All-Female Card Is About Respect

It was inevitable.

The women’s boxing movement began as a curiosity in the gym, became a sideshow at the bottom of the regular male cards, moved up to become one of the televised bouts and then exploded into the national consciousness when Christy Martin made it to the cover of Sports Illustrated.

So it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that the first all-female card in California, and what is thought to be only the second or third anywhere, will be held tonight at the Reseda Country Club.

Plans call for three eight-round fights, three six-rounders and two four-rounders, with each round being two minutes rather than the three in men’s bouts.

“A lot of these women really can fight,� said Jackie Kallen, commissioner of the new International Female Boxers Assn. “This is not a sideshow. This is not mud wrestling.

“There is a new century coming up. Women are going to be doing all sorts of things they couldn’t do at the turn of the last century. But we need respect. Women tennis players get it. Women golfers get it. And before we are done, we will have it.�

If they do, they will be ahead of some of their male counterparts. Respect has proved to be elusive enough for the men in a sport filled with unscrupulous sanctioning bodies, shady promoters, questionable decisions and unstable performers.

But the women often find they are not even considered worthy of joining this dubious crowd.

“When women say they want to be involved in boxing,� Kallen said, “they are told, ‘Why not be a ring-card girl?’ �

If Kallen has her way, the women will instead take what she sees as their rightful place on the marquee with the men. And who knows, maybe we’ll be watching ring-card boys march around someday.

Female boxers hope that the formation of the IFBA finally will give them credibility. Entry into the IFBA merely requires evidence of having been in a professional fight. The IFBA already has about 140 potential members.

“We deserve the chance to show what we’ve got. That’s pretty much all we’ve ever wanted,� said Yvonne Trevino, a pioneer in female boxing who broke another barrier three weeks ago by scoring a first-round knockout on ABC. It was the first female bout televised by a network. “All we’ve ever wanted was to stay busy. Now we have the chance with this newly formed organization.�

Trevino will face Jolene Blackshear on tonight’s card.

The women are already emulating the men in terms of nicknames. “Iron� Mike Tyson, Oscar “the Golden Boy� De La Hoya and “Sugar� Ray Leonard are now joined by Bridgett “Baby Doll� Riley, Fredia “the Cheetah� Gibbs, and Dee “Dynamite� Dufo, women who will all be in the ring tonight.

But the women want to have it both ways. They want to impress the fans with their toughness, but they also want to lure them with their appearance. The women have been told that the more appealing they can look outside the ring, the more successful they will be in their career in the ring.

“That’s what men want to see,� Kallen said. “Sex sells. Men like to see beautiful women tie their hair back, go in there and beat the . . . out of someone.�

NO WAY FOR SUGAR

Leonard had been scheduled to fight for the second time in his comeback June 1 on CBS, but because of an injury he has pulled out.

Leonard returned to the ring in Atlantic City in March against Hector Camacho after a six-year retirement, but looked like a poor imitation of the man who won world titles in five weight classes. After losing on a fifth-round TKO, Leonard revealed he had fought with a calf injury.

People keep telling Leonard, who turns 41 today, that he’s too old to fight. He hasn’t listened to them. Now, maybe he’ll listen to his own body.

Ironically, he is being replaced on the card by International Boxing Federation flyweight champion Mark Johnson, who will fight Cecilio Espino.

Forum Boxing had labored long and hard to get that kind of exposure for Johnson when it had him under contract. He recently jumped to promoter Cedric Kushner and, thanks to Leonard, a prime network spot suddenly opened up.

NO PROBLEM FOR MIKE

Like everyone else, Marc Ratner had heard the rumors: Tyson doesn’t really want to fight Evander Holyfield on June 28 after losing to Holyfield last November.

Tyson hadn’t really been cut over one eye as he had claimed, an injury that had wiped out the original May 3 date for the rematch.

Tyson’s cut hasn’t properly healed.

Tyson has ballooned to 240 pounds.

Tyson is experiencing shoulder problems.

Ratner, however, is not just an uninvolved fan. He is the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It is his job to kill rumors that could hurt his industry.

“All the rumors were not fair to Tyson or this city,� Ratner said.

So he went to watch Tyson work out at Las Vegas’ Golden Gloves gym and came out impressed. Ratner saw Tyson go six, four-minute rounds on the heavy bag and work the speed bag for about 20 minutes. Tyson’s eye injury has healed, reports Ratner, and he weighs 222 pounds.

“Tyson has a very positive attitude,� Ratner said. “He was working hard, as hard as I’ve ever seen anyone work in the gym. I believe in my heart that this fight will go off as planned.�

QUICK JAB

David Reid, the only boxing gold medalist for the U.S. in the 1996 Olympics and a winner in his pro debut, will fight for the second time May 24 in Denver against Robert Koon. Also on the card, Rafael Ruelas against Chad Broussard.

Calendar

Tonight--Yvonne Trevino vs. Jolene Blackshear, IFBA flyweight title fight; Bridgett Riley vs. Teresa Arnold, featherweights, Reseda Country Club, 6 p.m.