IWBHF Class of 2025: Inducted and Inspired

I didn't know quite what to expect from the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame that took place on April 4th and 5th at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas. but it was an incredible event that I will always cherish.  As an inductee I was excited, but also a bit nervous and anxious.  Luckily my family showed up in a big way.  My husband, Adam, organized everything and I had 30 family and friends show up for the event.  My cousins, Rupa and Amit came all the way from London.  I had two friends come with their partners from Raleigh and I even had friends and former sparring partners from the Bay Area where I got my boxing start who I hadn't seen in forever.  I am grateful to all of them for making me feel so supported.

The event was preceded by a two day Women's Summit put on by the WBC.  I registered for it, but only was able to attend a small portion of it on the first and second day.  There were a lot of wonderful presenters (who I unfortunately missed) like Laila Ali, Christy Martin and Tiara Brown, but luckily the WBC recorded some of the talks and I will be able to go back and watch them.  It's wonderful to see a boxing federation, put on an event exclusively devoted to women in the sport.  I was pleasantly surprised to see Nonito Donaire there with his kids to support his wife Rachel, who gave a talk on boxing management.  I hadn't seen him since he was a kid, and while I have watched many of his fights, it was nice to see him with his family.

I have to say I was blown away by the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame Event.  Held over two days, it truly showcased the inspiring stories of professionals in the sport, not just boxers but also journalists, photographers and promoters. The event was so well organized and ran like clockwork thanks to the hard work of the fabulous Sue TL Fox and the amazing team of organizers: Wanda Countiss, Godfrey Hewitt, Amy Green, Terri Moss, Oscar McCarver, Mailssa Smith, Dalia Duran, and Krysti Rosario.  In the beautiful program they put together, Sue writes in her letter of appreciation, "This event is not only a celebration of past accomplishments, but also a rallying call to continue pushing boundaries and advocating for female athletes.  Let us cherish the stories and experiences that bring us together."  I felt a connection to all who were honored and have personal connections to many of them.  They say that the boxing world is a small world and the world of women's boxing is even smaller.  

First, I have to say part of what made this event so special is that it is now held in Las Vegas every year.  Not only was Las Vegas my home for my professional boxing career, it is also where my parents live, so it was incredible to come home for this experience.  The Orleans hosted many great boxing shows in the very ballroom where the induction took place including those of Las Vegas legends, Melinda Cooper and Layla McCarter who I trained with at various stages in my career.  I moved to Las Vegas, imagining I would have many opportunities to fight there, but only fought once at the Stardust Casino which has since been demolished, but ironically the Orleans Casino has a Stardust Suite that plays homage to the casino and I was able to get a cool Stardust Mug from the gift shop.  I was fortunate to train at many of the famous gyms in Vegas.  Richard Steele's gym was where I met a 12 year old Melinda and I traveled with her and her coach to the 1999 Golden Gloves Tournament where I won the national title.  I trained at Laila Ali's gym and alongside Layla McCarter at Johnny Tocco's gym. Vegas is also where I had a 12-year career as a high school teacher and actually worked at the same school where fellow Hall of Famer Tracy Byrd was a resource police officer. 

The first night of the IWBHF event saw "Women Cops Who Box" honored in what may have been the most inspiring part of the event.  The women cops honored at this event are incredible role models who not only chose one of the toughest sports out there, but also one of the toughest careers.  On top of that many of them contribute to boxing in significant ways from running gyms and programs to promoting boxing shows. AND many of them are still active as professional boxers.  I was so proud to see Melinda who was on duty and came in her police uniform.  I have always admired the work Terri "The Boss" Moss has done out of her gym in Georgia.  Her fight promotions are legendary and we both just came from a national collegiate tournament where she coached the Georgia Tech boxing team.  It was wonderful to see Alex Love who I spent a week with this past December at the Olympic Training Center to become coaching clinicians and even got to visit her amazing gym, Boxing with Love.  She embodies strength and heart.  Then to hear the stories of Irma Garcia, Elia Carranza, Nora Daigle and Stephanie Han as they shared their passion for the sport and community made my heart swell with pride.  Tracy Byrd punctuated the event by giving a stirring speech about her work and boxing that left me wanting to stand up and cheer.  That evening my parents hosted a wonderful dinner at the Bulgarian Restaurant, Beso, with my family. Having this time together made the weekend all the more special.  I ran into Layla McCarter in the casino as we headed out and she is still as lovely as I remembered her.  I hope she gets more opportunities to fight the big names before she retires.

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The night of the induction was fabulous.  There were all these fantastic spaces to take pictures to commemorate the night.  The event was sold out and I saw lots of boxing luminary in the crowd including Christy Martin, Boza Edwards, Alex Ramos, Melvina Latham, Miguel Diaz, Sumya Anani, Yvonne Trevino, Jelena Mrdjenovich, and Jeff Mayweather.  I would have liked to have taken more pictures during the night, but I was dealing with a lot of nerves.  Luckily, once the ceremony began with a stirring keynote from promoter, Roy Englebrecht I was able to really focus on listening to all the honorees stories and be inspired by the diverse journeys of courage, grit, and passion.  My father won one of the autographed giant Cleto Reyes gloves and gratefully, he gave it to me. It has the autographs of so many great fighters.  I wish I could have gotten all of the inductees to sign it.  This night was truly one of the greatest nights of my life and an honor of a lifetime.

To make the event all the more special I came home to find out that Thomas Gerbasi had posted a story about my career for Ring Magazine.  When he interviewed me the week prior to event, I imagined that it was for an article about the event and I might have a small paragraph in it.  I have never felt more like a star and appreciated in this sport as I did this past weekend.  I am inspired to continue in my role as a coach and official to support the next generation of boxers especially the women.

Congratulations to all my fellow inductees and all the people who where honored during this event.  I am humbled and honored to be a part of this resilient, brave community of boxers and professionals in the sport.