AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 1
Join me as I sit down with Windy City Gym Stable Mate Sarah “Savage” French currently coached by Sam Colonna my first professional coach! We will be discussing her journey into the boxing world, her amateur & professional career thus far & her goals, hopes & dreams as she continues her professional career!
@savag3tig3r @sarahsavage @nopunchespulledwithnomercy @talkinfight @samcolonnagym @samcolonna @samcolonnagym #femaleboxing #womansboxing #badasswoman #samcolonnagym #windycitygym #stablemate #sarahsavage #savage #nopunchespulledwithnomercy #brookenomercydierdorffmillbrook #nomercy #boxing
Transcribed
[, Music, ], foreign, [, Music, ], hey, hey everybody! It’S your girl, no mercy here, it’s Tuesday night! So you already know what time it is it’s time for no punches pulled with no mercy.
So those of you that have been here before you already know who I am, but those of you are that are new thanks for joining uh.
My name is Brooke Millbrook, Formerly Known in the fight business as Brooke no mercy deardorff.
I am a retired professional boxer.
I held the WBC lightweight title until I retired.
I was inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame last year.
I have personally been through some good, some bad and a lot of, of course, BS in the sport of women’s boxing.
Welcome to my platform.
This is where we talk the talk and walk the walk.
We will bring out the truth from behind the scenes in women’s boxing.
You will hear from pioneers of the sport past boxers current boxers, even future boxers and Hall of Famers, we’ll be getting down and dirty and speaking the truth of what takes place in women’s boxing.
You definitely don’t want to miss a single single show, so please make sure you like subscribe and share, because you don’t want to miss every Tuesday night with me no mercy.
Those of you that saw or have not saw tonight’s special guest is Sarah Savage French.
She is now trained by my first professional coach, the notorious Sam Colonna from the original Windy City Gym in Chicago.
Unfortunately, windy city is no longer, but he has his new gym: Sam colono boxing and MMA.
In her sixth Pro fight, she defeated Shania.
I’M not sure how you say it: shayana Geist will ask her how you say that when she comes in here but for the ABF USA title Please welcome to the show Sarah French: what’s up Sarah hey, how are you I’m good? How are you I’m good good? Thank you for the opportunity to have me here tonight.
Oh absolutely, it’s definitely a pleasure to have you.
I obviously consider you a stable mate of mine, considering you know, train with Sam, that’s where I, where it all started for me so um Sam is amazing, and I mean I was when it when it was the gritty-gritty nasty, stinky, old, Windy City Gym.
But yes, um Sam is Sam, no matter where he’s training.
So that’s awesome.
I appreciate you coming on at late notice.
Yeah! Oh I’m glad to be here.
You know late news, um or not.
You know like fighting right.
You got ta be ready right, exactly it’s just like fighting yeah, you got ta, always be ready for, for that call or that message right there you go um all right.
First, I always like to kind of rewind and take it back to the beginning.
Tell us a little bit about your childhood and your upbringing and what makes you Sarah um.
So what makes Sarah Savage uh you know growing up.
I wasn’t really interested in academics um.
I was always just had my eye on extreme sports.
I loved whether it was skateboarding um.
You know.
My first combat sport was karate, dirt biking, anything that was dangerous and if the boys could do it, I wanted to do it better right.
So um right, you know that was me growing up.
I was always playing in the mud.
I was always a tomboy um.
I grew up in a you know.
I had very loving parents that always believed in me and always let me do what I wanted to do.
Um with whatever I chose.
You know my mom.
If I wanted to wear you know my hair down and um, you know a T-shirt and basketball shorts and that’s what I was gon na.
Wear um.
You know they.
Never they always.
Let me be me, um yeah, you know, let me be Savage, so um.
You know good upbringing, um in lots of sports.
You know lots of sports.
My First Love was skateboarding.
I competited I was a competitive, competitive.
Skateboarder um always plays first through third in any competition I did and it was usually I was the only girl um.
So the boys didn’t really like that too much and I was uh one of the first females to ever be on the warp Skate Park, Skate team in Woodstock, Illinois um.
You know born and raised in a farm town, McHenry, Illinois, um, but yeah.
That’S kind of what makes me Savage and what makes me you know: Sarah Savage yeah, awesome yeah I mean we’re both from Illinois.
I grew up in a small town.
Somonauk Illinois – probably never even heard of it.
It’S out in the sticks in the suburbs uh close to like Aurora, you probably know where that’s at okay yeah not too far from there um, so yeah, real small town but um both coming from there.
You know we kind of know how that small town girl kinda the whole thing goes.
I grew up with two older brothers, so I was always doing what they were doing so we have similar childhoods there.
Um always wanted to do the sports and what anything I could get my hands on at the time, but yeah if they did it.
I want to do it better than my brothers so right how that went, but yeah no sisters just older brothers, so the rough, tough lifestyle, that’s how I grew up too yeah um yeah.
I actually have two sisters and a brother um.
I feel like my brother, and I you know he kind of showed me some extreme sports.
I feel, like my whole family.
They liked to do things that were not the most normal um right.
I know I remember growing up.
My brother would build like a little bike.
Well, he would do rollerblades and I he built a little ramp and I’m like you know what I’m gon na jump, that with my bike – and I was like five years old – so I was always trying to keep up.
Is you know, keep up with him um and you know, do those kind of things as well.
Awesome.
Yeah awesome.
I think that makes for a well-rounded um females as adults.
You know when you can do a little bit of both a little bit of both sides.
You know you know the the female side and you know the male side, you kind of throw them all together and you get a good mix.
That’S how I look at it.
I was a big time boy growing up and now I’m I mean I consider myself a lady now I don’t know I’m still both, but I can be both.
Let’S just put it that way.
We can do both sides.
We can do whatever we need to do.
Um, so yes, before that, I was going to ask you about the skateboarding.
You did the skateboarding, and you said typically, it was just mostly guys and and obviously they didn’t like – that, um tell us a little bit about what you went through with having to compete with the boys um.
You know sometimes competing with the the boys they would get upset because they’re like well.
She got she placed because she’s, a girl and no, I I placed because I utilized the whole park.
You know in skateboarding.
You have to utilize the whole park.
You can’t just stay in one spot right right, so um they would get upset about that.
I’M like well, no! You didn’t place because you stayed over on this side of the park and I used the whole park in my run.
Um.
You know I listened to at the time my first coach, skateboarding coach, um, rob you dirt, um, awesome guy.
He you know he was like you guys.
He would always coach us you’d utilize.
The whole park, you know, do a little bit of vert and Street, which are two different.
If you guys don’t know what skateboarding lingo is it’s two different kinds of competition he’s like utilize bowls, you know be diverse um.
So when you’re competing, you know you have to do that.
You have to you, have to utilize everything around you right, exactly yeah.
You can’t just stick to one thing.
You got to show everything you can do in order to win yeah yeah.
I agree um.
So from there at the young age, I think you said you were about like 14, 15 or so um is when you kind of transitioned into finding boxing, so tell us a little bit how and why you you went to boxing.
So how I found boxing is my mom would always be watching Combat Sports um, and you know I would sit down with her.
You know every weekend, there’s always a fight on, and sometimes my parents would have their friends over and have like a fight party um, but I loved watching the fights whether it was UFC or um boxing.
You know the first fight ever watched was Mike Tyson versus Lennox Lewis.
When I was just little kid and I just loved it, I always fell in love with it um.
So I asked her.
You know: hey Mom.
I really like this sport.
I think I’d be interested in um.
You know going to a gym or finding a gym.
Can you help me find a gym, so she took me to um a really well-known local gym at the time and um.
I started training two weeks into training uh.
The coach there, who was my first coach at the time, came up to me and he said: hey, you know, do you want to compete and I was like yeah, oh yeah, I want to compete yeah I mean he kind of he didn’t tell me right away, But later he was like, oh, you were a beast he’s like we had to get you out there.
We had to get you competing so yeah, yeah short short amount of time.
Um.
I had the same same scenario.
They just kind of throw you in there with the lines and see how you do, but um I’m grateful for it.
I think it.
You know it made me that much tougher going in with little experience and then jumping right in so okay yeah.
I mean it kind of It prepares you for the definitely prepares you for the pros when you’re just thrown in there.
When you don’t really know what you’re doing, but you know you’re tough enough to handle what they’re doing um.
So you just kind of figure it out um.
That’S that’s exactly how I was thrown in there, so my first sparring session was actually with Rita Figueroa.
Okay, so yeah is definitely one of my scoring Partners, yes yeah and uh at the time you know I I was only 15.
and Christy Gearhart.
They both came out to the gym.
You know they’re, they I didn’t really know much.
You know I was just.
I was just there to be tough right, like I didn’t know how to utilize the jab or the punches.
I was just there and I’m, like you, know: I’m gon na I’m gon na beat these girls and oh no, I got whooped, I mean I got really whooped and it was a humbling experience.
Yeah, that’s so funny, because the first time I think I started out at a gym in Aurora Local gym um with Jesse Torres.
He was also a fighter um.
So I did amateurs with him, but then he didn’t really take people Pro.
So that’s kind of how I transitioned to working with Sam um and I, as a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure 99 sure Rita, was probably my very first sparring partner, too um she’s.
She was there way before me, um, but yeah.
I think she was my first borrowing partner too um and a couple of other amateur Fighters that were there but yeah Rita is amazing.
Rita’S amazing she’ll be on the show a little bit later and year, but um yeah, Rita is definitely amazing.
Very talented and she’s got a very good story to tell too so we’ll get to that, but yeah Rita’s, Rita’s, tough, she’s all around definitely an all-around athlete and very good for um, but works very well with people when she’s helping them in sparring like she knows When to kind of let go or hold back a little bit, she’s a very good sparring partner with new people.
Let’S put it that way.
Absolutely uh and an amazing coach, too she’s actually cornered me in a few of my amateur fights, um yeah, which was an awesome experience as well uh.
So you know just all around.
You know somebody to look up to in um Chicago boxing yeah, definitely yeah Chicago boxing.
There’S not two there’s a few of us, but not not too many females come to not too many females that I can name off the top of my head from Chicago.
So the the few of us that there are, we definitely got ta, stick together.
That’S for sure, right, um! So tell us a little bit about your amateur days.
Did you go right into just amateur shows? I know I got thrown right into the gloves, or did you have some amateur fights first, so actually, my 10-year anniversary of my first amateur fight is tomorrow.
Oh happy anniversary, right um, so no I had one show fight and then I had to do the gloves.
Um, so when I started boxing and I started when I was 15.
um, I was inconsistent, you know, wasn’t taking it serious and then once I turned 19 um, you know didn’t, have a lot of money.
Um really had to earn my right in the gym.
As far as you know, I could afford the lessons here and there, but I really it was going to the gym sparring and training and doing the few lessons that I could afford and then working out in my living room at the time was yeah sauna suit And like I had like a little thing of weights and like I didn’t, but there was no excuse, you know I wanted it.
I still want it, but I wanted it so bad at the time.
Just to get my first fight right, I would be in my living room Shadow Boxing doing push-ups just the basic stuff.
You know with no equipment um and then go to the gym and Spa to get ready for my first fight and that my first fight, I didn’t even have the proper boxing gear.
I had sake shorts and a tank top, so I mean I didn’t have any like it was hey.
I didn’t want somebody in the Pro ranks with the dang wife, beater and some basketball shorts.
So, hey, hey right, I’ve seen it all, but you yeah right and you know and again it didn’t look bad or anything.
But you know that’s what I had and I made it work and they’re always black on black, and you know that was my thing at the time and all I have was a pair of boxing shoes.
I didn’t have trunks and just the tank top and it was my first fight.
I had to fight this girl that was 6-1 and I’m like.
Oh no, it was a woman, a grown woman.
At the time I was 19.
um.
I want to say.
Maybe she was 30.
um when we fought, so I look and I’m like.
Oh man, I got ta fight.
This girl who’s six foot.
You know I’m really nervous um go in there.
I want to see the first round.
I lost, and I remember my coach at the time he said you have the ability to change any round that you want.
I ended up eight counting her all the rest of the rounds won.
My first fight um super pumped and then uh, went into Golden Gloves and won my first Golden Gloves by second round TKO, which was awesome and uh.
You know I only actually have eight amateur fights, so I didn’t really have a long amateur career yeah.
I didn’t know, I think I had eight or nine yeah all right, so you can relate yeah.
I can relate, and the first girl that I fought at the gloves was um six three.
So I can relate to that story too.
Yeah yeah! I can relate to that whole story.
This girl that I fought actually so I fought her and we were both.
You know we’re hippie we like to you, know, eat all organic and all that stuff we’re gon na we’re like best friends now um so she’s.
One of my teammates and helps me out with a lot awesome, but yeah I’ve still talked to several of the girls.
I fought in the amateur, so it’s just the boxing Sisterhood, I feel um I mean you get you every now and then you have that those few that you just can’t you can’t get along with for for one reason or another, but about 95, I would say, Of the girls, whether I fought or not, I can talk to them today, like just like a Sisterhood like a sorority.
I think we all got to stick together.
It’S just that’s just how women’s boxing is.
That’S what you got to do it is.
We really do got to stick together, yeah for sure um.
Okay, so from there you had the brief amateur career similar to me, then you go decide to go pro when and what made you, what made you decide to go pro.
Uh 2016 is when I decided to go pro um.
I just felt like my style, was a little bit more of a pro Style and it was just something I wanted to pursue.
You know I felt like at the time the amateur boxing scene wasn’t really for me.
So I just you know I was like: let’s go pro um kind of just went for it um my first pro fight, I lost actually my first pro fight um to somebody that nobody wanted to fight at the time.
The you know when you hotter the first time right 2-0 and then as an amateur on Team USA is seven like 78 and 10.
um, but uh end up fighting and it was.
It wasn’t a very exciting fight.
It wasn’t anything special um, but it did.
I just came up short and it was a great experience and I think it was one of those moments that it’s either gon na make or break you, and it was like no I’m hungry and like here we go, you know I just had.
I didn’t fight that was not a tune-up or what some people like to call.
I don’t really like using the word bum but um, trying to think of a better word uh.
It was somebody who was established in boxing and really had a great skill set, and I think that showed a lot.
You know I wasn’t trying to take the easy way in and trying to get a win.
I wanted to fight the best yeah.
She was an up and coming rising star at the time, especially with her amateur background.
People were probably watching her coming off the Team USA expecting a lot so yeah, 2-0 um, that’s a big jump and that’s you earned a lot of respect from that.
I’M sure from everybody in the boxing scene at the time – oh absolutely yeah, absolutely um.
But after that you did go three and one.
So you won your next three fights and then you got the rematch yeah 2018.
for the ABF USA, title yep, yeah, and so at that fight um you and the fight that I watched.
Everybody seemed pretty upset with that fight.
So tell us about how you felt about the how I mean, obviously, that everybody felt like you won the fight.
It was a decision yeah, so it was a draw.
It ended up being a draw yeah, so you know I was very consistent that um year I was on a three fight win streak um.
I just came off of a win against the African Olympian Edith Goki, so I was feeling very confident you know in my best shape, staying busy, which we all like to stay busy right, it’s very hard being a woman box being a woman’s boxing staying very active Um, so I was so pumped to have the uh rematch, because to be honest in that first fight I lost to myself um.
I think I let the 2-0 record get to me and to be honest in the first fight there wasn’t many punches that landed.
There was just two that landed and the second punch did it.
You know my nose did break, but after that you know, I I didn’t get hit and I was starting to land my shots.
I feel like if I had a little more time I probably would have edged out on one, so I was like yeah I want.
I want my revenge, I want.
I want this bike, you know this is this is about me.
This is about um, showing that that first fight was a fluke um.
You know I lost against Sarah.
You know Sarah didn’t lose against that opponent, right um, so I came in in some of the best shape.
I started that I had a 10-week camp.
Um and 154 was very easy for me to make uh I feel like that’s, you know, that’s the heaviest I ever would want to fight.
I don’t really have interest in fighting at 154 anymore, but um.
I was like.
I came in strong, you know walking around pretty much at weight.
I was eating the day of weigh-ins just felt like a champ uh felt on top of the world, and I mean I remember in the fight.
I was just smiling having fun being me, you know.
That’S me: that’s the best meat that you’ll ever see in the ring.
If I’m smiling and I’m moving and grooving, then you know that uh then the fight is, you know, I’m taken, I’m taking I’m taking the W.
So at the uh the fight went great.
I mean I thought I edged out every round I backed her up.
I had her on the ropes um, they gave it a draw, and I don’t know if it’s because they didn’t want that o to go.
Sometimes we see that um, but it is what it is.
You know I was actually that was probably one of the fights I was most upset because I just put everything in to that camp.
You know I sacrificed so much yeah yeah.
I definitely feel you there.
Um I did watch the fight and I definitely think that you edged you edged the decision um, but I can tell you I’ve been on the receiving end of that too many times.
So I will you know, I’m not surprised anymore.
I’M definitely not surprised uh with how, with how the judging goes and that’s Nationwide, that’s not just uh, locally or anywhere else.
I’Ve watched several fights recently that I was really pissed when they read the decisions um, because I know how it feels.
You know how it feels um when you put everything you have into a fight and then it gets taken away from you not because you’ve lost the fight, but because of one I mean, maybe where it was at um they’re fighting in their like mine typically was.
I was fighting champions for their belts in their Hometown, so everybody knows how that goes.
Um you might have had something similar um.
You know people they didn’t want her, oh to go because she was supposed to be this great fighter and we’ve all seen it we’ve all experienced it um.
I don’t think that will ever change.
That’S on men and women, it’s not just on the women’s side.
Absolutely so don’t get me wrong there, but it’s very frustrating to watch it happen um, especially when you’ve lived it and you really you you just see all that hard work go to waste and you feel like it like what was it like.
It doesn’t even feel like it was worth it at that point I mean.
Obviously it was and you keep moving forward, but briefly for a brief amount of time.
You’Re, just stuck in your feelings because you’re like damn like I literally I didn’t lose that [ __ ] yeah right, that’s exactly it yeah, I remember being so pissed off at the end of that fight that um, you know at the end when they saw the Doctors, like ma’am, you have to calm down your heart rate, is so high right now and I’m like I’m pissed, I mean I just sacrifice so much, and you know when you’re, starting out your career, you’re you’re, not getting these huge payouts.
I mean when you put in you’re, not getting back at all um and it was just it was.
You know everything combined.
That was that was my moment to be like hey, that first fight was a fluke but um.
My opponent did end up reaching out to me and say hey.
I know when I take an l and that was a loss so yeah, you know whatever doesn’t give me my w back, but it you know at least yeah.
It signifies a little bit that she gave you enough respect to let you know that she knew she knew what really happened most Fighters would never do that.
No so kudos to her.
For that, that’s for sure, and who knows maybe you’ll get to fight her again.
I mean, I don’t know, is she still fighting, I’m not sure I don’t know.
I haven’t seen her names, so I don’t maybe she’s not fighting anymore, but you never know.
Maybe right she’s a little bit older now.
So I don’t know if she’s retired or you know yeah, I haven’t heard the name in a while – so maybe maybe she’s not biting, maybe she’s retired, but either way.
Still at least you got the rematch with her, and everybody knows how it went so right um, but you did get to fight again for the ABF title in 2018 against is it she and Geist Cheyenne, gist? Okay, just Shane just see at the time um so tell us a little bit about that fight and how it felt.
Finally, winning your first title.
So came back down to uh 147, which um I’m comfortable, fighting at and uh staying so active.
So it’s still in shape from the last fight.
It was, I want to say, six months after the the fight for the ABF before and um yeah I just came in and you know I’ve won unanimously.
I there was a moment in where the ref broke.
His part – and I was like oh – I almost got her out of there um.
It was a great fight, uh, pretty sure she never fought after that, again um and yeah.
You know I got my.
I got my belt back so that was, you know, awesome to get and yeah 147, where I naturally feel strong um great moment I had so many fans and at there to so many fans there to watch me um, which made the moment even better yeah yeah.
It’S always nice, when you can have your family and friends there, because uh that doesn’t happen, often when you’re traveling.
That’S for sure, especially you know where it’s at they can’t always make it yeah yeah! Well, I know it’s expensive is enough for us.
Let alone have asking family to Fork out some money to, for you, know traveling and hotel and food, and you know all that good stuff, so um, it’s always nice when you can have them there to watch.
You shine, that’s for sure, yeah um.
So, after that you jump straight up to in 2019, fighting everybody knows and I’m pretty sure everybody watching the show knows Hannah Rankin um.
She is a well-known fighter.
Um and you jumped up took that fight.
It was for the IBO World title um.
I definitely have not had the pleasure of watching that one, because I even asked you I sent you a message.
Where is this fight? Because I need to see it and I it’s not posted anywhere.
So if you guys want to see the fight um, it’s not online, so don’t waste your time looking it up, because you can’t find it because it was online, but they ended up taking it down um.
Unfortunately, great fight um, I don’t know if it’s because you know the commenters were ripping her a new one.
How good I looked.
No I’m just kidding but um.
No, you know um, it was a good fight and it was entertaining and the comment commenters made it even more entertaining well man.
I don’t know you got to see if you can get a hold of um the promoters or something see if they’ll give you yeah.
Actually, I did, I did get a hold of them and they said it would be like this ridiculous amount of money in pounds, and I was I I was like: that’s not worth it so well.
I was like you know, fifteen thousand pounds or something wait.
It out somebody will probably post it yeah, hopefully right yeah, just wait it out.
I mean I’ve seen a lot of fights online that I’ve never seen before with with people like sneaking them out there and putting them on YouTube or whatever so it may.
It may resurface it may resurface um, but yeah.
You definitely feel like you won that fight.
I would love to watch the fight and, like I said, hopefully we’ll get to see that fight one day, because um, I’m sure it was a good fight with your fight style and her fight style.
It had to that made for a good match.
Yeah.
She couldn’t touch me, I mean um.
There was there were so many moments in that fight.
I remember one time you know just me having fun and even the commenters at the time they were like.
Oh look at the American she’s just smiling.
This is natural.
This isn’t something that’s taught.
This is just natural skill, natural talent.
I remember kind of like winging my fist down at the ground.
Like oh made, you look and I hit her with the jab just nice and hard, and I was just laughing and I was like.
Oh, I see like you know, and I I remember in that moment I was in her hometown and I went through so many things in that camp and once it got to the moment of being in the ring, I didn’t feel nervous.
I just felt like I’m gon na I’m gon na win like I know, I’m gon na win like I didn’t come all this way not to win, and I know that they don’t want me to win, but unfortunately they gave it to her again decision.
I had me up seven rounds to three, but what are you gon na? Do I mean it’s boxing, so it is it’s definitely boxing um I mean it is what it is well um, for example, um.
Let’S take the Serrano Cruise fight.
Did you watch that yeah um? I would love to know what you thought about the fight that was.
That was a crazy fight.
It wasn’t crazy.
I have my own personal opinion on it, but I want to hear what you think.
I think it was a hard fight to score um.
I don’t know I mean the scores were at the end.
I think a little off um was it.
Was it unanimous uh? I think it was unanimous.
I mean I could.
It definitely should have been a split if anything, right um.
I think it was unanimous all for Serrano, I believe um.
If it was a split.
I’D, have to go back and look at it.
Now I would I I was thrown by the whole thing with the amount of the scorecards the if it, even if it was a split, the two that she won um.
It was like almost every round and I was very disappointed in that um yeah.
I didn’t think that I didn’t think that either I thought it was.
I thought it was a very good fight, um and I was just disappointed in the scoring of the cards, because Crews uh fought her ass off and I feel like Serrano um and I love Serrano, it’s Toronto.
If you’re listening, no disrespect whatsoever, you’re tremendous and you will be an absolute Hall of Famer tremendous fighter but yeah that fight, I feel, like Cruz Serrano, had a hard time hitting her.
The way that she was fighting.
She was Landing ten to one to surround us and I want to see the punch count.
They never did show the punch count.
I want to see the punch, the punch, dance, uh yeah because she probably did throw more Cruz, probably did throw more punches.
I think she threw a lot more punches and she was Landing.
Serrano has never looked like that in a fight she was Landing punches um.
I think that’s Serrano’s, toughest fight.
I agree um and I just felt really bad for Cruz um, because, regardless of the outcome, they already had the rematch with Taylor set.
So there was absolutely no way in hell that they were going to let her lose that far no um.
So I was just kind of a little disappointed with with how it all came out um For Crews uh, but it was a great fight and I am looking forward to um watching the rematch with her and Katie.
I think it’s going to be, I think, they’re.
Both going to be different Fighters, it’s like I do too.
I do too so yeah, I’m looking forward to that and um, seeing which one can one up the other, because it’s going to be they’re both gon na come out completely different Fighters.
I don’t think either one will look the same no, and I think that Katie is that fighter that the second time you have to fight her, it’s gon na be different, she’s gon na adapt, because she already fought you before.
I think she’s gon na come out a little different yeah, so it’s gon na make for a really good rematch um, like you said, with Cruz.
They already had that plan.
You know yeah, but we will see Cruz again, there’s no way that we’ll definitely see her again.
Cruz is a tremendous fighter, we’ll definitely see her again um and hopefully, after the Taylor, fight her and Serrano carry match.
Because that’s the fight, I would pay to see.
Um, I would absolutely love to see that rematch, because it was a that was definitely fight of the year.
So far, definitely fine um for men and women.
I think just men and women, 100 men and women, and I I would 100 pay to see that rematch – that one could even do be a Trilogy.
I mean that’s going to be go down as those two are going to be.
Like that’s gon na be like the match-up of the century.
I mean you’re talking um, you know both of them come from that kind of that kind of fighting style, background um and it’s just explosion, action so yeah.
I can’t wait.
I really hope those two get at least get a rematch, if not a trilogy um, because that that was exciting, definitely exciting, so um, which I’m very familiar with, because I fought in Hammond Indiana um.
I fought Mary McGee in Indiana um and gave her her first loss in Indiana um, so I’m very familiar with Hammond Indiana and Mary um.
Did you know that I was at that fight? I did not know that you were at that fight yeah.
I was at your fight on February 8, 2020.
um.
I came to support the all-female card um, so I drove down with my my dad and my brother came with me and we drove down and we were actually ringside.
So that was the first time I got to fight watch you fight live um.
I didn’t get to ever talk to you afterwards, but um, but yeah Tish was fighting on that card, like I had to come support Tish um.
I came to support Mary, of course, because it was her her card um.
That was the first time I got to watch Bridges fight in person I mean so many of them were there yeah.
I didn’t get to actually speak to a lot of them um, but I was ringside so I did get.
I was there and I did get to watch you fight there.
So um you did win that fight, um, unanimous decision.
I believe um and I can’t okay.
Oh Christina Berry, I was like shoot, I’m stuck on who you were fighting um, Christina Berry.
I thought you had a very good performance in that fight, yeah, yeah, absolutely um, so yeah that fight was kind of put together.
Last minute, I want to say I found out about my opponent five days because we weren’t sure if I was gon na be on the card or if I was, but at the time Tish um and I met at a photo shoot and that’s the first time.
I ever met, I knew who she was um.
She is one of my role models, latidia Robinson, my idol um.
The first was she she’s, the first female champ of Chicago, correct yeah.
I believe she was champ.
Yes, she was champion before Rita yeah and then I believe after Tish was Rita and then there was me um and then there was Jessica and then now you yeah um, so Letitia and I became really good friends for that and I helped her with her camp And um I was actually the first female to ever spar with her.
She said so um I saw her at the photo shoot um we were at Mary, Jim and Mary invited us to come.
You know get some photos and exposure for our fights um and we ended up becoming really great friends.
She would travel to my gym.
I would travel to her gym um and it was just an awesome experience to be with like one of the greats um.
One of the pioneers of boxing and just get to train with her.
We had a lot of fun um, you know in the back, it was just you know, meet her.
We prayed together before our fights um.
It was just an amazing experience to have with somebody who’s just one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet yeah in the ring yeah, not in the ring, but um yeah, and it was just a really awesome experience to just get to become really good friends with Her and uh her night, you know, keep in touch all the time, so um, no just an awesome person that was the best part about that fight, um yeah just and have like a new friend, a new, stable mate yeah.
Somebody knew somebody old somebody old somebody knew something borrowed something new that yeah um.
We have a couple comments I better get to before.
We keep going on um night Gangsta 24, thanks for joining in and he’s they.
I don’t know if it’s he he or she, but they said that definitely had to be a tough fight against Hannah Rankin.
I’M sure, no, that’s what they said.
They had to be a tough fight against I’m sure they didn’t see the price um.
Actually, I felt like that was one of my easier fights believe it or not, um, not because I’m not taking anything away from her skill.
I just don’t know if it was the whole camp and everything I had to go through to get to that point.
Right.
Um, but once I got in there it was just let’s go, you know I felt like it was.
I felt like it was my hometown at that point.
You know yeah um, but no, it was.
It was a great opportunity and it got me the exposure um, but I wouldn’t I wouldn’t say that was one of my toughest opponents.
I believe you, I believe you um and it was and Hannah was.
I think she only had like six fights at the time.
Two, so you guys were pretty even as far as six and three six and three okay, okay, so a little bit more experience, but yeah I mean not like uh.
It’S not like.
You were ages apart in an experience in the pros um, so yeah, I’m sure it made for a good fight either way.
Yeah um Tony welcome in thanks for joining us, and he says he thinks it was 98 93 on all cars for the for the Serrano Cruise fight.
I do too that actually now that you say that I do believe it was unanimous decision, and I think that sounds about right.
He had uh Serrano up 98 93.
yeah.
He thinks that all three judges scored at 98.
93 for Serrano, so basically they gave two rounds or three rounds.
Three rounds to Cruise those rounds are there was a lot of close rounds, yeah yeah.
There was thanks Tony for that info because I could have Googled it while we were on here, but I didn’t it wasn’t that serious.
It was still a great Point.
Yeah.
I think we’re still a great fight, but thank you for the info.
That’S why I always like when the people in the chats help you out, because they they know facts, I’m not looking at stats right now.
I’M just talking um so appreciate you guys uh, but yeah, going back to Tish um I’ve known titians G’s, my amateur days, um, because when I was amateur I’ve she was training, she was training um.
I can’t even remember her name for the life of me right now.
I don’t know why, but a girl that she was training in the amateurs um.
I fought twice um, okay kind of what is her name.
It’S like right on the tip of my tongue, anyways.
I fought her twice because the first time I fought her and I beat her um Tish – was really really upset um.
She was so mad that I beat her passionate, yeah um, and so we got the opportunity to fight again on another card, and I remember the time that I fought her in the rematch.
I had the flu and I was like uh.
I was like it was bad and I was like man I don’t know like.
I couldn’t breathe out my nose.
You know how it is when you’re sick and I was like man – I don’t know and I’m like well.
I can’t back out of this fight because I don’t want to look like you know, so we went and fought and I beat her.
I beat her the second time, but I was definitely like throwing up and after the fight was over because, oh because I didn’t have no win, I couldn’t breathe um but yeah uh.
I can’t remember if I for like me what her name was but um.
It was good, it was good and um.
I commend her for that because she definitely she took it serious.
She she believed in her Fighters and she still does um and she’s a great great great person um it’s funny because after I came to that fight of yours in Indiana um, I started talking to Tish again after that and um she’s like oh, you got to Come out of retirement like we got ta, we got ta show up all these youngsters like we got ta the old school like old school.
We got to come out and show them what the old school’s all about and man I thought about it.
I definitely thought about it at the time I was contemplating it um and then I got pregnant not too long after that, with my youngest um he’s 20 months, so yeah, but like not long after that, but um I contemplated it because Tish was like man, we Can train together because I was still living in Illinois, then we could train together.
We can – and I was like man yeah like we could do this and then yeah and then it didn’t happen, but um yeah, I I contemplated it.
Tish almost had me talked into it.
She almost ain’t even talking yeah you’re, just about school.
These young girls and I said yeah we got ta, show them what we’re all about, but uh, I don’t know if she fought since then I haven’t seen her name out there since then.
Oh, she hasn’t fought, but I think she is training at the training.
Kids at the park district now, okay, yeah, because I know she always definitely worked with with kids, um and stuff, so I mean at least she still involved.
Somehow I I don’t think that’ll ever change um, but I was like man.
She made her comeback fight and then I haven’t seen her thank you pandemic hit, so all of us were kind of sitting still like what are we going to do we’re gon na and anybody that was fighting.
It was going to be on a Big Show, and you know we’re now.
Finally, seeing women yeah on you know these bigger promotions, which I feel like we need to see more.
You know I feel like I agree.
Every card should have a woman’s vow if not two yeah yeah, I agree 100.
I agree um and I really think that the Serrano fight should have been all female card.
Yeah um.
I actually thought it was up until like right before and I was watching the undercards and all oh, the weigh-ins actually um and I’m like they have like three or four guys on the card.
I thought it was an all-female card um.
It should have been an all-female card uh, I think, but I mean it is what it is we get put on the guy’s cars.
I guess it doesn’t hurt to put them on our cards sometimes, but, like one would have been fine, the rest could have been females.
I don’t know I’m being selfish, it would be awesome like they had Serrano, vs Cruz or with this Serrano versus Taylor.
It’S like, why not have a couple major Mega fights, whether it’s men or women, but stereo, I’m like all right.
Let’S have the main card, be the women and then we’ll have the co-main be huge.
Let’S I’m just gon na throw Caleb plant versus Benavides.
Let’S just say that would be the co-main and then do another crazy.
Well, here’s why that would never happen is because the men would never agree to that nope.
They want it never like we have to.
We have to be okay with being the co-main like for years.
Actually, if we get to be the co-main actually for years, we couldn’t even be the co-main.
We were like the cards before the cards yeah the prelims.
Even our title fights we’re not even not even on the cards um, I fought televised.
I want to say two or three times and one was on the best damn Sports show.
When I fought in California it wasn’t all females card um.
That’S where I met Chevelle Hall back in California and Terry Blair and um Kalisha West.
I met so many people at that fight card uh.
It was all female card so that one and then the title – fight rematch with Mia St John in Mexico of course, was televised because it was in Mexico right.
It was MIA St John, but we were the coal main.
We were not the main event um and then I think the Olivia grew in Canada.
Fight was televised in Canada.
I don’t think it was televised in the states, though um and actually the Alicia actually fight New York, I think, was streamed, but it wasn’t televised.
So a few times, but I was only the main of I don’t even know – I think I was the only the main event once maybe twice but Cole made it once or twice but yeah.
Usually, we didn’t even get that so we’re making a little bit of progress um I got the main the main event but um when I fought Cheyenne for the belt here in my hometown.
It was the only title fight on the card and we were like the fourth fight, yeah and – and I had so many people and by the after my fight the whole place just cleared out.
It was like almost empty yeah, so I was like why not? Why not make it the main event yeah it’s dumb um.
I know that when I was in the heat of my career, I wanted to fight overseas, so bad, like every single fight, because one they were making not like the men make, but a little bit more money um than we were making and they got the exposure And the respect over there yeah, I wonder if hyena menzer, so bad um, I tried to fight her so many times her and um.
Oh, I can’t think of her name right now.
It’Ll come to me later, but there’s another one over there.
That held the belts for a long time um, but I tried to fight them so many times um, but they they declined.
But I mean it is what it is, but yeah, that’s just because over there they were getting the respect.
They were getting the card time.
Um, you know they were getting Maynard co-maine.
They were making a little more money, they were always televised over there um and it’s famous over there.
I can tell you out of all my fights, the one that I, where I felt like a celebrity was in Mexico and it’s surprising because it was the Mia St John fight um.
Obviously it was the rematch because I you know she felt like she was robbed.
The first time when she fought me when I was 3-0 and she won the rematch in Mexico, but boxing over there is like, like you, have to drink water to survive.
I mean everybody loves boxing over there um and I was there for a week and a half before because we had to do like you know the pre-frite workout the public work out.
We had to do the press conferences like after a press conference.
We had to do um like we went to a local hospital for the WBC.
Charity cares um and we we did signings and took pictures with the kids.
This you know, I mean we did a lot of stuff while I was there, but I couldn’t leave the hotel room without people bombarding me um to go eat or to go.
I wanted to go like shop, the little markets and that’s the only time in my entire career that I actually felt like.
I was somebody um.
The guys feel like that.
Every day I mean I can walk around locally and one or two people might recognize you.
I mean over there I mean everybody wanted photos, everybody want autographs, I just it’s just because they care so much about the sport and they respect the athletes so much um that I think everybody wants to fight over there and that’s why all the fights today, most Of the big fights are overseas somewhere because I mean we’re starting to make more money here, but the money over there is phenomenal.
Compared to here I mean it’s, you know, but we’re still making strides we’re making good strides.
I can’t say we’re not growing yeah um.
So after that fight that I watched you fight at um, you did, I think, that’s when you made your career change and you decided to switch coaches and start working with Sam.
So tell us a little about um the career change.
Why you wanted to change it up and make the move and why’d you pick Sam, so Sam’s gym has always been my happy place um before he was even my coach uh.
I numerous fights.
I’Ve spent my birthday there just to train and it’s always just been my happy place.
That was where the girls went on Sunday to spar and um.
I saw how how amazing of a person Sam is he’s just a really amazing person, the things he does for people around him, and he doesn’t.
You know he doesn’t talk about it or anything.
He just does so much for all the fighters at the gym yeah and whether or not they’re gon na be a superstar.
He doesn’t care he.
He he’s just he’s almost like a dad to all of us, yeah and um.
So I was training there and um I’ll do a lot of my camp for the Christina berry fight there, and he helped me with a lot of my sparring he’s the one who got me on the card for um the Honda Civic um Center – and I just You know I felt like that was the place I wanted to make a home um and I did – and you know now, it’s just blown up into something even more amazing than I thought was going to be um I host classes there.
I started a fight team with an amazing group of people, um, some really talented young adults um that I can’t wait until they they’re gon na have their first Golden Gloves this year and it’s the 100 year anniversary.
I know that some of it not someone one of them – are gon na end up being a champion, if not all of them in Golden Gloves.
So I’m really excited for that um.
We have a Tuesday and Thursday morning things Thursdays, we Spar Tuesdays.
We do conditioning um, we work on basic technique and stuff like that, but we just built there’s probably 20 of US 20 21 of us, and we have a men and women too.
So it’s not just men.
It’S women.
We have probably just as many girls as we do guys um, but you know Sam’s.
Let me make a home there and uh.
You know he lets me Teach class and you know he lets me corner with him and he’s just made me feel like an important person at his gym.
So um ended up working out being the best move for me um.
We can’t wait to Showcase what we’ve been working on.
Um we’ve been, you know, we’ve been working, we’re laser focused right now, so we’re just waiting for the right opportunity to present itself for us to take advantage of it.
Yeah I do know um.
I love Sam to death, I mean he, he was the beginning, and I still I mean still to this day, can have so much respect for Sam um and love when I get to see him out and about or if we make it to the fights or Whatever um, but yes, he truly cares.
Um genuinely knows his stuff um inside and outside the ring.
Um he’s very good to talk to um if you’re having problems, no matter if it’s related or or not related, um to the sport, um and just genuinely cares about every single person in the gym always has always will and yeah, like you said, definitely goes above And beyond um, so I was super super glad um to make the choice to to go work with him.
When I turn pro um yeah, it was.
It was phenomenal, and I I want you to talk about because not many people have the opportunity um, but one one of the only times I ever got sparring with females was that Sam’s gym, so um walk us through or just kind of maybe go over, like Some of the female sparring sessions because and some of the girls that are there um just because I know that was literally the only time.
Aside from the time that I traveled to Kentucky to spar with Terry Blair um, I think that’s the only other time I ever sparred with a female, because Sam always had girls whether they were amateurs Pros.
You know um Pioneers whatever there was always at least a couple females, so yeah kudos to sand.
For always having that available um I mean I sparked don’t get me wrong.
I start with a lot of guys there too, but there was always females at one time or another.
There was females where you could get a female day, um, so just kind of tell about that, because I don’t think a lot of gyms have that so um.
Every Sunday we have female sparring just like it was when I went there before I was a Sam um, I want to say we probably have no less than 28 females that show up all shapes and sizes.
So and that’s another thing, it’s hard to find your you know somebody exercise so um.
We have amazing talent that comes in um grows there and green girls that are national champs.
We have um Mary McGee comes in spars she’s.
Actually one of my stable mates somebody.
I look up to um and one of my main sparring partners.
Um.
We have also a young female out of Gregory boxing gym who’s went to all the national champions, her name’s Talia she’s a really good sparring partner.
For me, um rough girl, she’s only 17.
wait till she gets to be in her 20s she’s gon na be one to reckon with um, but uh.
We have oh man, everybody who’s.
The sparring is insane and we all get our rounds.
We all get our time to shine in the ring and Sam does such a great job of coordinating it um.
You know we’ll get that everybody gets that text about oh seven o’clock on Wednesday, hey you ready to spar on Sunday and we show up and everybody’s there.
Contact The Hosts