20 January 2008

WEBA Roundup with Devon Ling and Val Henning
'I want to fight!', says Heather
Telisha's Farewell
Balio's Bananas

WEBA Roundup with Devon Ling and Val Henning

Devon meets Val at the WEBA Towers on a sunny January day in San Jose.

Val:  Hey we ought to go for a run today, it's so nice outside.

Devon: I'm good. But we should look at the fights first, Val!

Val:  What did you see in the title fights this week? 

Devon:  Three champs looking good!  Sharon "Smashmouth" Brown's going great guns these days, she had a slow start in WEBA back in 2004 but she's smoked 'em all in 2007, except for Mikee Mulroney who knocked her out after a slam-bang battle where they beat the tar out of each other for six rounds before Mikee finished it in the seventh. Crazy Claire Freeman did some good work with Sharon against the ropes in the opener of this WEBA title fight but Sharon came storming back in the second and looked confident after she knocked Claire down for a short count. Claire held her off in the third but after that Sharon had Claire in trouble all the way. Sharon took a cut over her left eye which started to swell shut but the US Marine Corps boxing instructor was relentless as she outworked the veteran from Johnny Rice's gym in the later rounds on the way to a KO in the eighth. 

Val:  Sharon's found her groove in the training gym, while Claire's now lost seven straight and their careers seem to be on different paths.  Claire had this division pretty much to herself for a while, but those days seem to be over now.

Devon: The big shake-up at middleweight may have been Telisha Cooper coming out of a layoff to take the world title from Mikee Mulroney, but now Telisha's announced her retirement it's all up for grabs again.

Val:  And I can see another showdown looming between Sharon Brown and Mikee Mulroney - unless Claire Freeman can come up with something she didn't show in this WEBA title fight.  How about the lightweights, Devon?

Devon: Keiko "Kamikaze" Suzuki's back in the picture big time again, Val, as she handed junior champion Mindy Li a thorough spanking to show who's #2 in the lightweight class. Mindy's gone for this title several times and she won it once with points decision over Frida Svensson, but the Japanese star showed she may still be a cut above her competition with a very strong performance that ended in an eleventh round TKO. Mindy held her own in the early going but the fight started to go Keiko's way big time in the sixth and seventh as the Japanese fighter knocked Wu's girl down repeatedly and closed her left eye.  Keiko began to taunt Mindy into coming forward, then punished her with well-timed shots to the head. Mindy showed some toughness and rallied a little in the tenth but she took another pounding in the eleventh and went to her corner with both eyes swollen shut, forcing the ref to stop the fight.

Val:  Keiko was impressive in this fight and if she could just solve the riddle of Carla Ramirez she could wear the world belt again. She sure looked like a champion the way she handled Mindy. 

Devon:  Carla's a huge handful for everyone in WEBA now, it might take a middleweight to stop her!

Val: I hope it doesn't come to that, hon, 'cos I like to see fair fights where the boxers are at least roughly matched for size!  We had a junior welterweight title fight as well this time, what was your take on that?

Devon: It showed that Tereza "Dinamita" Delgado is no flash in the pan, Val, as the Chilean won her ninth fight in a row with a ten-round decision over the boxer she originally beat to win the junior title, Irena "Lefty" Hrbkova. For a while this rematch looked like it might be a blowout for the Chilean who started strong and looked confident after punishing Irena in the second round. Both fighters threw in a little junk and dirty tactics, but Tereza was landing the better shots and Irena took a standing eight in the fourth, then was dropped for a nine count against the ropes. The doc was called to Irena's corner between the rounds and she looked groggy but Tereza Delgado couldn't put her away and then hurt her own right hand with an uppercut to Irena's forehead in the sixth. The seventh started a big comeback for Hrbkova as she knocked Tereza to the canvas with a swinging left to the head, and it was Tereza's turn to take a standing eight later in the round, with blood dripping from a cut over her right eye. Irena had battled back into the fight with a vengeance, as Tereza could not hit full force with her injured right hand and Irena was able to work on the cut over the champ's right eye mercilessly. It all came down to a slam-bang standoff in the tenth, both boxers trading hefty shots while spattered with Tereza's blood. I thought it was a tossup going to the judges, but they had all scored a one-point win for the defending champ, who had done well to hold off Irena's late charge.

Val:   The future of the welterweight division looks pretty bright with this class of boxers coming up, Devon!

Devon: It sure does, Val. But what did you see on the undercard that stood out for you?

Val: There was a bit of an upset in the WEBA featherweight tournament as another Chilean Mónica Rodríguez recovered from a shaky start to pound out a win over favored Fiona Black from Scotland. Fiona had knocked Mónica out in their last fight, but this rematch was more like an earlier battle between these two tough featherweights, which had been close. Mónica was the early aggressor, taking the fight to Fiona in the first round, but the "Killie Killer" put major heat on the Chilean after knocking her down for a quick count in a corner in the second round. Mónica took a pounding against the ropes for the rest of the round and went to her corner bleeding under her left eye after barely surviving a late knockdown. The ring doc was called to the Chilean's corner to check her over as the Scottish scrapper looked confident she would now get the win. Fiona controlled the next round but she didn't put Mónica away and the Chilean began to battle her way back into it in the later rounds. The tide finally turned Mónica's way when she trapped Fiona against the ropes in the sixth round and whaled away on her until the referee called a standing eight. Fiona was shaken up and it got much worse for her when she was almost KO'd by a body shot later in the round. Black barely made it back to her corner and was bleeding heavily from a bad gash over her right eye.  The underdog Chilean controlled the rest of the fight on the way to a win by a unanimous decision.

Devon:  Mónica must have warmed up from all the training she does in that freezing cold gym of hers, Val!  She's fighting hot and she'll be going against our old friend Tina Boppa in the next leg. After these wins over Fiona Back and Diane McFee already in the tournament, could be that the li'l Boppa girl's going to have her work cut out for her!  Latina girls sure are making an impact in WEBA, with Tereza Delgado holding the junior welterweight belt, Mónica doing well in this tournament and Brazilian newbie Carmen Santos moving up in the lightweight division ...

Val:  That's right, Devon, and Carmen "Leoparda" Santos gets my other highlight pick this week, as she defeated a much more experienced opponent in German "Valkyrie"  Karin Bauer. Karin came out strong and took the fight to the newbie at first, and clocked her with a good straight left to the jaw late in the third.  Carmen got up quickly but went to her corner still looking wobbly. I expected Karin to come out and finish her off in the fourth but Carmen showed good defense then started to catch Karin with her counters and earned a standing eight on the German by the end of the round. Santos upped her work rate and got several more standing eights on Bauer in the middle rounds but couldn't put the German on the canvas as the Valkyrie showed good defensive skills.  By the eighth round Santos was starting to get tired, and Karin caught her with a great overhand right to the jaw early in the tenth.  Santos got up quickly, so she's obviously got a good chin, then held off an full-out attack by Bauer for the next minute and traded with her toe to toe until the final bell.  It  ended with great action that had the crowd on its feet cheering both fighters on as the clock ran down, and there was a close but unanimous decision for Carmen Santos when the dust settled. 

Devon:  So the Brazilian beach bunny looks like a serious contender, huh?

Val:  She's been getting a lot of buzz because of her looks and interviews where she's more interested in a good time than her training, but behind the scenes she  seems to be a well prepared boxer who can take a punch. Karin Bauer isn't at the same level as Baby Doll Ramirez, but she's held the WEBA lightweight title and owns a couple of KO wins at Wu's, so this points win was a feather in Santos's cap.  Any big highlight on the undercard for you, Devon?

Devon:  I'd say it was Natalya Borozdina handing Carolina Kusmagk her head in a welterweight battle.  The Russian "Bomber" hasn't seen much action recently but she's won eleven of her last thirteen fights and has been going against top opponents. She's stopped Heather Corrigan twice, once in the WEBA ring and once at Wu's, and she had points wins over Cyan Locklear and Diedre Dornan.  So she's a real dark horse in the welterweight division, although she got KO'd by Rose Mora early in 2007.  Carolina Kusmagk has struggled a bit recently and doesn't look quite ready to take on top contenders so this was a gutsy challenge  for her, It showed as Borozdina got the better of hard fought action in the early rounds then dropped Carolina with a power-packed head-body combination in the fourth. Carolina took a six count and never seriously threatened an increasingly confident-looking Russian again. Natalya kept the heat on the Swedish boxer, who ended the seventh dazed and bleeding heavily from her mouth, looking like a beaten fighter.  The referee considered stopping the fight between rounds, but Carolina pleaded to go on ... only to be knocked down three times on the way to a devastating KO. "Bomber" Borozdina lived up to her nickname in this fight, Val, it was "bombs away" once she got Carolina on the run. 

Val: A very tough KO loss for Carolina against one of the better Russians in Sergei Kalashnikov's stable. So no titles changed hands this week, but we're seeing some newbies making their mark and giving the more experienced boxers all they can handle and then some.

Devon:  It's good to see that, but we should say something about losing one of the original "Sistahs", Val.

Val: Yeah, Telisha Cooper was the biggest and baddest of that old group, and she was fighting in a division where it was harder to get opponent so she didn't always get into the ring as much as she wanted to. But she went out in style, with a world title win over one of her toughest opponents, Mikee "The Mauler" Mulroney. Telisha had a big punch and a big heart and I'm sorry to see her go.

Devon: She figures some of the other veterans should be going with her, or passing their experience on by training new fighters. What's your take on that, Val?

Val: It's a tough call and something managers and fighters need to decide for themselves, hon. The boxing game's addictive and when a manager and fighter have battled through good and bad times together it can be hard to let go. There are several fighters who are well past their peak now, their endurance is going away so the longer fights are getting tougher on them. We've pointed that out to them a lot and seen the effects of it in their fights, but hey if they are still feeling competitive and want to go on, that's gotta be their personal choice. If ya stick around too long some rising young star'll hand your head to ya eventually, that the way the boxing biz works. Some fighters prefer to go out while they're at their peak and a world champion, like Telisha and melody did. But it's a personal thing and everyone should make their own choice. You can go out with a big win or a bad loss, but I think nobody who's ever been a world champ goes outta here quietly, that's not our way!!

"I want to fight", says Heather

The Hellcat is steaming as she talks to reporters at her Dade County gym after a hot and heavy workout session.

Reporter: Were you giving the bag an extra hard banging today?  Are you annoyed about something?

Heather: You bet. I want to fight someone, fellas!  Nobody wanted to fight me before Christmas until Tammy Quinton stepped up.  I knocked her about too much and now nobody wants to get in the ring with me.  I had no-one to fight and that sucks, fellas. What's wrong with these girls?  They can have a world title on the line and nobody wants it?   

Reporter: You handed poor Tammy a brutal beatdown, maybe you've scared them away?

Heather:  Tammy's a good fighter but she's not Laila Ali!   Where's Jeanette?  Where's Lucille?  Where's Rose?  It's not like I've gone years without losing a fight like Baby Doll Ramirez!  What are these girls afraid of?  I never figured I'd get the world title back then have nobody to fight! 

Reporter: Will you fight at Wu's again?

Heather (grins): I'll fight anywhere if I'm just going to get rusty waiting for these girls to step up.  I want to be in the ring doing what I love.  I was going to give all these girls title shots rather than fight at Wu's, but if they are too shy to challenge me maybe someone will want to fight at Wu's. 

Reporter: How about Lucille Perkins?

Heather: How about her?  She knows where I am.  She's got the WEBA title, and maybe that's all she wants. I don't know where she is, maybe on the back of a milk carton somewhere in Canada. If she challenges me, well she's got it!  She wants a brawl for it all, I am ready.  But she's a runner, she doesn't stand and fight you when she's in the ring, she tries to turn it into a track meet.  And now she's too shy to make a title challenge as well.   She's all talk, no action, I'm the best fighter toe to toe, and she knows it.  But when she comes out of her hidey-hole, I'll be ready!!.   

Telisha's Farewell

Team Telisha gathers in the Sportatorium for a somewhat sad occasion. Telisha Cooper steps to the microphone and speaks. In the crowd are family members, friends from the fight game, various members of the now defunct Sisters With Gloves, Shanna Tyee, Paris LaSalle, Val Henning, Bambi Victory and Melody Washington huddle at the podium showing love and support.

Telisha Cooper: This fighting career of mine started with a dream of becoming the absolute best at my craft. I worked countless hours training, learning from my coaches, running until my legs felt they were coming off and sparring endless rounds.

Telisha Cooper: I was finally able to achieve my goal of becoming a champion. I was fortunate to hold the WEBA Middleweight Champion for a time and was able to capture the WEBA World Middleweight Title. I held the title for a while, but I honestly didn't enjoy the success that I thought I would. It was good to get to the top, but I expected to be embraced more in the corporate community, more endorsements, more movie deals like some of our other WEBA champions. It didn't happen for me and I was a little bitter. Some of that bitterness robbed me of my focus with training and I lost the title. I always believed that at my best, I was the best. So I took some time off to focus and decide whether to mount a comeback.

Telisha Cooper: I had the help of my girls, the Sisters With Gloves in my training camp and I was determined to win or die trying. I gave it my best and regained my Championship form and regained the title in the process. It feels good to be on the top of the heap again. This time it was personal, for me, my friends, my family in the ring, my family in life. That said, I have decided to retire. Many times in life we reach a cross roads. We can keep on doing something like its a routine, or we can move forward after accomplishing our goals.

Telisha Cooper: I have never liked the politics of the WEBA. Some people have an easier time getting fights than others. Some people can win a belt and stay busy, and thus stay sharp. Some people, like myself, almost get penalized with inactivity because people avoid them, rather than to step to the plate like women and fight. Still some others at the top bottom feed, preventing other fighters from fully developing because they were afraid to fight girls of their own speed, size and skill level.

Telisha Cooper: Because I love this game, I realize that I have given my all. And now it is time for some others to give it their all. I will not be like others fighters, hanging around hogging the spotlight from our talented newcomers or up and coming fighters. I will not stay until I get to the point that I can't enjoy the rest of my life.

Telisha Cooper: Heather, Jeanette, Tammy, Cyan, Claire, Rose, it's time to go home. Let the new girls get an opportunity in the spotlight. Become a trainer to a newbie, become a promoter, start a gym. If you love the game like you say you do, it's time to show it. Our days have passed. Yes, we can still fight, we may even win a belt or two, but at what cost to our bodies? At what cost to the development of this league?

Telisha Cooper: I want to thank my family for their continued support. I want to thank the WEBA for the opportunity to showcase my skills. I want to especially thank the fight fans out there for their undying love, admiration and support for my career. I put it on the line for your entertainment, and I appreciate the love you have shown me from day one. I am going home now. Retiring on my own terms, going out on top. To the up and coming fighters, I say give it your all. You will not always get applause, but you will always reap what you sow. Sow hard work and determination, you will reap gold! I love you all !

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