Tina Boppa
	Nickname "Tiger" Hometown Tarzana, California Gym Goddess Pro Boxing Trainer Graciela Casillas Height 5 ft 4 ins Weight 125 lbs WEBA Record

Tina began her career as a sparring partner for new WEBA boxers. These exhibition bouts showed her to be a stylish boxer, very light on her feet but short on punching power and resilience. She also worked as a ringside commentator and interviewer at big WEBA events. This got her hooked on the atmosphere of big fight nights, and soon it wasn't enough just to hang out with the rough, tough WEBA women ... the young tyro set her sights on joining the WEBA for real.

The crunch came when the WEBA had trouble filling a fight card because too many boxers had been injured, were in training, or didn't make challenges. Tina stepped in to fight Echo Johnson, a tricky and elusive boxer managed by the league's original Prez, EricVT! Tina demolished Echo to get a unanimous decision, and the big win over the Prez's fave girl got Tina the nickname "Tarzana Tiger".

Tina went on to close calls with many of the WEBA lightweights, often being knocked to the canvas and bloodied, but finding ways to weather the storm and use her boxing skills to earn decisions. Although short on punching power and endurance, Tina refined her skills and built a 7-0 record on speed and aggressiveness in the ring.

The WEBA players voted Tina onto a team that went to a tournament in Russia in 1998, but then they overmatched her against the big, strong, aggressive Anjelika Andreeva. Tina took a bad beating and returned with her reputation in tatters! She got her confidence back with unanimous decisions over Cindy Lee, and Dena DelaCruz to go a then-unprecedented 9-0 WEBA newcomer record.

The hammering that Tina took in Moscow also made WEBA think about the fairness of matching its lightest fighters against heavy competitors. This came to a head when Tina was challenged by Italy's Rose Mora, a fighter near the top of the WEBA's welterweight division. Tina took the fight and battled Mora to a draw, but started a storm of controversy by saying that she would not fight anyone as heavy as Mora again. The WEBA formed separate welterweight and lightweight divisions partly as a result of Tina's protest. Some WEBA fighters, especially "Dynamite" Diane McFee, still call Tina a "cry baby" because of her stand, but she usually lets her fists answer them, believing that she can hold her own in a fair fight. Rose Mora and Diane McFee have remained Tina's bitterest WEBA rivals, however.

Tina next trounced Silke Leong, another, lighter welterweight, showing once again that she could take a punch and hang tough when she had to, but that her speed could be the undoing of a heavier, nore powerful opponent. Although a natural featherweight, Tina was highly seeded going into the first WEBA lightweight tournament and she expected to be a strong contender for the new lightweight title.

This all came unglued when she faced "Dynamite" Diane McFee, the dirty-fighting super-rich Canadian who has caused major uproar and big upsets in the WEBA. Tina outclassed Diane early in this fight and was pounding her to a defeat when she became overconfident, got nailed by one of Diane's infamous low blows, and was kayoed while still trying to shake off its after-effects. This first pro loss was a lesson for Tina in the harsh realities of WEBA boxing ... nice girls who fight fair don't always win!

Tina worked on her punching power so she could finish off fighters like McFee quickly, and showed results when she outboxed, and then kayoed durable Tammy Quinton to score her first true knockout.

Tina went on to win the WEBA and World Lightweight titles, only to lose them again quickly. She has twice won the World title from Russian star Ursula "Little Bear" Sabelina ... and seems to be the only WEBA boxer with good answers for Ursula's high-pressure style. But each time Tina has won this prized trophy, she has quickly lost it again to her ultimate WEBA nemesis ... Pam "The Terror" Chai!

Boppa built her reputation as a clean-fighting, aggressive and skilled boxer but she still struggles against bigger fighters with hard punches. A string of losses in 2000 saw the Tiger take ferocious beatings from several of the harder-hitting WEBA boxers, even though she had passed the lofty million-dollar mark in lifetime WEBA earnings.

She also took another disastrous loss to "Dynamite" Diane McFee, again easily winning the early rounds but then being victimized by a stunning knockout. A rematch with Diane is high on Tina's "must-do" list, but the trash-talking Canadian contemptuously refuses to fight her!

Tina's boxing goal is to win another world title (which she did on November 28, 2000) and then defend it by knocking out Diane McFee!

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