AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 1
On today’s show we have a very special guest! We have an amazing pioneer of the sport the one & only Marian “Lady Tyger” Trimiar! Marian was the first female to receive a professional boxing license in the state of New York & she won the Woman’s World Lightweight Title in San Antonio TX on March 31st 1979! In 1987 she went on a well publicized Hunger Strike for a month to advocate for better money & conditions for professional female boxers. Please join me as we learn the amazing story of Marian Trimiar it’s one history lesson you won’t want to miss!
Marian “Lady Tyger” Trimiar, Brooke “No Mercy” Dierdorff-Millbrook, No Punches Pulled With No Mercy, Talkin Fight, #mariantrimiar, #femaleboxing #femaleboxinghistory #champion #badasswoman #nomercy #fighters
Transcribed
I see them in the shadows: hey hey! What’S up everybody, it’s your girl, no mercy here, um, it is Tuesday night.
So you already know what time it is.
It’S time for no punches pulled with no mercy um.
Just to let everybody know today is a pre-recorded.
Show so we are not actually live, but please still feel free to leave comments.
I will um answer those, and so will my guests I’ll make sure that I get the answers for you guys so still feel free to comment and uh.
We’Ll definitely get those answered for you um for those of you.
That know me already awesome.
Welcome back.
For those of you may not know.
My name is Brooke Millbrook.
I am Formerly Known in the fight business as Brooke no mercy deardorff.
I am a retired professional boxer.
I held the WBC lightweight title until I retired and was inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022.
.
I personally have been through some good, some bad and, of course, a lot of BS in the sport of women’s boxing.
Welcome to my platform, this is where we talk to talk and walk the walk, we’re going to bring out the truth in women’s boxing you’re, going to hear from pioneers of the sport past boxers current boxers, even future boxers we will be getting down and dirty and Speaking the truth of what takes place in women’s boxing behind the scenes, you definitely don’t want to miss a single show, so please make sure you like subscribe and share the episodes, so we can get some more people in here every Tuesday night y’all on today’s show, Though we have a very, very, very special guest in the house, we have an amazing Pioneer of the sport, the one and only Marion lady tiger trimiar.
She was the first female to receive a boxing license in New York and she won the Women’s World lightweight title in San Antonio Texas, um in March of 1979.
in 18.
In 1987, she went on a hunger strike y’all for a whole month to advocate for better pay and better conditions for the professional female boxers.
Please help me welcome in Marion to the show Marion.
Thank you so so much for joining me today.
It’S such an honor to have you on my show.
How are you doing? Okay? Thank you.
So much for the lovely introductory very comfortable, of course.
Of course, I mean you’re, an icon you’re, a Pioneer you’re, a Trailblazer.
The list goes on and on um, one of the very first uh to get us going in this sport, so um.
It’S it’s definitely a pleasure to have you here.
It’S it’s such an honor to be speaking with you today, I’m so excited to tell the world your story.
Oh! Thank you! So much yes, um! So to start things off, can you just tell us a little bit about your childhood um and how you became interested in the sport of boxing at such a young age? Okay, I I remember watching Muhammad Ali box on television with my father and uh, and he oh, my goodness, he you know he would show me a few pointers and and um he got that’s how I really first got interested by just watching Muhammad Ali in the Different fighters on television, you know they don’t have that anymore.
The television NBC ABC CBS and all the ESPN all the channels that used to have boxing no longer you know they don’t have it anymore.
No, they don’t no, but that’s how that’s that’s.
How I first got started and interested was with my father, watching it on television.
Okay, awesome, yeah, no HBO! No! No none of that anymore.
It’S no basically Upstream nowadays, but it is what it is.
But hey I mean I guess we could still watch it.
Just not the same as we used to yeah um, so I know at the tender age of just 10 is when you started going to the local boxing gym, to watch people Spar and and continue to watch Boxing on TV um.
Not too long after that, though, you did tell everyone at the gym that you wanted to become a boxer, and when you express this dream to people, they just seem to laugh at you um.
Can you tell us a little bit about that experience and how you felt about you know them laughing and what they were saying yeah it was, I was around, say, maybe 12 and 13.
When I started going to the gyms and uh I was uh in the.
I was rejected, they thought it was.
They thought it was.
I was joking, wasn’t serious about uh boxing and wanting to box.
They they uh.
They took it lightly with jokes and laughter and things like that and uh, and when I did when I finally finished the gym, you know my initiation, a butt kicking.
You know I would go home with a black eye, bloody lip.
You know and bloody nose and my family, which you know is this something you want to do you know they they they they weren’t so full about it.
At that time, right, yeah yeah, I mean you definitely have to dig deep and really think about.
If this is truly something you want to do, especially as a woman in the sport yeah, I mean it’s definitely getting a little easier for women nowadays, but even back in my day they weren’t real acceptive of females um.
I know you, like you just said.
I know your first boring match.
They kind of put you in there with the guys and they just tried to beat you so bad that you wouldn’t return because they didn’t want you there and one day that I returned.
Then they said well, he’s serious.
You know.
I’M gon na work with him gon na train her and you know, and and that’s how they started taking me seriously when I, when I returned um yeah so that that was uh, you know one of the things you know one of the bad things about the Gym I’m skipping because it you know, I was going to tell you about a lot of the bad things that go on yeah.
I’M gon na Skip and tell you about.
You know: uh uh.
There was no bathrooms for women, so I would have to use the men’s bathroom and they put a peephole in it and will watch me.
You know, as I use the bathroom and if I had my period and they saw every everything yeah.
That’S just! Oh! That’S just sad, yes and my feelings were so so hurt yeah I had to plug up the hole with issue and different things.
Every time I went to yeah yeah, just total disrespect and disregard exactly for your privacy.
At that point, exactly um yeah yeah.
I know um the first gym that I went to Woody’s Windy City, Gym um in Chicago the original Windy City gym I mean, and I’m sure the gym was the same for you I mean they were the hardcore old school nasty they smelled.
I mean you could smell the gym.
I mean it was just like rugged like run down old school like and it was just like you wouldn’t even know it was a gym type place um.
They don’t make them like that anymore.
I haven’t been in a gym like that, and probably since Windy City Gym to be honest, that was like 20 years ago, whoa so um but yeah I mean they were already just kind of nasty and disgusting, and you know the it just wasn’t real clean as It is, and then I can just imagine the the disgustingness of having them one having to share a bathroom with them with the guys and then them just just having no respect whatsoever as far as your privacy.
Well, we we actually did have two separate bathrooms.
Oh um, then so I mean they weren’t Fancy by any means, but there was two separate rooms that we were able to use.
Um one was kind of like in the back area, so they would.
Let us use that one and then there was like the main bathroom.
I think it was probably technically like the coach’s bathroom, but you know that’s where we would go um and yeah.
Then I just did all my showering and everything at home.
I didn’t do any of that stuff at the gym yeah, but yeah um yeah, just total disrespect there, but you you did keep your composer composure.
You kept coming back um you kept showing you know that you deserved to be there, that you wanted to be there.
Um and you started to gain a little bit of their respect, which I’m sure felt a little bit rewarding um and finally them taking you seriously and actually being being treated like a fighter right, yeah, yeah um, and I know you continue to do your thing.
There.
Um at the age of 18, you started training seriously after graduating high school um, and I know you did a lot of exhibition fights um before you were able to receive a professional boxing license as a female at the time, most of them being against the men From what I believe um is that accurate and how was it fighting exhibitions against the men right, but I want to make sure that I I don’t believe in the action between men and women.
I never never.
I uh condone that, but exhibitions.
That’S a different thing.
We’Re not a judge, we’re we’re, not you know nothing like the actual about other than we’re in there.
You know uh, sparring and uh.
I did it with veto antifermo uh uh in Little Italy, and that was, I think, one of my first experiences and um.
He was oh, he was a very nice and um very helpful and work for me really and then I also with a guy on a few occasions with a guy but a dean bent Dean’s been and he he was an amateur fighter and uh the the people There they always matched us together.
I thought that we worked good together, so that way could actually see you know a woman in the ring.
You know and that’s interesting for a lot of people that never heard or seen anything like that ever right, yeah totally different.
Totally different um yeah exhibitions are definitely different than an actual sanction body – fight, um more so just similar.
To like hard sparring, I mean like a sparring match, but going a little bit harder.
I would assume Ian you might have that.
I’M not working, but people really enjoyed it.
Yeah yeah and you know it’s definitely different and I mean you got ta.
You had to do what you had to do back then.
If you wanted to do something I mean you couldn’t fight legally.
So that way, you were getting you’re getting practice you’re getting better you’re.
Getting some experience.
Yes, did you um? Were you able to do any amateur fights prior to doing any of that, or did they have amateurs even no? No Brook they? Oh! No.
They um one time: uh uh kill it.
We call a Killer dying, uh killer Diane and I uh with some were on an amateur um card uh in Harlem and uh.
They waited until midnight to put us on oh wow and uh.
You know a lot of people were tired or oh, and another thing broke some guy yelled out.
Oh these women.
They should have killed, they should be shot, you know and then took offense to it and they almost got into a fist fight.
It was a year to come up, and you know, because you know they’re talking about killing people yeah.
You know because uh they chose a sport, yeah yeah it it.
That was a that was one of uh, my worst experiences and that that was with uh uh Kevin Diane, something what we did put on an exhibition uh.
I I guess it’s called an exhibition because we were at sanctioned right, the amateur, AAU or uh anything so um, but people enjoyed it.
You know we put on a good match and um yeah.
It went over well good, good um.
I know I mean I’m so excited um.
I was so excited to talk about this next part um.
Just because simply you were seriously like the first woman to apply for your boxing license in the state of New York in 1978 um and after a long lawsuit.
You were the first woman to receive your professional boxing license along with um, Jackie Tanawanda and Kathy Davis.
How important was it to you and how rewarding did it feel to be the very first woman to receive your professional boxing license in New York? Well, uh Brooke.
I applied for a boxing license about four years earlier.
You know in 1974.
, okay and uh and was rejected.
You know they they they uh.
Well.
Men aren’t allowed like when I say that I’m not interested in fighting men yeah, they were giving me all kinds.
Oh, you know that your face could get messed up.
You know you know all these sexist things, and you know if you’re getting a hit in your stomach, you won’t be able to have kids, you know and go on and on about some of the stuff that that I’ve been told to discourage me.
You know and uh and uh, but finally uh uh years later it was Kat Davis, Jackie Tomlin, and we now they had an opportunity book to to give each one of us our license, making us all three the first to receive our lives.
They could have easily done.
It was uh Commissioners there and different staff members they could have.
They could have handed us our life all three.
At the same time, right, they chose to to give it to Kat Davis, making her the first to be licensed.
Although she was the last to apply right, it was the last to apply in in the in the first to receive a a lot.
I I I didn’t wait one second to play that would have you know immediately.
I was on, I said, hey you know.
This is not right and blah blah blah, you know you know and on and on and uh, oh man.
That was not a good experience.
That was one that I’ll never forget, yeah, I mean they definitely have it down.
I mean, I know the truth and you know the truth and I’m pretty sure the whole world probably knows the truth, but that cat Davis is pegged as the first female to receive her license in New York New York.
But it was actually you.
They just happened to hand her hers first, whether it was intentional or unintentional um.
I do believe the whole world knows, though, that you were the very first one to apply.
You were.
You were the first one to get their license um.
They came in after the fact that just happened to be there at the same time right and you know what it was intentional.
You know they knew after that.
This show, and that show and this program and that program would have had Davis as a guest yeah.
You know so that that was definitely they they at that time, that they uh prefer the blonde hair blue-eyed person as opposed to a black person right right, which um, it’s just a shame.
It’S just a shame.
Um, I don’t see color of skin.
I see um people and individuals um and that’s just how it should be right.
I know things were a lot different back then than they are today, but I mean everybody we still struggle with.
That today is what it broke.
Yeah, I’m seeing a whole lot of stuff.
You know I don’t want to get into that now because I’ll take all your stuff.
That’S fine! That’S fine! No, I mean it totally.
Is it’s such a shame? Um? But I know the truth.
You know the truth.
Um the important people in the boxing world and everybody out there really knows the truth that you attack.
You were the very first one to get your license.
Um everybody knows that um.
She just wrote off of that.
Oh wrote off your your tail um just kind of like trickled in there, but we all know you know you were the first one so um and we’ll make that known here, and this is um.
This is a worldwide podcast, so um everybody knows that Miriam was the very first one to get her license in the state of New York uh, not cat, so um.
Also, though, just one year later, in 1979, you won the Women’s World lightweight title against Sue Carlson and San Antonio Texas yeah.
How did it feel to win a world title? Okay, let me tell you a story: uh Brooke, um, okay.
I was standing next to what I thought was a man, and I was telling him about us.
Oh I’m, gon na fight, this girl named Sue and blah blah blah, and that was it was so that I was talking to.
Oh no, yes, I can tell you.
I have fought.
I have fought a few that I did not I thought were guys yeah, that’s how I saw him coming out or at the weigh-in.
So I can understand that.
But did you ever uh talk to them thinking? No, you never did that.
No, I never got to talk to him beforehand, but I mean when I saw him walking around, I just assumed they were guys until it was time for like the weigh-in and stuff, and I was like that’s who I’m fighting oh but but look I’m glad.
I told her any secrets: I’m gon na give her a hook um.
Yes, I’m gon na.
I’M glad I’d do that because she, I was talking to her.
You know, but anyway it was a nice word.
You know she and you know and uh.
I felt really really happy you know to uh to get that license.
Uh I mean to get the uh choke a bit.
You know what they were giving out trophies instead of belts – oh really yeah, I didn’t.
I didn’t get a belt until recently, yeah yeah I had a trophy and – and trophies is you know, a really nice.
They they end up uh some.
Sometimes they get rusted yeah yeah they break down and uh.
I I gave it to um a guy here in New York City too.
He said you know with all the traveling it had it broke down, so he said, oh, I could fix it and then he ended up losing it.
The whole thing.
Oh no, all I have to is pictures.
I got a lot of pictures.
That’S all I pictures of the trophy! Well, I’m so glad you actually have pictures.
You would be surprised how many people that I have interviewed or talked to that don’t have pictures or videos at all, like none yeah like then, how do you I mean I always tried to video, because our fights weren’t aired.
Usually so I mean it wasn’t like you’d get your hands on tapes yeah, but I always try to have somebody record it.
So that way I like later for my kids grandkids, like you know that people can look and see history um.
Oh I’m so happy! You have at least some photos, but that’s terrible yeah, but I really wish I had someone at that time to to me.
My best fight was at the Olympic Auditorium.
That’S where, oh, my goodness, my you know, the the people threw money in the ring.
They stood up.
We got standing ovations.
You know oh Brookie, you just don’t know how I wish that that you know and we’re trying to get tapes yeah, my friend Chris and and uh Georgina and different other people that I know uh try to to to get copies and and to no avail.
You know yeah, that’s a shame, that’s a shame.
That was smarter, you, you know yeah well, I mean and there’s seriously so many that I talk to and they’re like.
I don’t have any video footage except for like what’s on YouTube or whatever, and I’m just like.
I didn’t ever like till just recently post any of my fights on the internet because I didn’t want people studying me like you get.
You can get your own footage if you can get it, I’m not going to give it to you um, but recently I posted some of my fights but yeah.
I just in my mind, I’m just like.
We have to capture these moments so that we have it.
Yes, now, a lot of my fights are on like old school VHS tapes or yeah, like old camcorders, like with the little tapes, so I didn’t get it all converted, but at least it’s I still have it.
I just need to get converted to today’s technology, but um.
You know at least I have something that I can pass on.
Yes, that’s wonderful, yeah, um! So next, the next big step that you took um that I mean I there may be other steps in between, but that I know of was in 1987.
You went on a well-known publicized hunger strike for a month to advocate for better money and conditions for all the professional female boxers.
You did direct the hunger strike, though, towards Don King who was managing Christy, Martin and some other female Fighters at the time.
Can you tell us a little bit about what made you decide to do the hunger strike and why um and why towards Don – and you know just the background of that story – yeah the uh there’s one of is up.
My father was uh uh in front of Don King’s uh and um.
You know the brother was called my mother.
Was there awesome, but my father was a ticket sign on and some other women too some other people that were supporting me.
You know uh.
I did uh um approach Don King, I I lived in Harlem and and we went to uh he was a big promoter and you know uh uh at that time and uh, so that that’s where we went we went to his office.
You know we picked it outside his place.
We said that we want a bigger, presses.
Uh, we want, you know more rounds, more fights, we want promotion period.
We want promotion right so um, so that that’s uh.
One of the reasons that I went on the hunger and I went on the hunger strike in Las Vegas, uh, um and uh.
I’M gon na tell you a quick story.
I’M not going to give you the name of the the girl, but it it hurt me.
So bad it hurt me okay, I I I I paid for everybody to that went to Vegas.
We we had uh uh the the poster signs magic Market, everything to to make signs.
You know uh science, where we were against uh Sugar, Ray Leonard.
That was fighting that that wasn’t the the purpose people saw.
We said beep.
If you think women should uh box, and it was because we were right near the street right near where the street, and so the people saw the the and they started beeping beep, beep beep.
You know deep, if you think women should they beep beep beep and that that was a A plus, but getting back to the the uh.
I wanted to give you some background about how you know it took a lot just to get everything organized for the picketing.
You know it wasn’t easy.
You had to have permission special permission, a lot of things that I didn’t know that I had to go through had about two car loads of people and and with the picket signs and everything so uh uh, I’m gon na name.
The two people, but two people that went – do you know that they went to party.
They didn’t go there to to help me with the the picketing or or anything they would adjust to the T and and what what high-heeled shoes and ready to dance party? I said what the hell is this right? Oh my goodness, oh man, you know, and even till today I can’t get over it.
You know, that’s it put a bad taste in my mouth.
You know yeah, that’s crazy, like why would you say you’re gon na come and help and then you you go so that you can go out and and party in Vegas yeah.
At my experience too right, you know and everybody else was there.
You know uh signs and you know so anyway, I just the things, but I I was on the hunger strike for 30 days and uh it it was it was.
It was not only me, it was um, the two other women Joanne Metallo and, oh, my goodness, she’s gon na be mad because I didn’t I.
I have a mental black right now of uh the other person, but it was three of us and um, and but they didn’t stay on for no more than Maybe a couple of days, but that was okay.
They they still.
You know I have them on the flyer um and we had some mailboxes that you know supported my course.
You know um like Mike Tyson and yeah Brothers uh, oh boy, um yeah.
I was trying for bigger persons more rounds, more fights, promotion, um, uh and Don King uh uh.
When we uh approached Don King Don King didn’t have, but at that time Brooke there was he he won.
He wasn’t promoting any boxes.
Okay, he wasn’t promoting not near one boxer and uh after I spoke to him during my hunger strike and he said that he’s going to use women boxes.
That is what got me off the hunger strike and he kept his word.
The first one he used was Christy Martin, that’s the one he used it.
So I think that she should credit me for uh helping her to get those those the fights yeah with Don King.
It was the hunger strike that did it.
She never mentions anything mentions the the boxes that came before her like uh, Barbara buttrick and different other women, uh and – and, as I said, I know that Don King would attest to this that I you know that it was the pressure that I put him.
You know, and I I told him that he used, he used uh kawasi or whatever his name is the South African.
You know he he uh, he I said if you could use them.
I said why can’t he help a black African right female you know.
So all of these things, a lot of this was on the the flyers.
I have it on paper.
I have it and uh all kind of stuff.
You know yeah yeah, so I mean the hunger strike the outcome.
It was that he did start promoting females, but he didn’t even consider promoting you at that point right.
That’S that’s the disappointment.
You know, but you know what I I took it like this at that time.
I was glad that women were being promoted for National Television.
You know where everybody could see him right: uh uh.
I know that I it wasn’t me you know, but I’m the one that let it happen.
You know right, which is a shame that you weren’t included in that.
Yes, it is because you went through so much stuff and just to get it there um and and be heard for all women, so yeah and that’s very disappointing to me that you weren’t um, included in that group of girls right.
Yes, definitely a shame, because all your hard work – and you know you went through the hunger strike – you stood out there and picketed.
You were the one that did all of this stuff which worked um because he did start promoting females yeah.
But it’s just.
I don’t.
Quite understand why he wouldn’t have included you in that group of people that he promoted.
Do you know they’ll be wonderful.
If we could talk and ask him these questions yeah, you know, that’s that’s the whole thing you know I would love to do that yeah.
I would love to know that answer too yeah, so if anybody has an opportunity or no way that we could get in contact with them, you know uh.
I know Christy Martin is working with him, but it must be another way that I could get in contact with him.
Um yeah, that’s a good question I can.
I can try to find out if there’s a way to reach him yeah.
Thank you.
I will definitely try to find out yeah there’s a lot of questions.
You know, you know we were picking his his place and making calls and and finally you know, okay got the okay and you know, and then he used Christy.
You know, but you know, I’m happy that someone was used.
You know if he had said if he had said well, I’m not going to ever use wooden boxes and – and I didn’t I wouldn’t have known where to go from here.
I don’t even know if I’d be in there.
I don’t know right yeah, so I don’t know yeah yeah, that’s a tough! That’S a tough, tough spot to be in right.
There um, but it did.
I mean it worked um and you got you got women’s boxing out there.
You got women’s boxing heard um, you just didn’t get to reap the benefits of it.
Unfortunately, but it did um start us on the right path to starting to get to where we are.
Today, yes um, I know that um when I was inducted in the Hall of Fame.
When I got that phone call, that was literally the most special phone call.
I think I’ve ever had um, especially boxing related, but in 2016 you were inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame.
Can you tell us a little bit about the call you got from Sue Fox and how it felt to be inducted into the Hall of Fame? Oh, my goodness she’s, you know I.
I really admire her.
What she’s doing so much you know for women’s boxing with the uh uh uh.
I’Ve been, I don’t know if I’m pronouncing it right, man yeah the you know all the things that she’s doing to to so people.
Could you didn’t know that we exist and that we still exist and and then she has the the you know, he’s honoring the women that uh that participated and that’s a good thing, absolutely yeah yeah.
So I was really shocked and surprised and honored, and you know that that she would have me you know uh uh well, in the Hall of Fame in the women’s Boxing Hall of Fame uh, I’m grateful you know yes, yeah yeah.
Absolutely I couldn’t travel.
That’S the whole thing she wanted me to to actually come here.
The traveling would be hard.
You know, I’m in a wheelchair, a lot of people.
Don’T know you know, but I’m I’m you know in a wheelchair, so um traveling would have been uh pretty difficult at that time.
Yes, absolutely yeah, it’s not easy.
It’S definitely not easy getting around um, especially if you had to fly or something like that it just it’s possible just a little difficult.
Yes um.
You were also, though, in 2021, inducted into the international boxing hall of fame um.
Can you tell us a little bit about that experience because that’s, I think I can’t remember was that the first year that women were inducted, no, that wasn’t, that they were in uh even before that, okay and and uh it was by this Man by the name Of Ed Brophy now the thing is when he called me and uh.
I didn’t understand exactly what the whole thing was all about.
I thought Ed Brophy was and I I thought I misunderstood his name broke and I thought he was giving me a trophy and I said: oh I’m gon na get a trophy for boxing.
He said no, my name Brophy and I want to enter.
You know.
I want you, the the internet, boxing home.
I said oh well, you know that was a whole big, so um yeah and that’s how that all took place in in uh.
I was really uh happy to be invited.
You know, let me tell you something I I had after after boxing I I was out for about over 30 years.
I didn’t do anything boxing, I didn’t watch it.
I didn’t.
I had nothing to do with it hell.
You know the international boxing team and this lady: that’s these people that are doing a a documentary and then then uh uh, this other, the internet, International Boxing Hall of Fame.
All of these things came like kind of recent right and and and I’m gon na be honest.
I don’t know uh because, because I’ve been isolated from that are boxing currently I I because away from it right, I didn’t know about uh this thing called streaming and streaming app.
I didn’t even know about Facebook.
My home attendant had to give me you know: I’m old school yeah, you know, and I’m not all these other things that you know, I’m not I’m not into all this streaming and even the podcast.
You know I’m learning about that and how to handle.
You know handle that all of this is new and and sometimes pretty difficult.
Yes, exactly can be, and it can definitely be overwhelming.
It’S just a lot of information.
Yeah yeah, I mean I struggle with it and with a lot of the the technology stuff, and all of that I mean I’m pretty basic.
I don’t do a whole lot of extra stuff um I mean my kids can run the stuff better than me.
So I just I mean I and you’re more old school than me, but I’m still old school too um so yeah.
They always laugh.
My kids get.
They think it’s hilarious when I have to ask them for help with something, because I don’t know how to do it.
Oh wow, you know you’re something else too, because you you’re bringing uh to fight all the the women in in boxing with your podcast and, and you know all the that you’re doing so, you know YouTube on it too.
Oh, I appreciate that.
That means a lot.
Yes, um.
I just want everyone’s stories to be heard and I want um the current and future generations to be able to know the history um in women’s boxing um.
It wasn’t done overnight.
It wasn’t done because of the Olympics.
It wasn’t the current fires of today that got it to where it is, and I just feel like um people need to know, and you can learn so much from every single person’s story right, there’s just so much to learn and so much history there um.
So that’s kind of the reason behind the podcast and just for people to really understand women’s boxing um and everything that we’ve all each one of us.
Each separate generation up till now has had to go through to get it there, because it, it certainly was not an overnight job um, that’s for sure, and it took lots and lots of generations to get it even where we are today, and it’s still not even All the way there yet we’re just we’re building um, I know um we kind of talked about this a little bit before, and but that’s why and all of us females have been through um a lot of things that are unfair and a lot extreme.
Like BS situations behind the scenes that no one knows about you’ve talked about a few of them already.
Is there any other stories that you would like to share with some stuff that you had to go through in your career? Oh yeah, there were so many uh unfair things in in boxing one was uh.
I had already told you about.
Was the uh, the bathrooms yeah, you know what believe it or not.
That’S.
That was a a big thing.
When I see the the women they have a beautiful bathroom for women and it is like it’s like I, I just can’t believe you know believe what I’m seeing now.
You know it to me it it see to somebody else.
It might be small.
It’S a bathroom.
The devil’s a big thing to me: uh another thing: uh now some some of the mailboxes wanted women uh to prove that they were not gay.
You know because they called this – the manly odd, the self-defense, so they they wanted women to prove that they’re, not gay.
But having sex with them, do you know some women went for it? Some of the women boxes yeah.
They had sex with some of the the mailboxes to prove that they’re, not gay, that’s crazy, yeah, but a lot things like that was happening, then uh.
So it was, it was a lot of sexism racist.
You know in the breast protectors.
Oh my God, that’s a whole nother story in itself.
They would give us these to put on our dress and if you were accidentally hit on your bus or worse than if you didn’t have anything at all yeah, you know so I I would go without a breast protector, they would say uh, uh, uh, lady tiger.
Do you have on your breast protector, I said yeah and then they did.
God would feel it to see if I had it on my breasts.
You know, but he didn’t say anything he didn’t feel any protection, but he didn’t say anything so anyway, uh that that was uh uh.
You know one of them and the other thing is uh the the work that was uh uh done to try to promote women’s.
I would uh try we needed sponsors, you know I had to work a full-time just to pay my rent and for food, and I had to uh you know all I needed was a sponsor.
I tried to get sponsors to to because men had sponsors yeah.
They do yeah, it’s awesome.
Well, maybe I could do the same and I asked around.
I even went to celebrities.
They.
Let me know that they, they weren’t doing as good as people thought they were doing and, as a matter of fact, people thought I had money and was asking me: Ronnie made letters asking for money, wow you know and and and I’m and I’m receiving food stamps Right, you know: where would they make any money? Oh yeah, I’m barely living, you know and then I’m writing letters in the letter.
I had this lady help me.
I was right and and going to commission meetings the State athletic commission meetings and telling them hey.
We need more rounds, we need this.
We need more, better pay in all this and this and that you know, in addition to my job, I was doing all of that and then trying to go to the gym and train right.
It was it was it was, it was murdered.
Yeah.
You know wow yeah, even in my time I had to work a full-time job, be a mother and then train part-time.
That’S right! Being a mother.
That’S right! Yeah! That’S right! Yeah yeah! There was no full-time full-time box even in my day, right right, um.
So I’ve always said we work way harder than the men do, because we have to do it all exactly exactly and then uh one of the things I I don’t.
I have a name before me right now, but um she had her period and she she mentioned.
I was so happy that she meant because one of the things they were saying that you know you, you can’t you, you know you can’t fight.
If you have your period and all – and she said I have my period and she won the fight yeah, so you could do that you you, could you could have that type of person that never bothered me.
That’S the most, never bothered me, no, you know.
So.
No, I mean the only thing: sometimes they make it hard to like make weight and you be uncomfortable, but it doesn’t stop you from existing and doing things.
Well, the only thing I had.
I had a look, but one time I was working on your wedding and then the the the blood came all the way through my clothes, my robe and everything and and all the men and everybody could see you know you know that I had blood you know.
So that that that was a little one, I guess in embarrassing, yeah yeah yeah, I mean that’s a part of Womanhood, I mean everybody knows what it is, and everybody knows it’s something we can’t control.
I mean he said: uh, hey, lady tiger.
You know you got this is I said: oh my gosh, I said I didn’t even realize you know so uh.
You know I left, you know you just do what you got to do: yeah yeah, that’s all it really.
All there is to that um.
So I know with you growing up and watching boxing so much and then being around boxing pretty much since you were a child um did you have any of like favorite Fighters or people that you you know, looked up to or really enjoyed.
Oh, you know, and I was watching there were there.
You know like before us Austin there were no women.
You know that that I could that I knew about right later and later on.
I found out about Barbara butcher, who was abandoned weight in uh and, and she also promoted women’s boxing and her and uh a guy by the name of Timmy Finn yeah, a lot of men that that are instrumental.
You know women’s boxing.
I mean they really.
You know really really really helpful, like Jimmy Finn and uh Christopher Benedict and there’s some different other people um.
You know um uh, even um, Mike Tyson and uh.
I can’t name too many boxes, but they they they were.
You know supportive in their own way, right right, which is awesome, definitely awesome and uh.
You know [ Music ].
There could be commended too, with Jim, when Gemini we could buy Auto and uh Zebra Girl, princess red star.
I was in a fight with Prince’s, Redstone, Indian and, and it was in the reservation and uh.
I remember why she gave a a necklace that meant piece or something she explained everything I still have it you know to today it was a you know.
It was an Indian uh type thing, it was very, very nice and they they were friendly.
I was very comfortable with the with them yeah and then sue Fox is another another one and then there’s you know.
You know a few more Brit and uh a few more.
You know people at that time, yeah absolutely um.
So I know you said you don’t really you hadn’t watched boxing or been involved with boxing for the longest time.
Are you watching any of the current Fighters today or is there any females that are active now that you kind of like or are impressed by? Oh there’s, um uh I’ve seen Clarissa Shields, um, Amanda, Serrano and uh Katie tell it.
You know.
I saw the the fight.
We were right when we saw the fight.
That was, you know.
That was the first time I was in the garden.
You know after you know, I think, Christy Martin, I think I was there with Christy Martin.
Then the next time was uh uh.
Recently, okay, uh Alyssa, uh bumgartner she’s, the one that folded up.
You know the period yeah, I’m still learning about more.
You know boxes as uh female boxers as as time uh yeah one I mean there was so many that came after you, yeah yeah, I mean after your generation there I mean the going on to like my generation and so on and so on.
There’S just there’s been so many now right, yeah, it seems like they’re, just they just keep coming out.
They just keep coming out of the woodwork, which is good.
It’S great that there’s so many female.
Now athletes um boxing yeah.
Hopefully it just continues to grow yeah.
No, I was gon na say I remember Ali.
He came to a recreation center uh I used to go to a after school Recreation and he came there to visit.
That was a big thing for for all of us, and you know for all the kids and the youth at that time.
You know and um yeah so but the the thing is I’m talking about the things that I do to promote women’s boxing and and uh.
You know I was an activist in that I’ve always been an activist.
You know I I marched with Reverend Jesse Jackson and, and I met uh Stokely Carl Michael, who was uh call me Tori.
He was an activist, Angela Davis.
He was a black activist, you know so I’ve always been in that thing.
You know a gung-ho like.
If I see some injustice, you know uh, you know, and in boxing was a lot of it and yeah.
I put a lot of my energy into that.
Yeah.
That’S why I went as far as the hunger strike, yeah yeah.
Definitely definitely um worked in and put in that work for women’s boxing.
That’S for sure um definitely were all about it and put everything you had into it.
That’S for sure.
Yes, um, I do know um.
I was so excited to see all the photos um that that you had set over.
So, let’s take a little bit of time and go through the photos and you can kind of just tell everybody about the photos and and your experience um, and what each one’s about all right Eric.
Can you start the slideshow, please foreign, I’m not sure.
If no, that’s not the one there’s, maybe there’s the next one but the uh.
That’S all girl card yep, no, that’s an all-girl card and um and and it was a successful fight, it was, but you know uh, I’m not sure.
If was that one another one! Well, the people only had to pay five dollars.
That’S it five dollars to get it.
I could I, when I saw the the PO I didn’t even know until I saw the post wow yeah, but maybe you’ll see it on the next one, but uh, but all the girls there they they were all very good, all very good, finders yeah.
I had the I got to meet Cora Weber and Dora Weber at the inductions right, um yeah, the twin they’re, amazing sisters.
Yeah four was on this card.
Um yeah, that’s phenomenal, but I can’t believe it was only five dollars.
That’S insane! Yes, um the next one.
Oh, oh yeah, that’s what you thought to leave uh! That’S when I uh uh, uh, Carl lotta, Lee and uh.
I think, on the same, show that we’re supposed to you know the poster that you just showed.
I think that’s the same person yeah and you won.
I’M obviously yeah she said yeah.
Let me tell you something, I’m so excused it’s: okay, um, okay, we’re going because that coffin made me lose my point.
That’S okay! I said you won.
Obviously oh you see that’s what happens when you get old.
I know my mind’s going already: don’t worry about it, uh Eric! What’S the next one wait but uh? Who did that? Who did who doesn’t say? I fought there um.
It says Ernestine Jones, oh okay, Ernestine Jones, okay, yeah, so that that was a that was a pretty good card and, as I said, all the women on the Brit is up there too right, yeah, yeah, all the women.
You know they they were pretty pretty pretty good Fighters yeah they and but that I can’t believe the amount of all women’s cards there were.
Then, yes, you can’t even hardly get all women’s cards.
Now I caught on one all women’s card, one, you you you.
What did you say? I’M sorry, I I only fought.
I only had the pleasure of fighting on an all-female card one time, oh okay, now how and how’s that how did that? It was good.
I mean it was amazing.
It’S just phenomenal just to be able to see all the other females like on one card, usually you’re.
The only one right right so to to be a part of.
I think there was God I want to say like six or eight bouts on the card, but they were all females like it was amazing, like I was so excited to be a part of it.
They just don’t you know they don’t have them any.
Hardly ever no, they don’t um yeah.
So that’s amazing that you were on several back then that they were doing all women’s cards.
Yeah yeah, that’s awesome! Um! What’S the next one Eric that’s the one uh uh KO called the one that I thought was a guy.
Yes, I can, I can see that yeah and uh and that’s the one I think – costs five dollars to.
If you look there’s a state on the bottom uh Brooke, I think five dollars to get in or something like that.
Um, it’s kind of cut off at the bottom.
It might say that, but I can’t see the whole all the way down.
It does.
Okay.
Yes, my Eric says it does that’s the five dollar one.
Oh, my goodness, isn’t that I couldn’t believe it.
I can’t that is so crazy and that wasn’t even all female card.
No, it wasn’t five dollars.
Wow shoot.
I’Ve been at every card if it was every fight, if it was five dollars that would have been to all of them – yeah.
Oh, that’s! So crazy! Um! What’S next Eric okay, they said that the the the Marquee that that you see there they said that well, women can’t get a higher pay unless they are of Marquee value.
And then, after that I said, look here, we are.
Our names are on the Marquee.
I said we are Marquis of Marquee value.
Now, what do you have to say? You know now now money should go way up.
You know yeah, so so you know so all of that you know uh trying to find excuses, not to pay us.
You know and then then, when we do or whatever they say that we need to do, then they still, you know, find ways not to pay us yeah.
Well, I mean, if you don’t mind me asking you don’t feel like you have to answer the question, but I’m just curious.
What is the most that you ever made? The most I ever made was one thousand dollars.
Okay, see the most I ever made in mine was for my WBC Title back there um when I fought Mia St John in Mexico.
For the second time I made four thousand dollars wow, that was my biggest payday wow, that’s even low.
You know compared to when I’m making – yes yeah, that was yeah so um.
I guess from your time.
To my time I mean I went up three thousand dollars.
I guess that’s pretty good in a span of what 20 20 30 years but yeah I was still um, it was still disappointing yeah.
I couldn’t afford to to do it like that.
I had to pay my rent and yeah train and do this and do oh.
No, I just you know, got to where it was costing me to box it.
Does it seriously? Did I mean for that fight in Mexico that I made 4 000? I had to be there it’s like two weeks out because it was in Mexico and boxing over there is huge um.
So we had to do like the the public workout and like multiple, multiple press conferences and then like the pre-pre-fight way in and then the way in and so by the time – and I worked full time so I had to take two weeks off work wow.
So, by the time I put back the money that I lost by not working and getting there and everything and the money had spent there yeah.
I ended up paying for that fight, but did you fight Mexican? I fought Mia St John.
Yes, she lives she’s.
I think was born and raised in America, but she is Mexican heritage, so yeah I thought, had fought her once already and won as a replacement fighter and then she wanted a rematch, but only in Mexico.
So that’s how we ended up going there, but that’s where I won the WBC title from her: oh um, so yeah but yeah a thousand dollars.
That’S that’s nothing same thing with my my little petty 4K.
But what are you gon na do um? It is what it is, but I still got the memories yeah um Eric.
What’S the next photo? Okay, so here’s about your 100 Hunger Strike yeah.
I couldn’t think of it at that moment.
Remember earlier I couldn’t yes, I couldn’t remember her name, Joanne matello Del Pettis and and then Mike Tyson was very you know positive.
You know so and then it has a little detail.
You know uh written down, you know their all your quotes and all like the little info yeah.
This was basically the flyer that you used.
Yes, that is, and I had, oh, my goodness, even uh.
Recently I had so many uh leftovers yeah yeah.
That’S amazing! Just super amazing and that’s the the ones that was uh going out.
I I sent it all.
I sent it to the networks I said, do you know I have 400 uh and I’m not.
I have pictures of all the of all the the people that I sent it to.
You could see it on the floor.
Uh uh some, you know I had it all spread out envelope from one end of the room together, a lot of envelopes.
You know it was tremendous.
It was fortunate that this guy that had a stamp machine – let me you know use otherwise I couldn’t afford to do it right and different people helped me in different ways.
I wanted uh.
I know you’re going to ask me about anything.
I have to say, but I’m going to say now that, because I don’t want to forget, I would like to thank so many people that helped me years and years ago: uh uh, you know, letter, writing and and stamps and envelopes and and different other things that They helped me to do.
I want to so great, even the picketing, the ones that were out there with me.
You know I would like to thank them that you know for for helping me and I hope they see it so they they know that I’m grateful yeah, absolutely absolutely um.
I’Ve always say that I don’t there’s very, very few things in life that we all do completely alone or solo.
There’S always somebody in the background that plays a big role in helping um to accomplish things.
So you definitely I’m sure, had a lot of people like you said in the background, helping with even the smallest of things.
Yes, she would have been able to do without them exactly absolutely um.
What do you got next? Eric? Oh, he [ Music ].
He was uh out there, it was cold weather too yeah.
Yes, here you can see a little warm coat and uh, but he was supportive.
You know he knew that I liked boxing and he was out there.
You know in the oh boy, so I I I I really appreciate it.
Oh um uh um Brooke.
During that time you know my mother and father wanted me to stay at their house, but if I stated well, look just eat a little bit of this just eat a little bit of that yeah I couldn’t stay here.
I stayed at these this other people.
That’S another thing I wish I could find these people.
I know that the mother, the way it was a mother and two a stayed at their house.
You know because I needed a place.
Uh uh.
I was introduced to them from somebody else.
You know how you you know: yeah, like I was introduced, do it Eric Dewey loser, I’m not sure either.
Oh there.
She is.
I lost your sound for a second.
Oh call me yeah.
Okay, whether you need um is the sound.
Is everything it’s back you’re back now: okay, okay um.
What was that you were talking about um, the people that you stayed with? Yes, yeah.
I stayed with this.
Family was a mother and two sons and uh.
They were very, very nice to me.
They’Ve been bothering me about having any food or anything.
If I stated my mother’s, it would have been.
You know it would her.
You know and my family yeah.
I have no idea how you went that long without eating yeah you could you could uh go.
You haven’t recorded now you have to have water yeah, I mean you have to have water to survive and you can go that long.
But yes, I don’t know how you made, how you and I lost a lot and then I gained it back after the whole thing was over.
Yeah like it was like a relief.
You know that that’s a lot of self-discipline, though I don’t know that I could go that long without eating anything yeah.
It was.
It was very, very, very very I I learned from you heard of Dick Gregory.
Yes, okay, there was a Dick Gregory diet, the lady that taught Dick Gregory I went to.
I actually went to her and she’s the one that told me.
Oh, I could survive.
You know long periods of time without eating you know and so uh.
She passed away.
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