http://ifba.com/news/ News en jason@creativeacceleration.com Copyright 2008 2008-05-09T19:28:00-08:00 http://ifba.com/news/story/dunaway_rodriguez_to_fight_for_ifba_world_mini_fly_title_june_13/ http://ifba.com/news/story/dunaway_rodriguez_to_fight_for_ifba_world_mini_fly_title_june_13/#When:19:28:00Z With the IFBA Mini Flyweight title recently vacated, the much anticipated Hollie Dunaway-Wendy Rodriguez rematch has now been sanctioned as an IFBA World Championship bout. “We are thrilled to have these two world class boxers fighting for an IFBA world title, and we appreciate the cooperation of promoter Lenny Fresquez in facilitating the IFBA sanctioning of this bout,” stated IFBA president Judy Kulis. Junior flyweight champion Wendy “Little Thunder” Rodriguez will be seeking revenge June 13 when she fights one of only four opponents to ever defeat her, Hollie “Hot Stuff” Dunaway, in their 10-round bout for the vacant IBA strawweight belt on the “Finally” pay-per-view event, airing live (10 PM/ET-8 PM/MT) from Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Rodriguez (18-4, 3 KOs), of Los Angeles, lost an eight-round decision March 15, 2007 to Dunaway (21-6, 10 KOs), the reigning WIBF-GBU/WIBC minimumweight title-holder and NABF flyweight champion, fighting out of Las Vegas by way of (Van Buren) Arkansas. “I hadn’t fought in more than a year,” Wendy explained. “I thought we were fighting at 102-pounds, so I got down to that weight, but they upped it to 105, and then 107. I took the fight anyway but mentally I wasn’t into it. I was real rusty.” “Finally,” promoted by Fresquez Productions, Inc., is being produced and distributed by Integrated Sports for live viewing in the United States and Canada (10 PM/ET) on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, TVN, Shaw Communications, DirecTV, Bell Expressvue and StarChoice for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. The greatest collection of women boxers on one show, including five independently No. 1 rated fighters, are scheduled to battle in four world title bouts on “Finally.” The main event features the top two women boxers in the world today, Albuquerque favorite Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm (21-1-2, 6 KOs), recognized as the No. 1 welterweight in the world, versus the world’s No. 1 middleweight, Detroit icon Mary Jo Sanders (25-0, 8 KOs), squaring-off in the 10-round main event for the vacant IFBA junior middleweight crown and universal pound-for-pound supremacy. Rodriquez has a degree in child development and she works in infancy relationship, making home visits for play therapy with needy children who are sick. Wendy is a 4’11” dynamo who is a true ring technician. “Hollie is a counter puncher, tough and really strong,” Rodriguez added. “It’s going to be an interesting match-up of styles. I’m really excited about fight on this pay-per-view show with some of the best woman fighters in the world. Normally, men fight on shows like this and maybe there’s one woman’s fight. Finally, we’re getting an opportunity like this and I think it’s going to take us to another level.” 2008-05-09T19:28:00-08:00 http://ifba.com/news/story/emery_nickel_clash_added_to_fsn_best_damn_championship_fight_night_period_c/ http://ifba.com/news/story/emery_nickel_clash_added_to_fsn_best_damn_championship_fight_night_period_c/#When:22:56:00Z HENDERSON, Nevada (May 5, 2008) – An compelling match between middleweights Jill Emery and Cristy “Code Red” Nickel has been added to the already exciting and competitive Fox Sports Net’s Best Damn Championship Fight Night Period card, headlined by a pair of International Female Boxers Association (IFBA) world championship bouts, on Thursday, June 12 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Best Damn Championship Fight Night Period, presented by Cappiello Boxing in association with Hollybrook Regency, Inc., features IFBA World junior featherweight champion Lisa “Bad News” Brown (14-3-3, 4 KOs) defending her crown against Alicia “Slick” Ashley (14-7-1, 1 KO) in the 10-round main event, plus Russian invader Anastasia Toktaulova (12-8, 2 KOs) challenging IFBA World flyweight champion Elena “Baby Doll” Reid (19-4-5, 5 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. Emery (8-2, 3 KOs) and Nickel (7-6, 4 KOs) have a lot in common, including historic roles played in fights overseas. Both are college graduates from middle class backgrounds and physical training instructors who live in New York City. Jill works and trains at the famed Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, where Cristy often spars, yet, they’ve never met in person. Pittsburgh-native Emery, a graduate of Bucknell University, is a 3-time US Nationals champion, who also captured top honors four years in the New York Daily News Golden Gloves Championship, won a gold medal in the 2004 Women’s World Boxing Tournament, and was named 2004 USA Boxing’s Female Athlete of the Year. As a pro, Jill was the winner of the first women’s pro fight in Ireland last June by eight-round decision versus Angel McKenzie in a shutout performance, winning all eight rounds on the scorecard. Nickel was born in California but raised on a farm in Northern Idaho. The U. of Memphis graduate was one of only six Americans fighters invited to fight in 2005 on a card in Beijing, China. Cristy was contacted in 2006 by producers of MTV’s hit reality show “MADE,” who were searching for a boxing coach to turn a lazy high school quitter into a hard-hitting boxer in only six weeks. Nickel auditioned with coaches from all over the country and after an intense and lengthy screening process, she was offered the position, and the episode was chosen as the season premier, continuing to re-run to date in more than 60 countries. The success of the show afforded Cristy an opportunity to move to New York City, where she started her own business as a personal trainer and boxing coach at “Peak Performance,” New York’s exclusive private training facility for the stars, including her personal clients such as Katie Couric.  Trinidad and Tobago-born Brown, a three-time world champion now fighting out of Toronto, Canada, takes on three-time world champion Ashley, who is from Jamaica and living in Westbury, New York. Las Vegas-based Reid fights former European super flyweight and bantamweight champion Toktaulova, representing Moscow.  On the undercard, Las Vegas unbeaten star Melinda Cooper (18-0, 10 KOs) starts her comeback after nearly eighteen months of inactivity versus knockout specialist Donna “Nature Girl” Biggers (19-7-1, 16 KOs), of Shelby, North Carolina, in a special six-round junior featherweight bout. Junior featherweight contender Jeri Stizes (14-7-1, 6 KOs), of Springfield, Missouri, faces tough Ela “Bam Bam” Nunez (6-3, 2 KOs), fighting out of Jamestown, New York, in another highly competitive six-rounder. Tickets are priced at $10.00, $25.00 and $40.00 and on sale at the Mohegan Sun box office or online at www.mohegansun.com. I 2008-05-07T22:56:00-08:00 http://ifba.com/news/story/kim_eun_young_kim_ji_young_to_defend_titles_in_korea/ http://ifba.com/news/story/kim_eun_young_kim_ji_young_to_defend_titles_in_korea/#When:04:08:01Z IFBA BANTAMWEIGHT AND JR. BANTAMWEIGHT BELTS ON THE LINE MAY 18TH & 23RD Kim, Eun Young, IFBA Bantamweight Champion will defend her title against Manami “ Tsunami” Arima of Japan on Sunday, May 18th in South Korea. This is Kim’s first title defense after winning the IFBA Bantamweight title in a split decision over defending champion Terri Cruz in September, 2007. In the second of back to back IFBA title defense cards, Kim, Ji Young will defend her IFBA Jr. Bantamweight belt against Gong Jin, from China. This is also Kim, Ji Young’s first IFBA title defense. Both cards are being promoted by Woon Chul Shin, Asia’s most active promoter of women’s boxing. Former IFBA champion Kim Messer will return to South Korea to supervise the May 23rd championship bout. 2008-05-06T04:08:01-08:00 http://ifba.com/news/story/hallback_garside_potential_gatti_ward_war/ http://ifba.com/news/story/hallback_garside_potential_gatti_ward_war/#When:14:46:00Z Four-time world champion Chevelle “Fists of Steel” Hallback (26-5-2, 11 KOs) is one of the most recognizable, experienced and respected woman boxer in the world. Her June 13 showdown against WIBA featherweight champion Jeannine “G9” Garside (7-0-1, 3 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature feature for the vacant International Female Boxers Association (IFBA) lightweight championship on the “Finally” pay-per-view event, airing live (10 PM/ET-8 PM/MT) from Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque, not only figures to be a candidate for Fight of the Night, it also has all the makings of a female version of Gatti-Ward. “Finally,” promoted by Fresquez Productions, Inc., will be produced and distributed by Integrated Sports for live viewing in the United States and Canada (10 PM/ET) on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, TVN, Shaw Communications, DirecTV, Bell Expressvue and StarChoice for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. - - - - - - Tickets, priced at $50.00, $100.00, $150.00, $200.00, $350.00 and $500.00, go on sale March 18 at the Isleta Casino and Resort box office, www.tickets.com or at Fresquez Productions, Inc. (508.884.7484). For more information go to www.fresquezproductions.com or www.holmvssanders.com. Doors open at 5:30 PM/MT, first bout 7:00 PM/MT, first televised bout 8:00 PM/MT. 2008-05-02T14:46:00-08:00 http://ifba.com/news/story/two_ifba_world_titles_headline_fsn_best_damn_fights_june_12/ http://ifba.com/news/story/two_ifba_world_titles_headline_fsn_best_damn_fights_june_12/#When:02:49:01Z Double-barreled International Female Boxers Association (IFBA) world championship action heads East on Thursday, June 12 for a show airing live on Fox Sports Net’s Best Damn Championship Fight Night Period from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. IFBA World junior featherweight champion Lisa “Bad News” Brown (14-3-3, 4 KOs) defends her title belt against Alicia “Slick” Ashley (14-7-1, 1 KO) in the 10-round main event. IFBA World flyweight champion Elena “Baby Doll” Reid (19-4-5, 5 KOs) puts her crown on the line versus Anastasia Toktaulova 12-8, 2 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. “The IFBA brings fans the best in women’s professional boxing and we’re delighted to bring our IFBA Championship Boxing series East to beautiful Mohegan Sun, IFBA president Judy Kulis said. “Many of the world’s top women fighters are on this card and all of the matches promise to be very competitive and exciting. We’re especially happy to have Melinda Cooper’s much-anticipated comeback on this show.” Three-time world champion Brown, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, now fights out of Toronto, Canada. She captured the coveted IFBA crown 13-months ago with a 10-round decision against Jackie Chavez and successfully defended it February 7 via a 10-round decision versus Jeri “Fists of Fury” Stizes. Ashley, born in Jamaica and living in Westbury, New York, is a 3-time world champion in three different divisions. Her most notable wins have been against previously unbeaten Alesia Graf, Reid, Bonnie Canino and Leona Brown. Las Vegas-based Reid, born in Phoenix, captured her IFBA flyweight title by 10-round decision last July against Shin-Hee Choi.  “Baby Doll” also fought a 10-round draw three years ago with the great Regina Halmich in Germany. Toktaulova comes from Moscow, where she was the European super flyweight and bantamweight champion, as well as Russian super flyweight title-holder. Las Vegas’ unbeaten star Melinda Cooper (18-0, 10 KOs) returns on the undercard after nearly 1-1/2 years of inactivity to take on knockout specialist Donna “Nature Girl” Biggers (19-7-1, 16 KOs) in a special six-round junior featherweight bout. Cooper has had difficulty finding opponents, which accounts for her recent inactivity and only two fights in almost three years, while South Carolina-based Biggers, conversely, has fought some of the iron including Layla McCarter, Jelena Mrdjenovich, and Mia St. John.  Stizes (14-7-1, 6 KOs), of Springfield, Missouri, is matched in a six-round bout on the June 12th card against Ela “Bam Bam” Nunez (6-3, 2 KOs), fighting out of Jamestown, New York. Another six-round bout will soon be announced. Go to www.ifba.com for more information. The undercard will start a 7 PM/ET, followed by the first of three scheduled televised bouts beginning at 8 PM/ET. IFBA Since its inception in 1997, the IFBA has sanctioned more than 100 women’s title bouts and was the first to sanction all-women’s cards on cable and broadcast television, including ESPN2, USA Network, Pay-Per-View, Fox Sports International and on SBS, MBC and MBC-ESPN in Korea. With the help of various State Boxing Commissions, the IFBA established many of the rules used in the sport today. The IFBA is sanctioning four championship bouts June 13, featuring a showdown between Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm and Mary Jo Sanders for the vacant IFBA World junior middleweight title and pound-for-pound supremacy, live on pay-per-view television from Albuquerque. For more information, visit www.IFBA.com. FSN FSN is the nation’s leading provider of local sports. FSN’s 19 owned-and-operated regional networks reach more than 80 million homes across the U.S. and include FSN South, FSN Southwest, FSN West, FSN Prime Ticket, SportSouth, FSN Ohio, FSN Midwest, FSN Florida, Sun Sports, FSN North, FSN Detroit, FSN Arizona and the recently created FSN Houston, FSN Indiana, and FSN Wisconsin. Fox also operates FSN Northwest, FSN Rocky Mountain, FSN Utah, and FSN Pittsburgh. FSN serves as the TV home to nearly two-thirds of all MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States. FSN also produces close to 5,000 live local events each year, including more than 1400 in high definition. In addition to its thousands of home team games and a wide variety of locally produced sports programs, FSN televises national sports events and programs, including Pac-10 and ACC basketball and Pac-10 and Big 12 football. 2008-04-24T02:49:01-08:00 http://ifba.com/news/story/ifba_light_title_june_13th_on_holm_v_sanders_ppv_card/ http://ifba.com/news/story/ifba_light_title_june_13th_on_holm_v_sanders_ppv_card/#When:13:48:00Z Garside excited about taking women’s boxing to another level against Hallback on “Finally” PPV card Holm-Sanders headlines June 13 at Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque ALBUQUERQUE (April 21, 2008) – The much touted Fight of the Night candidate on the June 13th “Finally” pay-per-view event, airing live (10 PM/ET-8 PM/MT) from Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque, is the 10-round co-feature for the vacant International Female Boxers Association (IFBA) lightweight championship between WIBA featherweight champion Jeannine “G9” Garside (7-0-1, 3 KOs) and WIBA & IBA junior lightweight title-holder Chevelle “Fists of Steel” Hallback (26-5-2, 11 KOs). The Fresquez Productions, Inc.-promoted “Finally” will be produced and distributed by Integrated Sports for live viewing in the United States and Canada (10 PM/ET) on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, TVN, Shaw Communications, DirecTV and StarChoice for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. “‘Finally” features the greatest collection of women boxers on one show with all eight independently rated among the world’s top 3 by divisions, including five No. 1 rated females, battling in four world title bouts. The headliner matches the top two women boxers in the world today, Albuquerque favorite Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm (21-1-2, 6 KOs), recognized as the No. 1 welterweight in the world, against the world’s No. 1 middleweight, Detroit icon Mary Jo Sanders (25-0, 8 KOs), in the 10-round main event for the vacant IFBA junior middleweight crown as well as universal pound-for-pound supremacy in female boxing. WIBA champion Garside, the world’s No. 1 rated featherweight from Ontario, agrees that hershowdown against the No. 1 ranked lightweight, WIBA and IBA title-holder Hallback, of Tampa, could very well steal the “Finally” PPV show. “I’ve heard that and it’s because of what both of us bring to the table,” Jeannie explained. “When things get slow in a fight, I pump-up the pace to get the crowd into it. That’s my style; I feel the crowd and love to hear them. I’m so grateful to be part of the best women’s boxing card ever. Every single bout is exciting with eight women coming to fight. The passion in us makes our fights so exciting, especially on a show of this level taking women’s boxing to another level. I’ve sparred with Mary Jo. We’re close and I’m excited to be fighting on the same card as her. “I’ve known Chevelle since I turned pro and we both fought once on the same card. She is one of the best fighters out there. I believe I’ve been underestimated in the past, but she’s not going to underestimate me. We’re getting an opportunity to put a fire under the butts of everybody watching our fight. It has all of the makings of a great fight….the Fight of the Night!” Garside was a highly-decorated Canadian amateur boxer who started boxing after watching Christy Martin fight on a Mike Tyson undercard in1996, quickly developing into the 1998 & 1999 British Columbia champion and 1998 British Columbia Fighter of the Year. She earned a spot on the Canadian National Women’s Boxing Team and won a gold medal in the 2000 Canadian National Championships. Her boxing career suffered a set-back when she tore an ACL in her knee during a touch football game in 2000, which required reconstructive surgery, but a year later Jeannine reached the semifinals of the AIBA World Amateur Championships and she won her fourth straight national title in 2002. Garside finished her amateur career with a 40-5 record. She made her pro debut on December 4, 2004, taking a four-round decision from Heather Percival in Tacoma, Washington, captured the WIBA super bantamweight title in only her fourth pro fight, and the WIBA featherweight title in her seventh. In her fourth pro fight, the aggressive southpaw Garside easily won a 10-round decision (99-90, 98-90, 98-91) against Lisa Brown (12-1-2) for her WIBA super bantamweight crown. Last November, Jeannine added the WIBA featherweight title belt to her collection, dominating an exciting 10-round decision (100-87, 99-89, 98-90) against Laura Serrano (16-2-2). “When I won my first world title in only my fourth pro fight,” Garside remarked, “there were some naysayers. Now, though, I have credibility because they know I have the skill and talent of a true champion. My best experience was fighting Europeans in the amateurs, when I developed my ring generalship and mind set I need to fight. I’m proud of my amateur career, but most women don’t spend a lot of time as amateurs. Hopefully, women’s boxing will be added to the Olympics. and more women will get into amateur boxing.” Also on PPV, IBA junior featherweight champion Wendy Rodriguez (18-4, 3 KOs), of Los Angeles, takes on WIBF-GBU/WIBC minimumweight title-holder Hollie “Hot Stuff” Dunaway (21-6, 10 KOs), fighting out of Las Vegas by way of (Van Buren) Arkansas, in a 10-round vacant IBA strawweight title fight; WBC 2007 Fighter of the Year, WBC mininumweight champ Carina “La Reina” Moreno (11-1, 5 KOs), of Watsonville (CA), faces WIBA flyweighttitle-holder Eileen “The Hawaiian Mongoose” Olszewski (5-0-1), fighting out of New York City by way of Honolulu, in a 10-round title fight for the IFBA junior flyweight crown. All fights and fighters are subject to change. Tickets, priced at $50.00, $100.00, $150.00, $200.00, $350.00 and $500.00, go on sale March 18 at the Isleta Casino and Resort box office, www.tickets.com or at Fresquez Productions, Inc. (508.884.7484). For more information go to www.fresquezproductions.com or www.holmvssanders.com. Doors open at 5:30 PM/MT, first bout 7:00 PM/MT, first televised bout 8:00 PM/MT 2008-04-21T13:48:00-08:00 http://ifba.com/news/story/ifba_live_on_fsn/ http://ifba.com/news/story/ifba_live_on_fsn/#When:05:14:00Z All Women’s Boxing is back on FSN (Fox Sports Net) Thursday, June 12, 2008 ! LIVE from the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, CT, Canada’s Lisa Brown, the current IFBA Jr. Featherweight Champion, will defend her title agianst Alicia Ashley. Also this 2 hour telecast will feature one additional IFBA title bout, as well as, a special 6 round attraction. This will be the fourth all women’s card on FSN in the past 14 months. Check back for updates on this new all women’s card from the IFBA. Also don’t miss Holly Holm vs Mary Jo Sanders June 13th on PPV! Its an all female boxing weekend with the IFBA. 2008-04-15T05:14:00-08:00 http://ifba.com/news/story/ji_hye_woo_wins_unanimous_decision_against_huan_wen_si/ http://ifba.com/news/story/ji_hye_woo_wins_unanimous_decision_against_huan_wen_si/#When:04:08:00Z Ji Hye Woo, IFBA Jr. Lightweight Champion, increased her record to 10-1-0, with a unanimous decision over Huan Wen Si of China June 12 in Seoul, South Korea. This was Woo’s third IFBA title defense since winning the title in March, 2007. The fight was scored 96-94, 98-92, 98-93. The fight was part of a 9 bout card promoted by Woon Chul Shin, and televised live in Korea on MBC-ESPN. 2008-04-14T04:08:00-08:00 http://ifba.com/news/story/ifba_president_judy_kulis_to_recieve_world_boxing_hall_of_fame_special_reco/ http://ifba.com/news/story/ifba_president_judy_kulis_to_recieve_world_boxing_hall_of_fame_special_reco/#When:01:55:00Z The World Boxing Hall of Fame presented IFBA President Judy Kulis, a Special Recognition Award, for her work on behalf of Women’s Boxing, Sunday March 30th in Los Angeles. The WBHF honored women in boxing for the first time at a luncheon at Commerce Casino in the City of Commerce in front of a sold-out audience of 350 guests. The IFBA is happy to be the first Women’s Sanctioning Body to be honored by the WBHF since its inception. Also honored were former IFBA Commissioner Jackie Kallen, Former IFBA Champions Bridgett Riley and Layla McCarter and current IFBA Champion Elena Reid. The IFBA congratulates all the women honored Sunday by the World Boxing Hall of Fame. See more pictures in the photo archive section. 2008-03-30T01:55:00-08:00 http://ifba.com/news/story/holmes_sanders_press_conference_quotes/ http://ifba.com/news/story/holmes_sanders_press_conference_quotes/#When:03:31:00Z ALBUQUERQUE (March 13, 2008) – A Fresquez Productions, Inc. press conference was held today at the Isleta Casino & Resort to formally announce “Finally,” the pay-per-view event (10 PM/ET-8 PM/MT), headlined by Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm and Mary Jo Sanders – “The Battle for Pound-for-Pound Supremacy”—on June 13th live from Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Holly Holm: “I’m going to train harder than I’ve ever trained before. I’ll be ready for whatever Mary Jo brings.” Mary Jo Sanders: “I don’t want to talk crap. Our records and fights should speak for themselves. I’m not only happy about my fight with Holly, but the undercard is so good, I’m so happy to headline a card of this magnitude with the other girls in order to show the world that women can fight and not just look pretty.” Mike Winkeljohn (Holm’s manager/trainer): “Holly is by far No. 1 pound-for-pound and that’s why she was named the 2007 WBAN Fighter of the Year and Ring magazine’s 2005 and 2006 Fighter of the Year, along with the IFBA 2007 Fighter of the Year. Mary Jo’s team recognizes Mary Jo, but the organizations are what count. I think she may pull out of the fight with an injury once she realizes what she is in for.” Jimmy Mallo (Sanders’ manager/trainer): “This fight will not go the distance. Mary Jo is just too strong for Holly. She’s never been in the ring with someone with Mary Jo’s type of power.” 2008-03-14T03:31:00-08:00