Women's Boxing: Junior Missy Gloves

Lisa Warren, 13 years old in 1979
JUNIOR MISSY GLOVES

The Missy Junior Gloves Boxing Club was the oldest of the five boxing clubs in Texas, that allowed young ladies to box in the 70's. The coach, a devoted man to boxing, and music, Doyle Weaver, was very committed to having such a facility for these youngsters.

Weaver originally organized the Missy Junior Gloves in 1968 in Pleasant Grove. Weaver's theory about boxing was not complex. He simply believed that if the sport was right for boys, that it was also right for girls, and if it was wrong for boys, it was wrong for girls. Weaver was also a strong believer that if the world was fair and equal that all would be happier.

1979, was one of Weaver's star fighters. WARREN had gone to her mother at the age of 7 and told her mother that she wanted to box. Her mother had to think about what LISA had said, for about six weeks before deciding to let her do it.When Lisa's mom went to see her in a tournament which she figured they were just playing some little games, was surprised to see the fighting abilities of not only her daughter, but the other participants.

LISA who was also an avid athletic in soccer, baseball, swimming, excelled in just about anything she tried her hand in. Even at a young age, LISA enjoyed the thrill of competition. After five years of boxing, LISA remained undefeated among her peers whether she boxed boys or girls.

Missy Junior Gloves served as a sort of recreation center for many of its families, many of whom had two or three sons and daughters signed up for boxing lessons. LISA enjoyed participating in the Missy Junior Gloves because she thought it was fun and she could go and meet friends. Eventually, LISA was able to coach some of the younger girls that were just starting out.

At 13, LISA had decided that she wanted to be a famous boxer. Even though Weaver advocated boxing for youngsters, he did not try to encourage the young "misses" to become pros. He felt that the professional aspect of boxing was "Too corrupt." her in a tournament which she figured they were just playing some little games, was surprised to see the fighting abilities of not only her daughter, but the other participants.

Weaver was very disappointed that the Missy Junior Gloves girls would serve as sparring partners for boys boxing in AAU tournaments, but when the AAU tournaments begun, all of the girls could do was just sit on the sidelines and cheer the boys.

Weaver said that because they were female, they were denied that right. He felt that it was grossly and atrociously unfair.

Weaver said that people asked him why his club didn't file a lawsuit. He said that he did not have the money to do so. Weaver also strongly opposed that if girls were to be able to compete in the AAU Tournament eventually that he felt the rules should be exactly the same for boys and girls.

Weaver had even put his beliefs about discrimination against women and girls in writing, Philosophy: Girls as Equals, which he distributed to parents, friends and anyone else who wanted one.

In that handout it said the following:

"Every sport and activity should be evaluated for its worth before it is offered to children and youth. However, no segment of youth should be denied participation because of their sex. The trend of society and the Equal Rights Movement leaves no doubt that, in the future, girls and women will compete on an equal level with boys and men in all areas of business, politics and sports. The young girls of today face a different world than did the girls of a few years ago. The cause of equality brings a new world of opportunities to girls, but along with it comes the need for new social attitudes, equal standards and equal training in all areas of life from the time of early childhood. This must include sports and physical exercise without modification in any way. The Missy Junior Gloves program teaches girls that being girls does not place them in a position of physical weakness, and that by exercise and training they can achieve a very high degree of physical ability. By building in them a competitive spirit, endorsed with confidence in their own ability, the Missy program is making the most significant contribution that can be made to young girls growing up in a male-dominated and prejudiced society."

Weaver even forbid feminine-sounding names for the 13 weight divisions between 40 and 105 pounds. Missy Junior Gloves became a non-profit organization in 1974 with Weaver as president. He believed the MJG offered the finest in physical conditioning and boxing instruction whether it was for boys or girls.

When Weaver first began coaching in Pleasant Grove in 1968, he had more than 300 girls signed up the first six months. He then moved the Missy Junior Gloves to Duncanville in 1974, and at one time had as many as 100 club participants. Weaver would schedule four to five tournaments with the other boxing clubs in the area. Weaver also tried to get the girls admitted to Golden Gloves, but with no success. He even recalled that in the Northwest there was a girl who had won a Golden Gloves fight, only to have the trophy presented to her out in the hallway!

In 12 years of coaching girls in boxing, Weaver noted that there had not been any serious injuries. He believed that he wanted the kids to have fun and at the same time learn how to defend themselves.

Before Weaver began coaching girls, he had a boys boxing team. He said that their sisters would tag along or there would be girls at the recreation center hanging around with nothing to do. Weaver decided that he was not going to coach at all unless girls were allowed to participate. That is when he started the Missy Junior Gloves. Weaver wanted to prove some things and he succeeded in turning around many of the old myths about what girls can and can't do.

Photographs and information from the Dallas Times Herald, September 9, 1979, Dallas, Texas