AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 1
Join me as I sit down with Maureen ashes AKA The Ream Million Dollar Baby a true Veteran in the sport still out here taking these Rookies to School! Maureen Shea of the Bronx, New York, is the former IFBA Jr Featherweight World Champion, former NABF Featherweight Champion, former NABA Featherweight Champion and former Interim WBC Featherweight Champion. Shea is one of the top professional female boxers in the world! Aside from her amazing boxing skills she is also known for her roll as the main sparing partner for Hilary Swank in preparation for Million Dollar Baby. She was Nominated by MTV as one of their 2008 Toughest Coaches for the show Made. She has also done some commentating as a boxing analyst and had her own TV Show Shea’s Corner. You don’t want to miss her amazing story so make sure to set a reminder for every Tuesday Night with me No Mercy!
@talkinfight @brooke”nomercy”dierdorff-millbrook @maureenshea #femaleboxing #nomercy #maureenshea #femalewarriors
Transcribed
Foreign [, Music, ], [, Music, ], hey, hey, what’s up everybody, it’s your girl, no mercy here.
It is Tuesday night.
So you already know what time it is it’s time for no punches pulled with no mercy.
Some of you probably already know who I am those of you that are new and don’t my name – is Brooke Millbrook, formerly known as Brooke no mercy deardorff in the fight business.
I am a retired professional WBC lightweight champion and I was inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022.
.
I have personally been through some good, some bad and, of course, a lot of [ __ ] in the sport of women’s boxing.
Welcome to my platform, this is where we will talk the talk and walk the walk.
We will bring out the truth in women’s boxing and behind the scenes you’re going to hear from pioneers of the sport past boxers current boxers and even future boxers we’ll be getting down and dirty speaking, the truth of what takes place in women’s boxing.
You definitely don’t want to miss a show so make sure you like subscribe and share to your friends and let everybody know to come, join us on Tuesday nights.
Now we have a very special guest in the house tonight.
Maureen Shea aka, the real Million Dollar Baby, is in the house.
Maureen is a true veteran in the sport who is still out here.
Taking on these rookies and taking them to school.
Y’All Maureen is originally from the Bronx New York.
She is the former ifba Junior featherweight World Champ, former WBC interim champ nabf featherweight champ and the NABA featherweight champ.
She is one of the top Pro female boxers in the world.
Aside from her amazing boxing skills, she’s also known for her role as the main sparring partner for Hilary Swank in preparation for the movie, The Million Dollar Baby, she was nominated by MTV as one of their 2008 toughest coaches for the show made.
She has also done commentating as a boxing analyst and has had her own TV show called Shea’s corner.
Please help me welcome Maureen to the show.
How are you I’m good Brooke it’s so I just you know, I’m so grateful.
Thank you for having me on and thank you for what you do and um I’ve watched you throughout my career and I have such a huge amount of respect for you, and I love that you’re doing this.
It’S so important because you know, like you, said, we’re from a different era, and I just really really appreciate this.
I’M really excited to be here and to be able to share a bit of my story and – and just you know chop it up with you.
Awesome awesome yeah and it’s an it’s an honor to have you here as well.
I mean we definitely fought at the same in the same era.
Um.
You definitely surpassed me a little bit.
I had.
I got pregnant with my second one.
Oh, you had babies, yeah um, but I, when I got pregnant with the second one I was like you know what I already had the WBC belt.
I wasn’t making any money.
I had two kids then, and I was like yeah we’re just gon na we’re just gon na retire um.
I I thought about coming out many times, but I just had another one a year and a half ago, so um, probably not gon na happen.
At this point, I’m too out of shape, but you know confronting it’s tempting yeah, I’m sure yeah.
It’S so great to have you here, um, you have a phenomenal story.
Um.
Thank you and I mean I.
I already knew your story most of it.
I mean.
I obviously did a little research, but I pretty much already knew everything about you.
There is to know that’s what we did back in the day is we knew about everybody yeah, so um, I guess for everybody.
That’S in here maybe take us back to like your childhood in the beginning and like how you got hooked on boxing and took that road so um, I grew up in the Bronx in the Bronx New York uh.
I was born to a Mexican mom and Irish.
Dad my dad was a retired NYPD detective and my mom worked for the airlines so growing up uh a lot of people didn’t know that I speak fluent Spanish, so I would travel back and forth from from New York to Mexico a lot quite a bit with My mom, I was very, very fortunate to be able to do that and uh.
Actually, Spanish is my first language.
I learned it kind of at the same time as English, so I don’t exactly know why.
I know what I know, but I know how to speak.
Fluent Spanish, but hanging out being around there and being really submerged in that culture was something just so so fascinating and so amazing that I look back now and I realize it.
I really had the best of both worlds.
Um and then you know I had my brother was 10 years older than me and we’re very different, so I think I he moved out when I was 14 years old, so I was kind of an only child um, but I definitely at a young age was Very strong spirited and I had you know I had emotional issues, but I what kid doesn’t have emotional issues but, like you know, I was kind of just um going through my thing and and trying to figure out.
You know how to express myself and um.
You know growing up in the Bronx, was tough and and trying to figure things out hanging out with the right people, the wrong people and getting you know, getting frustrated just not being able to express myself with all that energy.
So my mom had put me in multiple Sports and I know the thing really stuck, and so I until I found boxing but I found boxing by accident, so it was kind of kind of a fluke thing I wasn’t raised in the sport um the only person That I ever saw a fight was Mike Tyson when he bit a Vander, Holyfield’s ear and ironically, what I connected with in Mike Tyson was his his emotions, because not that I’ve wanted to bite somebody’s ear.
But I’ve had that rage where I just wanted to.
You know break something or – and I had a lot I had you know I struggled a lot with that as a kid breaking things not being able to vocally.
You know, I think, that’s why I’m so good now, with my words, because I just didn’t, have them when I was younger, and so you know breaking things in the house getting into fights.
You know things like that, but when I found I saw that fight I was like man, that’s yeah.
I was 15, I think 15 or 16.
, and I was so fascinated.
I didn’t even care what was happening.
Like I just said man I want.
I felt like that so then fast forward, I’m 17 years old.
I find myself in an abusive relationship and I go to a gym, a fitness gym to better myself to get.
You know if I work out and you know because he worked out and I went to the back of the gym and there was a boxing ring and I was like oh and I remember Tyson.
I remember that, and I was like I try and the trainer came up to me and everybody was speaking Spanish and the trainer came up to me in English and said: do you want to try – and I said oh and I started speaking in Spanish because I Was like how am I going to connect with these people? You know and he was super Willy Soto.
I still talked to him today and he’s a wonderful human being and he’s had a huge impact in my life, let alone my career, and he just took me in and gave me his time and I just kept going.
He kept telling me call me Guerra and he’s like you’re gon na be a champion and I didn’t realize he found out.
I was Mexican and Irish because he wanted to know why I speak Spanish and then I didn’t know that Mexicans and Irish are like the best fighters yeah, it was, I go back and I just I’m like it had to be.
You know it had to be there absolutely absolutely um Eric sent me a message said: you’re a little staticky again.
Can you do a quick, refresh, yeah uh, so I go to the so refresh the whole thing you want yeah.
I guess so she’ll be right back guys, don’t go anywhere, she’s just doing a refresh, so we can get rid of that little static that she’s got going on on her audio.
Make sure it’s clear for you guys tada.
Is it better? Hopefully, I think it’s better, but it’s better: okay, okay, um all right awesome, so I know that you um always have kind of spoken.
You started boxing at the age of 19.
um, like you said, you were looking for somewhere to Channel all that energy and um being able to express yourself in some kind of way um, and you always talked about how boxing literally like saved your life um.
Can you tell everybody a little bit of of how and maybe other people could kind of connect with that? Maybe they can connect with boxing to help them? I think for me it was every day and the challenge and just really a place to high energy, and I didn’t really know where to put it and when I went to the gym that just really, you know helped me out a lot, even with my mom, To work together and believe it or not, I had I was yeah.
I didn’t want to deal with college and all this stuff, but I ended up going to college and help me with that because it helps.
Let me release this energy and help me to focus you know, and it also.
I think it is really the the way that it works.
My brain realize like oh, like they think boxers are dumb.
Sometimes then, I’m like they have to be pretty.
You know there’s a lot that goes into it and I love the challenge, so that was it and I never shied away from a challenge, and I can’t do something, and so I I that makes me I thrive at people doubting me, but you know, for the Beginning in the beginning of my career in the beginning of training, I boxed to get out of this abusive relationship.
Um told me in this house: you have to work and go to school.
You can’t do all three and I said okay.
Now then, I boxed to prove my father wrong that thing: Hilary Swank I’m working with her for a million dollars baby and now more important.
Now I’m trying to prove that I’m not just a sparring person partner.
You know, then it’s like oh well, she’s lost lucky and then so I always thought you know, and I had to figure out how was to fight for me when I started realized in like I’ve, rediscovered my.
Why so many times as women – and I know that you can come completely – relate to this – you know I’m 42 years – I’ve reinvented myself so many times that they think they are they are.
They have no idea who they are right now they’re going to ran over and over again and that’s why I embrace my my 40, my 40s, I’m embracing my fifth 50s, because I’m like man, I just see me even the evolution of my career.
You know great um, you know a great platform for me to come kind of evolved space for me to do that and to learn and to grow and to chat.
Everyone would have been challenged, but something that I I’ve always gone back.
That errands couldn’t because it’s unfree giving giving – and I think that you know I love that – I see these.
You know because I think that it’s it it’s gon na really it’s gon na help over women yeah.
You know because now we’re we’re where we are now, you know what we spoke about a bit.
People need to hear the stories of the one Olympics yeah the women.
I remember when I turned Pro five I’m like what’s next, I always did what’s next yeah.
What do we do? You know? I obviously I love to succeed.
I love the point like I played softball, I’m like all right.
What’S the point, what am I doing? Do I like it? I’M not really a team sport person because I felt like I was.
You know, but I was just right always so, is that energy I think back and I’m like all right? Well, what’s next and you know what I’m still on that path, the book is still here because I can be people like.
Why do you do this? I don’t it’s not it’s not even thought about the money, but yeah it is.
I mean the money’s there, but I can do so my.
Why is pretty solid yeah because I don’t understand it when I I want something: that’s gon na.
Do it yeah absolutely because I’ve always been that I’ve oh always been like that? That’S exactly and anybody that from me as a kid, my mother would tell you that my whole family, all my yeah and you know, especially in boxing like you – have to really want it.
I mean you have to yeah.
You have to really want [ Music ].
I think we’re all a little um.
We were wired differently, we’ll just put it that word, wait we’re wired differently.
You have to really want it.
In order to do it tell I tell people I still said I’ve been therapist going to therapy because I enjoy.
I enjoy punching people in the face.
That’S what I do.
I said I’m totally.
Okay with that.
Like listen now, I’ve just accepted who I am yeah and I accept that there’s gon na be moments of change knowledge.
I don’t walk in a room and think I know it all.
I know I can learn and but I I’m very particular with who I surround myself self-width, because that are going to you know to raise my bar.
You know yeah.
I wonder I want them to raise my bar exactly exactly um, so I know you just like me.
You did not have a very big, extensive, amateur career um.
I think you had like.
Maybe I don’t know 15 fights or something well yeah I had.
I think I had four I had 14 or 15 amateur fights um, so I didn’t have very many either because I couldn’t get fights which I know is the same thing that happened with you um, but I know you did have some titles and you had some Good fights: do you want to tell just a little bit about some of the titles you had in your amateur experience, yeah? Well, so, in the end, amateurs I did those.
I fought my second fight um, I well.
My first fight against a girl had more experience than me.
I won, but let me tell you something was so low from my abusive relationship and I going through that.
I actually thought I lost that fight like this is a lot and some people will hear this and be like what yeah raised my hand and said I won.
I looked at the rest when I said I really lost didn’t I, oh.
I felt and nobody knew this because people – don’t no, you don’t know, and I I really and then they and and the ref looked at me.
Okay, so it was like you know.
I was struggling with this eternal foxing fight my whole career.
I knew I had a good work ethic.
I know I really embrace and accept that I was talented and you know back in our day.
As you know, there weren’t a ton of females and the coach es.
You know I had some pretty tough coaches.
I had early on in my career, you know I had one particular code and he was very hard and he was very um.
You know I would say abusive, but I don’t know if he meant to do that or if he thought like.
Oh, if he could get the best out of me, but it was damaging yeah, it damaged me most of my pros and um.
You know I had to heal from that and I’m healing from abusive relationship.
Now, I’m healing from this damage I’m sitting here.
Thinking like, why am I doing this, but you know if I was God – and I just said you know – God, like God, has a plan for my life Jeremiah and I had to believe that because I get the chills because you’re yeah, you know, I don’t know Why he chose Bach saying from I’ve, been able to do with this platform and help people, and just like okay and the people I’ve connected with, and the people that I’ve connected myself there’s a reason, yeah and so amazing, and so you know after that, um.
You know I live and um I I you know.
I want my first title was the nabf title which uh you know it was on uh.
It was in Saturday, toga Springs and it was on Lisa, I’m now partners with Elite with Lisa elevich with uh one with I’m part owner of tequila of this tequila company with Lisa, humble Mancini and Larry Holmes, and it’s funny how Full Circle had to me.
After Wards – because you know we made it connection here, so it’s interesting because these titles, every time I had a title in life, even when I lost, I still want in life yeah.
I think that boxing I saw one in life because I didn’t want to give it was not giving up in life and realizing the boxing didn’t Define yeah, and I think there was there was a moment there, because for a long time I think I allowed boxing To Define me and her, and and it was it’s pretty bad, where I didn’t know, if I’d be able to box anymore yeah, and then I I you know, I just I remember that’s because they told me I would box again and all this stuff and I’m Like what am I gon na do my mom? I was in Florida visiting my family.
I lived in California, David to God, and I heard him audibly people who tell me to do service, no idea what that meant.
It’S the juicer.
What I went back to Cal ifornian, I was approached by the YMCA – ran some stuff in the YMCA.
If I would come speak to to – and I was like – okay and I just went in and shared my story next thing, I know I was getting approached by juvenile jails and I just went off and I started doing this vehicle over California yeah.
You know – and I was like this – I mean I was little this for free.
I didn’t ask for any money, and I just had Mazda approach me and I got a sponsorship with Mazda, not because of my boxing speak and my ability to share my ability to help, and I said I had the chains that I allowed boxing to have on Me were really so much more than the sport and I’m so much more than – and I think that’s certainly and I get I want people to take from this – I mean we have a lot to talk about, but everything unless you allow it to Define you yeah To understand that you don’t have do like it just it, she put our selves in boxes.
You know, and I put myself in a box.
I was like man and then I won these titles.
I mean I won the I the WBC intro and on to five.
Well, for my first world, title fight was for the WBA and I lost, and I and I and I I lost the fight and um.
You know I dropped.
It was on a top ranks card on Miguel code, like I could sit here and tell you for days everything, and even now, what I do boxing just opened up a world for me that I never knew was even hadn’t, followed through the sport I haven’t, pushed And and over I wouldn’t be where I am right now, exactly exactly um Erica’s messaging me again: can maybe we try taking the headphones out and then or the earbuds out and then do another reset? Okay, sorry guys stick with us.
We just want to make sure that it’s clear and I know if it’s choppy on my end, it’s choppy on your end.
I can hear her it’s just like delayed.
So hopefully, when we get this, maybe it’s maybe hits or earbuds that’s making it do that.
Okay, I’m back okay.
That sounds better right now: okay, good, okay, good yeah! I think it was just like it was almost delayed.
Oh okay, yeah because he says perfect.
Okay, like the earbuds.
I know I know this technology, you never know you never know hey whatever.
It’S working now um, so, yes, the you got that one, then the WBC interim title next um in 2011.
um was that, like your most memorable, like your best, like I don’t know, I was like super ecstatic when I won the WBC.
You know like that, for you was that, like your favorite belt, or do you have a favorite? You know I never did, because I was struggling with my own personal stuff that I just felt like.
I couldn’t even connect with my success in boxing yeah, because I was still healing from my emotional scars and from the ability to accept love and to accept loving myself and to accept good things.
So I can’t honestly and I’m very honest and transparent and authentic.
I can’t honestly say I have a favorite belt I’ve.
Never I don’t know, but I can tell you that the experience was magical because I know when I went out there I was.
I was being judged a bit because I didn’t look like a fighter and yeah.
Then I remember being in the locker room and I had met nacho Berenstein and you know, and he was like.
Oh you know, obviously a pretty girl.
You know I’m in a dress conference the whole thing and then he saw me hitting mitts in the locker room before the fight and they watched my fight.
They were like like because I look like a different person like yeah.
You do everything, but I do we all do yeah yeah, so the best, but you know the guys are different because they look the same all the time they do.
I mean hair up or braid it or, and then we got to make them off if you’re wearing it yeah the energy, the Energy’s different, and it’s just it’s like again, I’m not trying to be like the guys, I’m very happy being a woman, and I love How I fight you know, but I respect the guys, don’t get me wrong, but we’re just different and embrace that I love that.
But what’s really what was really fun about that fight, because I can tell you stories about every one of my fights um.
I have a great memory and they’ve just impacted me so much what was cool about that fight was, it was me and my coach Joseph Yannick went to.
We went to um, we were fought in Los Mochis in Sinaloa and um.
I remember when we went there.
It was, it was a soccer stadium, it was huge and it was actually cold outside and he was like so he’s.
So we had like a driver that was driving us around and he wasn’t really with the promotion they brought him in.
He was a friend of a friend and the promotion Hector Garcia, wonderful people.
They really took care of everybody.
You know they were just very well.
They was very well done.
Anything we needed, but anyway this this young guy was driving us around and um Haas was like Haas was my coach.
He goes hey.
What do you think if we ask him to work the corner with us, because I just need somebody to put the stool in I’m gon na? Do your Cuts, I’m going to do everything and I was like all right, so we literally had him and he invited his whole family that to me made it special because I gave him the cornerman jacket he kept it.
We still talk on Facebook like he worked.
The corner of a world title fight right, you know what I mean and to him to me.
It didn’t and I’m not saying that it didn’t mean anything to me.
It was my struggles but like to him.
It was like this is as close as he’s ever.
Gon na get, you know what I mean as and and his family was there and he was in the corner and he was so proud and I was so happy to be able to to give that to somebody.
You know, and so I think, that’s what made it so and the fact that it was just me and Coach out there and I knew nobody.
I mean granted.
I’M Mexican and I speak Spanish, I connected but the Mexican or the Mexican fans they love.
You no matter what they they’ll love you.
You know you know yeah care about, that’s my most memorable fight and not because that’s the fight that I won the WBC Title in, but the experience that I had the rematch that I had the second time.
I fought me a St John when I won the title was in Mexico because she wanted the rematch in Mexico yeah so um.
But I I was there like 10 days before, because we had to do the you know.
We went to like the children’s hospital and saw the kids and we went and post flight press conference and the public work out and like everything.
But I didn’t have an interpreter and I don’t speak fluent Spanish.
I mean I know God like and so, but it was that’s the only time that I ever really felt like.
I was somebody because I couldn’t there’s such Die, Hard boxing fans in Mexico.
It’S really, I was the freaking opponent or anything I didn’t hear.
Anybody would know me or want to talk to me or I couldn’t even leave the room like every time I walked outside of my hotel room.
I was bombarded by people wanting pictures.
Autographs I mean I’d, go, sit down and eat and I’d have 50 people come up and ask me for a photo while I was trying to eat so, but I mean if it was nice and it was humbling yeah, because I wish we could get that in Usa in the United States I mean, but you don’t I mean I can walk around people know me like in my hometown, because they knew me from school and they know that I’m a fighter, but other than that.
I can count on one hand how many times somebody recognized me, even when I was the current champion.
Very rarely did it happen, and so, but over there we were like celebrities insane, and I I thought that I was kind of glad when I came home because I was like you know man.
I know how these actors and stuff feel like when they can’t get a moment to breathe like when they go somewhere.
I’M like man, it’s kind of nice to like be able to just like not be bothered for a second, because it was 10 days, but it was just so humbling like I wish I could have fought every fight there.
I know it’s so funny.
I thought I don’t even know how many maybe 10 fights out there.
I fought in Tijuana.
I fought there a bunch of times and you know Mexican girls are tough and I don’t just say because I’m next man like they come there’s a fight.
They’Re tough and I I I I’m gon na, be like oh you’re going to Mexico like I’m, buying a fight, I’m like you don’t buy.
Are you kidding me I’m? Like those circumstances? I had a guy.
I remember warming up and warming up in the back room and this guy’s smoking a cigarette.
Watching me fight, I mean watching me, they hit the miss and I looked at my coach like can we go over there all right, they’re smoking in the arena where I’m fighting yeah then another one? I fought a girl who weighed 171 pounds.
I was like with clothes on, I was 135 because she was coming in handy and I said okay, I mean I fought at 126 122 but, like you know, I came up for it and then and my manager said: oh she’s gon na come in a little Heavy and then my coach was like looking at the kilos and he’s like, and he showed me and I was like well [ __ ].
I came here to fight I’m like I don’t care, so the commission, the the and the Tijuana commission was like listen he’s like I know this girl has experience.
I’Ve never seen her fight, he goes, but you know I don’t.
I can’t let this go.
Don’T let anybody pressure you to fight and I looked at him.
I was like no I’m fighting and then Haas was like.
Let’S call Luigi everybody.
We all had a moment.
I said okay and then they asked me if I wanted to wear 10 ounce gloves or eight ounce gloves.
So I said well put tens on her and it’s on me they’re like oh.
We can’t do that.
I’M like all right put the [ __ ], this [ __ ] out overweighs Me by like how many pounds does it matter right, so I ended up fighting in 10 ounce gloves.
Could you imagine if that happened today with everything like come on? They would never say they would never let it go leave it.
The same thing happened when I fought me a Saint John.
I mean I was fighting at 126.
The fight was at 135.
I took it on four days notice, uh as a replacement Fighter for one of my stable mates that got hurt, and I said I don’t give a [ __ ] I’ll weigh in with all my clothes on put my keys in my pocket.
Put some put them and I think I still weighed in at like 129.
, I mean – and she was one like right at 135 or whatever, but which wasn’t that big of a gap but still technically it shouldn’t have been sanctioned.
No, if I would have waited normal, I would have been maybe 125, but I had a whole bunch of stuff in my pocket.
I remember I and I didn’t understand because, like I was at a cell phone, I’m like is she gon na? Be that heavy like how heavy is this? You know what I mean and I’m like what is going on.
You know, but then I knew ahead of time, because my coach I mean Sam Kelowna at the time, was like you have.
You can only be within.
I can’t remember exactly what it was, but such and such pounds leave your clothes on and when you’re gon na have to put some stuff in your pocket yeah I have no.
I have time to gain weight.
I was like four days out so yeah.
They would never allow that stuff today, never never never yeah.
It was all that stuff was just really.
It was really like you know and then, like you know, I think like even like we talked about before, like even the amateurs like, I fought my second fight against the national champion who came down from 138.
I was.
I went up to 132 because I couldn’t make wait.
I was 125, I didn’t know about the travel it was in Chicago yeah and I was like so I remember Luigi is my manager.
He was my coach at the time he’s like, but we have two options: either you you don’t fight or you go up and wake class and you fight and before he even said that I was like I’m fighting and he’s like yeah and then I remember like And – and it was like it was, you know, and I had I had one fight and I had only I mean I was boxing, but I mean you know what I mean it’s just different, and so I just I remember like I went out there and I I’M a fighter like that’s just who I am that’s always it just.
It is why it doesn’t matter whatever it is.
I’M a fighter.
You know whether it’s you know, and so I just remember going out there, and I remember like it was like Mean Girls, because I was sitting in the um in before I went before I fought.
We were gon na Medicals and I heard I have my headphones on, but I had it low enough, so I could hear stuff – and I heard these girls talking like who’s Maureen shakes.
Nobody didn’t who I was like who’s more [, __, ] who’s, Maury Shay, and it was my opponent looking for me, which I I don’t understand, because I never gave [ __ ] but anyway, so she was looking for me.
Then I heard these two girls in front of me talking or behind me talking and then all of a sudden the doctor calls me in I come back out.
I have my headphones on.
The girl Taps me on the shoulder she goes.
Are you Maureen Shea? I said yeah why and she goes oh you’re fighting so and so I said yeah and because you know she’s the national champion right.
I said: okay like like okay.
What do you want me to do? [ __ ] my pants or leave like that’s what my attitude.
What and – and so I just um I remember like – and I remember I went in there and I I fought – I mean yeah, I lost the fight, but man did.
I gain a lot of experience.
Yeah absolutely um, I mean it’s the same type of thing when I fought um Janine in Michigan um.
She never even came to the weigh-in because she was having trouble getting over.
The Border never came to the way in, and everybody was like.
Oh, you got to pull out and I said I I don’t care when she weighs in.
If it’s in the middle of the night, we need to see her weigh in yeah.
No next day comes fight like fight’s, getting ready and I’m like she still hasn’t weighed in oh, we wait her in.
Ah, no, she made weight.
No! No! No.
I want to see her on the scale like you’re, not listening to me.
Well, you know me, I mean everybody was like: oh, we got ta back out of this one like it’s [ __ ].
We could smell [ __ ] like yeah, this [ __ ] yeah.
No, I’m here I had a whole bunch of family.
Come to that fight because it was within five six: seven hours of driving distance yeah.
I was like oh we’re fighting.
I don’t care if she weighed 150 yeah we’re fighting.
Um didn’t see her until she walked out with the ring walk and she was way bigger than me um, but I mean it is what it is she also you know she used to wear that the metal knee brace and she got me with a good body – Shot I took a voluntary knee.
She hit me like 10 times, while I was down should have been automatically disqualified in the first round.
Oh, it’s crazy.
Didn’T even lose a point.
Um need me with her brace.
I got a big gash underneath my eye.
That fight was totally [ __ ] up that one contract because she had a title.
We never got the rematch, that’s the one fight that really bothers me to this day.
Still, you know, because I never got the opportunity for the rematch and it was so there was so much [, __ ] that happened in that fight.
It was pathetic, yeah and I totally got screwed totally got it so yeah um, I mean it went the day and we we finished the fight or whatever, but I mean she should have been [ __ ] disqualified, like yeah yeah, um, and but I mean it Is what it is but yeah there’s always that one! It’S it’s frustrating, because even when I fought for my WBC intern belt, so Jeannie Garside had the belt, but she was pregnant, and so I so I was like all right.
So I I got the interim belt because I won the IV I fought for the interim and then I was supposed to fight my mandatory, who was Ina mensner, but then eina menzer didn’t want to fight me.
So I didn’t want to hide me either, but my question: why am I fighting for an interim belt when Genie was pregnant not coming back right like? Why did that happen? You have to defend every so often so I understand she got pregnant and maybe was going to come back after the baby.
But in the meantime you have to vacate the belt and then she can come back and fight for it again for the guys.
If they got injured or took a layoff, and so that’s the thing so I so like that was and then like and then and then I got a call so then that fight didn’t so then my my my big title fight didn’t happen, so I then they Called me on two weeks notice and offered me a thousand dollars less than what I made, which was [ __ ] to fight um, uh mergerland emergenovic in Canada.
I said: wait I have the belt, but you want me to go to Canada, where I’m not gon na be televised.
So I can’t even make more money when I’m a draw in Mexico, California and New York, but you don’t want that.
So you know what I said.
Sorry I was like you know what no, because I’m sitting here you know, Sergio Martinez did the same thing and it’s not I’m not knocking the WBC whatever.
No, it’s like it’s like you know how I have to preserve myself.
Yeah.
You know, and I’m sitting there and even now, but even look at what’s happening today.
You know you see, I see and listen these girls that are coming up there.
I got offered to fight at 1.
30.
126.
.
I’M like I’m, not fighting my weight class.
I am one I walk around at 1 30.
.
I walk around at 1 30.
.
Why am I gon na fight at 126? One I’ve I’ve? I fought those weights, but I’m a 122 pound 118 pound fighter yeah like I know that now, like I grew into like I know my body and I’ve, I’ve learned how to make you and I make weight easy.
I I don’t struggle at all and I’m like, because I know what to do because I don’t see the last couple days, but why are you being in the game long enough to know it? How to do it and it it’s natural? And I also did my research I maintained.
I also you know I work with I work.
You know my boxing.
Coaches have always been amazing.
You know I’ve worked with uh, you know Hector Roca.
I worked.
I learned a lot with him.
I work with a terrific guest.
I work with Joseph Janik um.
You know I worked with uh, you know I work with Derek Santos now and I mean they’ve all they’re, all like they’re.
All you know high level, you know Elite trainers and then my favorite conditioning coach, now I’m with Phil daru, who I actually work for, but I’ve been with him since 2016 and I’ll tell you.
I’Ve had other strengths and conditioning coaches and they’re all wonderful, but the first strength and conditioning coach, any coach that ever asked me about my menstruation.
What oh, I was like what I was like.
I can talk about this right.
I was like, and I knew from that moment – I’m like, oh God, this man is different.
I was like this guy’s different and I was so grateful that I realized that the important part for me was the weight room to maintain my lean body mass, so that I can you know, make the week right and that’s why it’s funny, because he texted me Yesterday and I told him my weight and he’s like yeah he’s like I’m, not worried about your weight, I’m like how many fighters can you say that too he’s like one but right, you know, but I you know – and it’s like you know, I work with him And his programming and it’s so sport specific and it’s really a science, and I’m really grateful that you know that uh Daya Davis, who’s, a former Champion diet, was an nabf Champion.
He actually introduced me to Phil and I’ve been with Phil since 2016 and now I’m his executive assistant, he has um, he has two gyms and he’s got an online business and I work for him, so I’m like and he’s he supports, he’ll be in my corner.
He was in my corner for my last fight and he works with Derek they work very close, and but I earned this like I created this, I didn’t get it handed to me.
Nobody said: oh here’s, your nutritionist, my best friends, my diet, coach, because I’ve worked with her since 2014.
, she’s, not a she’s, not a nutritionist she’s, not a dietitian, but guess what what she does with me works yeah and it it’s great.
And so I she’s been with me since 2015 or 14 plus she’s my best friend, you know, and so she knows me and then I have you know I’ve got a you know everybody that I have on my team.
I put there yeah, and I think that that was my my manager Luigi, who was my first like, took me to my first amateur fight because nobody took me seriously, but he was like he took me.
He was like okay I’ll.
Take you to your first fight and I was 21.
and um, and he actually brought me to Hector Roca because he knew there was a level that he could take me and he needed me to you know that’s so selfless yeah.
Who does that? No ego? No – and he said to me anytime, I made a decision he’s like okay.
This is your decision.
He let me I I mean he managed me, but he also shared everything, my contracts.
I know everything he took your input yeah and he and he also yes, and he also, but I also trusted him to make just the major decisions.
You know what I mean like, but he also I trusted him enough because I knew he cared and I knew that he was like.
You know.
We’Re gon na do things when it’s right for you not what it’s about.
What’S right for everybody else right, you know and that’s and even like it’s just it’s all of it.
You know and I’m very grateful that I have him and he manages Tiara Brown.
He managed Alicia Ashley as well.
You know so he’s he’s wonderful and – and I always feel like I I’m just so blessed.
How long do you know? I mean I’ve been with him as 21.
.
Over 20 years over 20 years, I’ve been in a relationship with this person.
You know what I mean like: we’ve worked together for over 20 years and I’m like man, and it was not easy, but you don’t just throw those away and we’ve had success.
Self-Promoted, I’ve never had a promoter, we did it together, yeah, you know, and I don’t think people realize nowaday, because there’s promoters out there and these girls that are signed and all this stuff and there’s reasons I didn’t sign with promoters.
You know I couldn’t find Mexico.
Why not? I speak fluent Spanish I’d go to Tijuana.
I was on the cover of their damn newspaper.
They loved me right because, because I I’m Mexican, I mean yes, I’m Irish, but I’m Mexican, I’m yeah you’re very connected to both my roots, yeah, be who I am yeah, that’s insane to me and boxing is so big over there.
Why would they not want you? Like why would you not want to have that, because the draw will be 10 times as much because they don’t know how to do it? Well, that would have made money like common sense, but that’s the United States, that’s the problem, how many, how many girls are being promoted in the United States.
I could count on one hand.
You know we could get into that.
I mean we’ve talked about that.
It’S like why, oh, it’s not a draw, how the hell is it a draw in Europe in England and freaking everywhere else in Germany everywhere else I mean Regina halmick, I mean even you know like.
How is it not? How do you guys not even get this right? It’S so frustrating that I they’re just like it’s like they’re lazy and I’m like how did Dana White do it with the UFC right like, and the women are almost bigger than the men in the UFC? It you just have to put it out there.
The women’s box, even even back in our time, was huge overseas huge.
There was no reason that it shouldn’t have been like that in the U.
S none, but now people like oh well, now, I’m like no.
Now, it’s being it’s being honest, it’s being managed by social media.
Now you’ve got social media girls.
Now you’ve got I’m not I’m not saying they’re, not talented, but it’s like.
Oh how many followers do you have? Oh I’ll, promote you? Oh well, they got their followers.
I’M sorry I’m not posing naked on my Instagram page to get followers.
You don’t like what I post too freaking bad.
I got a full-time job.
You know I just bought my first house.
I got a lot of other stuff going on, but I will still get in the ring.
Kick the [ __ ] out of you, yeah yeah, that’s my deal yeah, I mean everybody’s different and everybody chooses their own path and I never was real big.
I mean I had social media, but I was never like.
Oh, my God, like I have to grow my followers and it’s funny because like when we got when I started doing the show um and I was talking with them, they’re like well, you got ta like really start like pushing your social media.
Now so like you to promote the show and I’m like yeah, I guess I’m gon na have to work on that, because I never really did work on that because I really didn’t care like.
If you knew me, you knew me if you didn’t, you didn’t, you could read about me, but you know what, but you know what is Brooke it’s a job now.
Do you know how much videographers want to follow you around with a camera and I’m sorry? But I’m not I’m not this person.
No, this person, I’m the person I had my own talk, show I.
If you want to put the camera on me, I just acted in an independent film.
That’S being it’s a short that’s be I just I just people, don’t even know that I act.
They didn’t even know that I was just.
I just played a lead role with an Oscar award winner, as my co-star, which I we didn’t announce it.
I didn’t ask.
Yes, we have an NDA, but like I’m, not I’m not doing all that.
You know what I mean like I’m just like I’m in the moment, I’m in the moment and I’m ending with my training, but I I do understand.
I understand the importance of sharing and things like that.
You know.
Even my manager tells me to he says that to me he’s like.
I need you to do more of this and I’m like okay, but it’s already more of this when you do more of this yay again, let me let me work my job and do my Instagrams.
I mean I I’ll if you’re doing social media, like that, it’s literally like a freaking full-time job, listen, listen! You got ta understand.
I work for Phil Darude.
Okay, Phil has an online business.
Phil is, and he hates when I say that – he’s an influencer because he’s more than an influencer but his social media presence is big.
He’S got over 200k followers on YouTube, but he also has a full production team like right, and so it makes ties again.
It’S great, I’m, you know what I mean like I and I’ll get to that, and if you want to bring on a production team and have it or yeah, if you want to have them, come do it for him like they can just follow me and we Can build followers like cool but like I don’t have the time to sit down and do it myself because, like other personalities like we’re just blunt and we don’t right, I wonder what she’s gon na say like even in the gym today.
You know what I mean, even during my training like it was just funny, because I was training.
I was at the gym with Phil and I I run I.
I help him with the gym, I’m his executive assistant, so I’m running around like a lunatic, then I got my training time and now it’s like all right.
Let’S go and it’s just funny because, like different things – and I I think people would get a kick out of it, but my main focus is the training.
Well, they would – and that’s just because I think we’re very similar in that aspect is, I always tell people like there’s two sides to all of us or most of us um.
You know you got the the nice respectable um.
You know feminine pretty sometimes like when we want to, and then you have the hardcore like beast mode on the other side, but when we’re in that mode you don’t know what’s going to come out of our mouth, so I get prepared.
I always tell people like.
I I cussed like a sailor if I’m in that mode, so listen you’re, gon na love this.
So I had gotten out of a sparring.
I was sparring with Ivana habison, who clearly outweighs me, but but Yvonne is wonderful.
I love her to death.
We work together.
We’Re going to work together in this Camp, I I love working with her.
You know she knows how to work and we both get really good work.
So anyway, I just got out of the ring spline with her, and I was approached by an individual about something and he got loud with me and I had just told somebody.
Listen don’t talk to me about that right now because I just got out of the ring, I’m a little spicy.
So let’s and this individual just came at me and he was like I was like I don’t I mean I went, everybody was like and I’m like.
I got it in me.
I don’t like to bring it out but dude.
The last thing you want to do is approach me after I just went six rounds with a girl that outweighs Me by.
I don’t know how many pounds by 40 pounds and now you’re coming like I’m still in fight mode like it, was funny because give me time to freaking wind down.
First, before you jump on me, it was like when I was back in California.
I remember.
I remember like my my ex-boyfriend: he wasn’t a boxer, he was in in something choosing Pest Control, I’m totally different, but I remember like I would come home right from the gym and I would still be like kind of hot, so we would get into arguments.
So I literally would have to like sit at the gym.
Then like drive around for a little while go get.
Something then go home because I had to like decompress, who has yeah you have to wind down and like let your adrenaline and all of that stuff.
Like settle to where you’re like back to normal, I mean I hate to say normal, like normalize it, but no, but it’s really true.
Well, I tell people, I say you know, I call them civilians, I’m not a civilian.
You know like it’s different, like Fighters are Fighters like whether you’re in MMA, whether you’re in boxing, whether you’re it don’t matter bare knuckle like we’re, not civilians, you know and and people that don’t recognize that and they just think like, but I think with women.
It’S a little bit harder, but it’s you know I’m around a lot of MMA fighters, because Phil Phil’s work with a lot of I mean he’s, worked with.
Obviously a lot of boxes, but his big, his biggest clients were Joanna jerjech, Dustin Poirier, like Frankie Edgar.
Like he’s worked with these high level – and he still does he’s got – I mean Kevin Lee – I can go over all the names, but like MMA fighters.
For me, I connected so well with the men and the women because it was just it’s like a team atmosphere when I would see them holding myths for each other.
I was like well that’s interesting because you never, I wouldn’t have called myth for my teammate.
You know what I mean like you didn’t.
Well, they don’t even usually talk to you very very often it’s so I mean certain places like the gym, I’m in now I mean I love.
I love where I’m at with Derek Santos and his and all my teammates.
I mean they’re wonderful and I think that it was like my maturity.
You know I mean California, I had a really good a really good teammates.
Even I was the only female when I trained now to terrific gifts has shadasha green, and so she just won yeah.
So so terrific uh was my coach.
When I won the nabf title, I was the first female he ever worked with and he always said he’s like man he’s trained other girls like man Mo none of them are like you, but I’m so glad he’s got shadesha because I know she’s a freaking she’s, A beast yeah.
I was very impressed with her last fight yeah and I’m really actually one of the best fights on that card yeah, and so I think I was so happy for terrific terrific was the the guy yeah he’s and I asked my dog man.
I hit him up all the time because, like you know, he lived such an impact in my life and all those guys we trained in the basement of a house in Paterson New Jersey.
You know kenzel halt, was there like, you know and like I mean Ozzie Duran was there I mean who else was? Who else was training that Glenn Tapia would come in? I’M talking names that people like you know what I mean and that’s these guys like.
I still talk to a lot of these guys.
You know because yeah I came up and they and they know the history and they respect it.
They’Re, not like all wowed by these new names because they’re like well.
What have they done in the pros? These girls got five fights they’re fighting for World titles.
I don’t understand, I’m like, I don’t understand it either.
That’S the big question of today.
Um, I mean we’ll get into that more later on.
But that’s the big question of today is how all these girls, with not any experience, just because they’re undefeated or yeah, or have a social media following getting title fights when they’re not there yet like they’re, not there yet, but who are they fighting for these titles? Nobody I’ve ever even heard of that’s the funny thing um, nobody, I’ve ever heard of half the time when they’re fighting, I’m like who they’re fighting, who who the hell is that and where did they come from well yeah.
I’Ve never even heard that name before um, but then they don’t know who we are because they don’t know they didn’t do that because they don’t [ __ ] research.
That’S the we’re gon na get into that more later on.
That is the one thing that perters that pisses me off the most um, which is the reason I did the show um because I feel like they need educated.
So that’s what we’re doing um we’re giving them a little uh education um.
On the background of women’s boxing um, but I mean I don’t know, we’ll definitely talk about that more towards the the end.
I’M gon na bring up that and we’re going to get into that discussion um.
I do know that when you defended your ifba title um, it was in Mexico, but it was also pay-per-view um on the co-main co-feature of Shane Mosley Ricardo Mayorga Main Event, so that that was it so that wasn’t so that fight.
Yes, that fight was at the Forum in California, okay in California, yeah, that was in California, and that was and that’s another thing that was like not noticed.
Like the last woman, the fight on pay-per-view in over a decade was a little over a decade yeah and it was like, and I’m like, okay, yeah yeah.
That’S why I brought that up one.
Transcribed
Foreign [, Music, ], [, Music, ], hey, hey, what’s up everybody, it’s your girl, no mercy here.
It is Tuesday night.
So you already know what time it is it’s time for no punches pulled with no mercy.
Some of you probably already know who I am those of you that are new and don’t my name – is Brooke Millbrook, formerly known as Brooke no mercy deardorff in the fight business.
I am a retired professional WBC lightweight champion and I was inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022.
.
I have personally been through some good, some bad and, of course, a lot of [ __ ] in the sport of women’s boxing.
Welcome to my platform, this is where we will talk the talk and walk the walk.
We will bring out the truth in women’s boxing and behind the scenes you’re going to hear from pioneers of the sport past boxers current boxers and even future boxers we’ll be getting down and dirty speaking, the truth of what takes place in women’s boxing.
You definitely don’t want to miss a show so make sure you like subscribe and share to your friends and let everybody know to come, join us on Tuesday nights.
Now we have a very special guest in the house tonight.
Maureen Shea aka, the real Million Dollar Baby, is in the house.
Maureen is a true veteran in the sport who is still out here.
Taking on these rookies and taking them to school.
Y’All Maureen is originally from the Bronx New York.
She is the former ifba Junior featherweight World Champ, former WBC interim champ nabf featherweight champ and the NABA featherweight champ.
She is one of the top Pro female boxers in the world.
Aside from her amazing boxing skills, she’s also known for her role as the main sparring partner for Hilary Swank in preparation for the movie, The Million Dollar Baby, she was nominated by MTV as one of their 2008 toughest coaches for the show made.
She has also done commentating as a boxing analyst and has had her own TV show called Shea’s corner.
Please help me welcome Maureen to the show.
How are you I’m good Brooke it’s so I just you know, I’m so grateful.
Thank you for having me on and thank you for what you do and um I’ve watched you throughout my career and I have such a huge amount of respect for you, and I love that you’re doing this.
It’S so important because you know, like you, said, we’re from a different era, and I just really really appreciate this.
I’M really excited to be here and to be able to share a bit of my story and – and just you know chop it up with you.
Awesome awesome yeah and it’s an it’s an honor to have you here as well.
I mean we definitely fought at the same in the same era.
Um.
You definitely surpassed me a little bit.
I had.
I got pregnant with my second one.
Oh, you had babies, yeah um, but I, when I got pregnant with the second one I was like you know what I already had the WBC belt.
I wasn’t making any money.
I had two kids then, and I was like yeah we’re just gon na we’re just gon na retire um.
I I thought about coming out many times, but I just had another one a year and a half ago, so um, probably not gon na happen.
At this point, I’m too out of shape, but you know confronting it’s tempting yeah, I’m sure yeah.
It’S so great to have you here, um, you have a phenomenal story.
Um.
Thank you and I mean I.
I already knew your story most of it.
I mean.
I obviously did a little research, but I pretty much already knew everything about you.
There is to know that’s what we did back in the day is we knew about everybody yeah, so um, I guess for everybody.
That’S in here maybe take us back to like your childhood in the beginning and like how you got hooked on boxing and took that road so um, I grew up in the Bronx in the Bronx New York uh.
I was born to a Mexican mom and Irish.
Dad my dad was a retired NYPD detective and my mom worked for the airlines so growing up uh a lot of people didn’t know that I speak fluent Spanish, so I would travel back and forth from from New York to Mexico a lot quite a bit with My mom, I was very, very fortunate to be able to do that and uh.
Actually, Spanish is my first language.
I learned it kind of at the same time as English, so I don’t exactly know why.
I know what I know, but I know how to speak.
Fluent Spanish, but hanging out being around there and being really submerged in that culture was something just so so fascinating and so amazing that I look back now and I realize it.
I really had the best of both worlds.
Um and then you know I had my brother was 10 years older than me and we’re very different, so I think I he moved out when I was 14 years old, so I was kind of an only child um, but I definitely at a young age was Very strong spirited and I had you know I had emotional issues, but I what kid doesn’t have emotional issues but, like you know, I was kind of just um going through my thing and and trying to figure out.
You know how to express myself and um.
You know growing up in the Bronx, was tough and and trying to figure things out hanging out with the right people, the wrong people and getting you know, getting frustrated just not being able to express myself with all that energy.
So my mom had put me in multiple Sports and I know the thing really stuck, and so I until I found boxing but I found boxing by accident, so it was kind of kind of a fluke thing I wasn’t raised in the sport um the only person That I ever saw a fight was Mike Tyson when he bit a Vander, Holyfield’s ear and ironically, what I connected with in Mike Tyson was his his emotions, because not that I’ve wanted to bite somebody’s ear.
But I’ve had that rage where I just wanted to.
You know break something or – and I had a lot I had you know I struggled a lot with that as a kid breaking things not being able to vocally.
You know, I think, that’s why I’m so good now, with my words, because I just didn’t, have them when I was younger, and so you know breaking things in the house getting into fights.
You know things like that, but when I found I saw that fight I was like man, that’s yeah.
I was 15, I think 15 or 16.
, and I was so fascinated.
I didn’t even care what was happening.
Like I just said man I want.
I felt like that so then fast forward, I’m 17 years old.
I find myself in an abusive relationship and I go to a gym, a fitness gym to better myself to get.
You know if I work out and you know because he worked out and I went to the back of the gym and there was a boxing ring and I was like oh and I remember Tyson.
I remember that, and I was like I try and the trainer came up to me and everybody was speaking Spanish and the trainer came up to me in English and said: do you want to try – and I said oh and I started speaking in Spanish because I Was like how am I going to connect with these people? You know and he was super Willy Soto.
I still talked to him today and he’s a wonderful human being and he’s had a huge impact in my life, let alone my career, and he just took me in and gave me his time and I just kept going.
He kept telling me call me Guerra and he’s like you’re gon na be a champion and I didn’t realize he found out.
I was Mexican and Irish because he wanted to know why I speak Spanish and then I didn’t know that Mexicans and Irish are like the best fighters yeah, it was, I go back and I just I’m like it had to be.
You know it had to be there absolutely absolutely um Eric sent me a message said: you’re a little staticky again.
Can you do a quick, refresh, yeah uh, so I go to the so refresh the whole thing you want yeah.
I guess so she’ll be right back guys, don’t go anywhere, she’s just doing a refresh, so we can get rid of that little static that she’s got going on on her audio.
Make sure it’s clear for you guys tada.
Is it better? Hopefully, I think it’s better, but it’s better: okay, okay, um all right awesome, so I know that you um always have kind of spoken.
You started boxing at the age of 19.
um, like you said, you were looking for somewhere to Channel all that energy and um being able to express yourself in some kind of way um, and you always talked about how boxing literally like saved your life um.
Can you tell everybody a little bit of of how and maybe other people could kind of connect with that? Maybe they can connect with boxing to help them? I think for me it was every day and the challenge and just really a place to high energy, and I didn’t really know where to put it and when I went to the gym that just really, you know helped me out a lot, even with my mom, To work together and believe it or not, I had I was yeah.
I didn’t want to deal with college and all this stuff, but I ended up going to college and help me with that because it helps.
Let me release this energy and help me to focus you know, and it also.
I think it is really the the way that it works.
My brain realize like oh, like they think boxers are dumb.
Sometimes then, I’m like they have to be pretty.
You know there’s a lot that goes into it and I love the challenge, so that was it and I never shied away from a challenge, and I can’t do something, and so I I that makes me I thrive at people doubting me, but you know, for the Beginning in the beginning of my career in the beginning of training, I boxed to get out of this abusive relationship.
Um told me in this house: you have to work and go to school.
You can’t do all three and I said okay.
Now then, I boxed to prove my father wrong that thing: Hilary Swank I’m working with her for a million dollars baby and now more important.
Now I’m trying to prove that I’m not just a sparring person partner.
You know, then it’s like oh well, she’s lost lucky and then so I always thought you know, and I had to figure out how was to fight for me when I started realized in like I’ve, rediscovered my.
Why so many times as women – and I know that you can come completely – relate to this – you know I’m 42 years – I’ve reinvented myself so many times that they think they are they are.
They have no idea who they are right now they’re going to ran over and over again and that’s why I embrace my my 40, my 40s, I’m embracing my fifth 50s, because I’m like man, I just see me even the evolution of my career.
You know great um, you know a great platform for me to come kind of evolved space for me to do that and to learn and to grow and to chat.
Everyone would have been challenged, but something that I I’ve always gone back.
That errands couldn’t because it’s unfree giving giving – and I think that you know I love that – I see these.
You know because I think that it’s it it’s gon na really it’s gon na help over women yeah.
You know because now we’re we’re where we are now, you know what we spoke about a bit.
People need to hear the stories of the one Olympics yeah the women.
I remember when I turned Pro five I’m like what’s next, I always did what’s next yeah.
What do we do? You know? I obviously I love to succeed.
I love the point like I played softball, I’m like all right.
What’S the point, what am I doing? Do I like it? I’M not really a team sport person because I felt like I was.
You know, but I was just right always so, is that energy I think back and I’m like all right? Well, what’s next and you know what I’m still on that path, the book is still here because I can be people like.
Why do you do this? I don’t it’s not it’s not even thought about the money, but yeah it is.
I mean the money’s there, but I can do so my.
Why is pretty solid yeah because I don’t understand it when I I want something: that’s gon na.
Do it yeah absolutely because I’ve always been that I’ve oh always been like that? That’S exactly and anybody that from me as a kid, my mother would tell you that my whole family, all my yeah and you know, especially in boxing like you – have to really want it.
I mean you have to yeah.
You have to really want [ Music ].
I think we’re all a little um.
We were wired differently, we’ll just put it that word, wait we’re wired differently.
You have to really want it.
In order to do it tell I tell people I still said I’ve been therapist going to therapy because I enjoy.
I enjoy punching people in the face.
That’S what I do.
I said I’m totally.
Okay with that.
Like listen now, I’ve just accepted who I am yeah and I accept that there’s gon na be moments of change knowledge.
I don’t walk in a room and think I know it all.
I know I can learn and but I I’m very particular with who I surround myself self-width, because that are going to you know to raise my bar.
You know yeah.
I wonder I want them to raise my bar exactly exactly um, so I know you just like me.
You did not have a very big, extensive, amateur career um.
I think you had like.
Maybe I don’t know 15 fights or something well yeah I had.
I think I had four I had 14 or 15 amateur fights um, so I didn’t have very many either because I couldn’t get fights which I know is the same thing that happened with you um, but I know you did have some titles and you had some Good fights: do you want to tell just a little bit about some of the titles you had in your amateur experience, yeah? Well, so, in the end, amateurs I did those.
I fought my second fight um, I well.
My first fight against a girl had more experience than me.
I won, but let me tell you something was so low from my abusive relationship and I going through that.
I actually thought I lost that fight like this is a lot and some people will hear this and be like what yeah raised my hand and said I won.
I looked at the rest when I said I really lost didn’t I, oh.
I felt and nobody knew this because people – don’t no, you don’t know, and I I really and then they and and the ref looked at me.
Okay, so it was like you know.
I was struggling with this eternal foxing fight my whole career.
I knew I had a good work ethic.
I know I really embrace and accept that I was talented and you know back in our day.
As you know, there weren’t a ton of females and the coach es.
You know I had some pretty tough coaches.
I had early on in my career, you know I had one particular code and he was very hard and he was very um.
You know I would say abusive, but I don’t know if he meant to do that or if he thought like.
Oh, if he could get the best out of me, but it was damaging yeah, it damaged me most of my pros and um.
You know I had to heal from that and I’m healing from abusive relationship.
Now, I’m healing from this damage I’m sitting here.
Thinking like, why am I doing this, but you know if I was God – and I just said you know – God, like God, has a plan for my life Jeremiah and I had to believe that because I get the chills because you’re yeah, you know, I don’t know Why he chose Bach saying from I’ve, been able to do with this platform and help people, and just like okay and the people I’ve connected with, and the people that I’ve connected myself there’s a reason, yeah and so amazing, and so you know after that, um.
You know I live and um I I you know.
I want my first title was the nabf title which uh you know it was on uh.
It was in Saturday, toga Springs and it was on Lisa, I’m now partners with Elite with Lisa elevich with uh one with I’m part owner of tequila of this tequila company with Lisa, humble Mancini and Larry Holmes, and it’s funny how Full Circle had to me.
After Wards – because you know we made it connection here, so it’s interesting because these titles, every time I had a title in life, even when I lost, I still want in life yeah.
I think that boxing I saw one in life because I didn’t want to give it was not giving up in life and realizing the boxing didn’t Define yeah, and I think there was there was a moment there, because for a long time I think I allowed boxing To Define me and her, and and it was it’s pretty bad, where I didn’t know, if I’d be able to box anymore yeah, and then I I you know, I just I remember that’s because they told me I would box again and all this stuff and I’m Like what am I gon na do my mom? I was in Florida visiting my family.
I lived in California, David to God, and I heard him audibly people who tell me to do service, no idea what that meant.
It’S the juicer.
What I went back to Cal ifornian, I was approached by the YMCA – ran some stuff in the YMCA.
If I would come speak to to – and I was like – okay and I just went in and shared my story next thing, I know I was getting approached by juvenile jails and I just went off and I started doing this vehicle over California yeah.
You know – and I was like this – I mean I was little this for free.
I didn’t ask for any money, and I just had Mazda approach me and I got a sponsorship with Mazda, not because of my boxing speak and my ability to share my ability to help, and I said I had the chains that I allowed boxing to have on Me were really so much more than the sport and I’m so much more than – and I think that’s certainly and I get I want people to take from this – I mean we have a lot to talk about, but everything unless you allow it to Define you yeah To understand that you don’t have do like it just it, she put our selves in boxes.
You know, and I put myself in a box.
I was like man and then I won these titles.
I mean I won the I the WBC intro and on to five.
Well, for my first world, title fight was for the WBA and I lost, and I and I and I I lost the fight and um.
You know I dropped.
It was on a top ranks card on Miguel code, like I could sit here and tell you for days everything, and even now, what I do boxing just opened up a world for me that I never knew was even hadn’t, followed through the sport I haven’t, pushed And and over I wouldn’t be where I am right now, exactly exactly um Erica’s messaging me again: can maybe we try taking the headphones out and then or the earbuds out and then do another reset? Okay, sorry guys stick with us.
We just want to make sure that it’s clear and I know if it’s choppy on my end, it’s choppy on your end.
I can hear her it’s just like delayed.
So hopefully, when we get this, maybe it’s maybe hits or earbuds that’s making it do that.
Okay, I’m back okay.
That sounds better right now: okay, good, okay, good yeah! I think it was just like it was almost delayed.
Oh okay, yeah because he says perfect.
Okay, like the earbuds.
I know I know this technology, you never know you never know hey whatever.
It’S working now um, so, yes, the you got that one, then the WBC interim title next um in 2011.
um was that, like your most memorable, like your best, like I don’t know, I was like super ecstatic when I won the WBC.
You know like that, for you was that, like your favorite belt, or do you have a favorite? You know I never did, because I was struggling with my own personal stuff that I just felt like.
I couldn’t even connect with my success in boxing yeah, because I was still healing from my emotional scars and from the ability to accept love and to accept loving myself and to accept good things.
So I can’t honestly and I’m very honest and transparent and authentic.
I can’t honestly say I have a favorite belt I’ve.
Never I don’t know, but I can tell you that the experience was magical because I know when I went out there I was.
I was being judged a bit because I didn’t look like a fighter and yeah.
Then I remember being in the locker room and I had met nacho Berenstein and you know, and he was like.
Oh you know, obviously a pretty girl.
You know I’m in a dress conference the whole thing and then he saw me hitting mitts in the locker room before the fight and they watched my fight.
They were like like because I look like a different person like yeah.
You do everything, but I do we all do yeah yeah, so the best, but you know the guys are different because they look the same all the time they do.
I mean hair up or braid it or, and then we got to make them off if you’re wearing it yeah the energy, the Energy’s different, and it’s just it’s like again, I’m not trying to be like the guys, I’m very happy being a woman, and I love How I fight you know, but I respect the guys, don’t get me wrong, but we’re just different and embrace that I love that.
But what’s really what was really fun about that fight, because I can tell you stories about every one of my fights um.
I have a great memory and they’ve just impacted me so much what was cool about that fight was, it was me and my coach Joseph Yannick went to.
We went to um, we were fought in Los Mochis in Sinaloa and um.
I remember when we went there.
It was, it was a soccer stadium, it was huge and it was actually cold outside and he was like so he’s.
So we had like a driver that was driving us around and he wasn’t really with the promotion they brought him in.
He was a friend of a friend and the promotion Hector Garcia, wonderful people.
They really took care of everybody.
You know they were just very well.
They was very well done.
Anything we needed, but anyway this this young guy was driving us around and um Haas was like Haas was my coach.
He goes hey.
What do you think if we ask him to work the corner with us, because I just need somebody to put the stool in I’m gon na? Do your Cuts, I’m going to do everything and I was like all right, so we literally had him and he invited his whole family that to me made it special because I gave him the cornerman jacket he kept it.
We still talk on Facebook like he worked.
The corner of a world title fight right, you know what I mean and to him to me.
It didn’t and I’m not saying that it didn’t mean anything to me.
It was my struggles but like to him.
It was like this is as close as he’s ever.
Gon na get, you know what I mean as and and his family was there and he was in the corner and he was so proud and I was so happy to be able to to give that to somebody.
You know, and so I think, that’s what made it so and the fact that it was just me and Coach out there and I knew nobody.
I mean granted.
I’M Mexican and I speak Spanish, I connected but the Mexican or the Mexican fans they love.
You no matter what they they’ll love you.
You know you know yeah care about, that’s my most memorable fight and not because that’s the fight that I won the WBC Title in, but the experience that I had the rematch that I had the second time.
I fought me a St John when I won the title was in Mexico because she wanted the rematch in Mexico yeah so um.
But I I was there like 10 days before, because we had to do the you know.
We went to like the children’s hospital and saw the kids and we went and post flight press conference and the public work out and like everything.
But I didn’t have an interpreter and I don’t speak fluent Spanish.
I mean I know God like and so, but it was that’s the only time that I ever really felt like.
I was somebody because I couldn’t there’s such Die, Hard boxing fans in Mexico.
It’S really, I was the freaking opponent or anything I didn’t hear.
Anybody would know me or want to talk to me or I couldn’t even leave the room like every time I walked outside of my hotel room.
I was bombarded by people wanting pictures.
Autographs I mean I’d, go, sit down and eat and I’d have 50 people come up and ask me for a photo while I was trying to eat so, but I mean if it was nice and it was humbling yeah, because I wish we could get that in Usa in the United States I mean, but you don’t I mean I can walk around people know me like in my hometown, because they knew me from school and they know that I’m a fighter, but other than that.
I can count on one hand how many times somebody recognized me, even when I was the current champion.
Very rarely did it happen, and so, but over there we were like celebrities insane, and I I thought that I was kind of glad when I came home because I was like you know man.
I know how these actors and stuff feel like when they can’t get a moment to breathe like when they go somewhere.
I’M like man, it’s kind of nice to like be able to just like not be bothered for a second, because it was 10 days, but it was just so humbling like I wish I could have fought every fight there.
I know it’s so funny.
I thought I don’t even know how many maybe 10 fights out there.
I fought in Tijuana.
I fought there a bunch of times and you know Mexican girls are tough and I don’t just say because I’m next man like they come there’s a fight.
They’Re tough and I I I I’m gon na, be like oh you’re going to Mexico like I’m, buying a fight, I’m like you don’t buy.
Are you kidding me I’m? Like those circumstances? I had a guy.
I remember warming up and warming up in the back room and this guy’s smoking a cigarette.
Watching me fight, I mean watching me, they hit the miss and I looked at my coach like can we go over there all right, they’re smoking in the arena where I’m fighting yeah then another one? I fought a girl who weighed 171 pounds.
I was like with clothes on, I was 135 because she was coming in handy and I said okay, I mean I fought at 126 122 but, like you know, I came up for it and then and my manager said: oh she’s gon na come in a little Heavy and then my coach was like looking at the kilos and he’s like, and he showed me and I was like well [ __ ].
I came here to fight I’m like I don’t care, so the commission, the the and the Tijuana commission was like listen he’s like I know this girl has experience.
I’Ve never seen her fight, he goes, but you know I don’t.
I can’t let this go.
Don’T let anybody pressure you to fight and I looked at him.
I was like no I’m fighting and then Haas was like.
Let’S call Luigi everybody.
We all had a moment.
I said okay and then they asked me if I wanted to wear 10 ounce gloves or eight ounce gloves.
So I said well put tens on her and it’s on me they’re like oh.
We can’t do that.
I’M like all right put the [ __ ], this [ __ ] out overweighs Me by like how many pounds does it matter right, so I ended up fighting in 10 ounce gloves.
Could you imagine if that happened today with everything like come on? They would never say they would never let it go leave it.
The same thing happened when I fought me a Saint John.
I mean I was fighting at 126.
The fight was at 135.
I took it on four days notice, uh as a replacement Fighter for one of my stable mates that got hurt, and I said I don’t give a [ __ ] I’ll weigh in with all my clothes on put my keys in my pocket.
Put some put them and I think I still weighed in at like 129.
, I mean – and she was one like right at 135 or whatever, but which wasn’t that big of a gap but still technically it shouldn’t have been sanctioned.
No, if I would have waited normal, I would have been maybe 125, but I had a whole bunch of stuff in my pocket.
I remember I and I didn’t understand because, like I was at a cell phone, I’m like is she gon na? Be that heavy like how heavy is this? You know what I mean and I’m like what is going on.
You know, but then I knew ahead of time, because my coach I mean Sam Kelowna at the time, was like you have.
You can only be within.
I can’t remember exactly what it was, but such and such pounds leave your clothes on and when you’re gon na have to put some stuff in your pocket yeah I have no.
I have time to gain weight.
I was like four days out so yeah.
They would never allow that stuff today, never never never yeah.
It was all that stuff was just really.
It was really like you know and then, like you know, I think like even like we talked about before, like even the amateurs like, I fought my second fight against the national champion who came down from 138.
I was.
I went up to 132 because I couldn’t make wait.
I was 125, I didn’t know about the travel it was in Chicago yeah and I was like so I remember Luigi is my manager.
He was my coach at the time he’s like, but we have two options: either you you don’t fight or you go up and wake class and you fight and before he even said that I was like I’m fighting and he’s like yeah and then I remember like And – and it was like it was, you know, and I had I had one fight and I had only I mean I was boxing, but I mean you know what I mean it’s just different, and so I just I remember like I went out there and I I’M a fighter like that’s just who I am that’s always it just.
It is why it doesn’t matter whatever it is.
I’M a fighter.
You know whether it’s you know, and so I just remember going out there, and I remember like it was like Mean Girls, because I was sitting in the um in before I went before I fought.
We were gon na Medicals and I heard I have my headphones on, but I had it low enough, so I could hear stuff – and I heard these girls talking like who’s Maureen shakes.
Nobody didn’t who I was like who’s more [, __, ] who’s, Maury Shay, and it was my opponent looking for me, which I I don’t understand, because I never gave [ __ ] but anyway, so she was looking for me.
Then I heard these two girls in front of me talking or behind me talking and then all of a sudden the doctor calls me in I come back out.
I have my headphones on.
The girl Taps me on the shoulder she goes.
Are you Maureen Shea? I said yeah why and she goes oh you’re fighting so and so I said yeah and because you know she’s the national champion right.
I said: okay like like okay.
What do you want me to do? [ __ ] my pants or leave like that’s what my attitude.
What and – and so I just um I remember like – and I remember I went in there and I I fought – I mean yeah, I lost the fight, but man did.
I gain a lot of experience.
Yeah absolutely um, I mean it’s the same type of thing when I fought um Janine in Michigan um.
She never even came to the weigh-in because she was having trouble getting over.
The Border never came to the way in, and everybody was like.
Oh, you got to pull out and I said I I don’t care when she weighs in.
If it’s in the middle of the night, we need to see her weigh in yeah.
No next day comes fight like fight’s, getting ready and I’m like she still hasn’t weighed in oh, we wait her in.
Ah, no, she made weight.
No! No! No.
I want to see her on the scale like you’re, not listening to me.
Well, you know me, I mean everybody was like: oh, we got ta back out of this one like it’s [ __ ].
We could smell [ __ ] like yeah, this [ __ ] yeah.
No, I’m here I had a whole bunch of family.
Come to that fight because it was within five six: seven hours of driving distance yeah.
I was like oh we’re fighting.
I don’t care if she weighed 150 yeah we’re fighting.
Um didn’t see her until she walked out with the ring walk and she was way bigger than me um, but I mean it is what it is she also you know she used to wear that the metal knee brace and she got me with a good body – Shot I took a voluntary knee.
She hit me like 10 times, while I was down should have been automatically disqualified in the first round.
Oh, it’s crazy.
Didn’T even lose a point.
Um need me with her brace.
I got a big gash underneath my eye.
That fight was totally [ __ ] up that one contract because she had a title.
We never got the rematch, that’s the one fight that really bothers me to this day.
Still, you know, because I never got the opportunity for the rematch and it was so there was so much [, __ ] that happened in that fight.
It was pathetic, yeah and I totally got screwed totally got it so yeah um, I mean it went the day and we we finished the fight or whatever, but I mean she should have been [ __ ] disqualified, like yeah yeah, um, and but I mean it Is what it is but yeah there’s always that one! It’S it’s frustrating, because even when I fought for my WBC intern belt, so Jeannie Garside had the belt, but she was pregnant, and so I so I was like all right.
So I I got the interim belt because I won the IV I fought for the interim and then I was supposed to fight my mandatory, who was Ina mensner, but then eina menzer didn’t want to fight me.
So I didn’t want to hide me either, but my question: why am I fighting for an interim belt when Genie was pregnant not coming back right like? Why did that happen? You have to defend every so often so I understand she got pregnant and maybe was going to come back after the baby.
But in the meantime you have to vacate the belt and then she can come back and fight for it again for the guys.
If they got injured or took a layoff, and so that’s the thing so I so like that was and then like and then and then I got a call so then that fight didn’t so then my my my big title fight didn’t happen, so I then they Called me on two weeks notice and offered me a thousand dollars less than what I made, which was [ __ ] to fight um, uh mergerland emergenovic in Canada.
I said: wait I have the belt, but you want me to go to Canada, where I’m not gon na be televised.
So I can’t even make more money when I’m a draw in Mexico, California and New York, but you don’t want that.
So you know what I said.
Sorry I was like you know what no, because I’m sitting here you know, Sergio Martinez did the same thing and it’s not I’m not knocking the WBC whatever.
No, it’s like it’s like you know how I have to preserve myself.
Yeah.
You know, and I’m sitting there and even now, but even look at what’s happening today.
You know you see, I see and listen these girls that are coming up there.
I got offered to fight at 1.
30.
126.
.
I’M like I’m, not fighting my weight class.
I am one I walk around at 1 30.
.
I walk around at 1 30.
.
Why am I gon na fight at 126? One I’ve I’ve? I fought those weights, but I’m a 122 pound 118 pound fighter yeah like I know that now, like I grew into like I know my body and I’ve, I’ve learned how to make you and I make weight easy.
I I don’t struggle at all and I’m like, because I know what to do because I don’t see the last couple days, but why are you being in the game long enough to know it? How to do it and it it’s natural? And I also did my research I maintained.
I also you know I work with I work.
You know my boxing.
Coaches have always been amazing.
You know I’ve worked with uh, you know Hector Roca.
I worked.
I learned a lot with him.
I work with a terrific guest.
I work with Joseph Janik um.
You know I worked with uh, you know I work with Derek Santos now and I mean they’ve all they’re, all like they’re.
All you know high level, you know Elite trainers and then my favorite conditioning coach, now I’m with Phil daru, who I actually work for, but I’ve been with him since 2016 and I’ll tell you.
I’Ve had other strengths and conditioning coaches and they’re all wonderful, but the first strength and conditioning coach, any coach that ever asked me about my menstruation.
What oh, I was like what I was like.
I can talk about this right.
I was like, and I knew from that moment – I’m like, oh God, this man is different.
I was like this guy’s different and I was so grateful that I realized that the important part for me was the weight room to maintain my lean body mass, so that I can you know, make the week right and that’s why it’s funny, because he texted me Yesterday and I told him my weight and he’s like yeah he’s like I’m, not worried about your weight, I’m like how many fighters can you say that too he’s like one but right, you know, but I you know – and it’s like you know, I work with him And his programming and it’s so sport specific and it’s really a science, and I’m really grateful that you know that uh Daya Davis, who’s, a former Champion diet, was an nabf Champion.
He actually introduced me to Phil and I’ve been with Phil since 2016 and now I’m his executive assistant, he has um, he has two gyms and he’s got an online business and I work for him, so I’m like and he’s he supports, he’ll be in my corner.
He was in my corner for my last fight and he works with Derek they work very close, and but I earned this like I created this, I didn’t get it handed to me.
Nobody said: oh here’s, your nutritionist, my best friends, my diet, coach, because I’ve worked with her since 2014.
, she’s, not a she’s, not a nutritionist she’s, not a dietitian, but guess what what she does with me works yeah and it it’s great.
And so I she’s been with me since 2015 or 14 plus she’s my best friend, you know, and so she knows me and then I have you know I’ve got a you know everybody that I have on my team.
I put there yeah, and I think that that was my my manager Luigi, who was my first like, took me to my first amateur fight because nobody took me seriously, but he was like he took me.
He was like okay I’ll.
Take you to your first fight and I was 21.
and um, and he actually brought me to Hector Roca because he knew there was a level that he could take me and he needed me to you know that’s so selfless yeah.
Who does that? No ego? No – and he said to me anytime, I made a decision he’s like okay.
This is your decision.
He let me I I mean he managed me, but he also shared everything, my contracts.
I know everything he took your input yeah and he and he also yes, and he also, but I also trusted him to make just the major decisions.
You know what I mean like, but he also I trusted him enough because I knew he cared and I knew that he was like.
You know.
We’Re gon na do things when it’s right for you not what it’s about.
What’S right for everybody else right, you know and that’s and even like it’s just it’s all of it.
You know and I’m very grateful that I have him and he manages Tiara Brown.
He managed Alicia Ashley as well.
You know so he’s he’s wonderful and – and I always feel like I I’m just so blessed.
How long do you know? I mean I’ve been with him as 21.
.
Over 20 years over 20 years, I’ve been in a relationship with this person.
You know what I mean like: we’ve worked together for over 20 years and I’m like man, and it was not easy, but you don’t just throw those away and we’ve had success.
Self-Promoted, I’ve never had a promoter, we did it together, yeah, you know, and I don’t think people realize nowaday, because there’s promoters out there and these girls that are signed and all this stuff and there’s reasons I didn’t sign with promoters.
You know I couldn’t find Mexico.
Why not? I speak fluent Spanish I’d go to Tijuana.
I was on the cover of their damn newspaper.
They loved me right because, because I I’m Mexican, I mean yes, I’m Irish, but I’m Mexican, I’m yeah you’re very connected to both my roots, yeah, be who I am yeah, that’s insane to me and boxing is so big over there.
Why would they not want you? Like why would you not want to have that, because the draw will be 10 times as much because they don’t know how to do it? Well, that would have made money like common sense, but that’s the United States, that’s the problem, how many, how many girls are being promoted in the United States.
I could count on one hand.
You know we could get into that.
I mean we’ve talked about that.
It’S like why, oh, it’s not a draw, how the hell is it a draw in Europe in England and freaking everywhere else in Germany everywhere else I mean Regina halmick, I mean even you know like.
How is it not? How do you guys not even get this right? It’S so frustrating that I they’re just like it’s like they’re lazy and I’m like how did Dana White do it with the UFC right like, and the women are almost bigger than the men in the UFC? It you just have to put it out there.
The women’s box, even even back in our time, was huge overseas huge.
There was no reason that it shouldn’t have been like that in the U.
S none, but now people like oh well, now, I’m like no.
Now, it’s being it’s being honest, it’s being managed by social media.
Now you’ve got social media girls.
Now you’ve got I’m not I’m not saying they’re, not talented, but it’s like.
Oh how many followers do you have? Oh I’ll, promote you? Oh well, they got their followers.
I’M sorry I’m not posing naked on my Instagram page to get followers.
You don’t like what I post too freaking bad.
I got a full-time job.
You know I just bought my first house.
I got a lot of other stuff going on, but I will still get in the ring.
Kick the [ __ ] out of you, yeah yeah, that’s my deal yeah, I mean everybody’s different and everybody chooses their own path and I never was real big.
I mean I had social media, but I was never like.
Oh, my God, like I have to grow my followers and it’s funny because like when we got when I started doing the show um and I was talking with them, they’re like well, you got ta like really start like pushing your social media.
Now so like you to promote the show and I’m like yeah, I guess I’m gon na have to work on that, because I never really did work on that because I really didn’t care like.
If you knew me, you knew me if you didn’t, you didn’t, you could read about me, but you know what, but you know what is Brooke it’s a job now.
Do you know how much videographers want to follow you around with a camera and I’m sorry? But I’m not I’m not this person.
No, this person, I’m the person I had my own talk, show I.
If you want to put the camera on me, I just acted in an independent film.
That’S being it’s a short that’s be I just I just people, don’t even know that I act.
They didn’t even know that I was just.
I just played a lead role with an Oscar award winner, as my co-star, which I we didn’t announce it.
I didn’t ask.
Yes, we have an NDA, but like I’m, not I’m not doing all that.
You know what I mean like I’m just like I’m in the moment, I’m in the moment and I’m ending with my training, but I I do understand.
I understand the importance of sharing and things like that.
You know.
Even my manager tells me to he says that to me he’s like.
I need you to do more of this and I’m like okay, but it’s already more of this when you do more of this yay again, let me let me work my job and do my Instagrams.
I mean I I’ll if you’re doing social media, like that, it’s literally like a freaking full-time job, listen, listen! You got ta understand.
I work for Phil Darude.
Okay, Phil has an online business.
Phil is, and he hates when I say that – he’s an influencer because he’s more than an influencer but his social media presence is big.
He’S got over 200k followers on YouTube, but he also has a full production team like right, and so it makes ties again.
It’S great, I’m, you know what I mean like I and I’ll get to that, and if you want to bring on a production team and have it or yeah, if you want to have them, come do it for him like they can just follow me and we Can build followers like cool but like I don’t have the time to sit down and do it myself because, like other personalities like we’re just blunt and we don’t right, I wonder what she’s gon na say like even in the gym today.
You know what I mean, even during my training like it was just funny, because I was training.
I was at the gym with Phil and I I run I.
I help him with the gym, I’m his executive assistant, so I’m running around like a lunatic, then I got my training time and now it’s like all right.
Let’S go and it’s just funny because, like different things – and I I think people would get a kick out of it, but my main focus is the training.
Well, they would – and that’s just because I think we’re very similar in that aspect is, I always tell people like there’s two sides to all of us or most of us um.
You know you got the the nice respectable um.
You know feminine pretty sometimes like when we want to, and then you have the hardcore like beast mode on the other side, but when we’re in that mode you don’t know what’s going to come out of our mouth, so I get prepared.
I always tell people like.
I I cussed like a sailor if I’m in that mode, so listen you’re, gon na love this.
So I had gotten out of a sparring.
I was sparring with Ivana habison, who clearly outweighs me, but but Yvonne is wonderful.
I love her to death.
We work together.
We’Re going to work together in this Camp, I I love working with her.
You know she knows how to work and we both get really good work.
So anyway, I just got out of the ring spline with her, and I was approached by an individual about something and he got loud with me and I had just told somebody.
Listen don’t talk to me about that right now because I just got out of the ring, I’m a little spicy.
So let’s and this individual just came at me and he was like I was like I don’t I mean I went, everybody was like and I’m like.
I got it in me.
I don’t like to bring it out but dude.
The last thing you want to do is approach me after I just went six rounds with a girl that outweighs Me by.
I don’t know how many pounds by 40 pounds and now you’re coming like I’m still in fight mode like it, was funny because give me time to freaking wind down.
First, before you jump on me, it was like when I was back in California.
I remember.
I remember like my my ex-boyfriend: he wasn’t a boxer, he was in in something choosing Pest Control, I’m totally different, but I remember like I would come home right from the gym and I would still be like kind of hot, so we would get into arguments.
So I literally would have to like sit at the gym.
Then like drive around for a little while go get.
Something then go home because I had to like decompress, who has yeah you have to wind down and like let your adrenaline and all of that stuff.
Like settle to where you’re like back to normal, I mean I hate to say normal, like normalize it, but no, but it’s really true.
Well, I tell people, I say you know, I call them civilians, I’m not a civilian.
You know like it’s different, like Fighters are Fighters like whether you’re in MMA, whether you’re in boxing, whether you’re it don’t matter bare knuckle like we’re, not civilians, you know and and people that don’t recognize that and they just think like, but I think with women.
It’S a little bit harder, but it’s you know I’m around a lot of MMA fighters, because Phil Phil’s work with a lot of I mean he’s, worked with.
Obviously a lot of boxes, but his big, his biggest clients were Joanna jerjech, Dustin Poirier, like Frankie Edgar.
Like he’s worked with these high level – and he still does he’s got – I mean Kevin Lee – I can go over all the names, but like MMA fighters.
For me, I connected so well with the men and the women because it was just it’s like a team atmosphere when I would see them holding myths for each other.
I was like well that’s interesting because you never, I wouldn’t have called myth for my teammate.
You know what I mean like you didn’t.
Well, they don’t even usually talk to you very very often it’s so I mean certain places like the gym, I’m in now I mean I love.
I love where I’m at with Derek Santos and his and all my teammates.
I mean they’re wonderful and I think that it was like my maturity.
You know I mean California, I had a really good a really good teammates.
Even I was the only female when I trained now to terrific gifts has shadasha green, and so she just won yeah.
So so terrific uh was my coach.
When I won the nabf title, I was the first female he ever worked with and he always said he’s like man he’s trained other girls like man Mo none of them are like you, but I’m so glad he’s got shadesha because I know she’s a freaking she’s, A beast yeah.
I was very impressed with her last fight yeah and I’m really actually one of the best fights on that card yeah, and so I think I was so happy for terrific terrific was the the guy yeah he’s and I asked my dog man.
I hit him up all the time because, like you know, he lived such an impact in my life and all those guys we trained in the basement of a house in Paterson New Jersey.
You know kenzel halt, was there like, you know and like I mean Ozzie Duran was there I mean who else was? Who else was training that Glenn Tapia would come in? I’M talking names that people like you know what I mean and that’s these guys like.
I still talk to a lot of these guys.
You know because yeah I came up and they and they know the history and they respect it.
They’Re, not like all wowed by these new names because they’re like well.
What have they done in the pros? These girls got five fights they’re fighting for World titles.
I don’t understand, I’m like, I don’t understand it either.
That’S the big question of today.
Um, I mean we’ll get into that more later on.
But that’s the big question of today is how all these girls, with not any experience, just because they’re undefeated or yeah, or have a social media following getting title fights when they’re not there yet like they’re, not there yet, but who are they fighting for these titles? Nobody I’ve ever even heard of that’s the funny thing um, nobody, I’ve ever heard of half the time when they’re fighting, I’m like who they’re fighting, who who the hell is that and where did they come from well yeah.
I’Ve never even heard that name before um, but then they don’t know who we are because they don’t know they didn’t do that because they don’t [ __ ] research.
That’S the we’re gon na get into that more later on.
That is the one thing that perters that pisses me off the most um, which is the reason I did the show um because I feel like they need educated.
So that’s what we’re doing um we’re giving them a little uh education um.
On the background of women’s boxing um, but I mean I don’t know, we’ll definitely talk about that more towards the the end.
I’M gon na bring up that and we’re going to get into that discussion um.
I do know that when you defended your ifba title um, it was in Mexico, but it was also pay-per-view um on the co-main co-feature of Shane Mosley Ricardo Mayorga Main Event, so that that was it so that wasn’t so that fight.
Yes, that fight was at the Forum in California, okay in California, yeah, that was in California, and that was and that’s another thing that was like not noticed.
Like the last woman, the fight on pay-per-view in over a decade was a little over a decade yeah and it was like, and I’m like, okay, yeah yeah.
That’S why I brought that up one.
Transcribed
Foreign [, Music, ], [, Music, ], hey, hey, what’s up everybody, it’s your girl, no mercy here.
It is Tuesday night.
So you already know what time it is it’s time for no punches pulled with no mercy.
Some of you probably already know who I am those of you that are new and don’t my name – is Brooke Millbrook, formerly known as Brooke no mercy deardorff in the fight business.
I am a retired professional WBC lightweight champion and I was inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022.
.
I have personally been through some good, some bad and, of course, a lot of [ __ ] in the sport of women’s boxing.
Welcome to my platform, this is where we will talk the talk and walk the walk.
We will bring out the truth in women’s boxing and behind the scenes you’re going to hear from pioneers of the sport past boxers current boxers and even future boxers we’ll be getting down and dirty speaking, the truth of what takes place in women’s boxing.
You definitely don’t want to miss a show so make sure you like subscribe and share to your friends and let everybody know to come, join us on Tuesday nights.
Now we have a very special guest in the house tonight.
Maureen Shea aka, the real Million Dollar Baby, is in the house.
Maureen is a true veteran in the sport who is still out here.
Taking on these rookies and taking them to school.
Y’All Maureen is originally from the Bronx New York.
She is the former ifba Junior featherweight World Champ, former WBC interim champ nabf featherweight champ and the NABA featherweight champ.
She is one of the top Pro female boxers in the world.
Aside from her amazing boxing skills, she’s also known for her role as the main sparring partner for Hilary Swank in preparation for the movie, The Million Dollar Baby, she was nominated by MTV as one of their 2008 toughest coaches for the show made.
She has also done commentating as a boxing analyst and has had her own TV show called Shea’s corner.
Please help me welcome Maureen to the show.
How are you I’m good Brooke it’s so I just you know, I’m so grateful.
Thank you for having me on and thank you for what you do and um I’ve watched you throughout my career and I have such a huge amount of respect for you, and I love that you’re doing this.
It’S so important because you know, like you, said, we’re from a different era, and I just really really appreciate this.
I’M really excited to be here and to be able to share a bit of my story and – and just you know chop it up with you.
Awesome awesome yeah and it’s an it’s an honor to have you here as well.
I mean we definitely fought at the same in the same era.
Um.
You definitely surpassed me a little bit.
I had.
I got pregnant with my second one.
Oh, you had babies, yeah um, but I, when I got pregnant with the second one I was like you know what I already had the WBC belt.
I wasn’t making any money.
I had two kids then, and I was like yeah we’re just gon na we’re just gon na retire um.
I I thought about coming out many times, but I just had another one a year and a half ago, so um, probably not gon na happen.
At this point, I’m too out of shape, but you know confronting it’s tempting yeah, I’m sure yeah.
It’S so great to have you here, um, you have a phenomenal story.
Um.
Thank you and I mean I.
I already knew your story most of it.
I mean.
I obviously did a little research, but I pretty much already knew everything about you.
There is to know that’s what we did back in the day is we knew about everybody yeah, so um, I guess for everybody.
That’S in here maybe take us back to like your childhood in the beginning and like how you got hooked on boxing and took that road so um, I grew up in the Bronx in the Bronx New York uh.
I was born to a Mexican mom and Irish.
Dad my dad was a retired NYPD detective and my mom worked for the airlines so growing up uh a lot of people didn’t know that I speak fluent Spanish, so I would travel back and forth from from New York to Mexico a lot quite a bit with My mom, I was very, very fortunate to be able to do that and uh.
Actually, Spanish is my first language.
I learned it kind of at the same time as English, so I don’t exactly know why.
I know what I know, but I know how to speak.
Fluent Spanish, but hanging out being around there and being really submerged in that culture was something just so so fascinating and so amazing that I look back now and I realize it.
I really had the best of both worlds.
Um and then you know I had my brother was 10 years older than me and we’re very different, so I think I he moved out when I was 14 years old, so I was kind of an only child um, but I definitely at a young age was Very strong spirited and I had you know I had emotional issues, but I what kid doesn’t have emotional issues but, like you know, I was kind of just um going through my thing and and trying to figure out.
You know how to express myself and um.
You know growing up in the Bronx, was tough and and trying to figure things out hanging out with the right people, the wrong people and getting you know, getting frustrated just not being able to express myself with all that energy.
So my mom had put me in multiple Sports and I know the thing really stuck, and so I until I found boxing but I found boxing by accident, so it was kind of kind of a fluke thing I wasn’t raised in the sport um the only person That I ever saw a fight was Mike Tyson when he bit a Vander, Holyfield’s ear and ironically, what I connected with in Mike Tyson was his his emotions, because not that I’ve wanted to bite somebody’s ear.
But I’ve had that rage where I just wanted to.
You know break something or – and I had a lot I had you know I struggled a lot with that as a kid breaking things not being able to vocally.
You know, I think, that’s why I’m so good now, with my words, because I just didn’t, have them when I was younger, and so you know breaking things in the house getting into fights.
You know things like that, but when I found I saw that fight I was like man, that’s yeah.
I was 15, I think 15 or 16.
, and I was so fascinated.
I didn’t even care what was happening.
Like I just said man I want.
I felt like that so then fast forward, I’m 17 years old.
I find myself in an abusive relationship and I go to a gym, a fitness gym to better myself to get.
You know if I work out and you know because he worked out and I went to the back of the gym and there was a boxing ring and I was like oh and I remember Tyson.
I remember that, and I was like I try and the trainer came up to me and everybody was speaking Spanish and the trainer came up to me in English and said: do you want to try – and I said oh and I started speaking in Spanish because I Was like how am I going to connect with these people? You know and he was super Willy Soto.
I still talked to him today and he’s a wonderful human being and he’s had a huge impact in my life, let alone my career, and he just took me in and gave me his time and I just kept going.
He kept telling me call me Guerra and he’s like you’re gon na be a champion and I didn’t realize he found out.
I was Mexican and Irish because he wanted to know why I speak Spanish and then I didn’t know that Mexicans and Irish are like the best fighters yeah, it was, I go back and I just I’m like it had to be.
You know it had to be there absolutely absolutely um Eric sent me a message said: you’re a little staticky again.
Can you do a quick, refresh, yeah uh, so I go to the so refresh the whole thing you want yeah.
I guess so she’ll be right back guys, don’t go anywhere, she’s just doing a refresh, so we can get rid of that little static that she’s got going on on her audio.
Make sure it’s clear for you guys tada.
Is it better? Hopefully, I think it’s better, but it’s better: okay, okay, um all right awesome, so I know that you um always have kind of spoken.
You started boxing at the age of 19.
um, like you said, you were looking for somewhere to Channel all that energy and um being able to express yourself in some kind of way um, and you always talked about how boxing literally like saved your life um.
Can you tell everybody a little bit of of how and maybe other people could kind of connect with that? Maybe they can connect with boxing to help them? I think for me it was every day and the challenge and just really a place to high energy, and I didn’t really know where to put it and when I went to the gym that just really, you know helped me out a lot, even with my mom, To work together and believe it or not, I had I was yeah.
I didn’t want to deal with college and all this stuff, but I ended up going to college and help me with that because it helps.
Let me release this energy and help me to focus you know, and it also.
I think it is really the the way that it works.
My brain realize like oh, like they think boxers are dumb.
Sometimes then, I’m like they have to be pretty.
You know there’s a lot that goes into it and I love the challenge, so that was it and I never shied away from a challenge, and I can’t do something, and so I I that makes me I thrive at people doubting me, but you know, for the Beginning in the beginning of my career in the beginning of training, I boxed to get out of this abusive relationship.
Um told me in this house: you have to work and go to school.
You can’t do all three and I said okay.
Now then, I boxed to prove my father wrong that thing: Hilary Swank I’m working with her for a million dollars baby and now more important.
Now I’m trying to prove that I’m not just a sparring person partner.
You know, then it’s like oh well, she’s lost lucky and then so I always thought you know, and I had to figure out how was to fight for me when I started realized in like I’ve, rediscovered my.
Why so many times as women – and I know that you can come completely – relate to this – you know I’m 42 years – I’ve reinvented myself so many times that they think they are they are.
They have no idea who they are right now they’re going to ran over and over again and that’s why I embrace my my 40, my 40s, I’m embracing my fifth 50s, because I’m like man, I just see me even the evolution of my career.
You know great um, you know a great platform for me to come kind of evolved space for me to do that and to learn and to grow and to chat.
Everyone would have been challenged, but something that I I’ve always gone back.
That errands couldn’t because it’s unfree giving giving – and I think that you know I love that – I see these.
You know because I think that it’s it it’s gon na really it’s gon na help over women yeah.
You know because now we’re we’re where we are now, you know what we spoke about a bit.
People need to hear the stories of the one Olympics yeah the women.
I remember when I turned Pro five I’m like what’s next, I always did what’s next yeah.
What do we do? You know? I obviously I love to succeed.
I love the point like I played softball, I’m like all right.
What’S the point, what am I doing? Do I like it? I’M not really a team sport person because I felt like I was.
You know, but I was just right always so, is that energy I think back and I’m like all right? Well, what’s next and you know what I’m still on that path, the book is still here because I can be people like.
Why do you do this? I don’t it’s not it’s not even thought about the money, but yeah it is.
I mean the money’s there, but I can do so my.
Why is pretty solid yeah because I don’t understand it when I I want something: that’s gon na.
Do it yeah absolutely because I’ve always been that I’ve oh always been like that? That’S exactly and anybody that from me as a kid, my mother would tell you that my whole family, all my yeah and you know, especially in boxing like you – have to really want it.
I mean you have to yeah.
You have to really want [ Music ].
I think we’re all a little um.
We were wired differently, we’ll just put it that word, wait we’re wired differently.
You have to really want it.
In order to do it tell I tell people I still said I’ve been therapist going to therapy because I enjoy.
I enjoy punching people in the face.
That’S what I do.
I said I’m totally.
Okay with that.
Like listen now, I’ve just accepted who I am yeah and I accept that there’s gon na be moments of change knowledge.
I don’t walk in a room and think I know it all.
I know I can learn and but I I’m very particular with who I surround myself self-width, because that are going to you know to raise my bar.
You know yeah.
I wonder I want them to raise my bar exactly exactly um, so I know you just like me.
You did not have a very big, extensive, amateur career um.
I think you had like.
Maybe I don’t know 15 fights or something well yeah I had.
I think I had four I had 14 or 15 amateur fights um, so I didn’t have very many either because I couldn’t get fights which I know is the same thing that happened with you um, but I know you did have some titles and you had some Good fights: do you want to tell just a little bit about some of the titles you had in your amateur experience, yeah? Well, so, in the end, amateurs I did those.
I fought my second fight um, I well.
My first fight against a girl had more experience than me.
I won, but let me tell you something was so low from my abusive relationship and I going through that.
I actually thought I lost that fight like this is a lot and some people will hear this and be like what yeah raised my hand and said I won.
I looked at the rest when I said I really lost didn’t I, oh.
I felt and nobody knew this because people – don’t no, you don’t know, and I I really and then they and and the ref looked at me.
Okay, so it was like you know.
I was struggling with this eternal foxing fight my whole career.
I knew I had a good work ethic.
I know I really embrace and accept that I was talented and you know back in our day.
As you know, there weren’t a ton of females and the coach es.
You know I had some pretty tough coaches.
I had early on in my career, you know I had one particular code and he was very hard and he was very um.
You know I would say abusive, but I don’t know if he meant to do that or if he thought like.
Oh, if he could get the best out of me, but it was damaging yeah, it damaged me most of my pros and um.
You know I had to heal from that and I’m healing from abusive relationship.
Now, I’m healing from this damage I’m sitting here.
Thinking like, why am I doing this, but you know if I was God – and I just said you know – God, like God, has a plan for my life Jeremiah and I had to believe that because I get the chills because you’re yeah, you know, I don’t know Why he chose Bach saying from I’ve, been able to do with this platform and help people, and just like okay and the people I’ve connected with, and the people that I’ve connected myself there’s a reason, yeah and so amazing, and so you know after that, um.
You know I live and um I I you know.
I want my first title was the nabf title which uh you know it was on uh.
It was in Saturday, toga Springs and it was on Lisa, I’m now partners with Elite with Lisa elevich with uh one with I’m part owner of tequila of this tequila company with Lisa, humble Mancini and Larry Holmes, and it’s funny how Full Circle had to me.
After Wards – because you know we made it connection here, so it’s interesting because these titles, every time I had a title in life, even when I lost, I still want in life yeah.
I think that boxing I saw one in life because I didn’t want to give it was not giving up in life and realizing the boxing didn’t Define yeah, and I think there was there was a moment there, because for a long time I think I allowed boxing To Define me and her, and and it was it’s pretty bad, where I didn’t know, if I’d be able to box anymore yeah, and then I I you know, I just I remember that’s because they told me I would box again and all this stuff and I’m Like what am I gon na do my mom? I was in Florida visiting my family.
I lived in California, David to God, and I heard him audibly people who tell me to do service, no idea what that meant.
It’S the juicer.
What I went back to Cal ifornian, I was approached by the YMCA – ran some stuff in the YMCA.
If I would come speak to to – and I was like – okay and I just went in and shared my story next thing, I know I was getting approached by juvenile jails and I just went off and I started doing this vehicle over California yeah.
You know – and I was like this – I mean I was little this for free.
I didn’t ask for any money, and I just had Mazda approach me and I got a sponsorship with Mazda, not because of my boxing speak and my ability to share my ability to help, and I said I had the chains that I allowed boxing to have on Me were really so much more than the sport and I’m so much more than – and I think that’s certainly and I get I want people to take from this – I mean we have a lot to talk about, but everything unless you allow it to Define you yeah To understand that you don’t have do like it just it, she put our selves in boxes.
You know, and I put myself in a box.
I was like man and then I won these titles.
I mean I won the I the WBC intro and on to five.
Well, for my first world, title fight was for the WBA and I lost, and I and I and I I lost the fight and um.
You know I dropped.
It was on a top ranks card on Miguel code, like I could sit here and tell you for days everything, and even now, what I do boxing just opened up a world for me that I never knew was even hadn’t, followed through the sport I haven’t, pushed And and over I wouldn’t be where I am right now, exactly exactly um Erica’s messaging me again: can maybe we try taking the headphones out and then or the earbuds out and then do another reset? Okay, sorry guys stick with us.
We just want to make sure that it’s clear and I know if it’s choppy on my end, it’s choppy on your end.
I can hear her it’s just like delayed.
So hopefully, when we get this, maybe it’s maybe hits or earbuds that’s making it do that.
Okay, I’m back okay.
That sounds better right now: okay, good, okay, good yeah! I think it was just like it was almost delayed.
Oh okay, yeah because he says perfect.
Okay, like the earbuds.
I know I know this technology, you never know you never know hey whatever.
It’S working now um, so, yes, the you got that one, then the WBC interim title next um in 2011.
um was that, like your most memorable, like your best, like I don’t know, I was like super ecstatic when I won the WBC.
You know like that, for you was that, like your favorite belt, or do you have a favorite? You know I never did, because I was struggling with my own personal stuff that I just felt like.
I couldn’t even connect with my success in boxing yeah, because I was still healing from my emotional scars and from the ability to accept love and to accept loving myself and to accept good things.
So I can’t honestly and I’m very honest and transparent and authentic.
I can’t honestly say I have a favorite belt I’ve.
Never I don’t know, but I can tell you that the experience was magical because I know when I went out there I was.
I was being judged a bit because I didn’t look like a fighter and yeah.
Then I remember being in the locker room and I had met nacho Berenstein and you know, and he was like.
Oh you know, obviously a pretty girl.
You know I’m in a dress conference the whole thing and then he saw me hitting mitts in the locker room before the fight and they watched my fight.
They were like like because I look like a different person like yeah.
You do everything, but I do we all do yeah yeah, so the best, but you know the guys are different because they look the same all the time they do.
I mean hair up or braid it or, and then we got to make them off if you’re wearing it yeah the energy, the Energy’s different, and it’s just it’s like again, I’m not trying to be like the guys, I’m very happy being a woman, and I love How I fight you know, but I respect the guys, don’t get me wrong, but we’re just different and embrace that I love that.
But what’s really what was really fun about that fight, because I can tell you stories about every one of my fights um.
I have a great memory and they’ve just impacted me so much what was cool about that fight was, it was me and my coach Joseph Yannick went to.
We went to um, we were fought in Los Mochis in Sinaloa and um.
I remember when we went there.
It was, it was a soccer stadium, it was huge and it was actually cold outside and he was like so he’s.
So we had like a driver that was driving us around and he wasn’t really with the promotion they brought him in.
He was a friend of a friend and the promotion Hector Garcia, wonderful people.
They really took care of everybody.
You know they were just very well.
They was very well done.
Anything we needed, but anyway this this young guy was driving us around and um Haas was like Haas was my coach.
He goes hey.
What do you think if we ask him to work the corner with us, because I just need somebody to put the stool in I’m gon na? Do your Cuts, I’m going to do everything and I was like all right, so we literally had him and he invited his whole family that to me made it special because I gave him the cornerman jacket he kept it.
We still talk on Facebook like he worked.
The corner of a world title fight right, you know what I mean and to him to me.
It didn’t and I’m not saying that it didn’t mean anything to me.
It was my struggles but like to him.
It was like this is as close as he’s ever.
Gon na get, you know what I mean as and and his family was there and he was in the corner and he was so proud and I was so happy to be able to to give that to somebody.
You know, and so I think, that’s what made it so and the fact that it was just me and Coach out there and I knew nobody.
I mean granted.
I’M Mexican and I speak Spanish, I connected but the Mexican or the Mexican fans they love.
You no matter what they they’ll love you.
You know you know yeah care about, that’s my most memorable fight and not because that’s the fight that I won the WBC Title in, but the experience that I had the rematch that I had the second time.
I fought me a St John when I won the title was in Mexico because she wanted the rematch in Mexico yeah so um.
But I I was there like 10 days before, because we had to do the you know.
We went to like the children’s hospital and saw the kids and we went and post flight press conference and the public work out and like everything.
But I didn’t have an interpreter and I don’t speak fluent Spanish.
I mean I know God like and so, but it was that’s the only time that I ever really felt like.
I was somebody because I couldn’t there’s such Die, Hard boxing fans in Mexico.
It’S really, I was the freaking opponent or anything I didn’t hear.
Anybody would know me or want to talk to me or I couldn’t even leave the room like every time I walked outside of my hotel room.
I was bombarded by people wanting pictures.
Autographs I mean I’d, go, sit down and eat and I’d have 50 people come up and ask me for a photo while I was trying to eat so, but I mean if it was nice and it was humbling yeah, because I wish we could get that in Usa in the United States I mean, but you don’t I mean I can walk around people know me like in my hometown, because they knew me from school and they know that I’m a fighter, but other than that.
I can count on one hand how many times somebody recognized me, even when I was the current champion.
Very rarely did it happen, and so, but over there we were like celebrities insane, and I I thought that I was kind of glad when I came home because I was like you know man.
I know how these actors and stuff feel like when they can’t get a moment to breathe like when they go somewhere.
I’M like man, it’s kind of nice to like be able to just like not be bothered for a second, because it was 10 days, but it was just so humbling like I wish I could have fought every fight there.
I know it’s so funny.
I thought I don’t even know how many maybe 10 fights out there.
I fought in Tijuana.
I fought there a bunch of times and you know Mexican girls are tough and I don’t just say because I’m next man like they come there’s a fight.
They’Re tough and I I I I’m gon na, be like oh you’re going to Mexico like I’m, buying a fight, I’m like you don’t buy.
Are you kidding me I’m? Like those circumstances? I had a guy.
I remember warming up and warming up in the back room and this guy’s smoking a cigarette.
Watching me fight, I mean watching me, they hit the miss and I looked at my coach like can we go over there all right, they’re smoking in the arena where I’m fighting yeah then another one? I fought a girl who weighed 171 pounds.
I was like with clothes on, I was 135 because she was coming in handy and I said okay, I mean I fought at 126 122 but, like you know, I came up for it and then and my manager said: oh she’s gon na come in a little Heavy and then my coach was like looking at the kilos and he’s like, and he showed me and I was like well [ __ ].
I came here to fight I’m like I don’t care, so the commission, the the and the Tijuana commission was like listen he’s like I know this girl has experience.
I’Ve never seen her fight, he goes, but you know I don’t.
I can’t let this go.
Don’T let anybody pressure you to fight and I looked at him.
I was like no I’m fighting and then Haas was like.
Let’S call Luigi everybody.
We all had a moment.
I said okay and then they asked me if I wanted to wear 10 ounce gloves or eight ounce gloves.
So I said well put tens on her and it’s on me they’re like oh.
We can’t do that.
I’M like all right put the [ __ ], this [ __ ] out overweighs Me by like how many pounds does it matter right, so I ended up fighting in 10 ounce gloves.
Could you imagine if that happened today with everything like come on? They would never say they would never let it go leave it.
The same thing happened when I fought me a Saint John.
I mean I was fighting at 126.
The fight was at 135.
I took it on four days notice, uh as a replacement Fighter for one of my stable mates that got hurt, and I said I don’t give a [ __ ] I’ll weigh in with all my clothes on put my keys in my pocket.
Put some put them and I think I still weighed in at like 129.
, I mean – and she was one like right at 135 or whatever, but which wasn’t that big of a gap but still technically it shouldn’t have been sanctioned.
No, if I would have waited normal, I would have been maybe 125, but I had a whole bunch of stuff in my pocket.
I remember I and I didn’t understand because, like I was at a cell phone, I’m like is she gon na? Be that heavy like how heavy is this? You know what I mean and I’m like what is going on.
You know, but then I knew ahead of time, because my coach I mean Sam Kelowna at the time, was like you have.
You can only be within.
I can’t remember exactly what it was, but such and such pounds leave your clothes on and when you’re gon na have to put some stuff in your pocket yeah I have no.
I have time to gain weight.
I was like four days out so yeah.
They would never allow that stuff today, never never never yeah.
It was all that stuff was just really.
It was really like you know and then, like you know, I think like even like we talked about before, like even the amateurs like, I fought my second fight against the national champion who came down from 138.
I was.
I went up to 132 because I couldn’t make wait.
I was 125, I didn’t know about the travel it was in Chicago yeah and I was like so I remember Luigi is my manager.
He was my coach at the time he’s like, but we have two options: either you you don’t fight or you go up and wake class and you fight and before he even said that I was like I’m fighting and he’s like yeah and then I remember like And – and it was like it was, you know, and I had I had one fight and I had only I mean I was boxing, but I mean you know what I mean it’s just different, and so I just I remember like I went out there and I I’M a fighter like that’s just who I am that’s always it just.
It is why it doesn’t matter whatever it is.
I’M a fighter.
You know whether it’s you know, and so I just remember going out there, and I remember like it was like Mean Girls, because I was sitting in the um in before I went before I fought.
We were gon na Medicals and I heard I have my headphones on, but I had it low enough, so I could hear stuff – and I heard these girls talking like who’s Maureen shakes.
Nobody didn’t who I was like who’s more [, __, ] who’s, Maury Shay, and it was my opponent looking for me, which I I don’t understand, because I never gave [ __ ] but anyway, so she was looking for me.
Then I heard these two girls in front of me talking or behind me talking and then all of a sudden the doctor calls me in I come back out.
I have my headphones on.
The girl Taps me on the shoulder she goes.
Are you Maureen Shea? I said yeah why and she goes oh you’re fighting so and so I said yeah and because you know she’s the national champion right.
I said: okay like like okay.
What do you want me to do? [ __ ] my pants or leave like that’s what my attitude.
What and – and so I just um I remember like – and I remember I went in there and I I fought – I mean yeah, I lost the fight, but man did.
I gain a lot of experience.
Yeah absolutely um, I mean it’s the same type of thing when I fought um Janine in Michigan um.
She never even came to the weigh-in because she was having trouble getting over.
The Border never came to the way in, and everybody was like.
Oh, you got to pull out and I said I I don’t care when she weighs in.
If it’s in the middle of the night, we need to see her weigh in yeah.
No next day comes fight like fight’s, getting ready and I’m like she still hasn’t weighed in oh, we wait her in.
Ah, no, she made weight.
No! No! No.
I want to see her on the scale like you’re, not listening to me.
Well, you know me, I mean everybody was like: oh, we got ta back out of this one like it’s [ __ ].
We could smell [ __ ] like yeah, this [ __ ] yeah.
No, I’m here I had a whole bunch of family.
Come to that fight because it was within five six: seven hours of driving distance yeah.
I was like oh we’re fighting.
I don’t care if she weighed 150 yeah we’re fighting.
Um didn’t see her until she walked out with the ring walk and she was way bigger than me um, but I mean it is what it is she also you know she used to wear that the metal knee brace and she got me with a good body – Shot I took a voluntary knee.
She hit me like 10 times, while I was down should have been automatically disqualified in the first round.
Oh, it’s crazy.
Didn’T even lose a point.
Um need me with her brace.
I got a big gash underneath my eye.
That fight was totally [ __ ] up that one contract because she had a title.
We never got the rematch, that’s the one fight that really bothers me to this day.
Still, you know, because I never got the opportunity for the rematch and it was so there was so much [, __ ] that happened in that fight.
It was pathetic, yeah and I totally got screwed totally got it so yeah um, I mean it went the day and we we finished the fight or whatever, but I mean she should have been [ __ ] disqualified, like yeah yeah, um, and but I mean it Is what it is but yeah there’s always that one! It’S it’s frustrating, because even when I fought for my WBC intern belt, so Jeannie Garside had the belt, but she was pregnant, and so I so I was like all right.
So I I got the interim belt because I won the IV I fought for the interim and then I was supposed to fight my mandatory, who was Ina mensner, but then eina menzer didn’t want to fight me.
So I didn’t want to hide me either, but my question: why am I fighting for an interim belt when Genie was pregnant not coming back right like? Why did that happen? You have to defend every so often so I understand she got pregnant and maybe was going to come back after the baby.
But in the meantime you have to vacate the belt and then she can come back and fight for it again for the guys.
If they got injured or took a layoff, and so that’s the thing so I so like that was and then like and then and then I got a call so then that fight didn’t so then my my my big title fight didn’t happen, so I then they Called me on two weeks notice and offered me a thousand dollars less than what I made, which was [ __ ] to fight um, uh mergerland emergenovic in Canada.
I said: wait I have the belt, but you want me to go to Canada, where I’m not gon na be televised.
So I can’t even make more money when I’m a draw in Mexico, California and New York, but you don’t want that.
So you know what I said.
Sorry I was like you know what no, because I’m sitting here you know, Sergio Martinez did the same thing and it’s not I’m not knocking the WBC whatever.
No, it’s like it’s like you know how I have to preserve myself.
Yeah.
You know, and I’m sitting there and even now, but even look at what’s happening today.
You know you see, I see and listen these girls that are coming up there.
I got offered to fight at 1.
30.
126.
.
I’M like I’m, not fighting my weight class.
I am one I walk around at 1 30.
.
I walk around at 1 30.
.
Why am I gon na fight at 126? One I’ve I’ve? I fought those weights, but I’m a 122 pound 118 pound fighter yeah like I know that now, like I grew into like I know my body and I’ve, I’ve learned how to make you and I make weight easy.
I I don’t struggle at all and I’m like, because I know what to do because I don’t see the last couple days, but why are you being in the game long enough to know it? How to do it and it it’s natural? And I also did my research I maintained.
I also you know I work with I work.
You know my boxing.
Coaches have always been amazing.
You know I’ve worked with uh, you know Hector Roca.
I worked.
I learned a lot with him.
I work with a terrific guest.
I work with Joseph Janik um.
You know I worked with uh, you know I work with Derek Santos now and I mean they’ve all they’re, all like they’re.
All you know high level, you know Elite trainers and then my favorite conditioning coach, now I’m with Phil daru, who I actually work for, but I’ve been with him since 2016 and I’ll tell you.
I’Ve had other strengths and conditioning coaches and they’re all wonderful, but the first strength and conditioning coach, any coach that ever asked me about my menstruation.
What oh, I was like what I was like.
I can talk about this right.
I was like, and I knew from that moment – I’m like, oh God, this man is different.
I was like this guy’s different and I was so grateful that I realized that the important part for me was the weight room to maintain my lean body mass, so that I can you know, make the week right and that’s why it’s funny, because he texted me Yesterday and I told him my weight and he’s like yeah he’s like I’m, not worried about your weight, I’m like how many fighters can you say that too he’s like one but right, you know, but I you know – and it’s like you know, I work with him And his programming and it’s so sport specific and it’s really a science, and I’m really grateful that you know that uh Daya Davis, who’s, a former Champion diet, was an nabf Champion.
He actually introduced me to Phil and I’ve been with Phil since 2016 and now I’m his executive assistant, he has um, he has two gyms and he’s got an online business and I work for him, so I’m like and he’s he supports, he’ll be in my corner.
He was in my corner for my last fight and he works with Derek they work very close, and but I earned this like I created this, I didn’t get it handed to me.
Nobody said: oh here’s, your nutritionist, my best friends, my diet, coach, because I’ve worked with her since 2014.
, she’s, not a she’s, not a nutritionist she’s, not a dietitian, but guess what what she does with me works yeah and it it’s great.
And so I she’s been with me since 2015 or 14 plus she’s my best friend, you know, and so she knows me and then I have you know I’ve got a you know everybody that I have on my team.
I put there yeah, and I think that that was my my manager Luigi, who was my first like, took me to my first amateur fight because nobody took me seriously, but he was like he took me.
He was like okay I’ll.
Take you to your first fight and I was 21.
and um, and he actually brought me to Hector Roca because he knew there was a level that he could take me and he needed me to you know that’s so selfless yeah.
Who does that? No ego? No – and he said to me anytime, I made a decision he’s like okay.
This is your decision.
He let me I I mean he managed me, but he also shared everything, my contracts.
I know everything he took your input yeah and he and he also yes, and he also, but I also trusted him to make just the major decisions.
You know what I mean like, but he also I trusted him enough because I knew he cared and I knew that he was like.
You know.
We’Re gon na do things when it’s right for you not what it’s about.
What’S right for everybody else right, you know and that’s and even like it’s just it’s all of it.
You know and I’m very grateful that I have him and he manages Tiara Brown.
He managed Alicia Ashley as well.
You know so he’s he’s wonderful and – and I always feel like I I’m just so blessed.
How long do you know? I mean I’ve been with him as 21.
.
Over 20 years over 20 years, I’ve been in a relationship with this person.
You know what I mean like: we’ve worked together for over 20 years and I’m like man, and it was not easy, but you don’t just throw those away and we’ve had success.
Self-Promoted, I’ve never had a promoter, we did it together, yeah, you know, and I don’t think people realize nowaday, because there’s promoters out there and these girls that are signed and all this stuff and there’s reasons I didn’t sign with promoters.
You know I couldn’t find Mexico.
Why not? I speak fluent Spanish I’d go to Tijuana.
I was on the cover of their damn newspaper.
They loved me right because, because I I’m Mexican, I mean yes, I’m Irish, but I’m Mexican, I’m yeah you’re very connected to both my roots, yeah, be who I am yeah, that’s insane to me and boxing is so big over there.
Why would they not want you? Like why would you not want to have that, because the draw will be 10 times as much because they don’t know how to do it? Well, that would have made money like common sense, but that’s the United States, that’s the problem, how many, how many girls are being promoted in the United States.
I could count on one hand.
You know we could get into that.
I mean we’ve talked about that.
It’S like why, oh, it’s not a draw, how the hell is it a draw in Europe in England and freaking everywhere else in Germany everywhere else I mean Regina halmick, I mean even you know like.
How is it not? How do you guys not even get this right? It’S so frustrating that I they’re just like it’s like they’re lazy and I’m like how did Dana White do it with the UFC right like, and the women are almost bigger than the men in the UFC? It you just have to put it out there.
The women’s box, even even back in our time, was huge overseas huge.
There was no reason that it shouldn’t have been like that in the U.
S none, but now people like oh well, now, I’m like no.
Now, it’s being it’s being honest, it’s being managed by social media.
Now you’ve got social media girls.
Now you’ve got I’m not I’m not saying they’re, not talented, but it’s like.
Oh how many followers do you have? Oh I’ll, promote you? Oh well, they got their followers.
I’M sorry I’m not posing naked on my Instagram page to get followers.
You don’t like what I post too freaking bad.
I got a full-time job.
You know I just bought my first house.
I got a lot of other stuff going on, but I will still get in the ring.
Kick the [ __ ] out of you, yeah yeah, that’s my deal yeah, I mean everybody’s different and everybody chooses their own path and I never was real big.
I mean I had social media, but I was never like.
Oh, my God, like I have to grow my followers and it’s funny because like when we got when I started doing the show um and I was talking with them, they’re like well, you got ta like really start like pushing your social media.
Now so like you to promote the show and I’m like yeah, I guess I’m gon na have to work on that, because I never really did work on that because I really didn’t care like.
If you knew me, you knew me if you didn’t, you didn’t, you could read about me, but you know what, but you know what is Brooke it’s a job now.
Do you know how much videographers want to follow you around with a camera and I’m sorry? But I’m not I’m not this person.
No, this person, I’m the person I had my own talk, show I.
If you want to put the camera on me, I just acted in an independent film.
That’S being it’s a short that’s be I just I just people, don’t even know that I act.
They didn’t even know that I was just.
I just played a lead role with an Oscar award winner, as my co-star, which I we didn’t announce it.
I didn’t ask.
Yes, we have an NDA, but like I’m, not I’m not doing all that.
You know what I mean like I’m just like I’m in the moment, I’m in the moment and I’m ending with my training, but I I do understand.
I understand the importance of sharing and things like that.
You know.
Even my manager tells me to he says that to me he’s like.
I need you to do more of this and I’m like okay, but it’s already more of this when you do more of this yay again, let me let me work my job and do my Instagrams.
I mean I I’ll if you’re doing social media, like that, it’s literally like a freaking full-time job, listen, listen! You got ta understand.
I work for Phil Darude.
Okay, Phil has an online business.
Phil is, and he hates when I say that – he’s an influencer because he’s more than an influencer but his social media presence is big.
He’S got over 200k followers on YouTube, but he also has a full production team like right, and so it makes ties again.
It’S great, I’m, you know what I mean like I and I’ll get to that, and if you want to bring on a production team and have it or yeah, if you want to have them, come do it for him like they can just follow me and we Can build followers like cool but like I don’t have the time to sit down and do it myself because, like other personalities like we’re just blunt and we don’t right, I wonder what she’s gon na say like even in the gym today.
You know what I mean, even during my training like it was just funny, because I was training.
I was at the gym with Phil and I I run I.
I help him with the gym, I’m his executive assistant, so I’m running around like a lunatic, then I got my training time and now it’s like all right.
Let’S go and it’s just funny because, like different things – and I I think people would get a kick out of it, but my main focus is the training.
Well, they would – and that’s just because I think we’re very similar in that aspect is, I always tell people like there’s two sides to all of us or most of us um.
You know you got the the nice respectable um.
You know feminine pretty sometimes like when we want to, and then you have the hardcore like beast mode on the other side, but when we’re in that mode you don’t know what’s going to come out of our mouth, so I get prepared.
I always tell people like.
I I cussed like a sailor if I’m in that mode, so listen you’re, gon na love this.
So I had gotten out of a sparring.
I was sparring with Ivana habison, who clearly outweighs me, but but Yvonne is wonderful.
I love her to death.
We work together.
We’Re going to work together in this Camp, I I love working with her.
You know she knows how to work and we both get really good work.
So anyway, I just got out of the ring spline with her, and I was approached by an individual about something and he got loud with me and I had just told somebody.
Listen don’t talk to me about that right now because I just got out of the ring, I’m a little spicy.
So let’s and this individual just came at me and he was like I was like I don’t I mean I went, everybody was like and I’m like.
I got it in me.
I don’t like to bring it out but dude.
The last thing you want to do is approach me after I just went six rounds with a girl that outweighs Me by.
I don’t know how many pounds by 40 pounds and now you’re coming like I’m still in fight mode like it, was funny because give me time to freaking wind down.
First, before you jump on me, it was like when I was back in California.
I remember.
I remember like my my ex-boyfriend: he wasn’t a boxer, he was in in something choosing Pest Control, I’m totally different, but I remember like I would come home right from the gym and I would still be like kind of hot, so we would get into arguments.
So I literally would have to like sit at the gym.
Then like drive around for a little while go get.
Something then go home because I had to like decompress, who has yeah you have to wind down and like let your adrenaline and all of that stuff.
Like settle to where you’re like back to normal, I mean I hate to say normal, like normalize it, but no, but it’s really true.
Well, I tell people, I say you know, I call them civilians, I’m not a civilian.
You know like it’s different, like Fighters are Fighters like whether you’re in MMA, whether you’re in boxing, whether you’re it don’t matter bare knuckle like we’re, not civilians, you know and and people that don’t recognize that and they just think like, but I think with women.
It’S a little bit harder, but it’s you know I’m around a lot of MMA fighters, because Phil Phil’s work with a lot of I mean he’s, worked with.
Obviously a lot of boxes, but his big, his biggest clients were Joanna jerjech, Dustin Poirier, like Frankie Edgar.
Like he’s worked with these high level – and he still does he’s got – I mean Kevin Lee – I can go over all the names, but like MMA fighters.
For me, I connected so well with the men and the women because it was just it’s like a team atmosphere when I would see them holding myths for each other.
I was like well that’s interesting because you never, I wouldn’t have called myth for my teammate.
You know what I mean like you didn’t.
Well, they don’t even usually talk to you very very often it’s so I mean certain places like the gym, I’m in now I mean I love.
I love where I’m at with Derek Santos and his and all my teammates.
I mean they’re wonderful and I think that it was like my maturity.
You know I mean California, I had a really good a really good teammates.
Even I was the only female when I trained now to terrific gifts has shadasha green, and so she just won yeah.
So so terrific uh was my coach.
When I won the nabf title, I was the first female he ever worked with and he always said he’s like man he’s trained other girls like man Mo none of them are like you, but I’m so glad he’s got shadesha because I know she’s a freaking she’s, A beast yeah.
I was very impressed with her last fight yeah and I’m really actually one of the best fights on that card yeah, and so I think I was so happy for terrific terrific was the the guy yeah he’s and I asked my dog man.
I hit him up all the time because, like you know, he lived such an impact in my life and all those guys we trained in the basement of a house in Paterson New Jersey.
You know kenzel halt, was there like, you know and like I mean Ozzie Duran was there I mean who else was? Who else was training that Glenn Tapia would come in? I’M talking names that people like you know what I mean and that’s these guys like.
I still talk to a lot of these guys.
You know because yeah I came up and they and they know the history and they respect it.
They’Re, not like all wowed by these new names because they’re like well.
What have they done in the pros? These girls got five fights they’re fighting for World titles.
I don’t understand, I’m like, I don’t understand it either.
That’S the big question of today.
Um, I mean we’ll get into that more later on.
But that’s the big question of today is how all these girls, with not any experience, just because they’re undefeated or yeah, or have a social media following getting title fights when they’re not there yet like they’re, not there yet, but who are they fighting for these titles? Nobody I’ve ever even heard of that’s the funny thing um, nobody, I’ve ever heard of half the time when they’re fighting, I’m like who they’re fighting, who who the hell is that and where did they come from well yeah.
I’Ve never even heard that name before um, but then they don’t know who we are because they don’t know they didn’t do that because they don’t [ __ ] research.
That’S the we’re gon na get into that more later on.
That is the one thing that perters that pisses me off the most um, which is the reason I did the show um because I feel like they need educated.
So that’s what we’re doing um we’re giving them a little uh education um.
On the background of women’s boxing um, but I mean I don’t know, we’ll definitely talk about that more towards the the end.
I’M gon na bring up that and we’re going to get into that discussion um.
I do know that when you defended your ifba title um, it was in Mexico, but it was also pay-per-view um on the co-main co-feature of Shane Mosley Ricardo Mayorga Main Event, so that that was it so that wasn’t so that fight.
Yes, that fight was at the Forum in California, okay in California, yeah, that was in California, and that was and that’s another thing that was like not noticed.
Like the last woman, the fight on pay-per-view in over a decade was a little over a decade yeah and it was like, and I’m like, okay, yeah yeah.
That’S why I brought that up one.
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