AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 1
Join me as I sit down with non other than Tracy “The Lady” Byrd! Tracy was one of the first to headline an all Woman’s Boxing Card with Event Entertainment Promotions on PPV, the first to appear as a boxing family (Brother/Sister/Parents) on USA Tuesday Night Fights, first Woman’s Boxing Champion from Flint MI and first to have a World Champion boxing brother work her corner for a World Championship fight where she won the WIBO Jr Welterweight World Title! She was a 3X World Champion, WIBO, IWBF & IFBA World Champion! She is one of the few woman who fought a lot on TV inspiring a lot of fighters. She fought 3X on Tuesday Night Fights & 3X Main/Co-Main Events on PPV. She was also my Hall Of Fame Sister being inducted with me class of 2022 into the IWBHOF! You don’t want to miss her incredible story! TUNE IN!
@Brooke “No Mercy” Dierdorff Millbrook @No Punches Pulled With No Mercy @Tracy Byrd @Talkin Fight #femaleboxing #fighters #badasswoman #stories #champions
Transcribed
[, Music, ], foreign, [, Music, ], hey, hey everybody, how’s everybody doing tonight, um it is your girl, no mercy here, it’s Tuesday night.
So guess what you already know, what time it is it’s time for no punches pulled with no mercy.
Some of you may know who I am, but for those of you that don’t I am your host Brooke Millbrook, Formerly Known in the fight business, is Brooke no mercy deardorff.
I am a retired professional boxer.
I held the WBC lightweight title until I retired and I was just inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame last year um.
I have definitely been through some good, some bad and, of course, a lot of BS in the sport of women’s boxing, but haven’t we all welcome to my platform? This is where we talk the talk and we 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, we’re even going to have some future boxers on we’re gon na get down and dirty and speak the truth of what takes place in women’s boxes And behind the scenes you definitely don’t want to miss one episode.
We’Ve got some great great guests coming on so make sure you like subscribe and share this out to everybody.
We want everybody to know about the show, there’s so much good information from all of the ladies that come on the show for the current future Fighters um so much to learn so make sure you guys are sharing this out on today’s show um.
Hopefully, you guys already saw it posted um, but if not we’ve got Tracy bird in the house.
Tracy was one of the first to headline in all women’s boxing card with Event Entertainment promotions on pay-per-view.
She was the first to appear as a boxing family, with her brother sister herself, obviously, and her parents on USA, Tuesday night fights.
She was the first women’s boxing champion from Flint Michigan and first to have world champion.
Uh boxing brother work her corner for a world championship fight which she won: the wibo junior welterweight World title.
She was a three-time world champion, the former ifba lightweight world, champion wibo Junior welterweight and iwbf lightweight champ.
She is one in the few who fought a lot of televised fights inspiring a lot of other Fighters out there.
She fought three times on the USA Fight Night Friday Night Fights three times as a main co-main event on pay-per-view.
She was also one of my Boxing Hall of Fame sisters who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year with me, please welcome Tracy bird to the show Tracy.
What’S up champ, what’s going on champ how you doing, I am good.
I am good, it’s so good to see you again.
It seems like forever ago already, but it wasn’t that long ago that we were just at the inductions.
But it’s great to see you again.
How have you been man? I’Ve been doing well well blessed, uh, just having a good time living life to the fullest.
Amazing amazing um.
I know I’ll be back there again this year.
Are you going back? Yes ma’am? I plan on uh helping out and uh uh Sue gave me an assignment.
Actually, a couple of assignments, so I’m excited about it to um to bring it back to Las Vegas.
Again awesome awesome! Um! We’Ve already got a few people in the house.
What’S up women’s Boxing Channel, thank you so much for tuning in how are you um? So everybody um probably already know who Tracy is but we’re gon na learn all about her today.
Y’All so um take us back.
First, a little bit tell us a little bit about your childhood um and what it was like growing up in an all boxing family man, I’m gon na start off with one of the famous jokes.
We have uh that somebody dubbed in Flint.
They said when the doorbell rang, the birds came out boxing uh, that’s pretty much uh how it was in our household uh, five, all five of my brothers boxed um and then I came into the fold at the age of 32 and started boxing.
Uh just came from a very athletic family, my sister Lori played uh basketball, just was like all World in basketball and played professional, and my sister Kay ran marathons and uh.
Just everybody did something, and of course my parents were our coaches.
So if we could have had the dogs involved, they would have been running too, but yeah they’ve been doing dog shows or something yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah, but it was very, very competitive.
I mean we all competed against one another in a fun way.
Um.
I remember uh I used to live uh 3295 Spring Valley Drive uh, that’s where we grew up and lived and and uh pretty much in the summertime.
We’D have to get up early in the morning.
Everybody had to run four miles and before you ate breakfast and then we went out and till the till, the garden in the back and everybody had chores to do and uh.
We were very close-knit family, primarily because it was eight siblings and then my parents and and we grew up very poor, so um we didn’t go to – we did well.
Actually, we probably didn’t go to too many birthday parties, and you know, because we couldn’t afford to bring gifts and do things and my mom didn’t want to.
You know have four or five kids going to a birthday party, because we were all a year or two apart so uh, so we learned how to uh love on one another care for one another.
The the older ones took care of the younger ones and and on down through the line, so it was just a very loving family.
Awesome yeah awesome, um very similar to my my mom’s from a very big family.
She had.
There was eight of her brothers and sisters, um very Sim, very similar.
They didn’t have much money so um they didn’t get much for like holidays and all that stuff and uh, but very close, very, very close um.
I was extremely close with my grandparents and all my um just because I think they’re all so close.
That brings everybody together, because we were always together, um, which is nice.
It’S nice yeah um.
So if I I’m pretty sure um from doing my research, which I pretty much knew most of it anyways, but from doing my research, your dad was a well-known trainer along with your mom, who also trained um.
All your brothers, you just said boxed.
Your sister was um really good with basketball um, but your dad did have a career too right.
Yeah yeah, my dad at one time was raid number 10 in the world.
Um yeah fought the likes of Ernie Shavers um was in uh Ali’s uh training camp.
As far as you know, knowing him up north when he was in northern Michigan and and uh um had an exhibition with Sugar Ray Robinson um yeah, my dad was he they caught him the toy block.
He was pretty much like me when it came to boxing.
We were um, um, uh, pretty much contenders.
If you will, I mean you know we went in to to give a show and went into somebody’s backyard and knowing we had to pretty much knock him out to win, but uh put on a good show.
Absolutely absolutely um, so did you always want a box being from the boxing family background, or how did you decide you wanted? I mean you started late, but did you always like feel like you wanted to try that at some point in time yeah it was? It was crazy because uh um growing up my brother Ronnie.
He was a little scrawny, 85 95, not 90 pounder and um.
He didn’t have anyone Aspire with, so my dad threw me in with him, so you know I’d spar with them at a young age and I always knew how to box uh at the age of 16.
My dad was trying to prove a point um because women weren’t in boxing and he wanted to throw me into the national – I mean to the uh.
What was the um, the local golden gloves that that they had had it uh one to put me in and um? I remember him having a discussion with my mom and my mom was like you know.
No we’re not gon na have her fight for you to prove a point, but I was ready.
I was like okay put me in there um, so I I’ve always had a desire always being around my siblings.
You know my brothers um just wanting to be around them, so uh.
We all knew how to box in in some way or another, and I keep I tell people all the time you know you want to put me out in the street.
Fight street fight is way different than boxing.
I don’t think I’m in a street fight uh, but way different, yes way different.
You know you can see with MMA so but um, but yeah.
I’Ve always um knew how to box just uh the the competition level.
Wasn’T there for me as far as women in boxing yes totally understand that um women’s Boxing Channel chimes in said Ain’t It Funny so many times we see certain working class zones Like Flint, producing recognized athletes but like say Liverpool in UK.
Well, there’s a lot of um phenomenal Fighters out of flint and um.
Actually, there you know, there’s a lot of really good fighters from places you wouldn’t expect them to come from, but I think it’s just the background that we all grew up in it’s kind of how it produces it um, but yeah tons and tons of fighters from Flint, yes, yes, I mean uh, I mean, and I know later on, we’ll talk about it properly.
You know with the things that we’re we’ve been talking about: uh uh, Andre Durrell.
Of course my brother Clarissa, that’s my that’s the goat and she’s my goal.
You know um, there’s a lot of a lot of people that came along, especially um, the ones that um came out of Burston field house uh Flynn.
Pal I mean there’s a plethora of boxers that came from these gyms and, and boxing was just our way of life.
It kept us off the street.
It kept us engaged along with basketball and other sports that they had in the city of Flint yeah.
You just kind of got to do something to just keep your keep your focus and keep you off the streets.
I mean that’s kind of like not, I shouldn’t, say everybody’s kind of thought process, but I know a lot of people that was their thought process.
Well, if I can just stay busy doing something that I love it’ll, keep me away from trouble.
You know because trouble a lot of the areas are troubled areas.
So that’s kind of the best thing to do is: keep yourself focused and busy doing something so you’re not running the streets really stuff.
You shouldn’t be doing yeah um.
Yes, I do know, though um just like me um.
I had basketball scholarships and all that stuff, and then I joined this military and I didn’t take that path um, but I know your first love was basketball too.
You and your sister Lori played ball um.
Can you tell us a little bit about your basketball career before boxing? Oh man uh, the gyms were always open.
We were on a podcast the other about a month ago, my sister Lori, and I and um uh Chris, my brother, Patrick, and that’s what we were talking about.
Uh the gems of Flint Michigan were always open back in the day and we played ball uh.
Pretty much I was I’m four years younger than my sister Lori, so I kind of tagged along and there were a lot of girls that were a lot better than me, um and younger than me um, but I was just happy to be there uh.
I thought I’d get a scholarship in in track because I loved uh distance running and then just kind of grew out of it and my parents pretty much said hey, we don’t.
You know we’re poor.
We don’t have any money to send you to college.
If you want to go, you better go on an athletic or academic scholarship, and I was I was pretty smart in high school, but um uh, not to the point where I was going to receive.
You know scholarships for academics, and so I started honing in on my basketball skills and got a scholarship to Grand Valley, State University and best four years of my life um best years of my life, even even today, because the majority of my friends are from Grand Valley, a lot of my closest friends so played four years at Grand Valley, still hold the single assist record there.
It was just a little boy and loved to pass the ball.
So yeah, that’s how it was yeah, yeah yeah.
I sometimes I think back and I’m like man I should have played, but you know, because I had that scholarship and you know young I was just like I want one year off like I just want one year and then I followed somebody that was going to The service – and I mean not, that it was a good experience and it definitely helped me grow up, but looking back I’m like I wish I would have stayed with basketball, but I did meet my husband in the service because he also served and that’s how we Met so it wouldn’t have the same life, so you know everything happens for a reason, so yes ma’am and then I then I found boxing so I mean it all worked out.
At least I mean I did, I’m always doing something like I always had to do something athletic like I had to keep doing so it, but I found boxing so it all worked out.
It all worked out.
Yes, you did start your professional boxing career in 1996.
Um, you immediately got a ton of attention uh by appearing on the same cards as your well-known brother, which most people probably know Chris bird um.
He fought from 93 to 2009 was a two-time heavyweight world champion um beating Vitali klisko for the WBO title in 2000 and won the ibf heavyweight title, defending defeating Evander Holyfield in 2002.
.
Um did you enjoy fighting on the same cards? Obviously, since you guys are so close and you’ve already explained that you did um and then how was it, the experience was such a fast-paced media attention.
Was that, like a lot to take in man, it was crazy uh.
Only because I, when I started boxing, I was 32 years old.
My dad put me in with my brother, Patrick he’s uh.
I think Patrick’s about four yeah four years younger than me and about the same weight um and he pretty much told him to just you know whoop my tail and see if this is for you and and I’m crying and snotting.
And you know just fighting and uh when it was all said, but done you know my dad was like: oh, oh, okay, you can box and that it it was just a whirlwind from there because they just came from the Olympics.
92 Olympics um.
They were, you know, propelled and stuff.
People were really chasing Chris uh and it was just a whirlwind and when they started Tuesday night fights, it was like hey put her on, and I was kind of like the four round.
Opener and yeah.
Three four fights were on Tuesday night fights and it was crazy.
I mean it, you know the attention because um it to me, and I don’t know if we’re going to talk about it, maybe a little later, but you know everyone knows if people in boxing knows Christy Martin, DJ, gorgey fight set the tone.
Um brought back brought back the dead.
You know the the one, the fighters that were in the 70s 60s and 70s and brought it back to life, and that was my um.
That was my thing when I saw them, I told my dad.
I could do this.
Uh yeah, I can do that if they can do it, I can do it there.
It is so when it when it put me in the Limelight with Tuesday night fights, then it brought out uh, Jackie Collins on me, and you know: um um, uh, event, entertainment and and that’s what uh kicked off my career, because at the time it was so Cool because David Sage got arrested, so he was a promoter for Chris um at the time and getting the Tuesday night fights and different stuff and – and I didn’t get locked into a management contract and I’m sure we’ll probably talk about that later.
The the the mess of boxing yeah, but he didn’t lock me into a contract.
He just said: hey, you do what you need to do and we will support you and um.
That was just that.
That was the support just of the whole city and because of my brother Chris and because of his Fame, I was able to just grab on his coattail and and ride it out.
Yeah, which I mean is phenomenal and you’re, not the only one.
That’S ever done that I mean um Laila Ali immediately um because of her dad um.
You know, but I think everyone I I think for in Jackie Frazier, but I think there’s so many um, but everybody proved their own like they took their own name.
I feel by the end of their career um, because you know a lot of people.
Probably at first are thinking: oh well, you know they’re just they’re just in there because of who they’re related to or the name the name um, but everyone uh that I can think of all the females that took after somebody um.
I feel like made their own name, they paved their own way and they proved that they that they needed to be in there that it wasn’t just.
They were doing it just because um right right so but yeah um, not the only one to come up like quickly but yeah.
It was perfect timing.
I think for you to hop on in there um yeah, but yeah.
You definitely took off right away, but sometimes that’s good, especially starting at 32.
You kind of wanted a faster post career yeah.
I didn’t have time I didn’t have time.
I didn’t have time to find an amateur okay.
It was like really uh yeah, just jump just throw me in there uh throw me into the Wolves.
Let’S do this, let’s see what we can do, um on um August, 2nd 1997.
You did win a convincing but very tough 10-round decision over unbeaten, Canadian, Nora Daigle, who was 3-0 against some very experienced Fighters, and she had knocked all out all of her opponents um.
But with your aggression, boxing fundamentals, you were able to keep the fight under control and you took home the ifba lightweight World title um, tell us about the fight and how it felt to win your first world title man.
It was, it was crazy uh.
I remember being at Southwestern High School um, anybody that’s tuned in from Flint.
They know that there’s a Derby track thing that leads down the back of Southwest High School and you run the heels – and I remember my dad just shouting in my ear every every time we were there.
You know this is four World titles for World title you’re, going to be the first in Flint to win a world title.
You can do this, you know and just the preparation.
It was literally literally like Rocky, like the movie Rocky yeah, yeah and uh.
It was just it was so man, it was just a great experience.
Um.
I remember my brother Chris saying man.
I should have been there because I think something’s going on as far as with boxing on his end and he couldn’t make the fight and it was on pay-per-view and and they were tuning in and I got knocked down.
I don’t know if you know it, I got knocked down and I want to say maybe the fifth sixth round and um.
It was like a flash knockdown, but I felt it and when I got up it was like wake up like girl.
You better bring this home and uh just put it on her I mean it was.
It was a really really great fight on both ends and um and yeah.
It was my first title and uh yeah.
I don’t think I read about the knockdown.
I read a lot of articles on it and I don’t know that I read about the knockdown, but I just read how close of and like awesome fight it was like very it was very good competitive fight.
Yes, yes, that’s so good for boxes for women’s boxing when you get those fights.
Yes, she was one she.
She was one when I when I when I thought I think I want to want to say it was maybe um uh at 1 30, which is really hard for me to hold um around that weight, and I was glad I went up uh from Junior lightweight To lightweight to 135, it was a lot better for me, a lot comfortable for me: yeah yeah, it’s yeah, easier to make weight and uh maintain not be so dehydrated.
I did that.
One time I went down.
I was fighting it because I fought from one to a feather weight: 126, all the way to lightweight 135 and one fight.
I got called for a world title fight at 122.
and I’m like it’s only four pounds yeah.
That would be the hardest thing I ever did in my entire life.
I didn’t have four pounds to lose, but I’m like it’s only four pounds like that’ll be super easy.
No, it was like all the way up till the day of weigh-ins like I was still cutting weight because I didn’t think I was going to make weight and I only had to lose four pounds um when I was so dehydrated and like I was not myself.
So I would never do that ever again, like I was like nope.
Don’T even call me right.
Thanks, bye I’ll, go up and wait.
I can’t go down anymore, like that’s, not happening, yeah people don’t realize like and it it like, and I get so when I see people like walk around at like 180 190 and they go down and fight at like 168 or 154.
I’M like how and why yeah like people don’t know yeah people don’t understand, like you say, the cut, there’s not no fat, no, nothing! No! Water left to cut and uh it’s crazy, yeah! Yeah! That’S why I mean after I did that that one time the rest of my career, I’m like I will fight it.
What I walk around at and up period, yeah, I’m not losing I’m not putting my body through that ever again, like never um, it’s not easy.
Um and plus like back then I didn’t have like I didn’t, have a manager and a promoter and like it was just me and my husband, I didn’t have all that extra stuff.
I didn’t have a nutritionist.
I didn’t.
I didn’t have time today.
I worked.
I worked full-time, you know, probably the same as like.
I didn’t, have all that luxury, so it wasn’t easy like I didn’t, have like.
Okay, will you eat this this and this you’ll lose a pound or two like right? I mean it was I mean I dieted, but the best you know that’s about as far as you can um so yeah, no, not for me um.
But yes, you were the very first woman in Flint Michigan to win a world title.
Um tell us how special that moment was for you and did um did, did Flint, do anything special for you or did they have like any kind of ceremony or like party or anything yeah yeah? I I um, you know when um I started the Google.
I was talking to my brother Chris last night and I’m like was I the first woman or was I the first person you might have been the very first person actually now that you say that exactly because we we started researching it, and I didn’t see anyone Else that had won a title from foot before me and the thing about it.
When I started looking at some of the Articles as we started talking about it and they didn’t even acknowledge me as winning they meaning the media.
When I started Googling didn’t even acknowledge me as far as winning a world title out of Flint um, and then they put well yeah because they didn’t even Chris won the title after you yep.
He came after I won in 97, Chris won in 2000.
yep and uh, Andre Darrell won in 2014 and then the goat came along uh Clarissa and I think curse was 2017 2017 or 18.
yeah yeah yeah.
So so yeah, I think.
Actually, you probably are the very first one, male or female, correct.
I believe so even acknowledge that, for you, though, they did a huge thing for Clarissa yeah yeah yeah.
Well, they um and no and not not Flynn, don’t get me wrong.
No Flint Flint did me.
Well, but I’m talking about as far as the media when I Googled to see the information you didn’t see anything on it correct it wasn’t anything.
The only place I fought on was W band yeah.
See that see.
That’S that! That’S our! That’S our sight! That’S our site, I mean that’s the only place when I saw that yep no offer women and I mean I did a lot of.
I do a lot of research because I like try to get like the nitty-gritty everything I could like.
You know everything I can find out there to ask and then try to draw other stuff.
So people really get to know you um, you know, but yeah.
That was the only place.
I saw that W band yeah anybody listening wban.
com.
If you want to know anything about women’s boxing or any boxer, that’s the site to go to it’s the most accurate um women’s Boston channels, uh, okay, yeah.
I was looking at one of the uh one of the uh.
The comments there on the on the question.
Yeah yeah, you know you know what um first, I’m gon na I’m gon na hit on just right, quick Flint love, my city, uh, yes, love my city, and they did yes, yes and gave me a plaque honorary from from the state uh the congression um.
All the way to the city acknowledged me gave me plaques, um and um.
You know just just did a a great celebration for me and I I really appreciate my city um and then, but I just want to touch on right, quick, just to side note on Laura Serrano two times in uh McCarter three times, and this is so crazy Because when I fought Laura Serranos the first time um I had the belt um, I thought I won um she.
She, obviously you know they.
They gave a decision.
I thought it could have went either way and you know we as boxers.
You know when you won or lost.
You know, you know when it’s close and it’s like ugh.
I remember my dad whispering in my ear and he said, but you have the title so it should.
You know the points whatever they typically sway towards the title holder.
Yeah and that’s cool: this is the thing when it comes to boxing.
I just want to address this, and I told this to uh Layla Layla dear good friend, for water three times and it’s crazy Split Decision, unanimous draw.
You know the fights could have went either way and we both have said that my thing when it came to boxing was I used to always tell these.
Ladies: don’t leave your day job.
We made nothing in boxing.
The only person that made money that I can say that I can attest to that was compared to men was Laila Ali and Christy Martin.
Everybody else get in line with me.
My highest purse was ten thousand dollars for and see and that’s a title fight 10 round title fight in Mexico.
My my minimum in my contract was always my maximum.
You know – and I know we kind of jumping around, but we know that’s okay, we can still.
We can touch on it more.
That’S fine they’re asking questions um, but yes, and I think I’m actually glad that you said that, because out of all the people that I’ve had on here, aside from myself you’re the only ones – that’s ever said what their highest purse was, nobody else wants to say That – and I said that’s the point of this – show we’re retired.
Who cares? Yes, yes, um, but I feel like people need to understand that we all did it, because we love the sport of boxing and to grow the sport of boxing.
It wasn’t for a paycheck um, I worked full-time, I mean all of us work, full-time jobs.
Most of us were mothers.
We trained a couple hours like there was no time um and busted our ass and then like.
When I went to Mexico – and I fought me a St John – the second time to defend her title because she wanted the rematch it had to be in Mexico – I was like no problem.
I had to go there a week early because you had to do the public work.
I mean it’s huge in Mexico when you box, I don’t know, if did you box in Mexico? I don’t know? No.
No! I never! No okay! Well boxing over there.
It’S insane, like, I felt, like a freaking main actor TV celebrity when I went to Mexico.
That’S like – and I was the opponent like, but I couldn’t go anywhere without autographs pictures like it was insane um and I you know I was just coming in opponent to fight me as Saint John, but um I’d already fought her once so.
People probably already knew you know there was a big rematch thing, but right I had to take off work for like 10 days for that fight to go for the you know, the pre-frite workout, the public work out, the interviews you know and by the time – and I made four thousand dollars for a WBC Title wow and I was just like think about it.
Really.
I mean I actually lost money because I took off work, so I lost all that time off work I mean so people just don’t really fathom.
I guess yeah.
We didn’t make any money like literally half the time we spent money yeah to do it uh.
So I’m glad that you said that just because it makes me feel a little better like a little weight off my chest and I’m not the only person out there.
That’S ever said that um well, I feel like people should know, I mean and girls, even today, no they’re still not making equal but yeah some of and some of them, and not all some of them are still making the same pay.
We were making back in the day, but there’s a select few that are making money and and it’s growing so yes, yes, we are making a little bit of yeah we’re dealing answers here.
Yeah.
We are revealing answers with an unboxing channels – yeah, oh yeah.
I don’t have nothing to hide.
No, I mean that’s why I said I’m retired.
I could give two s’s what people I mean.
I don’t care, that’s the point of this show people can learn.
Everybody’S stories are so different and we all have a story to tell.
We all have information that Fighters can use that they can learn from yes and take it in like.
I feel like that’s what these new Fighters need to like.
Listen to some of these stories like they’re such good stories, yes um, but okay back on point back on point and the women’s Boxing Channel, he will be and they’ll be asking lots of questions.
There’S another one out: uh wow 4K for a world title green couch, went to USA, slept on the staircase the night before her world title and got paid nothing Madness yeah.
It doesn’t surprise me does not surprise me one bit um and I had to fight for that 4K.
I was like absolutely not going for anything less and that and I shouldn’t have went that low um.
But if you wanted to fight, I mean you really didn’t.
Have a choice I mean they’re like hey, um, 2K um to fight so and so for WBC World title yeah, take it or leave it.
I mean there was really no negotiating back then yeah.
It was either you want it or you don’t period, we’ll call someone else correct.
That was how it was um.
So, on November 13 1998, you did win your second world title um for the iwbf lightweight title.
You won this fight with your stick and move style, and you frustrated your opponent.
Um did you? Do you feel like that? Fight was pretty easy for you yeah, and it’s it’s something that that you, you would uh accent only because um I’ll never forget my brother, saying it looked like a sparring session.
Okay, that’s that’s how easy it was yeah, um, nothing against Kareem, uh, great fighter, and all of that and I went to her – went to Minnesota to fight her um.
However, it it was just you, I mean it was easy.
It was an easy fight, um and, and it’s crazy – I don’t know it just as far as behind the scenes of people.
I I think there’s a difference with women and than men.
Maybe I don’t know, but we hung out afterwards.
You know it was like Hey.
You know before the fight yeah to stare down.
I can’t stand you I’m about to knock you out, but afterwards it’s like girl what you doing how’s the family.
What’S going on, you know um, but yeah interviews, yeah and but to me it was it was that was probably one of my my my easier fights um and primarily because of my style.
She was more of a follower.
You know um, I yeah jab moved.
You know um did my my Pernell Whitaker, which was my boy and God Rest her soul, but that you know yes, I met her now he is amazing.
He was at one of my fights um.
I think the one when I fought Mary McGee.
Actually, I think, is the one I met him at and he started it was, and I know it was because he started so much mess at the weigh-in.
He was like in my ear like, since they do they’re doing this this this and then he would go over there and say then she’s doing this.
I was like you better.
Stop it you’re starting drama.
Stop it.
I tell you two guys.
I I give kudos to unboxing boxing other than my you know my my brothers.
My family is, and Chris will tell you in a minute.
I love me some sweet pea and I love me some Jesse James Lehigh.
To this day those two I mean his style was undeniable um.
Yes, so awesome to watch, um, yeah God Rest his soul, yeah, but amazing, amazing person.
I mean hilarious.
He was so funny.
It was so great meeting him um yeah, amazing person um.
So let’s see um then, after that you did have a two-year layoff and then um on May 19 2001.
You defeated Brenda Vickers easily to take the vacant.
Ifba InterContinental Junior lightweight title um.
Do you feel, do you feel, like you, had any ring rust from the layoff and then like? Was it a choice of a layoff or you just couldn’t get fights? I know people always asked when I had and I didn’t have that long of a layoff, but I had layoffs, sometimes just because I couldn’t get fights um, because I didn’t have the promotions and the management, but people always would say well, you know ring Rush.
You’Re gon na have ring Rush you’re gon na, and I never really felt ring rust because I always stayed active um.
But do you feel like you had ring rust or did it affect you at all? No no didn’t affect me at all um and to everything you said.
Uh staying active, you know my dad’s gym was always open.
I mean we, that’s all we knew was boxing.
You know it’s like go to the gym.
Work out play some ball.
Uh stay in shape, um so and always firing and and staying with it and and and two to um, just piggyback off where what you were saying too.
It had to do with management, so um that my separation from event, entertainment and so um.
That was another reason why you know I was.
I was off okay, yeah yeah, I mean I never I never felt any ring Ross just because, like I said like same with you, I always stayed active, so I mean I, I was constantly sparring and doing the same things I would be doing in a fight.
So I didn’t ever feel anything wrong.
I’M sure some people do if they just stop boxing all together and then try to come back.
But if you stay active I don’t feel like there’s any ring rust, correct, Angie.
What’S up girl, um Angie was um Angie.
That said, hey ladies great interview, um.
She was one of the ones that was helping out Sue at the inductions um, one of the amateur Fighters tall blonde Angie.
Were you working the front door? If I remember right, I talked to her for a minute because I was like hey: where was y’all at the table when we came early? Yes, yes, that’s Angie.
She watches every show she’s like she’s, she’s, oh and then she’ll text me after and say.
Oh, my God, like I didn’t, know that and I’m like yeah, that’s what this is for like for you guys to learn.
She said I met her.
I don’t know if she she remembers you.
She just said she remembered you girl, you’re special.
You stick out like a thumb like a sore thumb um.
So then um March 22nd, 2003 Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas.
You did come off the canvas in the second round to win a 10 round Split Decision over undefeated.
I don’t know how to say her.
First name but Relic for the wibo super lightweight title uh.
You did take that fight, though on one week’s notice, and you did hand her her very first loss coming off the canvas how special and how did that feel bad.
It’S so crazy because my sister Lori, my sister-in-law, uh Tracy, and them they were up in the nosebleed somewhere, because you know we could.
It wasn’t like up close up front tickets and they said that.
I got two stories to tell on this because I got to give kudos to a couple people, but they said when they went to sit down.
I was on the I was on the canvas, oh no, that was the.
That was the second time that I that I had actually saw my cousins, the Tweety Birds when uh when I failed foreign ERS, are real.
I’M telling you 100.
I have seen them one time.
One time I have seen them they’re, real um, and so, but but with that fight, uh, the girl and I got ta – give some shout outs because Layla McCarter uh really good friends um.
They asked her to fight and um.
She had management different things.
I was you know I was at home.
I was a school police officer trying to do my thing and she called me and said: hey Tracy, I’m not going to take this fight, but do you want it and I was like sugar, you know I’ll take it.
I’M always ready, and so um uh uh with that fight, doc, Brodus doc Brodus was the coach for George Foreman and you’re gon na see it in the movie.
That’S coming out doc: Broadus was uh when we moved to Las Vegas Chris, and I my dad sent us over to Nevada Partners.
Uh doc Broadus was over there, training and my dad said: hey he’s going to take care of you and he did and he said baby you’re gon na be my first world champion.
I never had a female world champion because for Foreman was his world champion, um Mayo, but he said you’re gon na be my first female world champion.
The thing was Doc: Broadus was probably almost 90 years old.
At the time I mean he walked up the stairs and he said baby knock her out because I don’t want to have to walk up the stairs again.
That was round one two pounds you win 10 Rounds.
I don’t think that works.
Sorry, after four after the fourth round, I don’t think that girl just went back up the stairs, but with that being said, it was a great fight.
I’M I I fight better against southpaws.
For some reason, I think, because I’m ambidextrous and um uh Angelisa was a southpaw and so um, my brother, being in the corner.
We had no answer.
You know how you, when you, when you swell up yeah, pushing the blood out this mug had some little some ice chips, ice chips and what what had happened was her she had on and – and we probably could get in this later as far as what women Wore when it came to boxing, but she had on some beads on her sports bra, okay and when I’d go down, the beads were cutting my face and I was rubbing up against them.
Yeah you’re, rubbing up on them, yeah! Yes, yes, so it was cutting my face, so I go back to the corner.
I’M telling my brother, I said man I’m swelling up.
I said her beads are cutting my face, so he was giving these little ice chips and you know Chris Chris was sweating more than me.
He up in the corner Shadow Boxing and – and it was crazy, but the thing about it was that was the best moment of brother sister corner with a world champion coach and Doc Broadus the best corner I could have ever had and um he Chris is um.
Just a uh um, he has a PHD in boxing as far as studying the sport, and he just straight up said she.
The only thing she got is her left hand she loads up on it.
He said: go in and smother her left hand, which is not common.
You don’t go into somebody’s left hand, you don’t go for danger, but because she had to widen it out to hit me, I was shortening it up and she couldn’t throw it right after she wasn’t getting full force.
It was like half a punch, that’s right.
So after I think it was the fourth round, so she knocked me down, I beat her tail for the next six rounds.
I mean whooped.
I don’t even know how he became a split seriously.
If you look at the fight, we, we watched it a couple months ago me and my brother, and – and it was just a boxing Clinic and um, but I thank God.
I thank God for her.
She, they her camp this.
How crazy this is.
She was like 21-1, and you know where that one loss came from.
They called me at the age of like 52 and said: do you want to come out of retirement to to so she could avenge her one loss.
I was like right and you’re gon na pay me a million dollars all right.
What are you paying? I mean if you’re paying good that right there I 100 would, if you, how much? How long do I have to train okay yeah? They didn’t call me back, so it was all good, so she got that one mark that one mark it was a great fight, she’s, a great boxer.
She went on to do great things um after that, never lost again um, so um.
But that’s that’s the kind of boxing I did.
I know one somebody had put in the comment about the 11-1 and then fighting everybody.
I thought any and everybody that came across yeah and whether it was a title at at 6-0 or uh for a world title at 12 and 10.
Whatever um I came in to spoil a show and to let people know when you said it done um, you either go boo because they robbed me or you’re gon na cheer, because I won right, yeah, absolutely um women’s Boxing Channel.
We will talk about that.
A little bit later, I’m pretty sure, but he was said he didn’t realize you’re a police officer that in mind.
What do you think about Tiara Brown? I think she needs a break she’s 14-0 with 10 Kos and can’t get a decent promoter yeah.
She has no promoter or manager.
That’S the problem.
I’M gon na have to look her up because uh my brother’s gon na be doing some great things.
Coming up and uh prayerfully, we can get some people signed and and do some things with swimming Fighters and and uh, and let them know that we’re here for them, because that’s uh, that’s a problem with boxing boxing I can’t even get into the promoters and and And the commentators and how they’ve killed boxing it’s ridiculous.
I agree 100 and I wish um.
You know.
As my since my coach was my trainer towards the end of my career, I mean I worked with Sam Kalona.
Oh I work with Jesse Torres first.
He was a fighter um when I was amateur and then he didn’t really do Pros.
So then I went to Sam Kelowna, Windy, City, Gym, uh, great promoter from all or trainer.
Trains, lots lots, lots and lots of world champions um, but then there was some fights that I wanted to take and he’s like nah.
Let’S go this way and just and then it was an hour and a half drive to the gym.
So then my husband got his license coach’s license and I just started working with him because I was training with him I’ll work all week and driving to the gym one day a week for sparring.
So I was like.
Why am I I’m gon na keep paying a percentage of my purse first for sparring one day a week right that makes sense um but yeah he for years we’ve talked.
We would love to like open our own gym or do promoting or, but I just don’t.
I don’t have the connections with the problem and the funding like you had there’s so much that people – people don’t realize goes into that.
You can’t just be like, because people ask me that all the time, why don’t you train Fighters? Why don’t you um manage Fighters? Why don’t well, first of all one you got to have money.
Two you got to know.
People um you got ta have connections, you got ta, you know you got ta, there’s a whole lot more.
That goes into yes, I would love to work with female Fighters.
I would love it right.
Um yeah, but you got ta, have the the access to the stuff that you need to do that and the connections or like, like you, said, like you work with your brother like and you guys like come together.
I don’t have that connection, I guess per se and especially like in the area that I was or here it’s just not there’s not.
I don’t know that many people that would be interested in like going in with us for something like that.
So I mean I do work with people if they ask or whatever I’ll work with them and we’ll do lessons or whatever but yeah but yeah.
I think that’s amazing, um.
We need more people working with the females for sure yeah um, so your brother, Chris, the heavyweight World Champ, was in.
Oh, we already talked about that.
He was in the corner for that fight.
We just talked about that.
So see.
Sometimes we jump around and then I have to like my mind’s great because I get it all in order.
Um.
Ah June 28 2003 you faced Belinda laracuente a very known fighter.
Obviously, like everybody probably knows um, you suffered a loss to her, but after the fight you did State someone called the cops.
I just got robbed um tell us about the fight, because I know I’ve definitely been robbed in fights.
I never made like a public statement.
Um about it just because every time I would say something, people would be like: oh you’re, just a sore loser or you’re, making excuses or you’re doing this or just so.
I never um said it until after retirement um and I’ve talked about a couple of my fights on the shows and I’ll continue to talk about the fights.
But I’ve talked about some stuff.
I don’t know if you watched any of those.
You said you watched some of them, but um.
I had talked about some of that stuff um.
But how tell us about that? Fight and obviously you knew like you said we know like 100.
We know if, if we won or lost um, that it was a clear robbery, so tell us a little bit about that.
One man we we flew down to Florida and I’m chuckling, because that right there tells you the fight, yeah.
We flew down to Florida, her hometown, yeah, her backyard, her promoters, and it was all good.
You know I’ll go anywhere.
I don’t.
I don’t care.
You know um.
However um.
It’S believed that she could come on and probably testify to it.
I don’t know if it was true, because I didn’t go to the hospital with her, but I broke her eardrum beat the snot I’d, be just not out that girl and I the crowd booed, that’s how bad it was yeah.
I don’t trip because my money is not in boxing uh.
That’S my change.
That’S coming to America would say: yeah um.
I had a full-time job yeah, but when you work hard, you train hard and you hope to get a fair outcome.
Now we all know you know you going into somebody’s backyard.
Come on you is there promotion, you, you know you, you got a lot stacked against you and that’s cool, because you’re gon na show your skills yeah.
It was one of those where I’m like you.
I normally don’t say: yeah, you know, nah, that that was they should they should have called the FBI.
The CIA brought in swat because yeah somebody took my fight, and that was the only time I’d say come up.
Well, it’s a couple of them, but that was the main one that it was like.
You got, ta be what was y’all watching right so yeah.
So that kind of reminds me of.
Did you watch? I don’t know if you saw it on my Facebook, but there’s a fight not that long ago Chevelle Chevelle hallback fought Sonia drilling.
Who was supposed to be my very first episode? I don’t know if you watched that episode, but if you did, you were probably cracking up laughing.
If you watched my first episode where she didn’t show up um, I was like literally, I was sitting in the Green Room like waiting to go like I was supposed to already be live, and I was like uh well what – and it was my first show.
So you know I was like nervous already and I’m like well what the [ __ ], what am I gon na do now and then I read the email, and I was like send me in like send me right now right right right.
What did you watch that fight? No, I didn’t.
I didn’t watch Chevelle’s fight, she said.
Well, I take it back, I’m sorry, I didn’t watch it live or anything like that.
She sent me the real okay, oh yeah, similar to that robbery, or probably way worse than that one similar similar it was it was it you know um, I just you know.
It’S like come on.
Y’All come on when somebody’s right some of these judges, you almost wonder, did they ever box before, because I know like what are you looking at yes, I know judges that have literally never boxed just was a part of it.
You know family whatever did it and just responding? If you know what you’re doing exactly exactly yeah, because you’re absolutely right, every every uh judge does not have to actually have fought before.
No, but still you come on now come on Chevelle put a weapon on that girl, so it was just.
It was almost comical cause a girl couldn’t hear them.
She couldn’t hear literally.
I was like recording part of it because I was going to send it to her, which I knew she could watch it on the thing anyway.
Probably, but I mean I bought it so I was like I was, and then I literally deleted I mean when they called out decision.
I like threw my phone I was like.
I was like in the commentators I was like you got, ta be [.
__ ] kidding me like what I mean.
Even everybody, the commentators, everybody um, but I was so mad for that one, because I know how hard Chevelle works and I know what she puts into boxing and it takes her so long to get fights and then to get one and get robbed like that.
Yes, I I hurt, like I was half in teared.
I was so upset and like pissed for her all at the same time, um – and I know she was fighting that with the commission.
I need to text her because she I haven’t heard from her.
I need to call her and find out if she ever heard back from them or if they just blew her off, but they were supposed to be reviewing it um last time she spoke with them, so I need to find that out actually now that we brought That up – and we were talking about it – and I wonder what do they do with that? Do they reverse it? Do they I mean they will they will um? She contested the decision which I have done before and I just blew me off.
They never even looked at it um.
I did that in the Garside fight um, when she hit me like 15 times when I was down on one knee um and that should have been an immediate disqualification, uh immediate.
There is no no warning and didn’t even get a warning like didn’t even give her a freaking warning um.
I contested that one.
They never even responded to me um, but they did respond to her and if they watched the fight and feel like it should have went the other way.
Yes, they would either overturn it or even consider it a draw which I’d be.
You know yeah or a no contest like it never happened.
Um Michael Oher.
What’S up buddy? How are you that’s a football player Michael Oher is in the house: hey WB, oh you’re, talking to WC, I’m like hey WBC, it’s been a while um and I have WBC title.
Is that what you meant? No I’m just kidding.
Is that like what we’re the football player, Michael or no Michael or Michael, you didn’t play football? Did you I’m talking about from The Blind Side? Michael Oher? It was his name, Michael Oher.
I can’t believe I have never put that together and and joked with Mike about that.
No, it’s no more! Oh, my bad Michael Oher has his own shows um on talking fights, um and he actually um literally knows everything there is to know about boxing period.
Like you can ask literally any question he can answer the question.
He is very boxing knowledgeable about every Fighter, um great guy, great dude um, so you did face uh, so so many great opponents um.
I commend you for that same career path.
I took um.
I just wanted to fight the best of the best period.
Um didn’t care who it was where it was didn’t care.
Really.
I mean I cared about the outcome, but sure didn’t always get the outcome.
I wanted, but that’s what that’s, what it was um and starting at a late age of 32 um, but you did fight until you were 42 when you retired um, for those of you watching that don’t know just to name a few, not all of them.
But a few of the big names that she fought: um, Laura Serrano, Cara, Rowe, Belinda laraquinte.
We just talked about um The Relic.
Oh, I still can’t get her first name agniska Relic yeah because they live smarter, multiple times um and so many others y’all um literally.
Didn’T back down from nobody took just like me, any fight anywhere, you name it I’ll, be there um.
Who would you say, though, was your toughest opponent and why um I’d I’d have to say [, Music, ], Sophia kudasova? I I thought Sophia kudasova, my first when I was 11-1 somebody or 11-0 somebody posted yeah.
That was that was my first loss, um, pay-per-view uh and the story behind that is when uh, oh, I’m sorry.
Can you hear me yeah? I can hear you.
Transcribed
[, Music, ], foreign, [, Music, ], hey, hey everybody, how’s everybody doing tonight, um it is your girl, no mercy here, it’s Tuesday night.
So guess what you already know, what time it is it’s time for no punches pulled with no mercy.
Some of you may know who I am, but for those of you that don’t I am your host Brooke Millbrook, Formerly Known in the fight business, is Brooke no mercy deardorff.
I am a retired professional boxer.
I held the WBC lightweight title until I retired and I was just inducted into the international women’s Boxing Hall of Fame last year um.
I have definitely been through some good, some bad and, of course, a lot of BS in the sport of women’s boxing, but haven’t we all welcome to my platform? This is where we talk the talk and we 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, we’re even going to have some future boxers on we’re gon na get down and dirty and speak the truth of what takes place in women’s boxes And behind the scenes you definitely don’t want to miss one episode.
We’Ve got some great great guests coming on so make sure you like subscribe and share this out to everybody.
We want everybody to know about the show, there’s so much good information from all of the ladies that come on the show for the current future Fighters um so much to learn so make sure you guys are sharing this out on today’s show um.
Hopefully, you guys already saw it posted um, but if not we’ve got Tracy bird in the house.
Tracy was one of the first to headline in all women’s boxing card with Event Entertainment promotions on pay-per-view.
She was the first to appear as a boxing family, with her brother sister herself, obviously, and her parents on USA, Tuesday night fights.
She was the first women’s boxing champion from Flint Michigan and first to have world champion.
Uh boxing brother work her corner for a world championship fight which she won: the wibo junior welterweight World title.
She was a three-time world champion, the former ifba lightweight world, champion wibo Junior welterweight and iwbf lightweight champ.
She is one in the few who fought a lot of televised fights inspiring a lot of other Fighters out there.
She fought three times on the USA Fight Night Friday Night Fights three times as a main co-main event on pay-per-view.
She was also one of my Boxing Hall of Fame sisters who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year with me, please welcome Tracy bird to the show Tracy.
What’S up champ, what’s going on champ how you doing, I am good.
I am good, it’s so good to see you again.
It seems like forever ago already, but it wasn’t that long ago that we were just at the inductions.
But it’s great to see you again.
How have you been man? I’Ve been doing well well blessed, uh, just having a good time living life to the fullest.
Amazing amazing um.
I know I’ll be back there again this year.
Are you going back? Yes ma’am? I plan on uh helping out and uh uh Sue gave me an assignment.
Actually, a couple of assignments, so I’m excited about it to um to bring it back to Las Vegas.
Again awesome awesome! Um! We’Ve already got a few people in the house.
What’S up women’s Boxing Channel, thank you so much for tuning in how are you um? So everybody um probably already know who Tracy is but we’re gon na learn all about her today.
Y’All so um take us back.
First, a little bit tell us a little bit about your childhood um and what it was like growing up in an all boxing family man, I’m gon na start off with one of the famous jokes.
We have uh that somebody dubbed in Flint.
They said when the doorbell rang, the birds came out boxing uh, that’s pretty much uh how it was in our household uh, five, all five of my brothers boxed um and then I came into the fold at the age of 32 and started boxing.
Uh just came from a very athletic family, my sister Lori played uh basketball, just was like all World in basketball and played professional, and my sister Kay ran marathons and uh.
Just everybody did something, and of course my parents were our coaches.
So if we could have had the dogs involved, they would have been running too, but yeah they’ve been doing dog shows or something yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah, but it was very, very competitive.
I mean we all competed against one another in a fun way.
Um.
I remember uh I used to live uh 3295 Spring Valley Drive uh, that’s where we grew up and lived and and uh pretty much in the summertime.
We’D have to get up early in the morning.
Everybody had to run four miles and before you ate breakfast and then we went out and till the till, the garden in the back and everybody had chores to do and uh.
We were very close-knit family, primarily because it was eight siblings and then my parents and and we grew up very poor, so um we didn’t go to – we did well.
Actually, we probably didn’t go to too many birthday parties, and you know, because we couldn’t afford to bring gifts and do things and my mom didn’t want to.
You know have four or five kids going to a birthday party, because we were all a year or two apart so uh, so we learned how to uh love on one another care for one another.
The the older ones took care of the younger ones and and on down through the line, so it was just a very loving family.
Awesome yeah awesome, um very similar to my my mom’s from a very big family.
She had.
There was eight of her brothers and sisters, um very Sim, very similar.
They didn’t have much money so um they didn’t get much for like holidays and all that stuff and uh, but very close, very, very close um.
I was extremely close with my grandparents and all my um just because I think they’re all so close.
That brings everybody together, because we were always together, um, which is nice.
It’S nice yeah um.
So if I I’m pretty sure um from doing my research, which I pretty much knew most of it anyways, but from doing my research, your dad was a well-known trainer along with your mom, who also trained um.
All your brothers, you just said boxed.
Your sister was um really good with basketball um, but your dad did have a career too right.
Yeah yeah, my dad at one time was raid number 10 in the world.
Um yeah fought the likes of Ernie Shavers um was in uh Ali’s uh training camp.
As far as you know, knowing him up north when he was in northern Michigan and and uh um had an exhibition with Sugar Ray Robinson um yeah, my dad was he they caught him the toy block.
He was pretty much like me when it came to boxing.
We were um, um, uh, pretty much contenders.
If you will, I mean you know we went in to to give a show and went into somebody’s backyard and knowing we had to pretty much knock him out to win, but uh put on a good show.
Absolutely absolutely um, so did you always want a box being from the boxing family background, or how did you decide you wanted? I mean you started late, but did you always like feel like you wanted to try that at some point in time yeah it was? It was crazy because uh um growing up my brother Ronnie.
He was a little scrawny, 85 95, not 90 pounder and um.
He didn’t have anyone Aspire with, so my dad threw me in with him, so you know I’d spar with them at a young age and I always knew how to box uh at the age of 16.
My dad was trying to prove a point um because women weren’t in boxing and he wanted to throw me into the national – I mean to the uh.
What was the um, the local golden gloves that that they had had it uh one to put me in and um? I remember him having a discussion with my mom and my mom was like you know.
No we’re not gon na have her fight for you to prove a point, but I was ready.
I was like okay put me in there um, so I I’ve always had a desire always being around my siblings.
You know my brothers um just wanting to be around them, so uh.
We all knew how to box in in some way or another, and I keep I tell people all the time you know you want to put me out in the street.
Fight street fight is way different than boxing.
I don’t think I’m in a street fight uh, but way different, yes way different.
You know you can see with MMA so but um, but yeah.
I’Ve always um knew how to box just uh the the competition level.
Wasn’T there for me as far as women in boxing yes totally understand that um women’s Boxing Channel chimes in said Ain’t It Funny so many times we see certain working class zones Like Flint, producing recognized athletes but like say Liverpool in UK.
Well, there’s a lot of um phenomenal Fighters out of flint and um.
Actually, there you know, there’s a lot of really good fighters from places you wouldn’t expect them to come from, but I think it’s just the background that we all grew up in it’s kind of how it produces it um, but yeah tons and tons of fighters from Flint, yes, yes, I mean uh, I mean, and I know later on, we’ll talk about it properly.
You know with the things that we’re we’ve been talking about: uh uh, Andre Durrell.
Of course my brother Clarissa, that’s my that’s the goat and she’s my goal.
You know um, there’s a lot of a lot of people that came along, especially um, the ones that um came out of Burston field house uh Flynn.
Pal I mean there’s a plethora of boxers that came from these gyms and, and boxing was just our way of life.
It kept us off the street.
It kept us engaged along with basketball and other sports that they had in the city of Flint yeah.
You just kind of got to do something to just keep your keep your focus and keep you off the streets.
I mean that’s kind of like not, I shouldn’t, say everybody’s kind of thought process, but I know a lot of people that was their thought process.
Well, if I can just stay busy doing something that I love it’ll, keep me away from trouble.
You know because trouble a lot of the areas are troubled areas.
So that’s kind of the best thing to do is: keep yourself focused and busy doing something so you’re not running the streets really stuff.
You shouldn’t be doing yeah um.
Yes, I do know, though um just like me um.
I had basketball scholarships and all that stuff, and then I joined this military and I didn’t take that path um, but I know your first love was basketball too.
You and your sister Lori played ball um.
Can you tell us a little bit about your basketball career before boxing? Oh man uh, the gyms were always open.
We were on a podcast the other about a month ago, my sister Lori, and I and um uh Chris, my brother, Patrick, and that’s what we were talking about.
Uh the gems of Flint Michigan were always open back in the day and we played ball uh.
Pretty much I was I’m four years younger than my sister Lori, so I kind of tagged along and there were a lot of girls that were a lot better than me, um and younger than me um, but I was just happy to be there uh.
I thought I’d get a scholarship in in track because I loved uh distance running and then just kind of grew out of it and my parents pretty much said hey, we don’t.
You know we’re poor.
We don’t have any money to send you to college.
If you want to go, you better go on an athletic or academic scholarship, and I was I was pretty smart in high school, but um uh, not to the point where I was going to receive.
You know scholarships for academics, and so I started honing in on my basketball skills and got a scholarship to Grand Valley, State University and best four years of my life um best years of my life, even even today, because the majority of my friends are from Grand Valley, a lot of my closest friends so played four years at Grand Valley, still hold the single assist record there.
It was just a little boy and loved to pass the ball.
So yeah, that’s how it was yeah, yeah yeah.
I sometimes I think back and I’m like man I should have played, but you know, because I had that scholarship and you know young I was just like I want one year off like I just want one year and then I followed somebody that was going to The service – and I mean not, that it was a good experience and it definitely helped me grow up, but looking back I’m like I wish I would have stayed with basketball, but I did meet my husband in the service because he also served and that’s how we Met so it wouldn’t have the same life, so you know everything happens for a reason, so yes ma’am and then I then I found boxing so I mean it all worked out.
At least I mean I did, I’m always doing something like I always had to do something athletic like I had to keep doing so it, but I found boxing so it all worked out.
It all worked out.
Yes, you did start your professional boxing career in 1996.
Um, you immediately got a ton of attention uh by appearing on the same cards as your well-known brother, which most people probably know Chris bird um.
He fought from 93 to 2009 was a two-time heavyweight world champion um beating Vitali klisko for the WBO title in 2000 and won the ibf heavyweight title, defending defeating Evander Holyfield in 2002.
.
Um did you enjoy fighting on the same cards? Obviously, since you guys are so close and you’ve already explained that you did um and then how was it, the experience was such a fast-paced media attention.
Was that, like a lot to take in man, it was crazy uh.
Only because I, when I started boxing, I was 32 years old.
My dad put me in with my brother, Patrick he’s uh.
I think Patrick’s about four yeah four years younger than me and about the same weight um and he pretty much told him to just you know whoop my tail and see if this is for you and and I’m crying and snotting.
And you know just fighting and uh when it was all said, but done you know my dad was like: oh, oh, okay, you can box and that it it was just a whirlwind from there because they just came from the Olympics.
92 Olympics um.
They were, you know, propelled and stuff.
People were really chasing Chris uh and it was just a whirlwind and when they started Tuesday night fights, it was like hey put her on, and I was kind of like the four round.
Opener and yeah.
Three four fights were on Tuesday night fights and it was crazy.
I mean it, you know the attention because um it to me, and I don’t know if we’re going to talk about it, maybe a little later, but you know everyone knows if people in boxing knows Christy Martin, DJ, gorgey fight set the tone.
Um brought back brought back the dead.
You know the the one, the fighters that were in the 70s 60s and 70s and brought it back to life, and that was my um.
That was my thing when I saw them, I told my dad.
I could do this.
Uh yeah, I can do that if they can do it, I can do it there.
It is so when it when it put me in the Limelight with Tuesday night fights, then it brought out uh, Jackie Collins on me, and you know: um um, uh, event, entertainment and and that’s what uh kicked off my career, because at the time it was so Cool because David Sage got arrested, so he was a promoter for Chris um at the time and getting the Tuesday night fights and different stuff and – and I didn’t get locked into a management contract and I’m sure we’ll probably talk about that later.
The the the mess of boxing yeah, but he didn’t lock me into a contract.
He just said: hey, you do what you need to do and we will support you and um.
That was just that.
That was the support just of the whole city and because of my brother Chris and because of his Fame, I was able to just grab on his coattail and and ride it out.
Yeah, which I mean is phenomenal and you’re, not the only one.
That’S ever done that I mean um Laila Ali immediately um because of her dad um.
You know, but I think everyone I I think for in Jackie Frazier, but I think there’s so many um, but everybody proved their own like they took their own name.
I feel by the end of their career um, because you know a lot of people.
Probably at first are thinking: oh well, you know they’re just they’re just in there because of who they’re related to or the name the name um, but everyone uh that I can think of all the females that took after somebody um.
I feel like made their own name, they paved their own way and they proved that they that they needed to be in there that it wasn’t just.
They were doing it just because um right right so but yeah um, not the only one to come up like quickly but yeah.
It was perfect timing.
I think for you to hop on in there um yeah, but yeah.
You definitely took off right away, but sometimes that’s good, especially starting at 32.
You kind of wanted a faster post career yeah.
I didn’t have time I didn’t have time.
I didn’t have time to find an amateur okay.
It was like really uh yeah, just jump just throw me in there uh throw me into the Wolves.
Let’S do this, let’s see what we can do, um on um August, 2nd 1997.
You did win a convincing but very tough 10-round decision over unbeaten, Canadian, Nora Daigle, who was 3-0 against some very experienced Fighters, and she had knocked all out all of her opponents um.
But with your aggression, boxing fundamentals, you were able to keep the fight under control and you took home the ifba lightweight World title um, tell us about the fight and how it felt to win your first world title man.
It was, it was crazy uh.
I remember being at Southwestern High School um, anybody that’s tuned in from Flint.
They know that there’s a Derby track thing that leads down the back of Southwest High School and you run the heels – and I remember my dad just shouting in my ear every every time we were there.
You know this is four World titles for World title you’re, going to be the first in Flint to win a world title.
You can do this, you know and just the preparation.
It was literally literally like Rocky, like the movie Rocky yeah, yeah and uh.
It was just it was so man, it was just a great experience.
Um.
I remember my brother Chris saying man.
I should have been there because I think something’s going on as far as with boxing on his end and he couldn’t make the fight and it was on pay-per-view and and they were tuning in and I got knocked down.
I don’t know if you know it, I got knocked down and I want to say maybe the fifth sixth round and um.
It was like a flash knockdown, but I felt it and when I got up it was like wake up like girl.
You better bring this home and uh just put it on her I mean it was.
It was a really really great fight on both ends and um and yeah.
It was my first title and uh yeah.
I don’t think I read about the knockdown.
I read a lot of articles on it and I don’t know that I read about the knockdown, but I just read how close of and like awesome fight it was like very it was very good competitive fight.
Yes, yes, that’s so good for boxes for women’s boxing when you get those fights.
Yes, she was one she.
She was one when I when I when I thought I think I want to want to say it was maybe um uh at 1 30, which is really hard for me to hold um around that weight, and I was glad I went up uh from Junior lightweight To lightweight to 135, it was a lot better for me, a lot comfortable for me: yeah yeah, it’s yeah, easier to make weight and uh maintain not be so dehydrated.
I did that.
One time I went down.
I was fighting it because I fought from one to a feather weight: 126, all the way to lightweight 135 and one fight.
I got called for a world title fight at 122.
and I’m like it’s only four pounds yeah.
That would be the hardest thing I ever did in my entire life.
I didn’t have four pounds to lose, but I’m like it’s only four pounds like that’ll be super easy.
No, it was like all the way up till the day of weigh-ins like I was still cutting weight because I didn’t think I was going to make weight and I only had to lose four pounds um when I was so dehydrated and like I was not myself.
So I would never do that ever again, like I was like nope.
Don’T even call me right.
Thanks, bye I’ll, go up and wait.
I can’t go down anymore, like that’s, not happening, yeah people don’t realize like and it it like, and I get so when I see people like walk around at like 180 190 and they go down and fight at like 168 or 154.
I’M like how and why yeah like people don’t know yeah people don’t understand, like you say, the cut, there’s not no fat, no, nothing! No! Water left to cut and uh it’s crazy, yeah! Yeah! That’S why I mean after I did that that one time the rest of my career, I’m like I will fight it.
What I walk around at and up period, yeah, I’m not losing I’m not putting my body through that ever again, like never um, it’s not easy.
Um and plus like back then I didn’t have like I didn’t, have a manager and a promoter and like it was just me and my husband, I didn’t have all that extra stuff.
I didn’t have a nutritionist.
I didn’t.
I didn’t have time today.
I worked.
I worked full-time, you know, probably the same as like.
I didn’t, have all that luxury, so it wasn’t easy like I didn’t, have like.
Okay, will you eat this this and this you’ll lose a pound or two like right? I mean it was I mean I dieted, but the best you know that’s about as far as you can um so yeah, no, not for me um.
But yes, you were the very first woman in Flint Michigan to win a world title.
Um tell us how special that moment was for you and did um did, did Flint, do anything special for you or did they have like any kind of ceremony or like party or anything yeah yeah? I I um, you know when um I started the Google.
I was talking to my brother Chris last night and I’m like was I the first woman or was I the first person you might have been the very first person actually now that you say that exactly because we we started researching it, and I didn’t see anyone Else that had won a title from foot before me and the thing about it.
When I started looking at some of the Articles as we started talking about it and they didn’t even acknowledge me as winning they meaning the media.
When I started Googling didn’t even acknowledge me as far as winning a world title out of Flint um, and then they put well yeah because they didn’t even Chris won the title after you yep.
He came after I won in 97, Chris won in 2000.
yep and uh, Andre Darrell won in 2014 and then the goat came along uh Clarissa and I think curse was 2017 2017 or 18.
yeah yeah yeah.
So so yeah, I think.
Actually, you probably are the very first one, male or female, correct.
I believe so even acknowledge that, for you, though, they did a huge thing for Clarissa yeah yeah yeah.
Well, they um and no and not not Flynn, don’t get me wrong.
No Flint Flint did me.
Well, but I’m talking about as far as the media when I Googled to see the information you didn’t see anything on it correct it wasn’t anything.
The only place I fought on was W band yeah.
See that see.
That’S that! That’S our! That’S our sight! That’S our site, I mean that’s the only place when I saw that yep no offer women and I mean I did a lot of.
I do a lot of research because I like try to get like the nitty-gritty everything I could like.
You know everything I can find out there to ask and then try to draw other stuff.
So people really get to know you um, you know, but yeah.
That was the only place.
I saw that W band yeah anybody listening wban.
com.
If you want to know anything about women’s boxing or any boxer, that’s the site to go to it’s the most accurate um women’s Boston channels, uh, okay, yeah.
I was looking at one of the uh one of the uh.
The comments there on the on the question.
Yeah yeah, you know you know what um first, I’m gon na I’m gon na hit on just right, quick Flint love, my city, uh, yes, love my city, and they did yes, yes and gave me a plaque honorary from from the state uh the congression um.
All the way to the city acknowledged me gave me plaques, um and um.
You know just just did a a great celebration for me and I I really appreciate my city um and then, but I just want to touch on right, quick, just to side note on Laura Serrano two times in uh McCarter three times, and this is so crazy Because when I fought Laura Serranos the first time um I had the belt um, I thought I won um she.
She, obviously you know they.
They gave a decision.
I thought it could have went either way and you know we as boxers.
You know when you won or lost.
You know, you know when it’s close and it’s like ugh.
I remember my dad whispering in my ear and he said, but you have the title so it should.
You know the points whatever they typically sway towards the title holder.
Yeah and that’s cool: this is the thing when it comes to boxing.
I just want to address this, and I told this to uh Layla Layla dear good friend, for water three times and it’s crazy Split Decision, unanimous draw.
You know the fights could have went either way and we both have said that my thing when it came to boxing was I used to always tell these.
Ladies: don’t leave your day job.
We made nothing in boxing.
The only person that made money that I can say that I can attest to that was compared to men was Laila Ali and Christy Martin.
Everybody else get in line with me.
My highest purse was ten thousand dollars for and see and that’s a title fight 10 round title fight in Mexico.
My my minimum in my contract was always my maximum.
You know – and I know we kind of jumping around, but we know that’s okay, we can still.
We can touch on it more.
That’S fine they’re asking questions um, but yes, and I think I’m actually glad that you said that, because out of all the people that I’ve had on here, aside from myself you’re the only ones – that’s ever said what their highest purse was, nobody else wants to say That – and I said that’s the point of this – show we’re retired.
Who cares? Yes, yes, um, but I feel like people need to understand that we all did it, because we love the sport of boxing and to grow the sport of boxing.
It wasn’t for a paycheck um, I worked full-time, I mean all of us work, full-time jobs.
Most of us were mothers.
We trained a couple hours like there was no time um and busted our ass and then like.
When I went to Mexico – and I fought me a St John – the second time to defend her title because she wanted the rematch it had to be in Mexico – I was like no problem.
I had to go there a week early because you had to do the public work.
I mean it’s huge in Mexico when you box, I don’t know, if did you box in Mexico? I don’t know? No.
No! I never! No okay! Well boxing over there.
It’S insane, like, I felt, like a freaking main actor TV celebrity when I went to Mexico.
That’S like – and I was the opponent like, but I couldn’t go anywhere without autographs pictures like it was insane um and I you know I was just coming in opponent to fight me as Saint John, but um I’d already fought her once so.
People probably already knew you know there was a big rematch thing, but right I had to take off work for like 10 days for that fight to go for the you know, the pre-frite workout, the public work out, the interviews you know and by the time – and I made four thousand dollars for a WBC Title wow and I was just like think about it.
Really.
I mean I actually lost money because I took off work, so I lost all that time off work I mean so people just don’t really fathom.
I guess yeah.
We didn’t make any money like literally half the time we spent money yeah to do it uh.
So I’m glad that you said that just because it makes me feel a little better like a little weight off my chest and I’m not the only person out there.
That’S ever said that um well, I feel like people should know, I mean and girls, even today, no they’re still not making equal but yeah some of and some of them, and not all some of them are still making the same pay.
We were making back in the day, but there’s a select few that are making money and and it’s growing so yes, yes, we are making a little bit of yeah we’re dealing answers here.
Yeah.
We are revealing answers with an unboxing channels – yeah, oh yeah.
I don’t have nothing to hide.
No, I mean that’s why I said I’m retired.
I could give two s’s what people I mean.
I don’t care, that’s the point of this show people can learn.
Everybody’S stories are so different and we all have a story to tell.
We all have information that Fighters can use that they can learn from yes and take it in like.
I feel like that’s what these new Fighters need to like.
Listen to some of these stories like they’re such good stories, yes um, but okay back on point back on point and the women’s Boxing Channel, he will be and they’ll be asking lots of questions.
There’S another one out: uh wow 4K for a world title green couch, went to USA, slept on the staircase the night before her world title and got paid nothing Madness yeah.
It doesn’t surprise me does not surprise me one bit um and I had to fight for that 4K.
I was like absolutely not going for anything less and that and I shouldn’t have went that low um.
But if you wanted to fight, I mean you really didn’t.
Have a choice I mean they’re like hey, um, 2K um to fight so and so for WBC World title yeah, take it or leave it.
I mean there was really no negotiating back then yeah.
It was either you want it or you don’t period, we’ll call someone else correct.
That was how it was um.
So, on November 13 1998, you did win your second world title um for the iwbf lightweight title.
You won this fight with your stick and move style, and you frustrated your opponent.
Um did you? Do you feel like that? Fight was pretty easy for you yeah, and it’s it’s something that that you, you would uh accent only because um I’ll never forget my brother, saying it looked like a sparring session.
Okay, that’s that’s how easy it was yeah, um, nothing against Kareem, uh, great fighter, and all of that and I went to her – went to Minnesota to fight her um.
However, it it was just you, I mean it was easy.
It was an easy fight, um and, and it’s crazy – I don’t know it just as far as behind the scenes of people.
I I think there’s a difference with women and than men.
Maybe I don’t know, but we hung out afterwards.
You know it was like Hey.
You know before the fight yeah to stare down.
I can’t stand you I’m about to knock you out, but afterwards it’s like girl what you doing how’s the family.
What’S going on, you know um, but yeah interviews, yeah and but to me it was it was that was probably one of my my my easier fights um and primarily because of my style.
She was more of a follower.
You know um, I yeah jab moved.
You know um did my my Pernell Whitaker, which was my boy and God Rest her soul, but that you know yes, I met her now he is amazing.
He was at one of my fights um.
I think the one when I fought Mary McGee.
Actually, I think, is the one I met him at and he started it was, and I know it was because he started so much mess at the weigh-in.
He was like in my ear like, since they do they’re doing this this this and then he would go over there and say then she’s doing this.
I was like you better.
Stop it you’re starting drama.
Stop it.
I tell you two guys.
I I give kudos to unboxing boxing other than my you know my my brothers.
My family is, and Chris will tell you in a minute.
I love me some sweet pea and I love me some Jesse James Lehigh.
To this day those two I mean his style was undeniable um.
Yes, so awesome to watch, um, yeah God Rest his soul, yeah, but amazing, amazing person.
I mean hilarious.
He was so funny.
It was so great meeting him um yeah, amazing person um.
So let’s see um then, after that you did have a two-year layoff and then um on May 19 2001.
You defeated Brenda Vickers easily to take the vacant.
Ifba InterContinental Junior lightweight title um.
Do you feel, do you feel, like you, had any ring rust from the layoff and then like? Was it a choice of a layoff or you just couldn’t get fights? I know people always asked when I had and I didn’t have that long of a layoff, but I had layoffs, sometimes just because I couldn’t get fights um, because I didn’t have the promotions and the management, but people always would say well, you know ring Rush.
You’Re gon na have ring Rush you’re gon na, and I never really felt ring rust because I always stayed active um.
But do you feel like you had ring rust or did it affect you at all? No no didn’t affect me at all um and to everything you said.
Uh staying active, you know my dad’s gym was always open.
I mean we, that’s all we knew was boxing.
You know it’s like go to the gym.
Work out play some ball.
Uh stay in shape, um so and always firing and and staying with it and and and two to um, just piggyback off where what you were saying too.
It had to do with management, so um that my separation from event, entertainment and so um.
That was another reason why you know I was.
I was off okay, yeah yeah, I mean I never I never felt any ring Ross just because, like I said like same with you, I always stayed active, so I mean I, I was constantly sparring and doing the same things I would be doing in a fight.
So I didn’t ever feel anything wrong.
I’M sure some people do if they just stop boxing all together and then try to come back.
But if you stay active I don’t feel like there’s any ring rust, correct, Angie.
What’S up girl, um Angie was um Angie.
That said, hey ladies great interview, um.
She was one of the ones that was helping out Sue at the inductions um, one of the amateur Fighters tall blonde Angie.
Were you working the front door? If I remember right, I talked to her for a minute because I was like hey: where was y’all at the table when we came early? Yes, yes, that’s Angie.
She watches every show she’s like she’s, she’s, oh and then she’ll text me after and say.
Oh, my God, like I didn’t, know that and I’m like yeah, that’s what this is for like for you guys to learn.
She said I met her.
I don’t know if she she remembers you.
She just said she remembered you girl, you’re special.
You stick out like a thumb like a sore thumb um.
So then um March 22nd, 2003 Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas.
You did come off the canvas in the second round to win a 10 round Split Decision over undefeated.
I don’t know how to say her.
First name but Relic for the wibo super lightweight title uh.
You did take that fight, though on one week’s notice, and you did hand her her very first loss coming off the canvas how special and how did that feel bad.
It’S so crazy because my sister Lori, my sister-in-law, uh Tracy, and them they were up in the nosebleed somewhere, because you know we could.
It wasn’t like up close up front tickets and they said that.
I got two stories to tell on this because I got to give kudos to a couple people, but they said when they went to sit down.
I was on the I was on the canvas, oh no, that was the.
That was the second time that I that I had actually saw my cousins, the Tweety Birds when uh when I failed foreign ERS, are real.
I’M telling you 100.
I have seen them one time.
One time I have seen them they’re, real um, and so, but but with that fight, uh, the girl and I got ta – give some shout outs because Layla McCarter uh really good friends um.
They asked her to fight and um.
She had management different things.
I was you know I was at home.
I was a school police officer trying to do my thing and she called me and said: hey Tracy, I’m not going to take this fight, but do you want it and I was like sugar, you know I’ll take it.
I’M always ready, and so um uh uh with that fight, doc, Brodus doc Brodus was the coach for George Foreman and you’re gon na see it in the movie.
That’S coming out doc: Broadus was uh when we moved to Las Vegas Chris, and I my dad sent us over to Nevada Partners.
Uh doc Broadus was over there, training and my dad said: hey he’s going to take care of you and he did and he said baby you’re gon na be my first world champion.
I never had a female world champion because for Foreman was his world champion, um Mayo, but he said you’re gon na be my first female world champion.
The thing was Doc: Broadus was probably almost 90 years old.
At the time I mean he walked up the stairs and he said baby knock her out because I don’t want to have to walk up the stairs again.
That was round one two pounds you win 10 Rounds.
I don’t think that works.
Sorry, after four after the fourth round, I don’t think that girl just went back up the stairs, but with that being said, it was a great fight.
I’M I I fight better against southpaws.
For some reason, I think, because I’m ambidextrous and um uh Angelisa was a southpaw and so um, my brother, being in the corner.
We had no answer.
You know how you, when you, when you swell up yeah, pushing the blood out this mug had some little some ice chips, ice chips and what what had happened was her she had on and – and we probably could get in this later as far as what women Wore when it came to boxing, but she had on some beads on her sports bra, okay and when I’d go down, the beads were cutting my face and I was rubbing up against them.
Yeah you’re, rubbing up on them, yeah! Yes, yes, so it was cutting my face, so I go back to the corner.
I’M telling my brother, I said man I’m swelling up.
I said her beads are cutting my face, so he was giving these little ice chips and you know Chris Chris was sweating more than me.
He up in the corner Shadow Boxing and – and it was crazy, but the thing about it was that was the best moment of brother sister corner with a world champion coach and Doc Broadus the best corner I could have ever had and um he Chris is um.
Just a uh um, he has a PHD in boxing as far as studying the sport, and he just straight up said she.
The only thing she got is her left hand she loads up on it.
He said: go in and smother her left hand, which is not common.
You don’t go into somebody’s left hand, you don’t go for danger, but because she had to widen it out to hit me, I was shortening it up and she couldn’t throw it right after she wasn’t getting full force.
It was like half a punch, that’s right.
So after I think it was the fourth round, so she knocked me down, I beat her tail for the next six rounds.
I mean whooped.
I don’t even know how he became a split seriously.
If you look at the fight, we, we watched it a couple months ago me and my brother, and – and it was just a boxing Clinic and um, but I thank God.
I thank God for her.
She, they her camp this.
How crazy this is.
She was like 21-1, and you know where that one loss came from.
They called me at the age of like 52 and said: do you want to come out of retirement to to so she could avenge her one loss.
I was like right and you’re gon na pay me a million dollars all right.
What are you paying? I mean if you’re paying good that right there I 100 would, if you, how much? How long do I have to train okay yeah? They didn’t call me back, so it was all good, so she got that one mark that one mark it was a great fight, she’s, a great boxer.
She went on to do great things um after that, never lost again um, so um.
But that’s that’s the kind of boxing I did.
I know one somebody had put in the comment about the 11-1 and then fighting everybody.
I thought any and everybody that came across yeah and whether it was a title at at 6-0 or uh for a world title at 12 and 10.
Whatever um I came in to spoil a show and to let people know when you said it done um, you either go boo because they robbed me or you’re gon na cheer, because I won right, yeah, absolutely um women’s Boxing Channel.
We will talk about that.
A little bit later, I’m pretty sure, but he was said he didn’t realize you’re a police officer that in mind.
What do you think about Tiara Brown? I think she needs a break she’s 14-0 with 10 Kos and can’t get a decent promoter yeah.
She has no promoter or manager.
That’S the problem.
I’M gon na have to look her up because uh my brother’s gon na be doing some great things.
Coming up and uh prayerfully, we can get some people signed and and do some things with swimming Fighters and and uh, and let them know that we’re here for them, because that’s uh, that’s a problem with boxing boxing I can’t even get into the promoters and and And the commentators and how they’ve killed boxing it’s ridiculous.
I agree 100 and I wish um.
You know.
As my since my coach was my trainer towards the end of my career, I mean I worked with Sam Kalona.
Oh I work with Jesse Torres first.
He was a fighter um when I was amateur and then he didn’t really do Pros.
So then I went to Sam Kelowna, Windy, City, Gym, uh, great promoter from all or trainer.
Trains, lots lots, lots and lots of world champions um, but then there was some fights that I wanted to take and he’s like nah.
Let’S go this way and just and then it was an hour and a half drive to the gym.
So then my husband got his license coach’s license and I just started working with him because I was training with him I’ll work all week and driving to the gym one day a week for sparring.
So I was like.
Why am I I’m gon na keep paying a percentage of my purse first for sparring one day a week right that makes sense um but yeah he for years we’ve talked.
We would love to like open our own gym or do promoting or, but I just don’t.
I don’t have the connections with the problem and the funding like you had there’s so much that people – people don’t realize goes into that.
You can’t just be like, because people ask me that all the time, why don’t you train Fighters? Why don’t you um manage Fighters? Why don’t well, first of all one you got to have money.
Two you got to know.
People um you got ta have connections, you got ta, you know you got ta, there’s a whole lot more.
That goes into yes, I would love to work with female Fighters.
I would love it right.
Um yeah, but you got ta, have the the access to the stuff that you need to do that and the connections or like, like you, said, like you work with your brother like and you guys like come together.
I don’t have that connection, I guess per se and especially like in the area that I was or here it’s just not there’s not.
I don’t know that many people that would be interested in like going in with us for something like that.
So I mean I do work with people if they ask or whatever I’ll work with them and we’ll do lessons or whatever but yeah but yeah.
I think that’s amazing, um.
We need more people working with the females for sure yeah um, so your brother, Chris, the heavyweight World Champ, was in.
Oh, we already talked about that.
He was in the corner for that fight.
We just talked about that.
So see.
Sometimes we jump around and then I have to like my mind’s great because I get it all in order.
Um.
Ah June 28 2003 you faced Belinda laracuente a very known fighter.
Obviously, like everybody probably knows um, you suffered a loss to her, but after the fight you did State someone called the cops.
I just got robbed um tell us about the fight, because I know I’ve definitely been robbed in fights.
I never made like a public statement.
Um about it just because every time I would say something, people would be like: oh you’re, just a sore loser or you’re, making excuses or you’re doing this or just so.
I never um said it until after retirement um and I’ve talked about a couple of my fights on the shows and I’ll continue to talk about the fights.
But I’ve talked about some stuff.
I don’t know if you watched any of those.
You said you watched some of them, but um.
I had talked about some of that stuff um.
But how tell us about that? Fight and obviously you knew like you said we know like 100.
We know if, if we won or lost um, that it was a clear robbery, so tell us a little bit about that.
One man we we flew down to Florida and I’m chuckling, because that right there tells you the fight, yeah.
We flew down to Florida, her hometown, yeah, her backyard, her promoters, and it was all good.
You know I’ll go anywhere.
I don’t.
I don’t care.
You know um.
However um.
It’S believed that she could come on and probably testify to it.
I don’t know if it was true, because I didn’t go to the hospital with her, but I broke her eardrum beat the snot I’d, be just not out that girl and I the crowd booed, that’s how bad it was yeah.
I don’t trip because my money is not in boxing uh.
That’S my change.
That’S coming to America would say: yeah um.
I had a full-time job yeah, but when you work hard, you train hard and you hope to get a fair outcome.
Now we all know you know you going into somebody’s backyard.
Come on you is there promotion, you, you know you, you got a lot stacked against you and that’s cool, because you’re gon na show your skills yeah.
It was one of those where I’m like you.
I normally don’t say: yeah, you know, nah, that that was they should they should have called the FBI.
The CIA brought in swat because yeah somebody took my fight, and that was the only time I’d say come up.
Well, it’s a couple of them, but that was the main one that it was like.
You got, ta be what was y’all watching right so yeah.
So that kind of reminds me of.
Did you watch? I don’t know if you saw it on my Facebook, but there’s a fight not that long ago Chevelle Chevelle hallback fought Sonia drilling.
Who was supposed to be my very first episode? I don’t know if you watched that episode, but if you did, you were probably cracking up laughing.
If you watched my first episode where she didn’t show up um, I was like literally, I was sitting in the Green Room like waiting to go like I was supposed to already be live, and I was like uh well what – and it was my first show.
So you know I was like nervous already and I’m like well what the [ __ ], what am I gon na do now and then I read the email, and I was like send me in like send me right now right right right.
What did you watch that fight? No, I didn’t.
I didn’t watch Chevelle’s fight, she said.
Well, I take it back, I’m sorry, I didn’t watch it live or anything like that.
She sent me the real okay, oh yeah, similar to that robbery, or probably way worse than that one similar similar it was it was it you know um, I just you know.
It’S like come on.
Y’All come on when somebody’s right some of these judges, you almost wonder, did they ever box before, because I know like what are you looking at yes, I know judges that have literally never boxed just was a part of it.
You know family whatever did it and just responding? If you know what you’re doing exactly exactly yeah, because you’re absolutely right, every every uh judge does not have to actually have fought before.
No, but still you come on now come on Chevelle put a weapon on that girl, so it was just.
It was almost comical cause a girl couldn’t hear them.
She couldn’t hear literally.
I was like recording part of it because I was going to send it to her, which I knew she could watch it on the thing anyway.
Probably, but I mean I bought it so I was like I was, and then I literally deleted I mean when they called out decision.
I like threw my phone I was like.
I was like in the commentators I was like you got, ta be [.
__ ] kidding me like what I mean.
Even everybody, the commentators, everybody um, but I was so mad for that one, because I know how hard Chevelle works and I know what she puts into boxing and it takes her so long to get fights and then to get one and get robbed like that.
Yes, I I hurt, like I was half in teared.
I was so upset and like pissed for her all at the same time, um – and I know she was fighting that with the commission.
I need to text her because she I haven’t heard from her.
I need to call her and find out if she ever heard back from them or if they just blew her off, but they were supposed to be reviewing it um last time she spoke with them, so I need to find that out actually now that we brought That up – and we were talking about it – and I wonder what do they do with that? Do they reverse it? Do they I mean they will they will um? She contested the decision which I have done before and I just blew me off.
They never even looked at it um.
I did that in the Garside fight um, when she hit me like 15 times when I was down on one knee um and that should have been an immediate disqualification, uh immediate.
There is no no warning and didn’t even get a warning like didn’t even give her a freaking warning um.
I contested that one.
They never even responded to me um, but they did respond to her and if they watched the fight and feel like it should have went the other way.
Yes, they would either overturn it or even consider it a draw which I’d be.
You know yeah or a no contest like it never happened.
Um Michael Oher.
What’S up buddy? How are you that’s a football player Michael Oher is in the house: hey WB, oh you’re, talking to WC, I’m like hey WBC, it’s been a while um and I have WBC title.
Is that what you meant? No I’m just kidding.
Is that like what we’re the football player, Michael or no Michael or Michael, you didn’t play football? Did you I’m talking about from The Blind Side? Michael Oher? It was his name, Michael Oher.
I can’t believe I have never put that together and and joked with Mike about that.
No, it’s no more! Oh, my bad Michael Oher has his own shows um on talking fights, um and he actually um literally knows everything there is to know about boxing period.
Like you can ask literally any question he can answer the question.
He is very boxing knowledgeable about every Fighter, um great guy, great dude um, so you did face uh, so so many great opponents um.
I commend you for that same career path.
I took um.
I just wanted to fight the best of the best period.
Um didn’t care who it was where it was didn’t care.
Really.
I mean I cared about the outcome, but sure didn’t always get the outcome.
I wanted, but that’s what that’s, what it was um and starting at a late age of 32 um, but you did fight until you were 42 when you retired um, for those of you watching that don’t know just to name a few, not all of them.
But a few of the big names that she fought: um, Laura Serrano, Cara, Rowe, Belinda laraquinte.
We just talked about um The Relic.
Oh, I still can’t get her first name agniska Relic yeah because they live smarter, multiple times um and so many others y’all um literally.
Didn’T back down from nobody took just like me, any fight anywhere, you name it I’ll, be there um.
Who would you say, though, was your toughest opponent and why um I’d I’d have to say [, Music, ], Sophia kudasova? I I thought Sophia kudasova, my first when I was 11-1 somebody or 11-0 somebody posted yeah.
That was that was my first loss, um, pay-per-view uh and the story behind that is when uh, oh, I’m sorry.
Can you hear me yeah? I can hear you.
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