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Update: This story tells it ALL on the 0-1-0 Jackie Tonawanda that
fabricated everything about her fights with others. Great read.
Published on February 15, 2022 - Jackie Tonawanda aka Female Ali
Didn’t Float Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Bee…Or Win Single Fight - by
Randy Gordon
Link to story xx
Jackie Tonawanda, dubbed "the Female Ali" born with the name of Jackie Garrett in New York on
Sept. 4, 1933, was a pioneer female heavyweight boxer from the 1970s
and 1980s. With that said, she was known to fabricate fights that she
was in, lied to anyone that would give her the chance to get something
written about her, which is so sad when other fighters did get in the ring
and fight tough bouts in the past.
Link to story
This was a true fact: Tonawanda, along with Lady Tyger Trimiar, and Cathy "Cat" Davis were
issued boxing licenses in New York, after Davis went a legal battle with
pursuing being licensed in that State.
The fights that she proclaimed to have won which her record changed from
news article to news article, she finally told one of our writers that they
were "underground" unsanctioned
fights. There are no opponents named in any of the fights claimed in
the record that she told the media in regards to her undefeated [reported by
her solely] ranged from 36-0 to 23-0. After years of research and trying to
interview her many times---we have determined at this time she is 0-1-0
(0KO) as a professional female boxer. (In the early 2000's we spoke with
a couple of pioneer female boxers who knew Tonawanda, who also
confirmed that they only recalled one fight she had as a pro and lost that
fight to Diane Clark.)
On June 8, 2001, at the Turning Stone Casino for the Laila Ali vs. Jacqui
Frazier bout, Tonawanda made a brief televised appearance to speak with one
of the commentator of the pay-per-view event.
The commentator introduced Tonawanda as "The" pioneer of women's
boxing. The commentator also said of Tonawanda that her
boxing record was 36-1 (36KO). Tonawanda nodded in
agreement. Tonawanda on a later date clarified that her record
was unsanctioned underground fighting. Her pro record stands at 0-1-0.
On June 12, 2001, sports writer Carol Ann Weber
reported to WBAN the following: "I met Jackie
Tonawanda at the Women's Sports Foundation press conference held the morning before the Awards Banquet last year, Oct. 16. She waited until after the press conference and then began proclaiming who she was. So, I walked over and offered to interview her and provide some publicity for her. After she told me she was the first woman boxer, the pioneer, the female Ali, etc. I asked her questions about her life and her career. She immediately said she couldn't offer me any information because she had a book deal on her life and couldn't tell me any details. At that point, I got up and walked away, as I didn't want to waste any more of my
time," said Weber.
On June 9, 2009, Tonawanda lost her one last
battle when she died of Colon Cancer at Harlem's Mount Sinai Hospital.
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