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5'5" super middleweight Laura
"Lady Ram" Ramsey was born Laura Alysia Ramsey on November 13,
1969 in Lake Wales, Florida to Annie (a food service worker) and Henry
Ramsey (a contractor).
She began her athletic career at
age 6 in YMCA basketball and Little League softball. In 4th grade she began
taking piano lessons. In the 5th grade she learned to play the flute-a-phone
and learned how to ride a unicycle. By the 6th grade she graduated to
playing clarinet and ukulele. Throughout middle and high school she was
involved in many sports, including basketball, volleyball, softball, and
track.
Laura's father died in the
summer of 1986 and after this loss she became pregnant at age 16. Due
to graduate from high school in spring of 1987 and set to attend college on
a basketball scholarship, Laura felt as though her life was crumbling (according to her bio as sent to WBAN),
but with her best efforts she
tried to keep a positive attitude and push forward through life’s struggles.
As trials and tribulations would test her, she became more agitated - holding
all inside and forming an inner drive and desire like that of a ram, thus
leading to being referred to as “Lady Ram”.
Laura attended college on volleyball, basketball, and softball scholarships
and she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management. After college
she became employed by Doyle Baseball, a company that offers baseball and
softball instruction. One year later, she worked for Florida’s Natural, a
world-renowned citrus company, until 1997. From 1994 to 1996, she was
involved in women’s national power lifting and semi-pro baseball.
Laura began boxing training in 1996 at Winter Haven Police Athletic League
with Jack Leonard and Tony Morgan. In 1997, taking a “leap of faith”, she
accepted a draft offer to play professionally in the Women’s Professional
Fastpitch league on the Charlotte, North Carolina based team.
At the beginning of her second year of professional softball, she sustained
a career-ending injury that left a plate and four screws in her left hand.
Upon returning to Florida, she began working with Polk County School Board
and became involved in coaching volleyball, basketball, and softball at
various local high schools.
In 1999 she briefly worked for UPS. Five months later she accepted
employment at Avon Park Youth Academy, a residential facility for the Department
of Juvenile Justice. As of June 2006, she is Administrative Dean (acting assistant
principal), and is state certified in Physical Education and Middle School
Integrated Curriculum.
In 2001, she formed Lake Wales Boxing Team to help neighborhood teens focus
their attention on something constructive. With no sheltered place to train,
they met at a nearby park where a heavy bag was hung and other boxing
equipment was pulled from the trunk of Ramsey’s car. After entering the Lake
Wales Christmas parade Lady Ram decided to become officially registered with
United States Amateur Boxing, the governing body of Olympic amateur boxing.
In January 2002, she competed in
her first amateur bout - in St. Petersburg, Florida against Alexandra Maloy.
Although the bout was close, "Lady Ram" won a points decision. It was at this
time that she decided to train harder and take boxing more seriously.
Her next amateur bout was not until 2003, a year in which she captured
several regional and national level championships including State Champ and
Regional Champ. In the 165-lb division at the 2003 Boxing USA National
Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Laura stopped Marissa Diaz of
Lackawanna in the second round of their semifinal bout on July 11 and then
won the division with an RSC-1 over Kimico Pugh of Camp Lejeune, NC on July
12. In the 165-lb division at the 2003 National Golden Gloves in Chicago,
Illinois, Laura stopped Precious Hall of Hawaii by RSC-2 on August 7,
In the Women's Open 165-lb division. At the 2003 National Labor Day Ringside
Championships in Kansas City, Missouri she defeated Akondaye Fountain
of Texas to win her division. She went on to compete in two
international competitions - to the USA vs. Russia Women's Dual Invitational
(9-1-1) in September, losing to Natascha Ragosina
of Kazhakstan, and to the 75-kg Senior Division of the 2003 Sweden Box Cup
in Stockholm, Sweden on October 5, where she lost to Sweden's own Anna
Laurel. Her combined record for the year 2003 was 9-2-1.
Approaching age 35, "Lady Ram" had to decide whether to remain as an amateur
for a few more months or to turn professional. On the advice of former
world champion boxer and kickboxer Bonnie Canino, Laura
decided to turn pro.
She made her pro debut on February 28, 2004 at the Seminole
Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida. Laura (158 lbs) won a four-round
unanimous decision (40-36 x 3) over Jennifer Mancil (160 lbs) of Clewiston,
Florida, who fell to 1-3 (0 KO's) with the loss.
Laura was idle for the next year
due to becoming a grandmother and starting a fitness center ... Lady Ram’
s Self-Enhancement Center.
Her second pro bout was on April 9, 2005 at Number One Shed in Hamilton,
Bermuda, on a pro-am card against southpaw Teresa Perrozzi of Bermuda. Laura won a four-round unanimous decision
and Perozzi fell to 2-2 with the
loss.
Laura then traveled to Georgetown, Guyana, in July 2005 with co-promoter, “A
Ring of Their Own” expecting to fight ranked Sharon Ward. But due to
mysterious last minute changes by the Guyanese promoter, Laura instead fought Pamela London’s
sister and pro debuter Pauline London, winning by a second-round TKO.
On August 19, 2005 at the Argosy Casino in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Laura (165
lbs) stepped into the ring with
Yolanda
Swindell of Houston, Texas and won
a four-round split (40-36,39-37, 37-39) decision, dropping Swindell to 3-3-1 (2 KOs).
Sandell on the canvas vs Laura in October 2005
© Copyrighted photo by Sue TL Fox
All-female card promoter “A Ring
of Their Own” then invited Laura (165 lbs) to fight “their” undefeated
Asa
Sandell (164 lbs) of Sweden on October 8, 2005 at Harrah's
in Laughlin, Nevada. Lady Ram again returned home undefeated (at 5-0)
with a split (58-55,57-56,56-57) decision, dropping Sandell to 3-1-1
Laura vs.
Shelley Burton
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
In November 2005, “A Ring
of Their Own” invited her to fight Shelley
Burton of Kalispell, Montana for the WIBA World Middleweight title at the
Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Laura took the fight at 72 hours' notice, as a
late replacement for
Leatitia Robinson
of Chicago. After celebrating her 36th
birthday two days before and with minimal bag
work and no endurance training Laura (163 lbs) lost her first professional
fight by a ten-round majority (97-93,97-93,95-95) decision to Burton (157½
lbs) who improved to 7-2-0.
The bout was action-filled as
Ramsey threw more power punches but Burton boxed and handed a tiring Ramsey
her first loss as a pro, dropping her record to 5-1. (For more of Mary Ann Owen's photos of this
fight and card, see MPEG/Photo Gallery #306
on the WBAN Records Member Site).
A fourth offer came from “A Ring of Their Own” to fight
Erin Toughill
(5'10", 164 lbs) of at the
Palladium in Hollywood, California on January 27, 2006. For the
first time in her professional career, Lady Ram came to this fight at 167
lbs feeling complete with a trainer of 6 weeks. Although feeling prepared,
she left with her second loss in two months - by a 59-55,59-55,58-56 unanimous
decision, dropping her record to 5-2. Toughill improved to 7-2-1 (0
KOs) with the win.
Erin Toughill vs Laura Ramsey in August 2006
On August 31, 2006 at Harvey's Lake Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada,
Laura (160 lbs) avenged her earlier loss to
Erin Toughill (158½ lbs)
by scoring a spectacular TKO at 1:28 in the first round when she
knocked Toughill through the ring ropes and onto a ringside table.
The fight was called so that Toughill could be checked for a more
serious injury than the cuts she sustained in her fall from the ring,
whose ropes were unusually loose. Toughill fell (literally!) to 7-3-1 (0 KO's).
On January 6, 2007 at the Seminole Hard Rock
Arena in Hollywood, Florida Laura (168 lbs) KO'd then WBAN #1 ranked
light heavyweight Ijeoma Egbunine (167 lbs) of
Marietta, Georgia at 1:44 in the first round. According to a
ringside report
at FightNews.com, "Ramsey caught Egbunine with a
vicious right hook for the first knockdown and Egbunine never recovered. She
was knocked down two times more after a barrage of punches. It seemed that
Egbunine didn’t know where she was after the second knockdown and Ramsey
jumped all over her to end the fight. Referee Frank Santore stopped the
fight as soon as Egbunine hit the canvas the third time."
Laura improved to 7-2-0 (3 KOs) with the win while Egbunine fell to
12-2-0 (8 KOs).
Laura was named WBAN's 2006 "Best Kept Secret"
Pro Boxer in January 2007.
On January 20, 2007 at the Travellers Beach
Hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, Laura (160 lbs) TKO'd Kenya's
Conjestina Achieng (159¾ lbs) at 1:13 in the
sixth round of a scheduled 10-round GBU Middleweight title bout.
Kenyan news sources reported that Ramsey
dominated the fight from the beginning, and could have won it in the second
round when she sent Achieng into the ropes. In the sixth, she unleashed a
heavy combination of punches that saw a hapless Conjestina hit the canvas,
gasping for breath, and the referee stopped the fight at the five count.
Ramsey took the fight on short notice to
fight Achieng in her home turf when
Kimberly Harris canceled out after suffering an injury. Achieng fell to
9-4-3 (4 KO's) with her third home loss to a visiting American.
On July 28, 2007 at Wanda Plaza in Shanghai,
China, home standing Wang Ya Nan (159¾ lbs) of
Shanghai defeated Laura (160 lbs) by a 10-round
unanimous (97-93, 97-93 and 98-93) decision for the WIBA Middleweight title.
Wang improved her pro record to 4-0-0
(2 KOs)..
On April 12, 2008 at the
St.Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, Laura (168¾ lbs) won a four-round
unanimous decision over Alexandra Maloy (163¼.lbs).
Ramon Aranda of 411mania.com reported,
"Ramsey scored a lopsided four round decision over fellow super
middleweight Alexandra Malloy. Ramsey pounded her opponent
throughout the bout, even scoring a knockdown with a brutal right cross in
the final round of the four rounder."
Ramsey improved her record to 9-3-0 (4 KOs)
with this win.
 On
July 3, 2009 at Soccio Center in Langenhagen, Niedersachsen, Germany,
Kazakh-born Natascha Ragosina (5'11½",
166 lbs) of Magdeburg, Germany won a
10-round (98-93,100-90,99-91) unanimous decision over Laura (164¼ lbs)
defending the WBC and WBA Super Middleweight titles.
Ragosina used her
seven-inch height advantage to good effect, landing solidly to Ramsey's
head throughout the bout. Ragosina advanced to
21-0 (12 KO's) with the win. On
September 11, 2010 at Fort Myers Stadium in Fort Myers,
Florida, Gwendolyn O'Neil (200¾ lbs) of Guyana won an eight round
unanimous decision over Laura Ramsey (186¾ lbs) for the WIBA
Heavyweight title. O'Neil improved to 16-6-1 (7 KO's) while
Ramsey fell to 9-5 (4 KO's).
Even though she has no manager or trainer, "Lady Ram" is focused and
determined to fight as long as she is healthy. As she prepares for her next
opponent, she is also preparing for her exodus from competition inside the
ring. In the planning stages of becoming a boxing promoter and manager, she
will continue to train the amateurs on the Polk County Boxing Team and the
pros at Lady Ram’s Self–Enhancement Center.
For inquiries about future fights, you can email
her at
ladyram10@hotmail.com.
Lady Ram would like to especially thank all those who have supported her
thus far. Some of these people include Forde Rego (Bermuda), Tony Morgan
(FL), Ivan (FL), Daniel Soto (FL), Bonnie Canino (FL), Bo Hill (FL), Oswaldo
Garcia (FL), Gwen Lundy (FL) and Myra Hamilton (GA).
Other Laura Ramsey 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:
Sunday, 05 November 2017 |
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