lbs).
Hallback was the aggressor throughout a well-fought and entertaining bout, but Serrano's
accurate punching gave her the edge on the scorecards. Serrano looked much the worse for wear at the
end of the fight, with a cut on her forehead (from a clash of heads) and a closed left eye.
Butch Gottlieb commented on Inside Women's Boxing: "Chuck Giampa who in my estimation is one of the best judges
in the world must have been watching a totally different fight than everyone at ringside including
his two peers who were also scoring the fight, the media and television people who
all felt that Hallback had won the fight and in the worst case scenario got a draw.
Giampa scored the fight 5 rounds to 1 for Serrano while the other 2 judges had it
4-2 Serrano and 3-3, a draw. When are the Nevada judges going to give credit to a fighter
who institutes the action and does the damage to the opponent but does it while backing up?
It seems like the only way you win a fight on points is to be the aggressor while moving forward?"
On November 16, 2001 at Convention Center in Austin, Texas, a scheduled ten-round bout between
Chevelle (128½ lbs) and Snodene Blakeney (129½) of Austin for the WIBA 130-lb world title
was ruled a technical draw after the second round because Blakeney had received a deep gash to her head.
Hallback had been taking the fight to the durable Blakeney when a clash
of heads caused the gash. Blakeney was 10-8-1 (2 KOs) with the draw.
(For photos and video
clips of this
fight. On March 22, 2002 at the Civic Center in Savannah, Georgia,
Chevelle won a six round unanimous (58-56,60-55,60-54) decision over
Brenda Bell Drexel
of San Marcos, Texas. My correspondent writes that Chevelle won this one by
using her speed and quickness to good effect against the always-hard-charging Bell Drexel.
Chevelle advanced to 6-3-1 (4 KO) with the win while
Bell Drexel fell to 5-12-1 (0 KO).
On April 27, 2002 again in Savannah, Georgia, Chevelle (132¾ lbs) won
another six-round unanimous (60-55,60-54,60-55) decision over
Brenda Bell Drexel (140 lbs) who fell to 5-13-1 (0 KO).
There were no knockdowns but both landed some good shots throughout the fight.
On June 4, 2002 at Morrell Park in Savannah, Georgia,
nearly 4,000 fans (3,000 getting in free) saw Chevelle (129½ lbs) win
a six-round decision over #15 Ranked Junior Lightweight
Shakurah Witherspoon (127½ lbs) of Philadelphia
who fell to 9-28-1 (4 KO) with the loss.
On June 29, 2002 at Civic Center in Savannah, Georgia,
Chevelle won by a TKO over Brenda Bell Drexel of San Marcos, Texas
when the ringside physician stopped the fight after the fourth round.
Bell Drexel fell to 5-15-1 (0 KO).
According to Savannah sportswriter Donald Heath,
"Hallback looked like the Energizer Bunny, peppering a game, but over-matched Brenda Drexel."
On August 27, 2002 at Civic Center in Savannah, Georgia,
a crowd estimated at 1200 saw Chevelle (127 lbs)
win a ten-round unanimous (98-92,99-92,99-91)
decision over #4 ranked featherweight and WIBF Featherweight champion
Alicia Ashley (127 lbs) of New York
to claim the IBA women's Junior Lightweight title. Hallback dominated
the last eight rounds of bout after both landed well in the early going.
Ashley slipped to 7-4-1 (0 KO).
On September 27, 2002 at Civic Center in Savannah, Georgia, Chevelle (132 lbs) won by a second-round knockout over
unranked Vanessa Pine (140 lbs) of Puerto Rico. Hallback ended the scheduled six-rounder with a shot to Pine's body. Pine
fell to 1-3-0 (1 KO).
On October 20, 2002 at Civic Center in Savannah, Georgia, Chevelle
knocked out Vikky Clardy of in the first round. Clardy fell to 2-4-0. On
November 22, 2002 at Civic Center in Savannah, Georgia, Chevelle, the
#6 ranked junior lightweight by my computer rankings, scored a
first-round KO over Willicia Moorehead of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who has
never gone the distance against anyone
with a winning record. Hallback improved to 12-3-1 (7 KO) while
Moorehead fell to 2-10.
On December 28, 2002 at Johnny Mercer Theater in Savannah, Georgia, a crowd estimated at 1200 saw Chevelle win a
unanimous (98-91,97-95,100-90) ten-round decision over #2 ranked featherweight Layla McCarter
of Las Vegas. Hallback knocked McCarter down in the second round and dominated the early going with her aggressive style
but McCarter rallied as the fight went on. McCarter could not match Hallback's punching power, however, and the outcome
was never in any doubt according to my correspondent. "She's a great boxer and gave me some problems with her movement,
but I'm still the champion," said Hallback. McCarter fell to 12-9-4 (2 KO).
Because McCarter reported a hand injury before the bout, it was not recognized as an IBA
Junior Lightweight
title defense by Hallback.
On March 29, 2003 at Jarrell's Gym in Savannah, Chevelle (145 lbs) pounded out a unanimous six-round
(59-55) decision over former IFBA/WIBF welterweight champion and Mitzi Jeter (138 lbs) of Doraville, Georgia. Hallback gained 12 lbs to fight
Jeter, then got the better of her in an action-packed bout by throwing lots of punches and using her superior boxing
skills to counter the hard-hitting former welterweight champ. "Mitzi gave me the toughest fight of my life," Hallback
said. "I have to thank God for giving me the strength in this fight."
"(Hallback) is getting better and better, but I
think she needs to come down," said promoter and trainer Mike Jarrell. "She doesn't need to fight in that weight class."
Jeter slipped to 16-4-2 (4 KO).
On April 26, 2003 at Jarrell's Gym in Savannah, Georgia, Chevelle (137 lbs) won a six-round unanimous (59-55, 59-55,
60-54) decision over Mitzi
Jeter (145 lbs) of Doraville, Georgia in a rematch of their March 29 contest. Both the result and the action were
similar to the earlier fight, with Hallback outworking the veteran Jeter, who refused to back down under a powerful
onslaught from Hallback. "I felt I was much more relaxed, and I took my time more," said Hallback, adding
"I believe I
hurt her more this time than last time. The first time around, I punched myself out this time, I wanted to relax and take
it easy." Jeter carried away some bruises but said that she had fought better than in their earlier bout.
"(She) has a lot
of speed, and she's a gutsy fighter," said Jeter, "I won't take anything from her."
Jeter fell to 16-5-2 (4 KO), losing three straight for the first time in her career.
On May 31, 2003 at Jarrell’s Gym in Savannah, Georgia, Chevelle won a six-round unanimous (59-54,59-55,60-54) decision
over Britt Van Buskirk
of Carbondale, Illinois. Hallback was too strong and too fast for the veteran Van Buskirk, wearing her down with
nonstop action and a hard-hitting body attack. Van Buskirk fell to 10-18-2 (5 KO).
On June 28, 2003 at Jarrell's Gym in Savannah, Georgia, Chevelle breezed to a six-round unanimous
(60-54,60-54,60-54) decision over Brenda Bell Drexel of San Marcos, Texas. This was Hallback's fourth win over the scrappy Bell Drexel, who
took the fight at short notice. "Her style is a little different now than it was when we first fought," said Bell Drexel,
"She uses her quickness and she has a right hand you really have to look out for. There were times out there I was like,
'Where'd she go now?' And then that right hand would find you. Most of the top women have speed, but Chevelle has power
and speed and I felt it."
Bell Drexel fell to 5-20-2 (0 KO).
On August 30, 2003 at Civic Center in Savannah, Georgia,
Chevelle won a ten-round unanimous (99-89, 100-88,
99-88) decision over Melissa Del Valle of Miami, Florida
defending her IBA 130-lb title. WBAN's insider
said that in the third round, Hallback threw a right hand that made Del Valle
go to one knee to take a count. In the fifth and ninth rounds, Del Valle lost
two points for holding. In the sixth round, both boxers headbutted each other.
Del Valle (formerly Melissa Salamone)
suffered her third straight loss and fell to 27-3-1 (11 KO). On September 20, 2003 at Jarrell's Gym in Savannah, Georgia,
Chevelle (137 lbs) won by TKO at 1:57 in the first round over unranked Michelle Ewing (151 lbs) of Hickory, North
Carolina. Ewing fell to 0-4-0 (0 KO).
Chevelle lands to the face of Mary Jo Sanders
© Copyrighted Photograph taken by Dan
Graschuck On May 20, 2004 at Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie, in Michigan,
Mary Jo Sanders of Detroit, Michigan won a ten-round unanimous decision over Chevelle for the IBA Continental Junior Welterweight title.
Sanders improved to 9-0-0 (2 KO) with the win. This was Chevelle's first loss since July 2001.
(For more photos of this
fight, see WBAN
Photo Gallery #174 on the WBAN Records Member Site.)
On June 4, 2004 at Chinook Winds Casino and Convention Center in Lincoln
City, Oregon, Chevelle (132 lbs) stopped veteran southpaw
Bonnie Canino (131 lbs) of Dania, Florida at
1:05 of the final round of a scheduled four-rounder. Canino, a former WIBF
and IFBA Featherweight champion, had been retired from competition for five years.
She is an active boxing trainer who had come to Lincoln City with her
protege Yvonne Reis on a card the previous day. She agreed to this bout at
short notice because the promoters had been unable to find an opponent for
Hallback, who sometimes trains in Canino's gym. Canino's jab wasn't
enough to keep Hallback at bay in an entertaining fight that several people
told me was was halted prematurely, although Hallback was clearly
controlling. Canino's
pro record fell to 15-4 (5 KO).
On July 2, 2004 at Pala Casino in San Diego, California, Chevelle defended
her IBA Junior Lightweight title with a 10-round unanimous
(98-92,97-93,99-91) decision over Layla McCarter
of Las Vegas in a well-fought bout that was featured as the co-main event on
a card carried live on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. Hallback's
aggression set the pace of the fight and won her a clear edge on the judges'
scorecards, but McCarter
counter-punched effectively throughout the entire bout, especially when Hallback came after her with looping shots.
Hallback worked aggressively with solid jabs and left hooks, while McCarter
sat back and absorbed the punishment. Teddy Atlas of
ESPN2 scored the fight 96-95 for McCarter. McCarter fell to 17-11-4 (2 KO). See Photo Gallery #186 on the WBAN Records Member Site
for more photos by Tony
Duffy. After the fight, McCarter said that she
felt the decision was fair, because "I was playing too much defense and
letting her get off too many shots without return." Hallback
complimented McCarter, saying: "I had the harder punches, but she had a
beautiful jab. She can be a champion."
On January 26, 2005 at the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City, Missouri,
Chevelle TKO'd Kim Colbert of Southfield, Michigan in the second round, but
not without a fight! In what a fierce action-packed battle, Colbert stunned
Hallback in the second round, and knocked her to the canvas for an eight
count. Hallback got up and went after Colbert hard ... Colbert landed a
couple of bombs with a left hook, but then began to take some heavy hits and
the referee stopped the fight. The crowd booed the stoppage because Colbert
was still returning fire. According to WBAN's insider, after the fight,
Colbert took a punch at Hallback afterwards, and the fight resumed outside
the ring, so security was called to stop the donnybrook. WBAN's insider also
said that Colbert was "fearless" against her much more experienced opponent.
Colbert fell to 2-5-0 (2 KO).
On March 13, 2005 at Roppongi Velfarre in Tokyo, Japan, Chevelle (129¾
lbs) won the WIBA Super Featherweight Title with a ten-round unanimous
decision over local favorite Emiko Raika (128½ lbs)
of Japan. Hallback improved to 24-4-1 (11 KO)
On October 7, 2005 at the A La Carte Event
Pavilion in Tampa, Florida, a scheduled ten-round main event between
Chevelle (135 lbs) and Melissa Del Valle (137½
lbs) ended in a "no decision" at 0:11 in the third round when Del Valle's
lip was badly cut by a clash of heads. Hallback had lunged in to throw a
combination, and her forehead hit Del Valle's mouth, bringing blood gushing
from a one-inch gash in Melissa's upper right lip. Referee Telis Assimenios
called for the ringside doctor to examine Del Valle's lip and the bout
was ruled a no decision as Del Valle was unable to continue following what
was determined to be an accidental headbutt. Del Valle's record became
29-5-1 (11 KOs, 1 ND).
Belinda Laracuente vs. Chevelle in Edmonton, Canada
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On November 18, 2005 at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada, Chevelle (129 lbs) won a clear ten-round unanimous
(98-92,98-92,98-92) decision over Belinda
Laracuente (129½ lbs) of Miami 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 May 24, 2007 at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and televised live
on ESPN2, local favorite Holly Holm (139 lbs) won a 10-round unanimous (100-90,100-90,98-92) decision
over Chevelle (137½ lbs) for the IFBA Junior Welterweight
world title. Hallback, ranked #1 in the world at junior lightweight by WBAN, was
stepping up in weight to face Holm and also coming off an almost 18-month
absence from competition. She appeared tentative for much of the bout and
rarely closed the distance to Holm for long enough to shake Holm's
confidence. Hallback fell to 25-5-1 (11 KOs) with the loss while Holm
improved her record to 18-1-2 (5 KOs). (For photos of this fight by Mary Ann Owen see
Photo
Gallery #429
on the
WBAN Member Site).
Chevelle slugs it out with Terri Blair
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On July 2, 2007 at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California,
Chevelle (133¾ lbs) defeated Terri Blair
(133¾ lbs) of Louisville,
Kentucky by an eight round unanimous (79-73,78-74,77-75) decision in an
eliminator for the IFBA Lightweight title. Hallback boxed skillfully to
hold off the hard-charging
and hard-hitting Blair. The fifth round was a slugfest with both
trading their best shots
in toe to toe action that liberated Hallback's chest protector, forcing
her to continue
without it. “It was rough” said Hallback, adding
“She never hurt me in the fight but after the fight those body shots she landed
bruised my ribs. My trainer kept telling me to fight outside but you know me, I like to
fight on the inside too. I felt I was doing alright inside.
It’s easy to see how she beat Sumya Anani that girl can really punch, she can really fight.
She’s very good.”
Chevelle improved to (26-5-1, 11 KOs) while dropping the bloodied but
always-pressing Blair to 9-13-2 (6 KO's).
“That was as good as a women's match can be,” said promoter Roy Englebrecht.
"I felt it was a lot closer,” said Blair after the bout "but Chevelle is a great fighter.”
(For more photos of the fight by Mary Ann Owen, see WBAN
Photo Gallery #434 on the WBAN
Records Member Site).
On February 7, 2008 at the Pechanga Resort and
Casino in Temecula, California, Chevelle took on
Melissa Hernandez of New York in a ten-round barn-burner for the vacant IFBA
Lightweight title.
According
to WBAN correspondent Bill Ortega: "The first round began with Hallback
connecting with a one-two combination that rocked Hernandez and had her looking
dazed. Then Hallback seemed to retreat and that was all Hernandez needed to
recover her senses. The fight was on. The Bronx fighter jumped on Hallback with
her busy combination punching and when Hallback tried to retaliate, Hernandez
would move out of range. Hallback, a very athletic fighter with quickness and
power in each hand, returned in the third round with powerful shots that once
again seemed to hurt the gritty New Yorker. But she backed off again.
Back and forth each round seemed to go until the final two rounds. Then Hallback
seemed to realize she needed to dominate the last two rounds and stepped up her
punch output. Big blows rained off Hernandez’s head but she refused to buckle
under the intense pressure. With only 10 seconds left, Hallback blasted a right
hand off Hernandez’s jaw but she survived by firing back though trapped in the
corner. The crowd roared wildly." Dr. James Jen Kin favored Hallback by
97-94 and judge Vince Delgado scored the fight for Hernandez by 97-93 while
Judge Gwen Adair saw it as a 95-95 draw, for a split draw decision.
“That's what women's boxing is all about,”
said Hallback. “You have two fighters. They're skilled. They're hungry."
Hallbeck said she felt she might have stopped
her smaller but quick and combative opponent, but she had apparently eased up
when she sensed she had her rival hurt.
I don’t know why I kept backing off, maybe it’s because we’re good friends.”
Chevelle moved to (26-5-2, 11 KOs) while Hernandez's record went to 7-1-2 (2
KOs).
This was clearly the fight of the night on an star-studded all-female card
that was later seen on
Fox Sports Net TV.
Chevelle lands a right to the jaw of Jeannine Garside
©
Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On June 13, 2008 at the Isleta Casino and Resort in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a PPV co-main event, Chevelle (132 lbs) pounded out
a 10-round unanimous (96-94,99-91,96-94)
decision over previously unbeaten Jeannine Garside
(132 lbs) of Windsor, Ontario Canada for the IFBA Lightweight World title.
Hallback also received a "history's first"
WBAN Championship Belt for this win, which moved her record to 27-5-2 (11
KO's) while Garside's pro record fell to 7-1-1 (3 KO's). See Photo Galleries #480,
481 and 482 on the WBAN Records Member Site
for more photos of this
fight by Mary Ann Owen and Lori Steinhorst.
Chevelle was also awarded WBAN Fighter of the Month
for June 2008 on the strength of her win over Garside.ez
On March 26, 2010 at the
Isleta Casino and Resort near Albuquerque, New Mexico,
Holly Holm (139¾ lbs) of Albuquerque won a 10-round unanimous (99-91,98-92,98-92)
decision in a rematch with Chevelle (138½ lbs) for the WIBA Junior
Welterweight title. Rick Wright
wrote
in the Albuquerque Journal: "While absorbing some of the hardest shots
she has taken in her eight year professional career, she (Holly Holm)
withstood the challenge of a determined Hallback to take a victory by
unanimous, deceptively lopsided 10 round decision ... Holm agreed despite
her similar dominance on the cards, this bout was far more difficult than
her May 2007 victory over Hallback."
Hallback herself said: "I did do more this time, and
felt the fight was much closer than the judges scored it. Holly never hurt
me, but she had a good game plan and I let myself get frustrated by her
movement, which resulted in me not throwing enough punches to put her away,
especially when I had her hurt several times. People say she doesn't come to
fight, that she comes to run, but at the end of the day, she won the fight,
and at THIS time, she is the pound for pound best. But - in saying that, I
want to let my fans know I am not going anywhere and maybe somewhere down
the line, there will be a fight #3 with me and Holly."
Holm improved her record to 27-1-3 (7 KO's) with the
win. On
December 3, 2010 at the Route 66 Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
Chevelle (135 lbs) won an eight-round split (78-74,77-75,75-77)
decision over scrappy local favorite Victoria Cisneros (132½ lbs) of Albuquerque who fell to 5-11-2 (1 KO). On
May 7, 2011 at the Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, Cecilia
Braekhus
(145¾ lbs) of Bergen, Norway won a ten-round unanimous
(97-93,98-92,98-92) decision over Chevelle (142¼
lbs) defending the WBC, WBA and WBO Welterweight
titles. Although the scorecards heavily favored Braekhus, many
rounds were close as the smaller Hallback appeared to surprise Braekhus
with her
punching power and raised a noticeable swelling under the defending
champion's right
eye wih one of several hard shots in the fifth. Braekhus
had controlled Hallback in
the early rounds but Hallback swung for the KO in the last two rounds
while Braekhus used her mobility to get away and secure the points
decision.
"It was a good fight, but I still have some things to work on", said Braekhus, adding "my guard was not good enough. I did not think she would hit as hard as she did." Braekhus improved to 18-0 (4 KO's) while Hallback fell to 28-7-2 (11 KO's). On November 5, 2011 at the Palais des Sports in
Toulon, France, Myriam Lamare (140 lbs) of Marseille, France won a
10-round unanimous (99-91,98-92,96-94) decision over Chevelle Hallback
(139 lbs) for the vacant IBF Junior Welterweight
titlle. The judges' scoring appeared to be somewhat generous towards
Lamare, who moved round the ring well and boxed effectively while
Hallback was the aggressor for most of the later rounds. Hallback
started cautiously behind her jab but later went to the body to try to
slow Lamare down then tried to loop punches past Lamare's quick
defense. Neither was ever in trouble for long although Hallback
occasionally caught the straighter-punching Lamare with powerful
flurries. The well-fought and entertaining fight between two of the
world's most experienced female pro boxers was televised on EU
Eurosport. Lamare improved her record to 20-3-0 (10 KO's) while
Hallback fell to 28-8-2 (11 KO's).
Chevelle told me that she wanted to box ever since, as a
little girl, she used to get up in the middle of the night to see tapes of Muhammad Ali's fights on TV. She remembers
telling herself "I can do that!" She has been in sports all her life: throughout grade school and high school she ran
track and played basketball and at one time her ambition was to play pro basketball. She believes that her track
experience now contributes to her speed in the ring.
Chevelle's other sports avocation is
women's professional American tackle football ... she's been a
running back for the Tampa Bay Force, whose regular season started in
November 2001.
Chevelle describes her own style as "I have power in both hands and I am a very awkward fighter. I come at you from all
angles and it is very hard to hit me. I am a very different fighter than when I fought Rijker. I am much stronger, I am
very slick, and I hit hard with either hand. I am a thinker when I am in the ring and that is an art. While I am
thinking and fighting most girls are just in there fighting. You have to think while you in there ... I out thought
Bonnie and I came out the winner. A lot of girls just come right at you ... you have to fight giving angles and I do that
and I know how to slip punches. I really do not like to hit, but l like to not get hit and I make a game out of it when I
fight. It's like hit me if you can. I love it! But when I do hit, BABY, it is nothing nice!"
Music plays a large role in Chevelle's preparations for a fight. She likes to dance when coming out to the ring to get
herself hyped. She listens to music to settle herself down before a fight, and also trains to music.
"Sometimes when I
fight, like when I fought Bonnie, I strike a tune in my head and fight to the tune or the beat of the song. It helps me
keep my timing and do unique and different moves in the ring you would not normally see a female do."
Chevelle is a
free agent. Call her at (813-270-4375) and email address is
Chevellehallback@gmail.com to contact her concerning fights.
Other Chevelle Hallback Links
To check out fight reports, complete up-to-date boxing records, with huge digital photos you can go to
the WBAN Records Member Site
Page last updated:
Friday November 11, 2022 |
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