AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 1
Join me as I sit down with Nydia “The Phenomenal” Feliciano to discuss her history & career! Ny Dia’s Professional career spanned from 2009-2018. She faced some of the best fighters in the game during her time such as Jackie Trivilino, Jennifer Han, Amanda Serrano, Jenna Shiver, Ela Nunez, Mikayla Nebel, Shelly Vincent, Crystal Hoy, Heather Hardy, Noemi Bosques, Olivia Gerula, Mikayla Mayer & Alycia Baumgardner. She is the former IWBF Bantamweight World Champion, former USA New York State Featherweight Champion & UBF International Featherweight Championship. She is a true warrior in the sport of boxing! You don’t want to miss her story! Tune In!!
#warriors #badasswoman #femaleboxing #champion @Brooke “No Mercy” Dierdorff-Millbrook @No Punches Pulled With No Mercy @Talkin Fight @ Nydia Feliciano
Transcribed
Foreign [, Music, ], [, Music, ], hey, what’s up everybody and what’s up sorry we’re a couple minutes late we had to refresh our screens were a little pixelated, but we’re here we’re here um, it’s your girl, no mercy here.
It is Tuesday night.
So guess what you already know, what time it is it’s time for no punches pulled with me no mercy.
Some of you probably already know who I am for those of you that don’t my name is Brooke Millbrook.
I am your host uh.
This is my show.
I am Formerly Known in the fight business as Brooke no mercy deardorff.
I am a retired professional boxer.
I hold the WBC lightweight title until I retired.
I was inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame.
Last year, 2022.
um I’ve been through some good, some bad and, of course, a lot of BS in this sport of women’s boxing.
You all know how it is welcome to my platform.
This is where we talk to talk and walk the walk.
We will bring out the truth in women’s boxing you’re, going to hear from pioneers of the sport past boxers current boxers, even future female boxers, we’ll be getting down and dirty speaking, the truth of what takes place in women’s boxing behind the scenes.
You definitely don’t want to miss a single show, guys so make sure that you like subscribe and share it with all your friends and everybody you know in the boxing world.
We need to get everybody involved um.
You definitely don’t want to miss one Tuesday night here with me: no mercy, what’s up women’s Boxing Channel in the house, thanks for coming thanks for sharing today guys our special guest we have is Nadia the phenomenal Feliciano in the building.
Y’All Nadia’s pro career span from 2009 to 2018.
.
She faced some of the best fighters out there during her career um she’s.
Definitely a Trailblazer.
Definitely a warrior um.
She fought those such as just to name a few Jackie trivolino, Jennifer Hahn, Amanda Serrano Jenna, Shivers Ella Nunez Michaela, Neville Shelly Vincent Crystal Hoy Heather Hardy uh, Naomi Vasquez, Olivia, garula, Michaela Mayer and Alicia Baumgartner y’all.
She is the former iwbf bantamweight world champion former USA.
New York State featherweight champion and the former ubf International featherweight Champion, she is definitely a true true warrior.
We got several of the same opponents y’all, so you already know what we got in store for you today help me welcome Nadia to the show.
What’S up champ.
What’S up, what’s up, what’s up, how are you I’m good? How are you doing good good? Thank you so so much for coming on the show um.
I definitely appreciate it and I’m so glad we get to share your story with the world.
That show is mine, Michael Michael in the house, Michael in the house, y’all um, so to start it off um.
I know that you were born and you represented the Bronx New York uh.
Your mom, though, is Puerto Rican and your dad is Dominican and you did end up moving to Puerto Rico, which is where you were raised with your mom when you were one years old, yeah one years old.
So can you tell us a little bit about what it was like coming up in Puerto Rico, a little bit about your childhood and how you got started with boxing? Well, I started boxing early um due to being bullied in school.
I used to call me ugly just because my hair is Curly um, but yeah.
I used to fight a lot in school.
Try to defend myself stand in my grounds trying to have respect in school, but it get me into a lot of trouble like getting suspended and missing a lot of schoolwork yeah yeah um.
I definitely know how that is um.
I think it’s always hard.
Just one being different, two being um very athletic uh, those of us most of us Fighters were very athletic in school, um tomboyish per se, when we were younger growing up and a lot of people.
Don’T really understand that or know how to associate with people like that, so therefore they just make fun of what’s unfamiliar to them, um, which is not not acceptable whatsoever, no, not cool um.
I definitely had issues in school similar to that um, but I don’t.
I can only remember getting in two actual fights in school and both of them were with guys.
I never know [ Music ].
Well, I never had a girl that would step to me just because they already knew that I was with not with that bull like I didn’t, take no bull um, so the only two that I ever got into it was were both guys um, and I can Remember the actually both times they got suspended and I didn’t so you know shame on them.
I don’t know I mean I do got suspend I like.
I have.
I have a little fighting record in my middle school over 20 fight in a year hey, but you think they would learn uh, but they didn’t they.
That’S cool boys, girls.
My last fight was matter of fact.
It was in high school.
It was with this girl that she out me out in front of the whole school uh.
You know that was also another issue, the being gay yeah.
It was a big part of of being bullied because I never hang out with girls is always playing basketball, baseball, softball, always doing boys thing, and I didn’t care.
I mean that’s how I was yeah.
This girl out me out the whole entire high school and oh man, I just I just want her to show her yeah well, and I mean it just.
It goes to show and all of my well – I have a 19 year old, 11 year old and then a 21 month old, but my 19 year old and my 11 year old um they’re, they’re, biracial um, so they’ve been bullied.
Oh a lot um just because they’re different um, but I always told like my oldest one – would never do it, but I’m always like dude like if you just the the worst bully of them all.
If you just beat their ass, nobody will mess with you again.
She didn’t have it in her um.
She was not that type of kid like she just was not wouldn’t do it now, my middle one um she gets, she gets in trouble more often because she definitely stands for her own and she sticks up for herself.
So that’s what it was supposed to be.
You have to stand your ground.
You know I told her and I’ve told them from day one hey if you’re defending yourself, you are not in trouble in my house, we’ll go out for ice cream yep, because that’s what you’re supposed to do and that’s what we teach our kids.
I know that’s like today: it’s like a big No-No, but that’s what we do around here.
We Don’t Take.
No Mess, that’s what we try to teach them Michael.
Is it 25 in a year? How many were men? Oh Michael, I only got it.
They were both men I will put like 15 of them.
Were men yeah, because that’s the most of the time the girls are they they? Don’T? They don’t have enough guts, no typically um.
It’S always in a group.
It’S not it’s not by yourself.
Yeah never one-on-one like they don’t have the the guts or the balls per se to step to us you’re just out there slowing dudes over right.
Okay, now I didn’t make them eat dirt.
Oh that’s! Good too! That’S a good one! I made them eat dirt.
It’S no mercy over here, Mike no mercy over here.
You know what I’m saying you know you already know um so yeah.
We kind of talked about the bullying in school um so because of the bullying your mom did start you in boxing.
I believe you said at the age of 10 um so share every with everyone um about your time in and out of boxing growing up, because I know like from 10 on.
You were kind of in and out of boxing right in an in and out of boxing, because um the first rule that they as soon you go inside of uh boxing gym the main rule is you cannot use your skills in the street yep.
That’S the first thing: they teach you that’s the first, that’s the first rule and I broke that rule so many times that actually I got suspended, like I think, six months from the gym and – and you know I continue – you know in Middle School still fighting and I took boxing cereal in high school and I said: okay, you know what I’m a little bit more mature uh.
Let me take this serious because um I really I really like the boxing.
I really love the boxing.
I really love the fighting game and and seeing all the girls going, you know traveling and stuff like that.
It you know it caught my attention.
I want to do that, and so I you know I I did that I caught myself and I always split up my head.
You don’t want to get suspended.
You want to become a world champion right and fun they’re on yeah, no more yeah.
You definitely have to have the mindset and you have to even turn off.
I know our 11 year old really really really wants me, and my husband was my trainer later on in my career, my only trainer um, and so we both know about uh boxing very well and our 11 year old really really wants to learn the box, but She’S not quite mature enough, yet um like she wants to learn it and she wants to do it, but he’s like she’s, not ready mentally um to stay focused enough for it and he he doesn’t have the patience with his since it’s his own.
Kid he’s, like.
I don’t have the patience for it like, because she’ll want to do it and then then today she doesn’t want to practice type of thing.
So he’s like a couple more years when she’s more mature, then then we’ll take it a little more seriously.
Um women’s Boxing Channel, I fought all the time at school, but was a certain type, always in response.
Never instigated, never always won, but that doesn’t matter make matter a damn principle is Chief yeah um.
I was small and loud prob’s, my fault, but I saw myself as fun yeah women’s Boxing Channel.
Definitely I never was one to start a fight, but I would finish a fight.
I didn’t like the talking, so I’m not gon na stand here.
No, I’m not gon na stand here and argue with you back and forth if you’re gon na say something either you’re gon na do something or you can get the heck out of my face yeah.
I don’t.
I don’t like that, arguing, no yeah, no so yeah.
If you wanted to step to me and you want to start some mess or start some [ __ ] and then you you just want to sit here and argue with me, I’m just gon na walk away because, like I don’t have time for the BS either You want to do something or you don’t, but that’s where we’re at um Michael.
I teach my kids no ice cream here.
You teach them, but you don’t give them ice cream.
You don’t reward them hey.
I will Heck if I send them over yeah, give them ice cream yeah bring them over here, I’ll, give them some ice cream if they defend themselves in school.
That’S what you’re supposed to do well, you’re, not gon na catch, any trouble for finish it right.
No making friends over ice cream in this household Mike is not making friends it’s rewarding them for doing what they should do defend themselves.
My oldest one would never do it and she got bullied so bad.
I mean she got like six people Jumper in the bathroom.
It it was a mess, it was a mess and it was just because she just didn’t want to hurt anybody like she just was that type of kid now that she’s older once she hit 18 19.
I think 18 was the very first time she ever had her first street fight, and I went with her to make sure that it was fair because I knew they were bringing a mob of girls uh with her.
But it’s always like that.
Yeah they had a Marvel, a car loads of people getting out of the car, and I was like uh.
No.
This is not how it’s going down um, but yeah, and ever since then now she’s, pretty she’s, pretty good with trying to stand up for herself anyways, but she still needs to learn to fight because she’s she definitely needs to learn she’s trying um.
I do know.
Okay, so back to Nadia back to Nadia, guys, that’s Nadia, we’re done with the school fights.
Um started teaching my youngest at two.
There you go Michael yeah, my one, my son, that’s almost two.
He already hits the um like the double M bag and likes to hit people so yeah we’re working on it um.
Once you did graduate high school, though you did finally get to move back to the Bronx New York to continue your Brock boxing career um.
Tell everyone about the gym, um, the gyms that you were associated with and how you met your longtime trainer Marcos, Suarez well, um.
As soon I moved to to the Bronx back to the bronze um Apple boxing on hold, because since I didn’t know the area so much um, I started college.
I started playing ball in college uh until I found Maurice Park Boxing Club and that’s where I met.
First uh Lupine Guzman is a well-known coach right here in the Bronx um, but I met his son first um Jose was mine.
He was also a professional boxer.
Now he’s a boxing coach um and he told me well my dad um be training people in Maurice Park.
This is the address just show up there and from there go on my uncle.
My uncle took me to go to the gym because, like I said, I didn’t know the area and he pays the first couple of months and then he disappears so Lupine Guzman ended up like paying my fares off the gym for me to train, and so I Was juggling um studying in college, basketball and boxing, but then boxing was so so much.
You know the adrenaline of being in the gym all day night every day I just put you know: basketball to size still going to college and then continue the boxing yeah.
That’S awesome, yeah, it’s really hard to juggle two sports.
Very.
It is hard uh uh women’s Boxing Channel example.
If I was picked to last at soccer, I’d probably call him an idiot or something then laugh.
That was always my problem.
I always stood my ground.
The wrong way, even though I was right, I was also wrong yeah.
So in other words you instigated it because you, you made a smart remark.
First mm-hmm, so you were instigating the fight, I’m not gon na say I never did that.
I mean I definitely had smart ass comments, but nobody usually said anything back.
That was the difference um, but yeah.
I get what you’re saying I get.
What you’re saying um did you compete in the amateurs at all or did you I did? I did um in 2009, which was uh my last my last um amateur fight was um the Golden Glove.
Okay, uh.
I think the last one was Jody and Weller.
She was a ranked number one at 125 pounds in the US um I lost.
I lost to her to her.
It was a closed decision and I could even if, if I would have won that fight, I couldn’t continue because I have a bruised uh rip, so I couldn’t even sit down yeah.
It was so hard to breathe and to I couldn’t even lay down – and I’m like, oh even if I would have passed through the semi-finals, I wouldn’t continue because I was hurt yeah, you were injured, yeah yeah totally get that um yeah.
When you got a bruised or a broken rib, that’s no joke! Definitely, no joke! It’S hard! It’S even hard to breathe it’s hard to breathe it’s hard to move it’s hard to sit it’s hard to lay it’s hard to literally exist.
Do anything! It’S very painful, very painful um, so you did make your pro debut, though, on May 15 2009 against a very tough opponent, Jackie Jackie trivia, fighting to a four round draw um, tell us how you felt in your first pro fight the adjustments from the amateurs to The pros no headgear, all that and how you felt the fight went.
It was a drop felt amazing as soon as soon as you know, those eight ounce glove and just hitting the person so hard, I’m like oh, it feels amazing.
It feels like you, you fight it with your bare hands: yeah hi, whoever he said hi.
He said partner um.
Yes, it felt it felt amazing um.
I didn’t know much about Jackie Trevino, but I didn’t know about nobody in the United States whatsoever like in the amateur, because I never got to travel.
I only fall here in the city.
I only got to travel once and it was for the Empire game back in the days uh.
But then, after that year um the Empire girl game disappeared.
Okay, it was no, it was no more in so I never heard of of Jackie tribal.
You know all.
I heard was that she was a a tough opponent from upstate New York and I’m like okay, so you know I’m ready.
I went over there for my my heart out.
I felt that I won and you know they.
They decided to put her and draw and I’m like okay, this is all it’s a draw.
It’S a win, at least it’s not a loss yeah, but it’s really hard with four rounders, because there’s only four rounds.
So literally, two and two I mean that’s so easy to do in a four-rounder.
Yes, there’s no one annoying the minutes went by so fast.
I wanted a little bit more yeah.
You know what the adrenaline is dead and then two minutes go like this and a blink on the eye.
What this is your dad’s phone? No sorry, my daughter, she brought me a phone.
She thought it was my phone, but it’s her dad’s phone, the our phones, look alike, um, yes, so, but you did, though, get to fight Jackie again in 2010, fighting to another draw over another draw: yes, yes, um, but then in 2011 you got the trilogy and You took that winning a majority decision in your first title, the USA, New York State featherweight belt tell us about um the difference between the first fight, the second fight and then finally, winning that trilogy fight with her getting the third getting the third Victory.
After two draws what, in the second fight it was on my birthday, I was fighting all literally on my birthday and the fact that they put in a draw.
I was like Stone again because it was at her house.
You know it was in her hometown and I was all confused.
I’M, like I don’t understand if I, if I’m taking you know taking her to the deep water.
Why why giving me a draw right like I’m, like I’m literally doing anything everything possible to win around by round right like I knew I already knew her weakness.
I learned it from the first fight, but in the third fight the third fight was was kind of hard, because I ended up um getting sick drop by dropping the weight um, my body got a little weak and I was uh.
I was fighting with fever.
I was literally high in fever.
I couldn’t take no Tylenol, no nothing because they didn’t allow me um, all all they kept saying.
Oh just keep your body hydrated hydrated yeah, hydrate um, and it was you know by the.
I think it was by the seventh round in my head.
I was telling I can’t no more, I wan na I wan na quit.
I want to just leave it because my body wasn’t feeling good yeah, so my body was sending the signal to my brain.
I can’t no more, but my coach was like you have you know this? This is it.
I know you don’t feel good, but we are winning.
You win this round.
We you win the belt, I never have a swollen eye, but that day I ended up having a big, a big swollen eye that I couldn’t even it was like.
It was like this yeah um.
That’S how big that’s, how big the the bump was yeah, but I did drop her in the first round with a job.
Well, I mean that’s, I think, that’s that’s what changed the the fight and it was still.
I think it was a split decision too.
Okay, they was trying to like take the fight yeah.
They wanted it to be a draw again like really yeah, I’m like no, I’m not doing this no more, but because of that drop in the first round and they cut it a slip.
But I know the judges saw the A1.
Yes, yes, which is sometimes a good thing.
Um, just looking at your script dang, you really fought the best gals.
I told you women’s Boxing Channel.
Did you miss the intro? I mean like she’s.
Like me, she fought the best, like literally the best out there, all her whole freaking career.
I literally listened.
I think I think my one of my my best fights.
I did it with Amanda Serrano yeah.
That was one of my best fights.
It was in New Jersey and I’m like okay.
This is gon na be fun because we two Puerto Ricans, like we just keep going yeah and that’s what exactly the fan was like.
This was the fight of the night yeah.
It would even though it was out it was close for me, it felt it was closed, but for the judges you know, once you have, you have [ Music ] um, like promotion uh against you um the judges.
You know she.
I think she would sign with them.
I think I’m assuming she was like with them.
I think it was pretty good or something out of I forgot the name of the promotion, but I went as a opponent I didn’t win.
As the house girl, she was a house girl yeah, so you you know once you have that it goes.
Everything goes against you.
Yes, absolutely um! I’M telling you Mike all these gals are tough Brave sort of.
We are all tough and brave and we’re badasses.
That’S what we are just cause bad asses yeah.
I never said no to no fight yeah me.
Neither girl, I feel you mayor Bangor.
Okay, can I go over the list again? Okay hold on hold on y’all, I didn’t name everybody off her resume.
I just named like the most notable ones that most of you probably have heard of, but this isn’t, I know everybody she bought, but I figured you guys might not know all the names but um Jackie, trivolino, Jennifer, Han Amanda Serrano Jenna, Shivers Ella Nunez.
I thought also Michaela Neville um.
I met her at the induction, she’s awesome, yeah, Shelly Vincent everybody knows Shelly Crystal Hoy Heather Hardy, everybody knows Heather Naomi boss was Olivia garula.
I also fought uh Michaela mayor Alisa baumgarner, that’s just to name a few y’all.
That’S like the most um, well-known names that I figured most of you would know, but she fought more than that um, but that’s kind of that’s where we started out um July 27.
2013.
You did face again, like I just said, Crystal Hoy, another well-known Warrior to a 10 round unanimous decision for your second title: title Phantom weight World title.
How did you feel to win your first world title that day for me was it was out of the world, because that day was my mom, my mom’s birthday, oh and it was also uh their anniversary death.
On my uncle a pass away – and I told my – I told my mom as a gift for you – I’m gon na bring you that belt.
That’S gon na, be your birthday gift, nice and uh.
The uniform that I wore that day.
It was a tribute uh.
You know for my mom and also for my uncle and and I won that fight it was I boxed I boxed beautiful.
It was, but she was tough.
She never stopped coming yeah, epic, yes, it was.
It was amazing, an amazing night yeah.
That’S so awesome um that you could do that for her.
I did have um the Olivia gorilla fight when I fought her in Canada for the WBC World title.
Oh she’s, also tough.
She is um.
She is, but I still believe to this day that I won that fight um same thing with me: they give her a split decision yeah and it was for a title also yeah.
I was shocked.
I’M like how the hell yeah it was definitely a good fight.
Uh, but I also had just lost my aunt uh right before that fight, so I was just I had a tribute outfit for that fight as well um, because we had just lost uh, my aunt prior to that one but yeah it’s it’s really um emotional um And a lot goes into those fights when you’re um, dedicating it to someone um so yeah that one that one hurt a little bit um, because I didn’t get that Victory and like I felt like that, was for her um, so yeah.
But that’s like so amazing that you got the victory.
You know for your on your mom’s birthday like and yeah.
That’S like that’s like that’s like icing on the cake like putting on top um yeah, but that’s awesome, and it was a world title.
Your first world title, so that’s amazing, yep um, then again, um in between there.
On April 16 2016, you beat Rebecca Jennings with an eight round unanimous decision to win your third title.
The ubf international featherweight title um tell us a little bit how about that fight and her as an opponent.
Well, we had to travel all the way to New Zealand to fight for that title.
Um she’s also a kickboxer yeah and it was she was uncomfortable.
She was a South Pole, even though I do know how to fight a South Pole but being her, you know tall and just the weird stand it makes it made the fight uncountable.
Also that day I have my period.
I got that the same day of the of the way in there.
No, it was a day before the weigh-in uh Brian was my manager.
At that time we went with us, and I told her hey.
I got my day and I think I’m a little bit heavier yeah, because you know you know those days.
We give you like three to four pounds extra.
Yes, so he gave me the technique of the hot tub to lose those pounds.
Yeah and I went did the I went myself, everything was good, but the next day, the day of the fight it I was so bloated and so uncomfortable.
So whenever I have my days, my legs feel crampy to walk, especially my hip area.
So I feel like a robot, so I had to force myself in the fight you know having that in be in so hot.
You know you guess extra yeah yeah doing your days and you’re cramping and you’re uncomfortable uncomfortable.
I just want to go to the to the to the room and lay down and do that lay down give me a heating pad.
Yes, eat chocolate, because that’s also another thing the craving when you got those days yeah.
I just wanted to do all that and I’m like the fact that I had to fight, but I had to do it because during that week that I was in New Zealand, my grandma passed away of a heart attack.
So that was an extra push, even though it was constantly in my head.
You know that my grandma passed away and I was not there yeah, you know it may it makes it hard yeah, but I use that as a motivation yeah to push forward yeah.
You have to definitely – and I won the title you did and you won the title.
The title.
Third title definitely um.
So you definitely.
I think we kind of hit this, but everybody keeps asking.
We’Ve definitely been in there with the best of the best throughout your career um.
I already named the names twice, so we all know them uh, but can you tell us a little bit um of which ones you feel were your toughest fights and why and maybe which ones you felt like that? I won yep that you won, but you didn’t uh well, like I said once you go as an opponent.
That’S one of your biggest um yeah obstacles.
Yes, because we’re always able to beat the person yeah you’re, always the opponents yeah.
Yes, like I say I never said no to no fight, so I took whatever could come because, while when I was you know coming up, it wasn’t that many girls in the car.
Now it’s a different ball game yeah.
Now it’s like girls all over yeah.
I mean your card, so that was one that was another obstacle uh.
When I fall um Michaela mayor, I know I know I beat her well, you saw the footage I’ll.
Send you the footage.
I did it felt it felt close, but she didn’t do nothing, but the last round that I got cut with one punch and I think they defined that fight yeah from that punch yeah.
She didn’t do nothing even though she came she.
She came from beating two girl, her first two fight.
As you know, for Mikhail.
She thought that she was gon na um knock me out yeah.
That was her.
That was her.
That’S why you could see her frustration at the end that she wasn’t happy with the decision, because that’s not how she wanted yeah she won, but she wanted.
I know she wasn’t happy.
She wasn’t happy with them.
Well, it’s uh almost impossible, I wouldn’t say impossible, but it is very unlikely when you’re facing a Puerto Rican or even a Mexican Fighter um that they’re gon na get knocked out, it’s just very uncommon, we’ll just put it that way: male or female um.
I don’t know why I have no idea why I think it’s just in the blood, it’s it’s just that in their their veins and their blood, but they I have yet to meet a Puerto Rican or a Mexican that cannot take punishment.
Um I mean look at Ella, Nunes yeah, exactly I fought Ella too um in in New York, um and yes, I mean, but it’s just a prime example: um they’re, just tough they’re just built.
That way.
I mean it’s built that way it was.
You know it was upsetting.
It was upsetting that that I got that that’s another Split Decision or it was majority decision, something like that, because Olympian girl signed with top rank.
You know and, like I said, another obstacle against me, yeah and even though I was fighting in my hometown New York, people’s too booing her.
They literally boo her when they did when they just when they said the decision yeah and I’m like.
Okay.
If I was if it was like two more extra two more rounds or extra 30 seconds, it wouldn’t Mark a difference because she didn’t do nothing.
It was nothing yeah now with Alicia baumgarner, it was a tough fight it.
It’S like.
She literally knew my game plan and she used that game plan against me.
Yeah.
Like I try to I try to switch.
I try to change my my game plan like from from being a ball to box around.
It’S like she knew my whole game and I’m like wow.
She really studied me yeah, but it was you know I.
It was tough after that fight, I put a hole because I felt I feel a little weird after the fight I ended up, throwing up in in the in the back room um.
I was dizzy and I felt that I got like shot.
Some of the shot went like here, and you know when you get shot here, yeah it could be a concussion yeah, so yeah I went to the hospital just to give a checkup and they did an MRI.
I don’t like MRI machines, I guess machine um.
The doctor said that everything was good, but I knew inside of me.
Something was wrong yeah.
So I put, I took a break.
I told my Coach Marcos that I wanted to take a break because I want her to heal internally yeah back-to-back losses that also stays in your head, yeah so from there on.
So that’s that’s where I stood right there yeah, I haven’t, got back to the gym.
I was training before covert hit yeah I was trying to get rid.
I was trying to get back and then Kobe made it longer yeah and then you just decided it just just tired, I’m not I’m not retired.
This is what people keep asking me.
Are you retired, I’m like no, I’m, not retired? It’S like.
I work for Amazon right now and I don’t have the time because I drive a truck.
I do the deliveries I go up and down with with boxes yeah and I come out home.
I come out from that job so exhausted that I don’t have the energy to go and train yeah.
It’S harder people don’t understand that.
Well, and we’ve talked about this.
A lot on this show um about people just don’t understand, and I’ve always said that women work way harder too hard in this Sport and I feel like we should be making more than the men, because of that.
Just for the simple fact that uh we work full-time, we train on the side, we’re still mothers.
You know it for those of us that have kids um, so we’re literally working like four jobs, where wives we’re mothers, we work full-time and then we train when we can again yeah you train when you can, and then you see how good of Fighters we were And I have always said to my husband and everybody I know I said: can you imagine the fighter I would have been if I literally just got paid to train every day like the three workouts like the men do like I would have been a whole.
I was already I feel like, and not only not only that to be able to have some type of feet come.
You know some type of income, just by the men’s do that they get paid some men that I know have leave high school, just to be professional and they get paid yeah.
So why the woman cannot kind of have that yeah we have to work.
I mean there’s a few today that don’t, but for you a few a few, you said it right, a few, not all of them today but a few.
But I just said, like imagine how, like all of us past Fighters that were like Warriors and like Bulldogs, imagine how much better we would have been if we could have literally just trained every day.
Yeah I mean where it was just.
We have people.
Stop me in this stream telling me hey you, so damn good, why you’re not in the gym and I’m like? Are you gon na pay, my rent right? I got bills, we got.
I got bills and families like the boxing boxing is on, and this is this is another thing.
Boxing is another bill because you had to pay the gene dude.
You have to pay your code, you had to pay strength and conditioning you had to also have a a good nutritionist to to make your your your meal plan to for you to be strong and be able to cut the weight.
That’S another bill, yeah either exactly you know back then I think the highest was eight thousand.
Then it was in Mexico.
Yeah.
My highest was 4 000.
When I fought me a Saint John wow, four thousand yeah WBC four thousand in Mexico, rematch against me as Saint John, I can only imagine what she made um, but I made four thousand dollars that was mine.
Well, she, when I put in New Zealand, she also fought over there too yeah.
Yes, on John yeah um, I fought her twice um.
The rematch was in Mexico because that’s where she wanted it um for her title, WBC title um and I did win over there, but the problem was, I only made 4K and I was there for like 10 days because they do everything big in Mexico.
You know you got to do the public workout you got ta do like 50 interviews.
You got to do like all this stuff, so I was there.
I think, like seven or seven to ten days, so that was time off work that I didn’t get paid for, and I only made four thousand dollars exactly the highest payday and plus you have to pay the manager also right.
You know they have to have their their fee, also so yeah discount that, from your from your paycheck, exactly exactly um, I think I came home um where I spent money instead of actually making money by the time you know you’re off work and all the extra Stuff that you got to pay for, I didn’t really didn’t, make anything um women’s Boxing Channel, I’m so thrilled five stars.
Thank you, women’s Boxing Channel for the five stars and throws thrilled to see all these Fighters you bring on.
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
There’S lots more to come lots more to come guys like I said we’re booked all the way out to like May of next year with interviews.
So she speak the truth.
Yes, she is speaking the truth, we’re both speaking the truth.
Yeah, that’s a lot! There’S a lot going on in the in the boxing game that people really don’t know don’t know at all uh.
Unless, if you know you know and if you don’t know, you might think you know, but you really don’t know, That’s My Philosophy, Michael Orsa.
Do you think from the 22 bouts that you’ve been in your career, are you worried that you may suffer some long-term effects from the sport? Um? Yes, and no, I would say yes, because I have seen uh close friends of mine uh bad day um.
He passed away, you know right after you know, right on the right on TV.
You know we saw we saw it and then a pressure cologne, even though you I wasn’t close to him, but I I knew him from the gym.
You know coming to the gym and train and see how he ended up it was you know, it’s scary, it’s scary, and I have also my mom being on top of me because seeing those two uh events, it really affected my family and they just worried that You know that I will end up like that or or Worse yeah and my mom didn’t she don’t.
She doesn’t want that and it’s like I told her, I mean I’m an adult and I know the risk I’m taking, and this is this is what I love yeah and you know is you cannot? You cannot tell a fighter, stop fighting yeah? No, no, I mean um, I retired after well after I won the belt.
I think I had one or two more fights left, no like three or four.
Maybe after that, but then I got pregnant with my second daughter um and after that I just decided that it was time for me to take a step back and actually be a mom.
My first daughter was born, like born raised in the gym.
Like I kept fighting after I had her um and I went pro and she literally lived in the gym.
I mean it was like we were there every day and like she grew up in the gym.
Um until I retired and after having two you know, I’m like well, I really need to spend more time with the kids like.
I really need to spend more time with the family um and it is dangerous, and you know I didn’t want my kids to you know, and so I decided to go ahead and retire now.
I can’t tell you that in those last 10 years I haven’t thought a million times about coming out of retirement, uh, more so probably the last five years since it’s been growing um, but I would want to only want to come back.
It has to be a good payday, like I’d, have to ever big payday um.
I mean we have so we have so many good Fighters um.
I went to Square Garden um, it was just a female car and it was amazing, and you know you don’t know the rush that I felt like coming from my feet.
All the way to my head, yeah – and I saw one fight – is specific and it was with this girl named.
I think it was Skye.
Yes, I yes Sky, Nichols yes uh or is it nickel? Yes, kind of, I think it’s Sky nickel um in I was looking at that fight and I’m like, if I’m able to go down to that way again.
I know I could be her because that’s why that’s and I’m sorry to say this to another female fighter.
I respect every fighter, but that fight was so boring.
It was so.
It was so boring that I I questioned myself, I’m like you fighting in the mecca of New York yeah and you fighting like that, and you got a big promoter behind you.
That’S the thing like my husband and I we literally laugh and joke about it all the time, but ever since, like prime example, I can’t get her on this show just because I think there’s like a secret beef there, but um uh, Jessica mccaskill is also I I’M from Illinois, so I represented Chicago, I trained at a winning City, Gym um and she also now reps Chicago um, but ever since she became Undisputed, like that was when I really wanted to come out of retirement um, because I’m like absolutely no way in hell.
She could beat me and I could easily just become Undisputed.
I mean, like I said, uh, you know this.
I’M not gon na trash talk about anything.
I respect every every fight, yes in the world, but but you look at them and you’re just like.
I know I could beat them.
Yes, that’s that’s the thing and when Jessica with Jessica is the way she fight is different.
Yeah, it’s not as us punching in in is her style is very difficult.
I was looking at it.
I’M like it’s uncomfortable to fight a person or unpredictable fighter, because that’s that’s how I that’s how that’s what I mentioned to her.
I mean not to her, but to somebody that that I know I’m like she’s an unpredictable fighter and those are the the fighters that you need to be careful with yeah.
Well in our our Styles, I I think it’s because our styles are so similar.
Like I fight, I mean my fight style.
Is a bulldog go forward like punch punch like that’s fine, yeah fighter, I’m straightforward, like I’m straight forward.
I am a brawler.
I consider myself.
I do not box whatsoever and I’ve never planned to be a boxer.
I’M not good with defense, I am literally offense Fighter um and I just overpower people with that, which is how I won my fights.
I think um, but our styles are so similar, but I just feel like me personally, I feel like I have more power and I have more um endurance when I was fighting um, so when I like it makes you like look at it and you’re like like.
I know and I’m like I definitely could have beat you and when Michaela won all those belt and I’m like, I know I beat you you just got lucky.
If not I would, I would be the one with those belts yeah.
That would be me instead of you.
Like yes, come on, it’s just like I said it’s having a good team behind.
You is the main, the main thing in here: yeah uh management.
You see the management or Pro oh good, promoter yeah.
You know those two, those two things combined is the the perfect uh I’ll bring you for a fighter exactly you don’t have, though, if you don’t have those and I didn’t have either it was just me and my husband I did have like I said back then It was kind of difficult to get like constantly fight like it was so difficult that I’m on my tent about my 10th fight.
I already fall for ibf war title in Mexico yeah.
Oh my 10 bout! That’S how that’s how a little bit of people was one on my weight class and two in the US.
It wasn’t a lot of girls that went on a fight, so we had to look for outside of the United States.
Yeah you had to go wherever like wherever you can get the fights yeah um.
Let’S see you actually make a good point Brooke.
Thank you.
Women’S Boxing Channel how many concussions do you think you have had that’s for both women uh? I would say I only remember one time, I’m tired.
I always have told people um the Stars thing like where you see stars.
That’S a [, __, ], real thing.
Okay, she gave me a mean hook, I you know we both threw a hook but she’s a little taller than me.
She caught me clean, like in my head.
I thought that I was with my knee on the on the canvas, but then, when I looked straight, I saw her coming like this into in both sides like I’m like, okay, which one is the one that I had to hit for real yeah.
It’S a real thing guys if you’ve never experienced it, people always talk about it and I’m like yeah right that [ __ ] ain’t real.
That was the hardest friendship I ever I ever felt it was from Jennifer Han it’s real.
It is a real thing.
Um and you definitely see flutter Reef flop, like so yeah, you feel a little a little zooming in your ear.
You you hear that yeah in your ear like little stuff and you’re like oh.
What is that? I won’t touch it um, Michael Orr, says not just from the bouts but sparring as well, because a lot of injuries happen inspiring and the fans don’t know about it.
I only have okay, I have I’ve been hit really hard and sparring by men.
Um but I’ve never I’ve had my nose, broken and sparring by a man um, but then I broke his nose.
I did.
I did have my nose um.
That’S why it’s a little a little yeah, but it was from my head butt and then an uppercut after yeah my nose been broken a few times, but yeah Michael I’ve never seen stars or any of that in sparring, because I think the headgear definitely helps it.
Helps a lot in in the it depends the size of the glove.
Some people start with 12 ounce glove and I think yeah.
It was kind of hard yeah women supposed to start either with 14 or 16 ounce depend of the weight class you’re still going with exactly um uh big Justin James welcome in thank you for commenting, um she’s, a good fighter.
She took a lot of fights too.
Who would you say is the hardest punching female? She um just said Jennifer Han hardest puncher.
She ever felt um women’s Boxing Channel.
What a great question Mike you can actually reassess the best pound for pound by saying, for example, Serrano fought, say, 47 fights, but will 100 not be affected by hits to the head just as Shield Shields, let’s say: well yeah! Well, I understand.
Okay, I don’t you.
I don’t understand how you word it, but I think what you’re saying is as far as the concussions and the injuries and the long-term effects me personally, my memory um, is not the best anymore um.
I do have family members that have suffered from um like dementia and stuff like that, so it could be hereditary, but never at this young of an age.
So I assess my memory loss and my memory issues to.
I took a lot of punches because I was one of those that I would take two or three of your punches to get one of mine um.
So I took a lot of shots that I shouldn’t have taken, so I assess my memory loss to that.
I don’t have any other issues besides that, but my memory kind of sucks I mean with me: it’s not it’s not memory memory loss, but I think that he, the hearing, yeah and I still have problems with my ear, because I today with the hearing it wasn’t Because uh a shopper is like hereditary yeah from my family.
You know little death from one ear is kind of runs in the family, so sometimes I uh my partner, told me sometimes that I speak too loud.
Well, you got to hear yourself and I’m like, but I feel that I’m like talking Logistics.
I know you literally yelling you really loud.
I hear myself, okay, yeah.
I do um I get ringing in my ears, um and sometimes it’ll, pop and stuff like if I bend down to tie my shoe or if I move too fast I’ll get dizzy, um and I still, I still think that’s.
I still think when I got hit in the ear.
I know that I had um, I forget what it’s called, but like Indigo or like it messed up my equilibrium.
Like really good, I took a punch straight to the eardrum and for like a long time after that, I had problems and still to this day, I have problems like sometimes, if I lay down too fast I’ll get dizzy, or if I sit up too fast I’ll Get dizzy or like when I’ve been over time.
I shoe like it’ll bubble and I’ve had the doctors look at a million times and they say it’s fine, because you know everything is fine.
Yeah they give you.
They give you this test and even even before and after the fight with that, I’m good.
So with the with the ear with the hearing, I think it’s because I have I read it.
I read that yeah, but it doesn’t affect me on the like, inspiring and stuff like that.
No, it doesn’t affect me at all yeah.
I know it’s just I I think I’m lucky enough not to get punched like in the ear or because I count a lot with my defense.
I think I I think I I have a pretty good defense, the my face.
I never got cut because I was sick yeah other than that.
I haven’t got like two bruised on my face: yeah I’ve only I’ve had two cuts, but one was from um someone needing me in the face down here and when I was um on one knee and the other one was a headbutt in my eyebrow, but you Can’T even see it really, unless, like you’re, really looking um, let’s see women’s Boxing Channel says same with Estrada, Etc.
These Fighters are really really special, as they have that ability to be great Champions without being battered themselves.
So much that’s true.
Can’T say that about Katie Taylor, though, to be honest, she is a great Champion, but I feel May well be a candidate for brain damage down the line.
Sadly I don’t know if I would say that women’s Boxing Channel, I think, Katie Taylor has pretty good defense.
Um there’s some fights that she’s taking some heck.
I mean in the last in her last two fights I think, or three fights yeah her last couple fights I think she’s definitely had to get to too many too many punches in her face.
Yeah.
Okay.
I think she took too many shots in her face are in her head.
Oh uh, sorry, my husband.
He just made me laugh with his stupid ass um, yes um! Yes, I do agree her last two three fights I feel like um, she’s kind of getting to the the top of her career where um, I do not think it’ll be very long before she retires um.
Just for safety issues.
I feel like she’s kind of slowing down a little bit um.
She doesn’t uh.
I wouldn’t say that she’s completely done fighting, but I feel like she’s kind of maybe shown almost everything she’s capable of and people are slowly starting to figure it out.
Yeah.
Why? I feel like she’s taking more punishment yeah.
She she is taking two two yeah too much punishment he’s had that many she’s only had, I would say, maybe three or four actually really really like tough war fights where she’s taking a lot of damage or significant punches.
So I don’t think she’ll have any long-term damage.
I mean unless she continues on for a long time from that, if you’re going to you know down that path like yeah these kind of fights, then yes um, but I don’t think she’ll.
Let it go that far.
I think she’s got a couple more big fights and then I would not be surprised if she says she’s retiring um.
That’S just I mean I’m guessing I don’t know.
I haven’t heard that I just that’s what I feel um Michael Orr says.
What is the biggest lesson that you’ve learned in boxing today and how has applying that lesson to your life? Helped you grow and evolve as a pugilist ice awesome, that’s a very good question um.
I think the biggest lesson I got from from the boxing was self-respect because uh I was, I was in one point.
You know fighting, but I was so low.
I was on my self-esteem and seeing all these girls, you know fighting their heart out, made me respect myself as a woman like they could do it.
I could do it myself too.
Yeah.
That’S a good one.
That’S a good one! I would agree with that.
Totally um, I would say it gives you more self-discipline um for me um.
I know that before boxing I wouldn’t even hesitate to get in a fight or try to kick somebody’s ass or whatever the case may be um.
When I turned Pro – and I got my license – everybody knows that your hands are considered weapons and is 100 a felony if you get in a street fight or any kind of fight for that any kind of fight, yeah um.
So I feel like it kind of humbled me enough and that I learned to kind of tone myself in and kind of not go off as often or as much, because I knew that what would could not always but could potentially be the outcome.
Had someone found out, I was a real fighter um.
There was only one time that I got into a fight at a club uh when I was Pro, and that was – and I try to my best to prevent it uh.
But I wasn’t gon na literally sit there and let somebody hit me so um.
I did not take the first punch.
I literally we were in the club and this girl kept like butt checking me.
You know like when you’re dancing, it was my husband and I we were dancing and there was like a big group of girls behind us.
There was space on the dance floor.
It wasn’t that damn crowded, but she kept like like butting me like with her butt, like I don’t know if she was trying to get me to scoot over or what the hell she was doing, but I got tired of it.
So I’m, finally, I’m just like hey, let’s just move, let’s go like to the other side of the club, so we like moved, got out of the dance area.
You went all the way to the other side and got back in the dance area where there was like nobody there.
So we’re like over there hanging out and then all of a sudden I feel another bump behind me.
It’S the same goddamn girl! Why the [ __ ], is she over here, like we were literally on the opposite side of the whole entire Club? It’S not that small in here, and so I turn around like dude like seriously.
Don’T don’t bump me again like there’s plenty of space in here? So of course, then she starts talking [ __ ] and I’m just like.
So I’m like look I’m it’s like hey.
You don’t know me.
I know I look small.
I know I look intimidate like I don’t look like I’m [ __ ], but I’m telling you just walk away.
Please please, like, for your sake, walk away.
This is hard, sometimes I’ll, see through when he’s like too much when it’s like too much and you you know it’s constantly in your head, like this person continue this person continue.
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