Post by Stacy 'Goodnight' Goodson on Sept 19, 2006 19:19:17 GMT -5
~An American Success story~
The alarm clock buzzes at 3:35 AM to begin the day; work time will commence just two hours and twenty-five minutes later, and this is a typical day for the one-hundred pound professional fighter Sarah Goodson 21-15-1 (7 KO’s), who in spite of holding a world title and carrying the distinction of the first Filipino female fighter to do so she unselfishly labors in a factory five to six days a week to help out with making ends meet for the Goodson family.
Born Sarah Ann Rama in Lomboy, Cebu City in the Philippines the now Paris, Arkansas resident just captured her first world title (WIBF Straweight Championship) by defeating the Kansan Sarah Ortiz via eight round unanimous decision last July which was televised on ESPN 2 WNF, and in doing so was crowned the first Filipino female fighter to earn the major hardware, “To me being the first Filipino female to win a world title is a big deal,” Sarah explained to the Doghouse, “I have been down a very long and frustrating road, always getting the short end of the stick with bad decisions and all, you
name it has happened.”
The road to glory has been a rocky one for Goodson, who began her career in the summer of ’99 with a first round knock out, sounds good except she was on the receiving side, and in her first nine professional bouts in just under a year all Goodson found was defeat, “Well at first I really only started fighting for the money, “ Sarah explained, “I never really thought about taking it serious till much later in my career. And three of my first loses were suppose to be ND's and I only got like a $100 each because Stacy put me on these cards with his signed fighter Deana Nance to help her get experience before she had to start fighting for real. Well the promoters just did not bother to tell the commission so now I have three loses on my record for a grand total of $300. I received $1200.00 to lose to Nina Ahlin for one fight, but as far as now, it’s all different. When I won the title I was so happy I could not help but to start crying when I went back to my hotel room after the fight. It is a moment I wont soon forget, I worked very hard and I finally got what I deserved.”
Just eleven months after her pro debut Sarah finally found victory when she knocked out fellow Arkansan Crystal Parker in the second round, she was able to pound out four back to back victories, one was over the undefeated Deanna Nance, who Sarah had previously lost three times too. It was back and fourth for Goodson’s career wining one here losing two or three there, but it was a far cry from the first year she began as professional pugilist.
In August of 2004 Sarah won a split decision victory over the twenty-eight-fight veteran Stephanie Dobbs to gain the vacant WEBA Straweight title, and this is where her career began an upward spiral. Working side by side her husband/trainer/manager Stacy Goodson who just recently celebrated seven years together the two started to construct a career for Goodson that would map out a run for the title she totes around today, but it wasn’t always peaches and cream for these two who clashed head to head at times as spouses do Sarah explained, “He was always real short with me when he tried to train me before. If I would complain he would just stop training me for a month or so, but after he saw how bad the first Ortiz fight hurt me he said that if I ever fought again I was going to train for real and keep my mouth shut the whole time, and I did, and I am a much better fighter now than I ever was, Stacy and I finally make a good team,” laughing a bit as she details the on going relationship.
After stringing together ten victories one draw and a no decision Sarah fought in what she described as the turning point in her career losing out a six round majority decision to Sandra Ortiz, “The turning point was when I fought Sandra Ortiz, when I lost that fight I was so mad, I was mad at the promoter I was mad at the judges I was mad at Stacy… shoot the whole state of Missouri. I cried hard after this fight when I went to my hotel room, I did not want to talk for like three days. I just could not believe that I let this girl beat me, when I would hurt her I would let her back in the fight knowing there was no way she was going to beat me…well they found away,” Sarah explained.
But redemption is sweet and in July of this year the female Filipino fighter got a taste of the sweet stuff when she hands down laid a hurting on her former foe Sandra Ortiz winning the bout by the scores of 78-74, 77-75 and 79-73 giving her the WIBF Straweight title and the distinction of being the first Filipino female fighter to carry that title of world champion. It was a long hard journey for lady Goodson but a road that has been feverishly traveled, and now looking back on her accomplishment she can be proud of her new found glory and like the fighter she has become she isn’t giving that title up without fierce resistance, “I have two boys 3 and 4 years old that both have Autism, I work a ten hour a day job and work out for a couple hours every night go to bed and get up at 3:45 am to start it all over again while most champions only box or go to college or something like that. With what I went through to get the title was a long hard road and nobody is taking that away from me, and if they try to they are getting knocked out!” Sarah confidently stated.
What’s next for the female champ?
A rubber match with Sandra Ortiz has been proposed for September 23rd but that is a bout that is unlikely to happen Sarah explains, “She is supposed to fight me Sept 23rd but they are not answering the phone anymore, I don’t believe she will ever fight me again.” But the bout Sarah really wants is another throw down against Hollie Dunaway who both met in ’04 fighting in a no Contest. “I would like to fight the young WIBA champion Hot Stuff Hollie,” Sarah explains, “This is a fight I want and from what she tells others she does to. Hollie is like me in some ways, she came from being an opponent and turned it in to something much better. She just did it at a much faster pace with a lot less obstacles in her way, an easier road if you will. But she is a great champion and I would love to fight her one day real soon. Stacy said that she was wanting to beat me in my native country of the Philippines and he is working on making that happen some time in 2007 when I go on Vacation for two or three months. That way we will both have the same amount of time to prepare. I know Hollie would not want it any other way since she is a true champion, like me she wouldn’t want anybody making excuses after she beat them, and I do hope that this fight happens!”
But for now it’s back to Reem Manufacturing in Fort Smith, Arkansas to pull her weight, world champion or not she has bills to pay and mouths to feed, but humbly looks back on her struggle filled road with a sense of pride and understanding of what it takes to become a world champion, but with her past she has a bright outlook for her future and explains it in closing, “I want to thank God for making me and my family healthy, I want to thank you guys for interviewing me, and I want to tell anybody that has ever saw me fight before that that’s not me anymore, I am a new fighter and all though I just turned thirty-three years old, I feel like a new born baby in boxing. And I am most certainly not done with making my mark in this sport.”
I would like to thank Stacy and Sarah Goodson for their time and thoughts, to find out more of the female Filipino firecracker check out: www.dathrilla.com.
The alarm clock buzzes at 3:35 AM to begin the day; work time will commence just two hours and twenty-five minutes later, and this is a typical day for the one-hundred pound professional fighter Sarah Goodson 21-15-1 (7 KO’s), who in spite of holding a world title and carrying the distinction of the first Filipino female fighter to do so she unselfishly labors in a factory five to six days a week to help out with making ends meet for the Goodson family.
Born Sarah Ann Rama in Lomboy, Cebu City in the Philippines the now Paris, Arkansas resident just captured her first world title (WIBF Straweight Championship) by defeating the Kansan Sarah Ortiz via eight round unanimous decision last July which was televised on ESPN 2 WNF, and in doing so was crowned the first Filipino female fighter to earn the major hardware, “To me being the first Filipino female to win a world title is a big deal,” Sarah explained to the Doghouse, “I have been down a very long and frustrating road, always getting the short end of the stick with bad decisions and all, you
name it has happened.”
The road to glory has been a rocky one for Goodson, who began her career in the summer of ’99 with a first round knock out, sounds good except she was on the receiving side, and in her first nine professional bouts in just under a year all Goodson found was defeat, “Well at first I really only started fighting for the money, “ Sarah explained, “I never really thought about taking it serious till much later in my career. And three of my first loses were suppose to be ND's and I only got like a $100 each because Stacy put me on these cards with his signed fighter Deana Nance to help her get experience before she had to start fighting for real. Well the promoters just did not bother to tell the commission so now I have three loses on my record for a grand total of $300. I received $1200.00 to lose to Nina Ahlin for one fight, but as far as now, it’s all different. When I won the title I was so happy I could not help but to start crying when I went back to my hotel room after the fight. It is a moment I wont soon forget, I worked very hard and I finally got what I deserved.”
Just eleven months after her pro debut Sarah finally found victory when she knocked out fellow Arkansan Crystal Parker in the second round, she was able to pound out four back to back victories, one was over the undefeated Deanna Nance, who Sarah had previously lost three times too. It was back and fourth for Goodson’s career wining one here losing two or three there, but it was a far cry from the first year she began as professional pugilist.
In August of 2004 Sarah won a split decision victory over the twenty-eight-fight veteran Stephanie Dobbs to gain the vacant WEBA Straweight title, and this is where her career began an upward spiral. Working side by side her husband/trainer/manager Stacy Goodson who just recently celebrated seven years together the two started to construct a career for Goodson that would map out a run for the title she totes around today, but it wasn’t always peaches and cream for these two who clashed head to head at times as spouses do Sarah explained, “He was always real short with me when he tried to train me before. If I would complain he would just stop training me for a month or so, but after he saw how bad the first Ortiz fight hurt me he said that if I ever fought again I was going to train for real and keep my mouth shut the whole time, and I did, and I am a much better fighter now than I ever was, Stacy and I finally make a good team,” laughing a bit as she details the on going relationship.
After stringing together ten victories one draw and a no decision Sarah fought in what she described as the turning point in her career losing out a six round majority decision to Sandra Ortiz, “The turning point was when I fought Sandra Ortiz, when I lost that fight I was so mad, I was mad at the promoter I was mad at the judges I was mad at Stacy… shoot the whole state of Missouri. I cried hard after this fight when I went to my hotel room, I did not want to talk for like three days. I just could not believe that I let this girl beat me, when I would hurt her I would let her back in the fight knowing there was no way she was going to beat me…well they found away,” Sarah explained.
But redemption is sweet and in July of this year the female Filipino fighter got a taste of the sweet stuff when she hands down laid a hurting on her former foe Sandra Ortiz winning the bout by the scores of 78-74, 77-75 and 79-73 giving her the WIBF Straweight title and the distinction of being the first Filipino female fighter to carry that title of world champion. It was a long hard journey for lady Goodson but a road that has been feverishly traveled, and now looking back on her accomplishment she can be proud of her new found glory and like the fighter she has become she isn’t giving that title up without fierce resistance, “I have two boys 3 and 4 years old that both have Autism, I work a ten hour a day job and work out for a couple hours every night go to bed and get up at 3:45 am to start it all over again while most champions only box or go to college or something like that. With what I went through to get the title was a long hard road and nobody is taking that away from me, and if they try to they are getting knocked out!” Sarah confidently stated.
What’s next for the female champ?
A rubber match with Sandra Ortiz has been proposed for September 23rd but that is a bout that is unlikely to happen Sarah explains, “She is supposed to fight me Sept 23rd but they are not answering the phone anymore, I don’t believe she will ever fight me again.” But the bout Sarah really wants is another throw down against Hollie Dunaway who both met in ’04 fighting in a no Contest. “I would like to fight the young WIBA champion Hot Stuff Hollie,” Sarah explains, “This is a fight I want and from what she tells others she does to. Hollie is like me in some ways, she came from being an opponent and turned it in to something much better. She just did it at a much faster pace with a lot less obstacles in her way, an easier road if you will. But she is a great champion and I would love to fight her one day real soon. Stacy said that she was wanting to beat me in my native country of the Philippines and he is working on making that happen some time in 2007 when I go on Vacation for two or three months. That way we will both have the same amount of time to prepare. I know Hollie would not want it any other way since she is a true champion, like me she wouldn’t want anybody making excuses after she beat them, and I do hope that this fight happens!”
But for now it’s back to Reem Manufacturing in Fort Smith, Arkansas to pull her weight, world champion or not she has bills to pay and mouths to feed, but humbly looks back on her struggle filled road with a sense of pride and understanding of what it takes to become a world champion, but with her past she has a bright outlook for her future and explains it in closing, “I want to thank God for making me and my family healthy, I want to thank you guys for interviewing me, and I want to tell anybody that has ever saw me fight before that that’s not me anymore, I am a new fighter and all though I just turned thirty-three years old, I feel like a new born baby in boxing. And I am most certainly not done with making my mark in this sport.”
I would like to thank Stacy and Sarah Goodson for their time and thoughts, to find out more of the female Filipino firecracker check out: www.dathrilla.com.
