AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 1
Come talk women’s boxing and boxing, in general, each week with me, Brooke “No Mercy” Dierdorff-Millbrook, a retired Professional WBC Champion, inducted into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022. Whether interviewing pioneers or boxers beginning their careers, we’ll be talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of female boxing. With legendary boxers from the past, we’ll uncover and explore all the things we went through and dealt with piece by piece, in fact from each generation, paving the way to where boxing is today for women in this sport. It’s time that everyone knows what it took and what we went through to get from the beginning to where we are today. You will enjoy our debates of great fights and our analysis of upcoming fights; be assured, you name it, on my show we will discuss it! Let’s talk! No Punches Pulled With No Mercy putting it all on the table!
Transcribed
Foreign thanks for tuning in to this debut episode of no no punches pulled with no mercy with our girl, Brooke Dierdorf Brooke tonight is your first night uh, I’m joining this wonderful family here at talk and fight and uh we’re gon na.
Let all the fans know who you are and what you represent and what this show is going to bring in the future.
So this is pretty much putting you in the hot seat.
So we’re going to talk to you find out all about you and your lovely story, because I know you got a great one, all right so yeah you do you do honestly, uh.
Why don’t you tell everybody? You know titles, You Know Who You Are, what your record was uh, so for those of you that don’t know uh, it was Brook no mercy.
Deardorff was my fight name uh, it’s Millbrook now for other people.
That know at the end of my career, um, my record when I retired was six five and two um and I held the WBC lightweight international title.
Yes, you did well you uh.
You grew up in Illinois uh.
You were the youngest of three in a small town uh.
How was how was that? How was that growing up, and how was the boxing scene in such a small town in Illinois, because you know to to even I don’t even know if Illinois has a boxing team? Does it well Chicago so Somonauk is like I don’t know, I’d say about an hour from Chicago in the sticks, part of the suburbs um.
I grew up with two older brothers uh, my oldest brother was pretty nice for the most part me and my middle, my my middle, the middle brother didn’t get along so well, so that was he was always messing with me.
So I think that’s a lot of a lot of the The Temper came from just him messing with me all the time and we were fighting all the time um.
So there was that um, but I was always extremely extremely athletic.
Like I played with two brothers, I played every sport, so I played basketball softball I ran track, sometimes um.
You know I did volleyball.
I played everything throughout all the way.
Through school um I actually had a scholarship to play full ride at NIU for basketball yeah, but I decided I wanted to take a break from school and join the military Army yeah.
I joined the army, so um yeah, the Army was definitely an experience.
I can say I don’t regret the Army, I mean it did a lot for me.
I definitely grew up from the Army in the military.
I definitely was not a license um, it wasn’t for me uh.
I can’t deal with the the drill sergeants in my face and spitting on me, and I really wanted to kick their ass.
No, no! I couldn’t do that, so I didn’t have the best time in basic training.
We’Ll just put it that way.
I didn’t make it easy on myself: did your time and got out got ta unscathed unscathed? Yes, I got out two weeks before 9 11 deployment.
Oh yeah, wow wow.
They actually got injured in training.
So that’s I got an honorable discharge.
That’S excellent, excellent um.
So I guess what serving in the Army uh? You attended your first female fight yeah when I was in the military.
At night I worked at a local Club bar um place just for extra money um and they they hosted like fight nights in the bar.
So it was literally anybody in the bar, it was like No Holds bar like anybody in the bar could sign a waiver and get in the ring like hey.
I got beef with that person over there and then they’ll get in the ring and they’ll and they’ll fight at the club.
So but as long as you sign a waiver yeah um, so I got intrigued with it then watching the fights there and then I was like oh, I could do that.
So I did a couple times and I was like this is this is pretty cool so then I started training just a little bit locally there um right yeah.
So then, when I got out of the military, I went to yeah Jesse Torres the law, boxing gym uh in Aurora, and that’s where I started just training just to stay in shape and just because it was fun and then Jesse was like.
Oh you, you know, like, I think, I’d only been training like two weeks and the Chicago Golden Gloves was coming up.
No, like, I think you got some, you should go compete at the gloves and I’m like you, walked into Jesse’s gym like two weeks before a golden gun before that, like two three weeks before the gloves started yeah and he’s like.
Oh you got ta come compete.
You got ta come compete and I’m like okay cool, like I can do that yeah I wan na.
You know I can compete well, so he’s like yeah there’s different.
I knew there was different levels like there was novice.
You know so I’m like cool like I’ll at least be fighting people with my experience.
Well then, Jesse’s like well you’re too good, like you, don’t want to fight in the novice.
You want to fight open.
So I’m, like I mean whatever you say coach like.
I don’t know whatever you think, because I had no clue.
I just knew there was different ones, but I didn’t know the definition behind the different classes.
So he made up like this book.
Give me whatever.
I don’t even remember what, like this record, so that I could fight in the open division, [ Applause ], so that was an experience of a lifetime.
Let me tell you, I think I thought the first girl I thought was like six two.
I was so when I started amateurs I was fighting at 138.
wow and the first girl I fought was like six two and I think she had like a hundred fights or 80 fights or something, and I was like what the hell did.
You get me into what that’s who I’m fighting.
She can’t be the same weight as me, like I’m little, I’m 5’4, so I get in there, but I I won that fight just because I my brawler style.
She couldn’t keep me off right.
So I stayed on the inside, so I won that one and then I had to fight the next day.
Another girl that had, I don’t even know, I’m 10 000 fights and I think I won the first two fights, but then I had to fight the third night straight and my body, just from my body, was worn out.
First of all, I wasn’t even that great of shape, and then I was taking a lot of punches, even though I was winning, because I had no idea what I was doing.
I had just started training.
I didn’t have any skills, I think the third night.
The third night, I lost the decision, so I the first time I competed at the gloves.
I took second place yeah, but I thought that was pretty good for never fighting and not really having experience it through an open right right.
So how was what was the feeling like getting in that ring for the first time, the very first time yeah it was, I was nervous, it wasn’t wouldn’t have been so nerve-wracking it had.
I not seen the girl who’s like a dang giant.
He had like, like a [ __ ] next to her.
If I wish I could find some photos, I mean she like towered over me, like I think when we got her up on the ropes.
I was literally like almost in her belly button.
It’S so big, but yeah.
So when I saw her I mean my initial thought was: oh my God, like I can’t get in there with her like she’s gon na follow me.
She’S got like how many fights again and I have supposedly how many um.
So I was a little nervous getting in the first time just because of who the opponent was and how many fights they had, but I have that you know no mercy mentality, so you know there was no turning back at that point.
We just went in there, and also that was that was the Golden Gloves.
Where you met.
You met Sam right from City and began training with him.
We’Re in the Golden Gloves correct, so um after I was training with.
I still would train at Jesse’s but um.
I knew Jesse didn’t really take a lot of people Pro um.
He did a lot with the amateurs, but he didn’t really have a lot of pro Fighters and I knew that once I started competing, I wanted to GoPro and I wasn’t getting too many fights with Jesse, except for the gloves um.
So Sam put on shows all over Chicago.
I mean Sam’s well known, I mean he’s like the biggest guy in Chicago, so he put shows on all the time.
So once I met Sam, I started going to the city and training with Sam, just so that I could get more fights and more experience, um, so yeah, that’s why I went, and that was back when it was the original Windy City, gym right, right and then And then that that following year you took first, I did yeah.
So let’s talk about that experience.
Let’S talk about the first Golden Gloves.
You’Ve been a year, you’ve been a year training.
You know you’ve competed after two weeks after being in the gym and then a year later you go here and you mop the floor with them and take the first.
You take first place in the Golden Gloves: o5 yeah.
I there was I I got a few fights in between there throughout Chicago at different, shows um and then, when I went to the gloves, it was funny because there was, I think at that time I was fighting at 125, I’m pretty sure for when I won The the gloves, the first time I had dropped to 125.
um and yeah it was it was just surreal.
I think I think this the one that I won.
I fought Teresa O’Toole, um and Emily kleinfelter.
I’M pretty sure it was that one that I won, which, if anybody followed boxing back then they were, I think, USA, boxing even um, but I dropped O’Toole right.
I dropped her with a straight right hand um.
So that was like everybody was like because he’s not that too often that people get dropped in amateurs with headgear, right, um, so yeah it takes a lot of extra force with you got tag you’re on because it’s padding yeah a little padding up there.
So that was that was awesome.
You know dropping somebody um and then coming back and taking first place so yeah.
That was that was that was surreal.
It was a good time and uh, so you uh how many times you went to.
How many times did you go to the golden glass three times? I think you went over six as well um, three or four times for sure.
I know that the very last year that I competed at the Nationals um I was fighting at 125 and one I waited till the end to sign up because people I couldn’t get any fights anymore, um anyway.
Uh there was no local shows people wouldn’t fight me.
Um Sam tried and no, I couldn’t get any fights, so he was like well we’re gon na wait.
What was the woman’s uh, like? I guess scene like uh during that time in Illinois and Chicago and all that it was pretty decent.
I mean there was quite a few girls, I mean I think I had before.
Like my last gloves, I had like 10 or 12 fights so I mean which – and I think I went in 2002 – I went pro 106.
, so I mean, I guess, not a ton, but I mean I felt like I was fighting it.
You know frequently enough.
I guess for the area um I mean he put on a lot of different shows and then there was other towns that would host shows um, but that last year I remember going and Sam’s like we’re.
Gon na wait until the last like few days to um, put you on the list and I was like okay cool well, he put me on the list and then, like, I think, like the day before um the day before I want to say it was the Day before the start of it, he put me on the list and everybody that was in 125 either went up or down in weight.
So I want, I won um the last Nationals.
I wish.
I don’t even think I put on there maybe, but I buy a walk over because I had nobody ever it was a full list and then I signed up and everybody moved.
They either went up or down.
So I went online, it’s got to be, it’s got to be frustrating, you know it’s already hard enough as a female, sometimes to find fights right like like a lot of you know a lot of you, women that have discussed you know.
Sugar is one of those ones has talked about it.
You you and me have talked about it and then and then you know to be feared to the point where just seeing your name on the docket has them quivering and uh.
You know, and then people start moving up in a way that had to be very impressive yeah I mean it was because I mean you, it’s not you don’t quite trained quite as hard as you do in the pros, but I mean you’re still putting in that Time and you’re still training um and you know putting in all that hard work just to show up to a fight and then have everybody back out.
Oh, that’s! That’S yeah, that’s horrible! So what was the motivation to turn pro like who were some of the Inspirations behind uh the choice um? So I mean, as far as the female side um my my most famous ones, that I can think that I thought of and and I and I now today I look back and there’s Pioneers back in the past that I’ve learned about since then that I didn’t Know about at the time that came like in the way, beginning um, but in my era the ones that I had seen fight um Chevelle halbach was like my absolute favorite, even though she didn’t, I don’t have her style.
I just loved her demeanor and just everything about it, she’s so nice, but man does she ever mean my gay.
She does I’m telling you, but she is, if you Chevelle is very, can be very mean, and she I wouldn’t say she could be mean, but she puts on that Persona that she’s that way, but she’s a beast in the ring when she turns it on.
But if you actually know her sweetest person you’ll ever meet, like would never say a bad word about anybody.
Um, that’s just Chevelle, so yeah me and her have become really close, but Chevelle Chrissy Martin.
I had obviously seen me a Saint John fight.
I don’t know who hasn’t seen her fight um and wolf um.
There was um Laila Ali French Frazier’s daughter.
I mean there were so many that I had currently been watching so just kind of got inspired by watching all the girls.
What okay, let’s uh, let’s fast forward September 1st 2006.
, you know what we’re talking about Paradise: Casino, your debut uh! You know you weighed in at what was 122.
uh TK Owen uh Mayfield, that of Columbus, Mississippi at 134 in the second round of that scheduled for rounder that debut.
Let’S, let’s talk about it.
What was what was the uh the emotions, what run us through them? How you felt well the pro debut beans? Okay, so I was born and raised in Fairview Illinois.
I mean that’s where I was born.
I wasn’t raised there.
I should say um, where all my um mother’s side of the family lives and resides big family um.
So we were always down there even after we moved when I was two up to Somonauk um, but we were still always back there like all the time, so it’s very close to Peoria.
So I don’t know 30 45 minutes from Peoria it’s down closer to there.
So to have it be at the paradise was like like so great for me, because it meant that my whole, like my whole family, could be there like.
My parents could be there.
Chris could be there.
My daughter was there like, like my whole, other side of the family, I had cousins, Aunts, Uncles like a lot of people there, so it was the Brooks yeah.
It was the bookshelf I had.
I had.
I had an Entourage with me that day um, just because it was so close to everybody they’re like oh yeah, we’re gon na go because it’s at the paradise like why not um but yeah it was so but having everybody there was.
It was such an honor and it felt so great, but at the same time like once it got closer, I started you start to get those nerves because you’re like well.
I have to perform well because literally every actually gon na be here this time, um.
What at all my other shows I mean that my parents didn’t go all the time I mean they were working or whatever, so it was usually just me or and Chris would go but yeah I didn’t my family didn’t go.
I think they went to the gloves, but, like regular shows, they didn’t go, watch those so to be able to have everybody there.
It was.
It was great feeling but yeah a little bit of nerves, a little extra nerves, because I’m like – oh my God, everybody’s here, like I got ta, I got ta go out.
Big yeah yeah is that is that why you ended it so quick in that brawler fashion yeah? Well, that and the fact that so, Sam and Chris and everybody kept playing me up, because I think the girl that I Pro debuted was one and all with one knockout.
I was Pro debuting, so I was like you’re like oh, like she’s gon na knock.
You out, like she’s wan na know with one knockout, so she’s got power.
She’S gon na.
Take you so I’m like yeah, okay, she’s gon na think about that.
So, but they kept egging me on so then I got really pumped up like this.
This you know what isn’t gon na knock me out: damn it I’m gon na, let her out that ain’t happening today, I’m gon na Slumber, yeah yeah, so I’m like you’re crazy.
So that’s kind of drove me and then like right before we did the walkout.
Even so, I’m like totally pumped like this chick is gon na try to knock my head off so like I had to go out banging like immediately.
So I went like Full Speed Ahead: one nerves, because the family and two – because I’m like this, I’m gon na get her before she gets me.
You love me, that’s kind of why.
Honestly there is one fight.
There is one fight that that I’ve seen clips of what of yours, and that’s your your 07 fight when you brutalized DJ Morrison um, that let’s talk about that, one that that was that was a big one.
You uh yeah yeah.
That was also, I think it was also at the paradise if yeah, that was also at the Paradise Casino, um DJ.
That was a funny one too, because um she came out with basketball, shorts on and a little theater.
I think when she I’m I’m almost positive.
She had on basketball, shorts and a wife beater when she walked out from the back, and I was like, like I had never seen much love DJ if you’re watching the show, but through me because I was like I are you sure, that’s the right opponent right Because I’ve never seen a girl walk out in basketball, shorts and a wife beater to the ring, but yeah.
No, she was Hardcore yeah.
She was Hardcore um, but yeah that one didn’t last very long either.
No, no! That was uh that one was a minute: 12.
yeah minute, 12 of the first round, TKO and uh.
You know what that was three tkos three fights and then and then we step into uh, to what I say was was a great upset, uh Mia St John wow yeah, the first Mia St John fight.
I mean I can still like.
I can still like hear it like even like that night.
What was the motivation to go into a fight like that? Like you, you were on your fourth fight and, and you and you were like yeah, you know what I don’t give a [ __ ].
If she’s 43 8-2, I’m gon na knock her out like is, is that is that? What is that? What the feeling? So what initially happened was um? If you heard of Rita, Rita Figueroa was to stay, what made of mine at Whitney City Gym, she was actually scheduled to fight Mia St John okay and Rita, got hurt.
She hurt her shoulder like a week before the fight or five days or something before the fight and Sam coached, both of us so he’s.
You know I heard about her having to pull out.
So I think I don’t remember if Sam mentioned it to me or if I called Sam, but I was like Hey like if she’s not fighting, I want to fight well, I can’t remember if he asked me or if I called him, but one either way if He asks I was like yes, 100 or or I might have called him when I heard she was injured because I was like I had seen her fight multiple times.
Yes, I knew she was extremely more experienced than me.
I also it was like four or five days notice and I fought at 125 featherweight 126 featherweight.
That fight was that white weight 135.
and I you know they’re like well.
You keep the weight difference and I said I don’t care I’ll.
Just weigh in with my clothes and put keys in my pocket.
You win in like six or seven pounds lighter right.
129, I was pretty sure, is what I weighed in on, but I had all my stuff on uh because you can only be so far apart or they won’t sanction it right right.
You know you got to be kind of close um, but yes, but I I weighed in with all my clothes on and everything and I was I’m pretty sure I was 129.
, but I just told him I said you know one.
I know I can take her.
I don’t care about her experience, I don’t care about the weight difference.
Two I mean in my mind.
First of all, I didn’t even think about losing, but looking back now on it I mean, if I would have lost it really, wouldn’t I still would have been recognized yeah just for fighting her at three yeah.
Definitely, first step for stepping up and taking such you know sure, like taking a fight like that right for so long in the game.
Exactly and – and you know that that shows a lot of you know a lot of determination and drive.
What what it? What characteristics do you have that that put you above the the others? What makes you that you know gives you that driving determination? What do you think it is that military that military health – I guess the military probably helped.
I always people have asked me that before and I always revert to being the only sister with two brothers – oh yeah, no that’s gon na suck man, I mean my sister, like they were always playing football or they were.
You know doing this, but so I always wanted to play with them, because I was the little sister, so I always wanted to tag along with my brothers, so whatever they were doing, I wanted to do so growing up.
I was your typical tomboy girl.
Like I played every sport, I mean yeah, I I’m not so much the same.
I mean I can be both now, but I mean I was still a girl, but yet I played all the sports, so people said basketball, volleyball, softball, tracker yeah.
I played it all um, but I I do give a lot of credit to my brothers because, like I said my my middle brother used to we used to go at it, did you box him out now? Have I boxed him now? No, can you box them still, you think.
Could I box him yeah? You know I’ve joked with him many times and when I was competing and I’m like comes far with me comes far with me, but he’s he’s the type.
That’S not fair he’s, not a fair fighter, so he would have done something stupid.
He wouldn’t that’s because he hit too hard right one.
He would hit too [ __ ] and two he would he would have throw in a knee or an elbow or he’s just that type of guy like if he feels like he’s gon na lose he’s gon na bring in some weapons.
So but I do give a lot to that um, the military also helped.
I mean my mom she’s, tough, the sweetest thing sweetest as pie and do anything for anybody um.
But if you and if you cross or wrong watch out type of temperament um and my dad is my dad is everybody says my dad is scary, I don’t think everybody else thinks my dad is scary like if they just see him um they’re, like look at The presents – that’s that’s right, the present and like his his demeanor uh and he’s a pretty big guy.
So everybody’s, like, oh, my God, like your dad, is so scary and I’m like okay, I mean, but that’s my dad um but yeah same thing with him.
I mean he’s like he’s.
He is a quiet mad though so like when he’s really mad.
You know he’s mad.
It’S almost like it’s almost like.
If he was a cartoon, you could see the like abbreviation yeah.
Exactly it’s like you know, he’s really really pissed, but he doesn’t have to yell at you.
It’S like he can talk very calmly, but, like you know, he’s being very serious, so I think I took a little bit of that from all of them really what what was the support like from from from your parents growing up in in the boxing game? Were they very supportive or they were um, my dad actually loved it um.
He came in to several my parents.
If they were close, they were at every fight, both my parents um, so they definitely backed me 100.
As far as that goes um the the difference.
What my Mom hated it just because she’s a mom and she doesn’t want to see me, get hurt so she’s like like every time.
I’D have a fight she’s like oh, my God, like I’m, so worried, I’m so worried about you like.
I want to be there to support you, but, like I hate watching, you get hurt and I’m so scared like what, if something happens like cause she’s a mom um, she was always there if it was somewhere local that she could be my dad.
On the other hand, he really liked it, he enjoyed it, I mean he came in cornered.
He came into the corner with me on three or four of my fights.
I know the two in Illinois um, I don’t the Michigan one um, he came and he even came to Canada with me.
My dad yeah, my dad did um come in in the corner, uh with me several times so yeah very supportive uh.
My brothers came to some of my local fights um, so yeah they were all pretty supportive of it.
That’S great yeah, honestly, it’s it’s! It’S a big thing like to have family support in this game.
Like you know, you’re in that ring, Always by yourself it’s it’s! You know it’s The Lonely Man, sport you’re in there you’re on your own, but to have all that support on the outside is a big big thing and that you know, especially especially nowadays, um you know it’s it’s a hard life.
You know it’s, it’s not an easy game, you know it’s, it’s definitely.
You know you’re not going to get in there and just make Mega Bucks.
You know we’re gon na go through your trials and tribulations, and you know: you’re yeah you’re gon na suffer you’re gon na you’re gon na have a lot of problems.
You know, there’s gon na be a lot of issues and it’s definitely a long road yeah.
It’S a long road.
That being said, what what do you think is the biggest obstacle that you faced uh in your career, not only as just a boxer coming up, but as a woman, a female um, the biggest obstacles that I had to face um as far as the boxing side Of it is just you know the politics in boxing um getting on cards.
It was tough, especially um.
Later on.
In my career I stopped going with Sam and when my husband Chris got his coach’s license, we kind of just ventured off because it was you know an hour hour and a half drive to the city.
We literally just went there for sparring.
Sam was, I can’t remember, was the olafkin or he was really busy without several of the big Pro guys at the time.
Um.
He didn’t always have an enough time.
I mean he he did the best he could and he did when I was there, he did what he could um.
So I literally just started going there for sparring days to get sparring and then, when I was at home, Chris was doing all the mitt work.
Like all the training regiments, all the myths like me and him were doing it together.
So at that point he’s like well, why don’t I just get my coach’s license.
You know we can still go to any gym for sparring, because I knew so many different coaches.
Um and then that way I also didn’t have to give out a portion of my purse yeah, because you know a lot of a lot of people.
Don’T they don’t understand how much, how much that gets split up yeah when it comes time to pay the men that you know help you get to where you’re at hey, don’t get that yeah I mean if you like today or back then I mean I only Had Sam as a coach, so I only paid him, but if you were to have you know a coach and a nutritionist and then you had, you know the guy that does your cardio and you had a promoter.
You had to pay all of them.
A portion of your purse um I at the time only had Sam, so I had to pay him his coaches portion, but the the difference with it is like back when I was fighting when you’re fighting, for you know eight hundred dollars or yeah dollars, and then I got a payout part.
I mean I’m basically fighting for free already, like yeah, so at that point beans Chris was doing all the work, I’m like we’re just like yeah, we’ll just do it on our own now.
So when I left Sam, though that did make it extremely hard to get the same opportunities, I would say, because it was literally just Chris, like setting up all the fight me and him just you know we had people, call managers calling us and then we’re like.
Well, no, I’m not fighting for a thousand dollars like we just beat Mia saying like John, like what yeah like you, know, um, but then you say no so many times and then the calls stopped coming because they don’t want to pay.
They didn’t want to pay women right.
So at that point it’s either you take what you can get or you just don’t fight, and that just wasn’t me at the time so um, you know we went from there and it the so.
The biggest struggle for us was getting matches, um, getting Fair matches, um getting promoters um to not screw us over um, because you know, first of all, they knew we weren’t working with anybody, which I don’t know if that made it worse or not, but just always Getting the raw end of the deal as a female like never getting equality, never getting Fair purses like not even close to Fair um.
You know not getting all the accommodations that the guys would get um I mean sometimes I mean I know that I can’t even remember which fight it was, but one of the times I fought in New York, the room that they gave us was like.
I was scared to go there.
Oh, I was like oh yeah, I mean you know it’s just and you know the guys weren’t staying there, but they didn’t want to spend out the money.
So I mean just from just getting any kind of equality or fairness was like the biggest challenge for us and getting um.
We couldn’t get any fights with any commissions locally um anymore.
Once I left Sam, I never fought in Illinois again wow um.
It really goes to show you how politics really can yeah.
You know upward upward rise of yeah, eight count promotions.
I mean I that’s where I fought the two fights in um at the Paradise Casino with and then also I fought in Cicero with them once um, but after I left Sam.
They didn’t put me on a card again after that, so literally every fight from then on was out of my my realm.
I mean I was a road dog.
I went Wherever Whenever and after Mia, it was, I think, every single person I fought after Mia.
Besides, my very last fight was top five ranked yeah with titles.
I I want to talk.
I want to talk about the Mia St John win, the second one, the enrollment decision, WBC International light.
You know 79, 77, 78, 76, 77, 75, and then right after that, you take on Mary McGee like these uh.
These are some.
These are some big big names and then right after that, Olivia garula in Canada, yeah, you know you you, you were fighting some top top top.
Ladies there because you weren’t the top lady right so yeah I was fighting them all I’d.
You know towards the end of my career after I fought me, I’m like well, if we’re gon na do this we’re gon na, do it all away, and I wanted the best so I mean I got several fights I mean I used to have.
I think it was uh Allison, pusic or something she was an up-and-comer.
I can’t remember for sure what her name was.
I think that’s what it was, but her manager used to call and Hound the crap out of me after I won that belt that I was scared to fight her and I’m, like, I don’t even know who the hell she is like.
I’Ve never even heard of her right.
Why would I fight you? Well, you’re not ranked, and I don’t even know who you are like I’ve, never even seen an article about you move it along buddy like stop trying to get clout off of me, because you want your girl to like jump to the spotlight and nobody’s even heard Of her yet get out of here with that crap yeah she cool so but yeah I mean I wanted the best of the best, and I thought I feel I mean I don’t know other people might feel different, but the best there was between 126 and 135.
In their hometowns defending titles – and we all know how that goes good man, definitely you got to go back and check these fights.
You got ta check these historical documents of uh, wonderful, wonderful, Fighting by Brooke, honestly, some some great fights honestly.
He kicked me his ass twice, yeah twice.
He brought it through twice, you know, put Mary McGee in place, you know it’s, it’s a merry fight and you got it sitting up in the corner behind you.
You know that that big green belt, that’s what yeah! Well, you know what we’re gon na we’re gon na we’re gon na move along we’re gon na talk about what what you want.
This show to be because you know this is this: is gon na, be your show, I’m introducing you to all the people that are watching around the world today.
You know this is going to be every every Tuesday, 8, 30, with Brooke doing her thing, uh.
What? What are we looking forward to? What are you gon na bring us? What do you want this show to be so I want so what I want for this show is I want it to be.
I want to be fun um, I want to be informative.
I want it to be exciting, so um with my past experiences and all the BS that we had to deal with as women.
I want all that to come to light.
I feel like nobody really has asked those questions and interviews for people to really grasp come on baby um grasp what everybody has had to go through to get to where Women’s boxing is today.
I feel like a lot of the women in in today’s era.
Has forgot about all of the past females that helped pave the way to get them on that level? It didn’t just happen because of one fighter like you didn’t make that happen.
All of us did.
We all put a brick in that in that road.
All the way to where you got today so there have been women professionally fighting since the 1800s.
Yes, so um, I’m gon na be interviewing Pioneers, um, you know old school Fighters.
I’M going to be doing my.
You know before my era Fighters my era Fighters like all the way up as many as I can get um and I’m gon na ask you know questions I want people to realize like, like.
You were asking like all the crap that we had to deal with.
Um, you know, with the pay and not being able to fight not being able to get a license not being able to you know, get on a car or not be able to be televised or not be able to be a main event or make more.
I don’t know back then shoot the most time it was four thousand dollars.
I can only imagine that’s one thing.
I give you a lot of respect for you, you openly.
Oh I’ll tell it you open me: you openly discuss purses, and that is one big thing in boxing that gets very hush-hush.
You know very hush hush, but you know what I’m not fighting anymore.
So there’s a lot of there’s a lot of you know: hearsay.
There’S a lot of this person said this.
This is how much this is this and this, but when it comes down to cold hard facts and what’s written down on a piece of paper and what gets put on that check, you can’t find that stuff, and you know it it’s great that you’re you’re shedding A light on that situation for women and really showing that you know you guys have come a hell of a long way.
We have.
We really really have.
I mean yeah for my WBC Title in Mexico against Mia St John four thousand dollars just throw it out there.
So everybody knows um, I’m sure Mia made way more than I did, but I to this day, don’t know what she made, but it doesn’t matter.
You got the you got the W, I did.
I got the W um, that’s what I want to show yeah.
That’S what I want the show to be the truth like I want people to really tell the truth so that you know the current Fighters.
The current Champions, like everybody, can really see like how bad it was because I don’t think they like me when I was in my time I didn’t do the research I mean I, like all the names I listed.
Those were like the people I looked up to because those were the ones that I physically saw right like they were before me, but I saw them fighting like they were in the news they were fighting on TV like I saw them fighting.
You know the people before that.
I didn’t until recently really learn about some of the older Fighters.
Um that started it got the first license ever like.
I learn I’m learning as I’m going, and so it’s so intriguing to like actually hear their stories um.
When I was inducted at the hall of fame, I mean there were several Pioneers that were inducted and the stories that they told were just I mean it was like.
It was so like humbling to hear like some of the stuff that they were saying and to like know that it was worse than it was when I was fighting like.
But I didn’t see the time then, as a young fighter, to really do the full research on women’s boxing um, but I I just want the truth, so I want I wanted when I do interviews.
I want people to be honest.
I want to tell the truth.
I’M going to ask harder questions: to try to get them to Spill the tea and tell me like all the CR, the BS they had to go through um, so we’ll be doing interviews um.
Do you want me to give the oh? I can’t because they might be watching um.
I have some of my shows scheduled.
Yes, yes, yes, so just tune in because they’re going to be very exciting.
Honestly, honestly, I’m I get to hear what’s going on for next week, so I’m already excited for next week’s show and uh.
I know I know it’s going to be a great, a great debut of you by yourself, with your with your own show here on the talk and fight network, uh, honestly Brooke, I want to say I want to say firsthand, you know, welcome to the family.
Thank you.
It’S it’s going to be great.
You know you’re gon na do great here and honestly you’re, probably going to open up the eyes for a lot of women that uh, you know, are thinking about getting into this game because you know yeah, I mean I’m going to be doing um.
I have some amateur Fighters, I’m gon na be doing interviews with amateur Fighters.
I’Ve already got some lined up.
I’Ve got a huge list of people.
I’Ve already asked about being on the show I just haven’t scheduled the shows yet and figured out who I’m gon na.
Do in what order, but I’ve got amateur Fighters that I’ve got that are going to be coming on.
I even have some um fight like young young girls that are coming up so um yeah.
It’S I’m gon na be trying to get all from past.
You know way in the past past present future kids that are boxing that want to go.
You know that want a career in boxing like I want it to be a little bit of everything, but I really want it to just be the honest truth and for people to really really understand like how bad it was.
But my biggest pet peeve today is, whenever you’re, seeing the girls of today, some of them doing interviews, and they always ask them like you asked me well, who are the some of the people that you looked up to when you were coming up in the sport And they all say a male fighter yeah like that really perturbs me that really pisses me off when it just it just shows that you know they’re, not they’re, not educated in the sport that they’re in you know they don’t know the history.
Yes, let me know where you come from to know where you’re going you know.
Well then, like I said, I didn’t know about all the older ones, but I certainly knew about the ones that came right before me, because I saw them fighting so these girls have, they know some of the past Fighters when they were fighting amateurs.
They were watching boxing because they knew they were gon na, go pro who’s, the competition up there like, who am I possibly going to fight when I turn pro like? Who are the top dogs like who I want to go after? You know that the the generation before you so take time to at least say: oh hey, I think you know such and such was a really good Pro.
You know she had a great pro day.
Do anything or she had a great career or something girls.
Listen! Well, you know, honestly, you you you you you should you probably will I mean one of these women named.
You know that that have helped inspire people like yeah.
I would love for somebody to say that I mean I did have several amateurs come up to me.
There and um one in particular, who actually she’s a.
I think she was a pro um and I was her who she looked up to like she doesn’t have the best of record um, but she’s fought really tough opponents.
Um and she’s, like you know, seeing you still make the Hall of Fame regardless women’s boxing.
You can’t look at records honestly.
Why why I say that is because you know what women women don’t duck, they don’t run no and they fight anywhere.
They get in the ring and they fight win or lose.
It doesn’t matter exactly exactly you’re in there.
Every loss is a lesson you know, but you know she was ecstatic to meet me just because she was like you know.
You’Re, like who I looked up to because of your story and like you’re here, like you, were you’re in the Hall of Fame, like that, gives me hope that, like I still have a chance, what was that like that phone call? Oh, my God that was at the induction ceremony, the girl came to she bought a ticket and was at the induction ceremony.
She came up and asked me for my autograph and took photos, and she told me all of this stuff, like in person um.
I actually.
I got her phone number.
I gave her my phone number and I was like if you need anything or any advice, you call me and I have actually talked to her a few times since the induction um, but yeah I mean that’s just me.
I want to give back but girls of today, if you’re asked that stinking question.
Who do you look up to please name any female fighter, you can name the guys too, but at least throw some females out there give the females their props.
They need the recognition for the for the way they paved the way for the gun.
You know like there’s a lot.
A lot went on in female boxing before 2012 in the Olympics.
Exactly I never got the Olympics, it wasn’t there exactly.
So many of us didn’t tons, tons and tons of females didn’t get that opportunity and you know they have been Olympics without all of us fighting before that yeah.
I think for the Olympic spots like fighting for us being in the Olympics.
So just think about that.
Next time, you’re asked that question.
That’S right! Well, Brooke! You know what I think.
It’S been a great introduction to uh to the world out there uh for for what what they’re in store for, for you know, this weekly weekly show 8 30.
no punches pulled with none other than no mercy Brook Theodore.
Yes, so Brooke um.
I can’t wait for next week.
I’M super excited for the show all the fans out there watching make sure you set your reminder for this one you’re not going to want to miss it trust me, you don’t want to miss it.
She’S got some special things happening for the second installment of this show so make sure that you tune in you’re not going to want to miss it guys.
It’S always a pleasure Brooke.
Welcome to the team.
Welcome to the family.
Good luck in the future, with the show and uh honestly, it’s it’s been a pleasure and uh to all the Talking fight family fans out there, thanks for tuning in to this episode, episode of no mercies no punches pulled.
Thank you guys see you next week later,
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