WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL BOXING

WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL BOXING. Women's boxing goes back at least to the early 18th century, when Elizabeth Wilkinson fought in London. Billing herself as the European Championess, she fought both men and women in contests allowing kicking, gouging and other methods of attack no longer permitted. The Victorian Period, however, eventually did away with bare-knuckle fighting and boxing went back to being a man's sport. (1)

The boom of women's boxing came during the 1990s, coinciding with the boom in professional women sports leagues such as the WNBA and WUSA, and with boxers such as Stephanie Jaramillo, Delia 'Chikita' Gonzalez, Laura Serrano, Christy Martin, Deirdre Gogarty, Laila Ali, Jackie Frazier-Lyde, Lucia Rijker, Ada Vélez, Ivonne Caples, Bonnie Canino and Sumya Anani, all world champions. (2)

The first women's professional boxing match was held in Dubuque on April 11, 1997. The fight held at the Dubuque County Fair Grounds Ballroom between Ashleigh Needham and Jill Burrus was won by Needham with a knockout. (3)

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Source:

1. "Women's Boxing." Online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_boxing

2. Ibid.

3. Leitner, Jim. "Female Fighters Apply Sensible Philosophy," Telegraph Herald, April 13, 1997, p. 3B. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=aEyKTaVlRPYC&dat=19970413&printsec=frontpage&hl=en