Top Women in Boxing

Women have been boxing since the 18th century. Grace Maddox threw some upper cuts in 1776. Polly Fairclough gave it all she got back in 1880. In 1912 the Moore sisters boxed each other ~and~ their brothers! The Johnson sisters, with their signature red velvet dresses, boots and boxing gloves were some of the most stylish early women boxers. Although women have been boxing for a long time, they were always in the background, being overshadowed by male boxers.

All that changed with Christy Martin. Martin brought women’s boxing into the forefront when she signed with Don King in 1993. Fighting on Mike Tyson’s undercards for several years, she made her mark in the female boxing world. Her long winning streak, televised for all to see, changed women’s boxing for the better.

Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali, made her appearance in the professional boxing ring in 1999. At first her name caught the attention of boxing aficionados, then she proved herself with several TKO’s. With her quick feet, she has won several middleweight championships.

Brooke “No Mercy” Dierdorff has been in the ring since 2004. Don’t let her pink boxing gloves fool you, she has been a Women’s National Golden Gloves Silver Medalist in both 2004 and 2005. Dierdoff continues to ‘wow’ in the ring with her power punches.

Woman boxers have come a long way, from red velvet dresses to pink boxing gloves and from backstage to center ring. With female boxing back in the Olympics in 2012, this is one sport that will continue to gain popularity. Future female boxers will go far thanks to the female boxers of the past that paved the way.