AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 1
Please join me as I sit down with another boxing icon in Woman’s Boxing Kelsey Jeffries! I’m the amateurs she was the California Golden Gloves Camp from 1997-1999. She had an amateur record of 9-2 before turning pro in July of 1999. As a professional she held the WIBF America’s Featherweight, the California Woman’s Featherweight, WIBA America’s Junior Lightweight, IFBA Featherweight, IBA Super Bantamweight & GBU Featherweight titles! She was trained by former 2X World Champ Buddy McGirt. Kelsey shared the ring with the best of the best throughout her career such as Ana Julaton, Rhonda Luna, Melissa Hernandez, Jackie Nava, Melissa Del Valle, Layla McCarter, Jo Wyman, Alicia Ashley, Corinne Van Ryck De Groot, Laura Serrano & Yvonne Trevino just to name a few!! She ended her pro career with a very impressive record of 41-11-2! Kelsey was inducted into the International Woman’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020, she was awarded IFBA Fighter of the year in 2003 & WBAN Fighter of the Month July 2002! She most definitely earned her ring name The Road Warrior with her willingness to fight all over the US as well as Germany & Poland & to take on opponents who were significantly bigger than her natural 122 pounds. Set your reminders you don’t want to miss her amazing historical story!
Kelsey Jeffries, Brooke “No Mercy” Dierdorff-Millbrook, No Punches Pulled With No Mercy, Talkin Fight
Transcribed
[, Music, ] foreign [, Music, ], [, Music, ], hey, hey everybody! What’S going on, it’s your girl, no mercy here, it’s Tuesday night! So you already know what time it is.
It’S time for no punches pulled with no mercy.
Some of y’all probably already know who I am for those of you that are new here – welcome.
My name is Brooke Millbrook, I am your host, Formerly Known in the fight game, is Brooke no mercy deardorff, I’m a retired professional boxer held the WBC lightweight title until I retired, and I was inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame.
Last year.
I’Ve been through some good, some bad and, of course, a lot of BS in the sport of women’s boxing, but welcome to my platform.
This is where we talk the talk and we walk the walk, we’ll bring out the truth in women’s boxing.
We’Re going to talk to pioneers of the sport past boxers current boxers, even future boxers we’ll be getting down and dirty speaking, the truth of what takes place in women’s boxing behind the scenes.
You don’t want to miss a single show, so please make sure that you like subscribe – and you share this, so we can get some more people um to help support no punches full with no mercy, but hopefully everybody saw who we have on the show today.
I’M super excited today, I’m sitting down with another boxing icon in the sport of women’s boxing Kelsey Jeffries in the amateurs Kelsey won the California Golden Gloves from 1997 to 1999.
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She had an amateur record of nine and two before turning pro in July of 1999.
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Now, as a professional, she held the wibf America’s featherweight, the California women’s featherweight, the wiba America’s Junior lightweight ifba World featherweight, IBA super bantamweight and GBU featherweight titles.
She was trained by former two-time world champion buddy mcgirt and listen y’all.
She was in the ring with the best there is that the sport had to offer during the era she was in with such as Anna houleton Rhonda Luna Melissa, Hernandez, Jackie Nava, Melissa Del Val Laila and Carter, Joe Wyman Alicia Ashley, Laura Serrano, Yvonne Trevino.
That’S just the name, a few of the greats that she’s been in the ring with she did end her career with an outstanding record of 41 wins 11 losses.
Two draws Kelsey was also inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020 awarded the ifba fighter of the year in 2003 and fighter of the month July 2002, on one at the one, and only women’s boxing platform, W band she most definitely earned her Ring name the road warrior and her willingness to fight all over the U.
S, as well as in Germany and Poland, and she took on all opponents who were and even opponents that were significantly bigger than her natural 122 pounds.
Please help me welcome Kelsey Jeffries to the show Kelsey.
What’S up Chan, it’s such an honor to have you in here.
I appreciate you taking the time I know you’re busy, but I appreciate you coming on the show and sharing a little bit of your journey with the world.
Yeah no worries good to be here.
Good, good um, I hope all has been well.
I know you’re you’re busy doing so many things nowadays, but um.
It’S kind of it’s kind of fun to reminisce and and kind of look back at all your achievements, uh and you have so many to speak of so um.
I know everybody’s excited to have you on the show.
I had lots of comments so um to start us off tradition fashion.
Can you kind of just take us back to the very beginning, tell us a little bit about your childhood and like what led you to boxing.
That’S that’s a classified but yeah I am so yeah.
You know I grew up in Hawaii and it’s a little tough for a white girl and uh.
You know everybody has their life issues, so you know I didn’t play well with the other people in sports, so you know I I I liked boxing.
I liked the you know the one one-on-one combat no team players.
You know, so that’s probably why I got into boxing.
I got you yeah.
It’S definitely um.
I mean they yo.
You always got your team behind you, but it’s definitely just you.
I mean people always say it’s good to have a great team behind you, but once you’re in the ring it’s it’s just you like.
They can’t help you it’s just you um, so the first time that you ever stepped into a boxing gym.
I kind of explained to people nowadays like the girls, have it much better now, but back like when I first stepped into a gym, um females, weren’t always so welcome in the gym.
Did you have any trouble when you first started boxing with like trainers or other Fighters taking you seriously or wanting you around, because you were female, oh yeah, absolutely I mean I was in.
I got in a gym in Hawaii, so you know a little Holly girl.
You know it was tough for me, but you know I took my.
I took my pounds took my lookings and took my you know.
Uh took all the beatings I could take and made me a fighter.
Yeah absolutely yeah.
You kind of you got ta, prove yourself especially um back.
Then you really had to prove yourself and earn their respect and and show them that you could, you know, take it and you weren’t gon na quit.
That was that was always their main goal.
I think was to make you quit make it make us all quit, but absolutely, and we we definitely weren’t having that um Collins has got a couple questions.
Oh, he wants to know what was your favorite fight? I don’t know about fight for me personally, or do you mean like other Fighters? I think he means what was your favorite fight.
You were in like what was your your feel, like your your favorite fighter, best fight that you had uh? Well, the the fight with uh um, Jackie Nava was a great fight um.
It was a tough fight, it was uh.
I felt they won that fight, but you know yeah.
It was a great fight yeah.
I definitely agree with that.
Um.
Their second question was: who is your favorite boxer? Oh true, Gotti.
Oh, that’s a good one! That’S a really good one! I like that um! So back to this, so you like me, had a very short amateur career.
You had 11, only 11 fights nine and two.
I think I had 15 fights before going pro there.
Just wasn’t many fights out there at the time um, but you did win the California Golden Gloves in from 97 to 99.
Tell us a little bit about your amateur days, the tournaments um.
Do you have any favorite memories from the amateurs? Not really you know it’s really hard to get a fight.
It was probably more discouraging than positive, because every time you got ready, nobody would be there at the fight and uh.
It was tough and being amateur.
I was amateur for eight years.
I only had like done fight, so it was.
It was a hard, hard yeah for a long time.
Yeah yeah, I think I was like.
I think he started competing in 2002 when I went parole in 2006.
So I was only Pro four years, but I only had I don’t know 14 or 15 fights yeah, so it wasn’t easy.
It wasn’t easy getting fights, whereas the guys that long would have had over 100 fights by then yeah um.
You did make your pro debut July, 2nd 1999, winning by TKO at 51 seconds in the first round.
Tell us how that felt.
Having such an impressive Victory on just your first pro fight yeah, it was, it felt good.
It was surprising, but yeah.
I felt good yeah that I mean that first round knockout first time out, I mean you can’t really do much better than that.
That’S like That’s so exciting.
I think my first fight was very similar to that.
If I think pretty sure it was, my first fight was the first round knockout and I was like that’s it like that.
I was just kind of surprised that it ended so quickly, but it makes a very big difference when you take the headgear off and you have smaller gloves much funner yeah and it’s uh.
It makes a very big difference as far as power um shot placements, and I don’t know it’s just way different it.
You can see so much better too, so it makes a huge difference in um, so the the fight we were just talking about June 16.
2000.
At the Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, you had your first defeat against another boxing icon, of course, in the sport of women’s boxing, Laura Serrano.
You did lose by TKO in the third round, but I know that there was a lot of controversy in that fight.
Um.
You had specifically said the fight shouldn’t have been stopped.
You felt you won the first round, despite the knockdown in the second round.
You came back strong and were being like pulled off of her and being separated at the end of the second, but the ref did stop it in the third um.
I believe you were knocked down in the third round.
Is that when he stopped it or was he was, she was just what happened with that fight because I was on the ropes and two was just punching and I’m like, and then he just said: that’s it, I’m like what I’m like.
Oh, he just stepped in and stopped it because she was throwing a flurry yeah yeah, because I knew there was a lot of controversy with that one because um, I definitely felt you won the first round.
The second round did have a knockdown, but you came back strong and then yeah you didn’t get to finish.
It’S just that you did it.
You did end up fighting her again, though right.
I did her three times and I yeah three times I lost every time, but I swear the last one I should have won.
It was on uh, televised, Fox Sports and or ESPN and should have won the, but you know I mean it is what it is.
It’S all good yeah, the the bad thing about that is um, Kelsey great, to see you all women’s Boxing Channel says yay.
I knew you’d be excited for this women’s Boxing Channel um Kelsey.
You are one of the main players of the first Renaissance.
What I call the first belt era.
I totally agree.
She definitely is and she had many belts to show.
I just named them.
I don’t know if you were here for that women’s Boxing Channel, we’ll talk about it again, though um so on August 12th, though same year 2000, you did came back, come back and you won a 10 round unanimous decision over Cynthia prowder for the wiba America’s featherweight Title um, your first title so tell us a little bit about that fight and how exciting it was to get your first title.
Oh, it was a great fight, yeah Cynthia’s, a great fighter, so you know always makes a good Champion uh ship.
When you, when you fight against a good fighter so yeah, I was really yeah and you had several fights with her as well.
I did she’s tough girl, yeah, tough, tough as nails for sure um.
Let’S see Collins asked what was the difference between anahulatin and Ronda Luna Rhonda Luna fought and who lives wanted to hold them right for the ref that I was fighting.
You know you know yeah.
She had a lot of movement, yeah, she’s, crying, it’s all good.
She was very you two had a very similar style.
It was punch for punch, uh, yeah, Rhonda Luna, definitely had a a very good entertaining style as well for sure um women’s Boxing Channel says this is how I rank them from back in the day.
Um.
Oh you’re, talking about the fight: oh R1, 9303 wibf, 9903, wbf, 96 to 03 97, the oath IBA 9703.
I w b.
Are you talking about when she held up? You must be talking about when she held the belts yeah.
Maybe those were all the belts, I’m pretty sure that I just yeah.
I just said she has several um exit.
The fights, though November 7 2002 celebrated your birthday winning the ifba world featherweight Title by unanimous decision over another boxing icon that we like to call of today, Layla McCarter um.
If I recall, though, there was a little hostility between the two of you for this fight um, I know Layla said after she definitely felt she won.
The fight.
Um tell us a little bit about how that fight fight.
How that fight went and um? Was there a lot of controversy between the two of you? No or was it just all for show? You got a great job, long range, but I won that fight and um so happy I did it was.
It was like the best day of my life.
Yes, when, in the time I mean title fights, I I try to explain to people I mean all fights are great fights and they’re all great memories, but there is no way to describe the feeling of having your hand raised and winning a title like it.
It’S undescribable totally undescribable um 2003, though president I of the ifba um Judy coolis, did present you with fighter of the Year award, tell us a little bit about um that and how important that that award was for you from the ifba.
Oh yeah, I mean they’re, like I think, they’re the one, and only women’s boxing pioneers of the sport to support women uh Judy is a great woman.
She I I went with her to Korea and she’s she’s a class lady, and I I love being with her she’s a her and her husband are amazing people yeah.
I totally agree um speaking of that it was in July, 2nd of 2007 and at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula.
California, that’s where I had the pleasure of meeting you in person because we were fighting on the same all women’s card on the best dance sports show um.
I did get to watch.
You live in action, so that was amazing.
I think it was only my third.
Maybe my third Pro fight, so I was new on the scene um.
There were so many amazing to the icon Legends on that card today, um that I was so ecstatic to meet.
I mean like the list goes on and on you were there Chevelle hallback, that’s where I met her for the first time, even though she wasn’t fighting Kalisha West was there, she came up and I met her um.
Oh my gosh um Terry Blair.
Was there Melissa Hernandez? Oh my God.
The list goes on and on uh but phenomenal fight.
I did get to watch you in action to feed Donna Biggers by unanimous decision to retain your ifba featherweight title um.
I always tell people that was one of the highlights of my career, because it was an all women’s card um and there were so many Legend fighters on that um was that the only time you fought on an all-female card, or did you get to do that? Often uh there was a fun in Waco Texas.
There was an all-female car in Waco um on TV and it was live on ESPN.
I didn’t make the telecast, but that was another one, but but the best was definitely in Pechanga yeah and it was um televised on the best.
Damn sports show right um, so that yeah, that was an awesome experience.
Um Judy coolis, was great.
I wish I had um stuck with uh fighting with her after that um just different opportunities.
Different places took us other places, but um amazing.
I had a great experience with her and um yeah.
It was, it was probably one of the best fights I had was fighting there, so it was very exciting and we had discussed this earlier, or I discussed it for your highlight reel that we were talking about you’ve been in the ring with the best of the Best, I mean just to name a few of them, which is more than a few but um.
They were asking Anna houlatin Rhonda Luna Melissa, Hernandez, Jackie Nava Melissa Del Val Layla McCarter, Joe Wyman Alicia Ashley, Karina van Reich.
The group Laura Serrano, Yvonne Torino to just to name a few and I’m at least half of those have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame um.
So great great Legend Fighters tell us which one of those you feel like was your toughest fight and maybe you’re not toughest fight, and why you know none of them were.
I think, my tap just fighting myself.
That’S that is so true, though so true.
I would agree with that.
Actually now that you say that that is very true.
No one can defeat us except ourselves right, that’s right, yeah! That is true um, but I think it’s amazing that what I tell people, I think that the main difference between today’s era and our era, which I was a little bit after you, but we fought at the same time, was that almost every single fighter – almost 100 Percent of the females wanted to fight the best fighters yeah and nobody ducked or dodged anybody, which I mean it’s still fairly, even that way um.
But you saw a lot of great great Wars back then, and you were in several with some some very great Fighters.
Um but so entertaining um.
I try to tell people all day long.
I would rather watch a female fight over a male fight any day of the week, because it’s all excitement – and you just don’t know – what’s gon na happen, because it’s it’s a hundred percent go um.
Well, most of them.
I guess we were talking about a few Fighters that you fought that like to run and bicycle um, and we did we did.
We did fight a few of those.
I did have some of those two that would not stand still and I’m like this is not even boxing.
This is yeah.
We’Re not pedal biking um, but I mean everybody has their own style.
So I guess I can’t really.
We had a similar style.
Go forward bring it go forward and throw punches um but yeah.
I did fight a few girls that were on their back pedal the whole time and just we thought we didn’t make a good fight.
We would have made an amazing fight, um and I was fighting at 126, but you were fighting mostly at 122.
, but we still you went up in weight, though did you fight it one? You fought at 126.
I fought a 130 with with weights in my pocket.
Yes, um, I thought the first time I the first time I went up in weight because I was naturally 126.
.
I fought it when I walked around that people always asked me too.
You actually wait.
I said um, I don’t starve myself now.
Ideally me walking around at 126.
I walked around at like 125, so I fought at 126.
most people that naturally weighed that would have went down to probably like 112.
right – and I wasn’t doing that – I I said I’m gon na eat what I want.
I’M going to train the way like I’m, not starving my body and dehydrating myself over and over and over again, so I fight it when I walk around that I’ll go up if I have to, but I did one time I went down to 122 to fight Alicia Ashley and I’m like it’s four pounds.
I can lose four pounds.
Poor thing.
That was the hardest thing I ever did in my entire life, like I seriously didn’t think I was gon na make wheat.
I didn’t even eat for like three days because I couldn’t there I didn’t have anything to lose.
I was there was no fat on me to come off um and I’m like.
What’S four pounds yeah, it’s not easy guys, it’s not easy losing weight.
So no, I, like you, fought it.
What I walked around at.
I was not starving myself or going on these special diets like yeah, I wasn’t doing it um.
Let’S see I get one.
I don’t want to miss your guys’s questions, though, while I’m going through mine, um women’s Boxing Channel, says now, I’m highlighting my take of how the sanctioning bodies ranked back in the day in my second post, I think from 2004.
The second belt era started to take over their domination for WBA WBC WBO, ibf IBO.
I see what you’re saying yes, I yeah, I see what you’re saying I agree.
First spell error, yes and then they kind of like broke off.
I see what you’re saying um women’s Boxing Channel great answer.
My toughest fight was myself.
It was a great answer.
Nobody has ever said that and I’ve asked that question on.
I think every single interview I’ve done – and nobody has gave me that answer – that’s a good one.
I might use that um Eddie Barrington weighing in with weights in my pocket, that’s hardcore.
Yes, we did that.
We did do that because the first time I fought Mia St John, I was fighting at 126.
I was a four day replacement for Rita Figueroa, who is also trained by the same trainer as me.
She got injured and I was like I’ll take the fight.
I don’t care what weight it is.
I just want to fight.
She was a name, so I wanted to fight her.
So I took the fight on four days notice, of course, walking around at 125.
That fight was at 1, 35.
, so yeah I had to weigh in with all my clothes on and I had like yeah like you said, weights and stuff in my pocket, because you can only be within so many pounds or they won’t sanction it um.
So I’ve been there, I did it um.
You were trained, though, by a two-time world champion, buddy mcgirt, which I always thought was pretty amazing and pretty cool um that you had a world-class trainer work with you, especially back in that era.
Um so tell us a little bit about what it was like working with him um and were you the only female that he worked with at the time? Oh my you know my homework career.
I pretty much trained myself.
I never really had a trainer.
So when I met buddy, I was at the end of my career and it was pretty amazing to be taught by somebody that knows what they’re doing you know and um high respect and training into our body training and Tony Tarver, the best in um.
I was humbled, but it was so awesome to go to Florida and have training camps like normal Fighters, which you know something women don’t really get to do, especially in my era.
Yes, so I mean he was.
I think he trained uh Ali at one point because I remember being camp with her um, but I I never saw any other girls there, okay.
Well, yes, it was late in your career that you met up with him um, but I and I kind of always tell people I did most of the training myself, because the gym was I it towards the end of my career or the beginning of my pro Career I trained with legendary trainer Sam Kalona um.
Amazing, amazing person love him still to this day.
The gym was over an hour away um.
So I would try.
I would travel to the gym and you know he trained a lot of well-known guys that were always they were always camps going on um, so you’d go up there and if you’re lucky you’d get to do the midst with them.
Otherwise, you’re really just doing your own workout and then you know you go for sparring days or whatever or you’re working with a different person um.
So it got to the point where I was literally just going for sparring um for sparring days just to get sparring and then my husband now he’s my husband now was learning and he was fighting amateurs too.
So he’s he and he was really good with mitts.
So he just started doing myths with me and all my workouts, and so then he was finally, he was like.
Well, I’m just gon na get my license so that way we don’t have to pay pay the fees to have.
You know you know, Sam in the corner, um saved a little bit of money that way, but still we’ll go to the gym and do sparring and stuff, but it’s hard, especially when there’s so many other when you’re in a well-known gym, like Windy City, gym and Then you know you working with Buddy mcgirt and all the other Fighters it’s hard to get that one-on-one attention that you really need back.
Then I think it’s totally different today, but back in our time it was harder um.
You did also, though, um held the wibf America’s featherweight, the California women’s featherweight wiba, America’s Junior lightweight ifba World featherweight, IBA super Bantam, white and GBU featherweight titles.
I think I got them all hopefully um, but I think I already know the answer to this question but which one of the titles means the most to you.
Jerry Seitz was a great fight um.
I really like that title, that’s Ida, but I got ta go with the ifba because they supported me.
I support I defunded my title over seven times.
Yes, and so I’m gon na go with the isba.
Definitely yes yeah! You did um.
I know defended that vote.
So many times and every single one of those fights was amazing, um, so yeah I I figured that was the answer, but hey I mean I didn’t wan na.
I didn’t want to speculate.
Um.
Let’S see um women’s Boxing Channel says interesting.
You said everyone wanted to fight everyone back, then not sure.
That’S true! With Layla and Mia St John.
These days we see Jonas, avoiding Terry Harper for Undisputed and mccaskill, avoiding Sandy Ryan again for Undisputed.
What do you say about that? Kelsey yeah well – and I was Boxing Channel though I did say most of the girls didn’t deaf people, but I guess Kelsey wants to know what you think about um back then he said not sure he said Layla and Mia.
Saying John didn’t want to fight everybody, and nowadays Jonas Jonas is avoiding Terry Harper.
Mccaskill is avoiding Sandy Ryan.
What do you think about that? I mean people picked their fights, so their records look good.
I mean that’s, that’s the way it is with guys fights.
I mean yeah, that’s true.
I wish I had a perfect record, but well me too yeah right, I mean but um, but in order to get those perfect padded records, you kind of have to pick and choose your appoint opponents, and but then I mean I don’t know to me the difference Between that is to me, when I look at a fighter, I don’t look at what their record is.
I look at who they fought and where they fought them.
Absolutely that defines to me how great of a fighter that person is or was um.
I don’t look at undefeated records.
I could get her less, especially in women’s boxing.
If you have an undefeated record um to me, that just means you have a padded record and you’ve been protected, um nine times out of ten.
I can’t say that for everybody, but nine times out of ten, if you have an undefeated record um in women’s boxing, it’s because you are protected and you have a padded record um, not always, but usually so I always judge fighters on who they fought and where They fought them what the fighters were, they were ranked that they were fighting um and all of that kind of takes a part in How I rank Fighters um.
I think women’s Boxing Channel that nobody should Dodge Anybody.
Everybody should fight the best out there, because how can you be the best if you’re not fighting the best right? Absolutely so I I don’t care about Pedro, I don’t care about undefeated records.
That tells me nothing.
I can say somebody that’s 20-0 and hasn’t fought.
One person that’s ranked or has a winning record or was a threat.
I don’t even call them anything yet yeah because they haven’t proven themselves.
You have to prove yourselves by fighting people that are the best or considered the best or other Champions or other top ranked Fighters uh.
What’S up Michael Orr, how are you glad to see you um being females, though in the in this still male dominant sport, especially back in our time Eros we faced a lot of BS and like stuff behind the scenes that people never really talked about.
I know I have I’ve talked about several of things.
I’Ve went through um being female, that shouldn’t happen, um or we shouldn’t have to go through um throughout my career on the show.
Can you tell us? Is there anything that you can think of that sticks in your head? That was like just total crap or you shouldn’t have had to deal with or go through.
We don’t have to give full details, but like one or two things that you had to go through, that a guy wouldn’t have to go through or we shouldn’t have to go through just because we’re females, oh God, you know, I mean I’m sure, there’s a million Of them, I think I think we just tolerate stuff.
You know we learn to tolerate things, but I think I found New Jersey and – and I had to get like a female exam, I’m like what the I just.
I was like hell I’m.
Why would you do that to anybody before I mean like I get a you know, a a general exam before a fight.
I mean what that I didn’t get that yeah.
I never had that happen, yeah that was horrible and then a Cancun.
I mean there was no toilet paper in the bathroom, I mean just little stuff.
That was weird.
You know, yeah yeah, I mean really most of the stuff.
Isn’T big stuff, it’s just ridiculous.
Like stuff, we shouldn’t have to deal with um.
I can remember a fight in Michigan where they wanted to get the pregnancy test, but they didn’t have pregnancy tests.
But then I said I go to a doctor, so I had to drive like an hour the day of the fight to get or the day before the of the weigh-in to go.
Get this.
Oh, my God, there’s just so many stories, but I had to go all the way to the specific doctor to get this pregnancy test and all these tests done and then drive all the way back like I was running everywhere like trying to do stuff and I’m Like I’m not supposed to be going anywhere, I’m supposed to be resting right, like you, wouldn’t, have a guy running around doing all this crap.
You would bring it to him um, but yeah, just lots of things um.
Who would you consider to be your female boxing? Like icons or role models, God I couldn’t name one.
Did you say I can’t name one yeah, I I honestly um nobody has walked or walked.
You know in respect to what I had mentioned imagined any myself to be.
You know um.
I honestly couldn’t couldn’t name one nope.
Well I mean you got a male role model or somebody that you like um and you know back then I it’s hard for people.
It people know more um, past fighters from our era, which is sad but then before us.
I mean I knew of people, because when I started boxing I was following boxing um.
You know past fighters from before you obviously um, but I always tell people it’s harder to think of before women started getting noticed.
I mean we got a little bit of exposure, not nearly like what today was, but before us there was like no exposure yeah.
So it’s hard for people to think of people from before our era, or I mean other than Laila Ali and Christy Martin, then, and it’s sad that that our sport has those as the the icons you know, because there’s so many more great Fighters um than than They portrayed yes, 100, so many more from way before us, like back decades and decades that people don’t even know um women’s Boxing Channel, says I’m researching into a new way of ranking all-time pound for pounds for women from the first belt era.
Right through to today.
It’S start based and will eliminate it’s oh stat base and will eliminate who thinks what it’s, what boxing desperately is missing? It will Encompass around 100 Fighters or so Kelsey’s going to be in that top 100.
.
Well, I would.
I would hope that Kelsey is definitely in that top 100.
The criteria is complex and will be published.
Well, I want a copy and I would really hope that I’m in that top 102 women’s Boxing Channel – I mean I’m just saying, but yes we definitely deserves to be in that top 100.
100.
I mean I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to have 54 fights.
I mean how many women can you tell me that had that many fights? No? No, I only had I can’t even remember I probably had like 15 or so somewhere around their Pro fights.
Um, which I could have kept fighting, but I got pregnant with my second daughter, um f, like two years after I won the WBC title um, I had defended that a few times um.
I had fought for some other vacant titles that I got robbed of overseas.
Um and things like that, or I mean defending titles um that I didn’t ever get the opportunity to get but um after I got pregnant with my second one.
I wasn’t making any money and I had two kids now.
My first kid was like.
We lived in the gym, I was at work and went straight to the gym and we were at the gym all night.
You know how it is um and then having two kids.
I was like I’ve already won a title: I’m not my most money.
I ever made was four thousand dollars for that title in Mexico.
I wasn’t making money at all, so I’m, like you know, maybe it’s time for me to just be a mom.
Do I miss it every single day uh, but it is what it is um.
So that’s why I it’s a dangerous sport and I had two kids to think about now and I didn’t want anything to happen.
So that’s kind of why I retired I could have kept fighting for sure, but that’s kind of where my mindset was with it um, but also um.
In 2020, you were inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame.
Um tell us what it was like.
I know when I got the phone call from Sue.
I didn’t.
I think I was speechless, probably for the first time ever in a while, but um tell us about the phone call from Sue Fox with the news that you were being inducted into Hall of Fame and what that means to you.
Well, I kept putting it off because they’re hoping to get more fights, but I think during the you know, um when the coveted stuff it was it was.
You couldn’t get fights.
So I finally said: okay I’ll, do it, but it was.
You know it’s.
It’S a help, help getting me closure to putting on my identity of a fighter.
You know because that’s been very difficult, yeah to stop saying that I’m a fighter and I’m I’m just an ordinary individual.
You know so yeah.
I think that helped the psychology of the stopping fighting, because my God I was I was fighting for over.
You know.
I was Pro for 16 years in the amateur for like four or five years so yeah it was a half of my life, so it was tough, yes um I can.
I can yeah.
I totally agree with you 100, because when I made that decision – and I thought about it every single year, I’m like I think I’m gon na come out of retirement.
I think I’m gon na come out of retirement and then I had I just I have a son that’ll be two Saturday, so I have two daughters and we just had a son that he’ll be two on Saturday and but I had him five days before I Turned 40.
, so, let’s just and but when, when I see, saw that women’s boxing was starting to get paid, yeah, um and televised like within the last four years or so um.
When women’s boxing really started taking a boom, a lot of girls were coming out of retirement from our era, a lot of them um, and I man the itch is worse than it’s ever been and wanting to come out just because I’m like I just need one.
One of those big paydays right, just one um, but the problem with it is, is you’d, have to rebuild and you’d, have to start from scratch and build your way back up the ranks and even to get the opportunity to have one of those fights and I’m Like that’s a couple years and I’m gon na be 42 this year, so I don’t think that would probably be the best idea, but it’s definitely tempting definitely tempting um.
So I would say probably that’s the reason you decided to finally retire was just lack of fights.
I’M assuming yeah there was no opportunity and nobody won fights so yeah.
I had to finally say: okay, yes, that’s it yeah.
I mean I still tell people I’m a fighter, I mean I say, I’m retired, but once a fighter you’re, always a fighter always yeah.
I can’t I can’t stop I’m in a train every day.
Yeah I mean it it it’s it’s just it’s in your blood you’re, always a fighter um women’s Boxing Channel.
Let’S see, then they are all cross-referenced against like for like fighters from both eras.
That’S interesting! Women’S Boxing Channel I’m interested to see what you come up with for sure.
So what do you think of women’s boxing today versus our era? Yeah they’re? Lucky I mean they get TV, they get um, they get normal training camps.
I mean I’m, I’m happy for them.
I’M not sure that they’re at the era that they should be or that the publicity that they should be, that I’m very um Happy and hopefully they’re getting the recognition that they deserve, which I don’t think they are.
I think it could be more magnified but yes, yeah.
I totally agree with that.
Um I def it’s come mountains.
Um we’ve come a very long way.
I can’t say that we haven’t, but we still have a very long way to go.
Um all female sports, but yeah we’re not we’re not even close to being equal, but we’re we’re definitely making strides right so hopefully, within the next decade or so we’ll be a little bit closer.
I don’t know if it’ll ever happen that we’re 100 equal but we’ll keep fighting for it.
They’Ll keep fighting for it.
I would would actually magnify that, but it it.
I I’m not really impressed with what’s happened.
You know, since you won the Olympics yeah with Clarissa yeah um, I mean even the fights that she just had.
I mean it was huge and I mean they publicized it and uh made an event new venue like all this stuff, but yeah it still could have been bigger, like with the promotion and the exposure.
I don’t know he deserves bigger yeah.
Definitely they could have did uh.
I always think it would be cool to do when they have um forget what it’s called like when Mayweather used to have all his fights, they would have him sit at the table and the guy would like interview them like right before the fight yeah.
I can’t remember what they called it, but you know what I’m talking about um, that they should do that for the women totally and like follow them around for, like their training camps and stuff.
Yeah, like that, would be more exposure like they used to do the okay, what the heck did they call it.
It was like behind the scenes, video or some of the showtime yeah.
It was on HBO when they had HBO but whatever, but you know what I’m talking about.
Everybody knows what I’m talking about, but that they should do that for women like follow them and like get little tidbits of their training all the way up through camp and and then do that interview yeah.
They need to do that for women, yeah um.
Are there any of the current Fighters today that you um really like or are following, you think, will be definitely for sure next Hall of Famers women? No, I don’t really know any of them.
I mean like, like yeah, I mean I’m sure, there’s a lot because you know the amateur is really good now for one minute, but I really don’t know.
But did you see the um, the Katie Taylor um Cameron, fight? No, you didn’t see that one uh that wasn’t that long ago, but Katie Taylor lost um for the first time to Chantal Cameron.
It was a good fight, might as well pieces of it.
Yeah maybe like highlight reels or something it was a good fight, but I don’t know I thought it was really close.
I don’t know I don’t know for sure that that’s the way it went, but I’m hoping they rematch.
Oh then they get a rematch um.
I don’t know I’m I’m eager to see who Clarissa gets next, because I can’t, I think, the only one um was it Cruz.
Maybe it would be a good one, but I don’t know it’s hard to like find competition that I think, will be good competition for her right now.
Yeah seems like we need more women fighters in in the in the game.
Yeah I mean there’s, there’s one’s coming up, they’re, just not there yet um Tony.
What’S up Tony um, he said women’s boxing today is only thanks to the work you all did well.
Thank you Tony.
I appreciate that um and I try to say that every day, which is another big reason I did the show was because I feel like past Fighters have kind of just been put on the back burner with current Fighters.
They kind of forget and think that they just made it happen overnight and that all of us past Fighters kind of pave the way for them.
Um women’s Boxing Channel, says Kelsey makes a great Point, as you have in past shows.
Fighters yesterday deserve much credit for preparing under different conditions and rewards facts.
Uh.
We all worked full-time jobs and trained on the side.
So boxing was a side gig, not our main focus uh.
We, I don’t think any one of us ever had an actual training camp.
No, we don’t even know what training camp is yeah.
Our training camp is going to work from nine to five or whatever getting off and going to the gym for a couple hours and then going to sleep and getting up and doing it all over again.
That’S our training camp.
We didn’t know what it was like to have three workouts a day and a nutritionist and a specialist and a sometimes it’s building a coaching.
I go to the gym and nobody was there.
I’M like okay yeah, I mean with we, don’t know anything about that.
Uh it’d be interesting to see a training camp because I’ve never been in one.
That’S what it is.
I was a tennis player or a golf golf player all right.
Why did I pick boxing? I don’t know because we’re a little cuckoo, I guess we’re a little crazy, um women’s boxing’s Channel, also says when I have completed my research.
I intend to create a spreadsheet, so anyone can input a Fighter’s name and record and record to see where they would rank.
I don’t know women’s Boxing Channel.
You got a good thing going there.
I’M super excited to see how how all of the fighters from all time rank on that list.
Definitely interested Tony issue says uh Savannah Marshall rematch for Shields.
I think that’s a waste of time.
Tony, I don’t.
I don’t want to see a rematch with Savannah Marshall and shields.
No, it wasn’t even a close fight at all Kelsey Jeffries versus Jackie Nava, again yeah Kelsey, Kelsey versus Jackie.
Well, hey you! We could do.
We should put together like a series of like old school Fighters, like you know how they do like the celebrity boxing.
Oh yeah, we should put together like a series with all old school retired Fighters, and then we all come up.
We all go and we we fight on this like non-sanctioned, that’s a good idea that would actually – and I could I could tell you tons of past Fighters – would do it 100 I’d.
Do it 100.
I could name probably 15 right now.
That would do it.
Just off top my head, that’s a good idea, uh Eric.
We need to um Eric and Michael Orr.
We need to set up a like a old school women’s, celebrity boxing event for all, like retired females.
They have connections, we can make it happen.
Let’S do it.
Women’S Boxing Channel says: if someone said I’m in a camp back, then they would think FMS she’s sitting around campfires get back in the gym LOL facts.
I want to see Shields versus Shen.
I never can say her name, so Deja green.
I want to see that fight too women’s Boxing Channel um.
I think that would be a good fight.
I would like to see that too.
Hopefully, that happens within the next couple years is on her way for sure she’s been very impressive.
Lately, um, have you seen her fight at all? I haven’t seen like a only one of her full fights but um.
I don’t even know who she is so she’s new she’s.
Only she doesn’t have a lot of fights yet, but she throws a lot of.
She has a lot of punch output, um and she seems to have really good power um.
I think she should be a little bit of a competition for Clarissa, um yeah, but she’s up and coming so she’s um.
I can’t remember women’s Boxing Channel, who did she fight in her last fight out that kind of gave her Sparks that’s kind of when her name came about in her last fight that she had um.
She beat somebody good and I can’t think of who it was but um it was very impressive, but that’s so she’s brand new like getting Spotlight.
So it’s it’s, not somebody that, like has been out there for a while um.
I just heard of her because of this last fight.
She had so I looked her up but yeah.
She looks like to be a very promising up and coming new newer Fighter for sure um.
I watched her fight with Ellen set a rose.
I don’t know who that is.
Oh, she fought Saturday, I didn’t even know she fought.
I have to look it up.
I have to look it up.
I didn’t watch it.
I didn’t know she fought um.
So is there any like big things in overall in your career that you regret, or you wish that you would have done differently, not one? No me neither really comfortable with him with my career yeah people ask me that a lot um, if I would have taken different paths – and I said you know if I would have – took different paths and not fought the fights that I fought and got the losses That I got from not getting decisions in their Hometown and defending titles and I don’t think I would have um.
I don’t think I would have made the Hall of Fame and I don’t think I would have been remembered.
So I don’t.
I wouldn’t have done anything differently.
Yeah me neither um.
I know that you’ve talked about um, some of your some of your.
So I I don’t.
I didn’t ever talk about it in the past because I want people say I’m making excuses um, but I do feel that actually, maybe there’s only one that maybe could have been questionable, but the rest of the losses that I have.
I still feel like I won, but they were in their hometowns.
They were defending titles, so I lost um the fights, but you have some similar scenarios.
Um with your losses.
Do you feel, like? I know the one that you talked about earlier? You felt, like you won, is there any other ones you feel like? You were just completely robbed.
Well I mean yeah I’m another, and then I thought in Europe in Germany, my first fight there with them.
I remember name that I fought in in Germany, my friend my first wibf title yeah.
I won that fight.
It was an easy fight.
Even novel was an easy fight.
I I think that’s why I got the draw.
I got dropped because it was so easy.
I was like what I still think I won that fight, but I mean you know it is what it is, I’m just I’m so lucky that I was even able to be there in the fight you know yeah and to put on such great fights yeah for Sure um, what advice would you give to all the young girls out there that are up and coming and wanting to get into boxing Michelle oboro? Thank you, women’s Boxing Channel um, yeah um.
I would you know just it just never stop believing in yourself and just um train like you’re you’re in you’re, the worst fighter in the world, and you want to be the best yeah.
That’S it nice yeah see I love getting.
I love that question every time.
I ask because the the answers are so different, every time but they’re so like they’re, so good answers like there’s just good advice, I’m a nurse LOL.
Well, Michael, I mean we need to put together a um celebrity boxing series for retired female Fighters that Miss fighting.
Like for real um since retirement, though, are you still in, I know you still trained daily and you still do all that.
Are you involved um with boxing at all? Are you, are you like training or helping other Fighters, or are you doing anything outside of just training with boxing still, you know, we have a great gym in um Coachella Valley in um in India that I think the um I’m there often I’m spying with their Guys and helping whoever I can.
Okay, so yeah, I like assistant, trainers yeah.
They have a great camp out there.
They have good fires coming out there, so I’m there when I can get a Golden Boy promotes in Indio and I think there’s a girl fight coming up on the 8th, the girl from Canada.
I forget her name she’s our age, she’s old, Michael who is it um, so the the um talk and fight that hosts my podcast they’re out of Canada, um and Michael Orr is also he’s in the chat, but he also has um several podcasts on talk and Fight um, he knows everything about boxing.
There is to know every single fighter.
He can tell you about him, but so Michael is from Canada.
That’S fighting Hernandez fought her before she’s in Canada.
Ah, is it Olivia gorilla? No, but she’s a badass? No not her, but the other one there’s another one there that’s in Mighty, Michael who is it tell us who it is in the chat, Diana Dutra? No! No! That’S not her.
Thank you.
Eddie though I don’t think that’s it Michael big, big name, our age.
No! He’S a she said, she’s from Canada, right yeah, she did 100 yeah.
We were to talk about that.
She did um Michael Eric who’s, the girl from Canada.
That’S like our age.
That’S gon na be fighting soon, Mary Spencer.
No, I don’t even Mary Spencer’s new.
Isn’T she, I don’t think she’s from our era? Maybe um so tell everybody.
What are you um outside of boxing tell everybody? What have you been doing since I’m a nurse I’m a nurse, I’m a hospice nurse.
I was a ER nurse, I’m a um.
I was a forensic sexual assault nurse.
Now I’m a I’d help with people that are dying and I love it.
That is like one of the best uh jobs that someone can have to help people pass over um and it takes a special person because it’s hot I don’t know for me, it would be extremely like I would get connected to every single one of them and It’D, be, I would be so sad, every single time – yeah, okay, yeah um, but for them to have somebody there to connect with, especially for those that don’t have family or close loved ones or whatever um, that are alone um, to have someone to be there with Them so they don’t feel alone amazing.
I know you as an ER news nurse and then now you’re doing this, and I wanted everybody to know that in case they didn’t know.
I think that’s phenomenal um that you do what you do um.
So I appreciate that.
Thank you.
Is there anything um that we didn’t talk about, that you would like to let people know or that you’d like to talk about um? No, I just you know life is tough.
You know I want people to just um, dig deep and just believe in themselves and fight for whoever they want to be.
Yes, totally, Elena mirdovich.
Yes, that’s her okay! She is fighting soon, no she’s, funny how I cannot think about that.
I tried to fight Elena mardovich, so many freaking times they would not fight me.
No, I don’t doubt it.
They would not fight me.
Um fighting isn’t much.
So I don’t know what kind of fights it’s gon na be but yeah, I don’t know who she’s fighting um, but I did see that she was fighting soon um yeah, Elena murnovich Ina menzer.
I tried to fight.
I can’t tell you how many times, but she was like in Germany – I think um, my God, I can’t even think of all of them, but they would none of them would fight me and it sucks no way, not fight um.
I really wanted to go to to fight umina menzer in Germany like so bad, but yeah me too yeah, you too probably um, but yeah cause.
We we never did pass.
We never did cross pass.
I can’t say you know I can’t say, because I wish I would have taught you because I I think you’re an awesome fighter and like and when I met you.
I thought it was amazing, so I never really saw myself finding you, but I think it would have been a fabulous.
It would have been an awesome fight for sure for sure she’s fighting, kalista Salgado.
I don’t know anything about her women’s Boxing Channel um.
You tell us who’s gon na win the fight, because I have no idea who that is, I know, Elena’s a great Fighter um fighting her tomorrow.
Yes, tomorrow um, I know Elena was a good Fighter um.
She is definitely our age getting up there and I don’t know if, especially if she’s fighting a younger fighter, I think she’s lost several recently.
If I recall um, she might be going a little bit past her time, but I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same.
If I didn’t have kids, if I didn’t have my kids, I probably would still be fighting right.
You know for sure at 42 I’d probably still be in there um.
So I can’t even say anything um tell everybody, though, where they can follow you on social media.
Occasionally I post positive quotes on my website and uh.
I mean uh uh Facebook, but no yeah, you post a lot of positive things on your face, your face.
Thank you.
You do yeah like almost guys if you’re not following Kelsey, and you want to follow her on.
Facebook – is the biggest one that at least I’ve seen.
But she posts like the most positive and inspiring posts like for people like her posts, are awesome and they’re very uplifting, uplifting, so yeah, if you want to get some uplifting positive, um quotes and info yeah follow her on Facebook.
Fighting at Fantasy Springs.
Casino is 24, 16 and 4 with 16 KO, oh 21, not 24.
, 21, 16 and 4.
yeah, I don’t know.
Well then I would say: Myrtle Beach might have a chance yeah.
Absolutely she might have a chance um she’s, 35 and Elena’s 40.
, not too much difference.
Then it could be a good fight, but I think Elena will probably take it in that scenario then yeah, but we’ll see what happens um.
Is it televised women’s boxing channel? Is it on? Is it televised d-a-z-n thing I have to see if I can watch it? Um well, is there any before we let Kelsey go y’all, as anybody else in the chat want have any specific questions for Kelsey.
Otherwise, I’m not going to take up any more of her time.
I’M gon na.
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