Results from Edmonton

[Dee Williams]

Mrdjenovich won a UD over St. John

Garside vs. Brown a majority draw



Second belt for Jelena

Mrdjenovich grabs second world title with lopsided decision over St. John

By MURRAY GREIG, EDMONTON SUN
Sat, June 24, 2006

www.edmontonsun.com/Sports/OtherSports/2006/06/24/1650828-sun.html



Power thrills, but speed kills.

And a great chin and gorgeous looks are no match for relentless pressure and lightning left hooks.

That was pretty much the story line at the Shaw Conference Centre last night, where Edmonton's Jelena Mrdjenovich captured the Women's International Boxing Federation world lightweight championship with a lopsided 10-round unanimous decision over former Playboy cover girl Mia "The Knockout" St. John ofLos Angeles.

Judges Ken Rudd and Craig Metcalfe both scored it 97-93, while Usman Ali had it 99-92.

The Sun scored the fight 98-94 for Mrdjenovich, who improved her record to 12-1.

"I did what I wanted to do, which was be patient and apply pressure, but I was really surprised how well she can take a punch," Mrdjenovich said afterwards.

'TOUGH AND PROUD'

"I hit her with some great body shots and I know I hurt her, but she's tough and proud. Somehow she stayed on her feet.

"I was really able to get some leverage on my punches, especially the hooks to the body. That's something we've been working on. But yeah, it was a little frustrating that I couldn't put her away."

Coincidentally, both fighters are celebrating birthdays today, with Mrdjenovich turning 24 and St. John turning 39. But the age difference didn't appear to be much of a factor.

"I didn't feel 39 in there, but Jelena is a terrific fighter and she never gave me an opportunity to get off the shots I thought I could hit her with," said St. John, who saw her record drop to 43-7-2.

"I give her full credit. She pressured me all night, she never got tired and she was still throwing big punches in the last round. I did my best, but it wasn't good enough. I think Jelena is going to go really far in this sport, and I wish her all the best."

It was a pick-'em fight through the first three rounds. Mrdjenovich consistently landed her left and twice forced St. John to weather furious flurries in the corner. But the Californian gave as good as she got.

The tide began to turn in the fifth, when Mrdjenovich landed a thunderous hook that sent St. John reeling across the ring, then won a 20-second toe-to-toe exchange.

In the sixth, St. John was staggered by a three-punch combination capped by a left hook that caught her flush on the jaw. To her credit, however, St. John recovered quickly and scored with a pair of jabs to the face as the round ended.

The cat-and-mouse game continued through Rounds 7 and 8, with Mrdjenovich mostly throwing and St. John mostly catching.

In Round 9, Mrdjenovich stalked her prey for almost 45 seconds bfore landing two solid lefts and a right cross that buckled St. John's knees. When they came out of a clinch at mid-ring, Mrdjenovich launched another left that appeared to glance off St. John's shoulder and dump her to the canvas, but referee Braak ruled it a push.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, this wasn't one of Jelena's best outings; I'd probably only give her a 4," said Milan Lubovac, who trains and manages Mrdjenovich.

"She was okay, but I saw ome things that we're going to have to straighten out. I thought she got hit with too many shots, and I wanted her to jab more. But a win is a win."

St. John, who hinted earlier in the week that this might be her last fight, win or lose, was non-commital afterwards.

"Fighters always say that, then they change their mind," she said. "I really can't say what I'm going to do right now, other than go back home and get some rest. I've got a lot of things going on in my life besides boxing, so I'll have to weigh all those other options."

The semi wind-up, for the Women's International Boxing Association super bantamweight title was a rematch between southpaw champion Jeannine Garside of Windsor, Ontario and Lisa "Bad News" Brown of Toronto.

KEPT THE BELT

The champ kept her belt because two of the judges scored it a draw, while the third favoured Brown, 96-94.

The Sun scored in 97-93 for Garside.

"I can't believe those guys thought it was even. I gave her the first round, but after that she showed me nothing," said Garside.

"I had her hurt and I had her wobbling. She caught me with a few, too, but who was baking up? who was putting on the pressure?

"I'm really depressed about the result. And there's no way I'll fight her again. It's politics. I've beaten her up twice now, so there's nothing left to prove."

Brown was equally devastated.

"This hurts. I don't even want to talk about it right now. I don't know what fight the judges were watching, but it sure wasn't this one. I beat her bad. No way she should keep that belt."

[jr]

Mrdjenovich couldn't stop St. John. And the Edmonton judges actually gave two or three rounds to St. John! Almost all of Mrdjenovich's fights have been with stand-and-punch opponents and now she's fought a boxer with superior defense.

If the Edmonton press is to be believed, Milan Lubovac actually admitted his fighter did not perform well, a hint of humility.

I suspect Rock and Sock is not pleased with the results of this fight since it didn't produce the anticipated flashy knockout that sells well to cable networks.

[Michael Korff]

It has been a while since I posted. Been very busy with no time to post.

If I can't find this fight somewhere on DVD I won't watch it at all. It was not broadcast as far as I know down here in Texas where I live.

So on that note I would like to here how the fans who watch this fight felt about it.

Could they of actually enjoyed it. Most of the knockout that I have seen in what few fights That I actually seen.

Were not knockouts to begin with.

A knockout to me is out on the canvas with a ten count.

Everthing else is PHONEY BOLONEY.

Give all of the ladys who were on the card a chance to prove that those who did get to watch it might of thought it was a good card.

I not read much gripping over the mens fight that have gone the distance that there was not a Knockout.

How about that.

[jr]

jr said:

Mrdjenovich couldn't stop St. John. And the Edmonton judges actually gave two or three rounds to St. John! Almost all of Mrdjenovich's fights have been with stand-and-punch opponents and now she's fought a boxer with superior defense.

If the Edmonton press is to be believed, Milan Lubovac actually admitted his fighter did not perform well, a hint of humility.

I suspect Rock and Sock is not pleased with the results of this fight since it didn't produce the anticipated flashy knockout that sells well to cable networks.

Inconsistent Edmonton Reporting

The Edmonton sports writers have been inconsistent in their reporting of the Mrdjenovich-St. John fight. They usually speak as one voice in their praise of Jelena Mrdjenovich, but not this time. It’s possible the writers were inconsistent all along but, since most of Mrdjenovich’s bouts ended with stoppages, their writing was terminated with sudden endings to her fights.

One report talked about the “lop-sided” decision for Mrdjenovich. Another stated the first three rounds were even. So I turned to the scorecards to see if there is a reason for this inconsistency.

Boxrec does not document scoring for the Mrdjenovich stoppages, so only four fights could be examined.

The three judges for the St. John fight were Usman Ali, Ken Rudd, and Craig Metcalfe.
Rudd and Metcalfe scored the contest 97-93 but Ali scored it 99-92. Why was Ali’s score three points different from the other two officials?

A further examination of Ali’s scoring of Mrdjenovich fights shows that of the three he officiated, he awarded higher scores for Mrdjenovich than did the other judges in two instances. Those contests were the St John bout and the Olga Heron fight of 3/12/05. Ali scored the fight 39-36 and the two other judges scored the bout 38-38 and 38-37. Mrdjenovich won this fight by majority decision.

Ken Rudd, an Alberta official since 1994,has judged eight Mrdjenovich fights with four going the distance. Of these four contests, Rudd scored the bouts equal to that of other judges in two cases, one time higher for Mrdjenovich (58-55 in the Lisa Lewis fight on 11/12/04), and one time lower (59-55 in the Olga Heron contest). His scores were only one point different that the other judges.

Craig Metcalfe has scored two Mrdjenovich fights with only one going the distance, the St. John contest. As mentioned before, his score was 97-93, the same as Rudd’s.

I can understand why the sports writers are inconsistent with the St. John contest. The judges are inconsistent in scoring decisions for Mrdjenovich as well.

For the St. John fight, the majority score was 97-93. Applying the 20 percent hometown bias factor I believe exists in Edmonton, the score was more realistically 96-95.

Whether 97-93 or 96-95, the Mrdjenovich’s performance was not her best (a 4 out of 10 claims manager Milan Lubovac) but this is not Mrdjenovich’s fault. St. John, at the age of 39, is a better-conditioned and more intelligent athlete than 24-year-old Mrdjenovich, can take a punch better, and has defensive skills that baffled Mrdjenovich, demonstrating that Mrdjenovich is effective with punchers and not boxers.

I expect future Mrdjenovich opponents will be punchers.

[Dee Williams]

Here is another take on this card, from Chris Cozzone's site:

by Doug Rowe

www.insidewomensboxing.com/2006/ringoftheirown-june.html

Edmonton boxer Jelena Mrdjenovich, the new Woman’s International Boxing Federation Lightweight Champion, catapulted herself into the elite of woman’s boxing with a dominant unanimous decision win over Mia St.John before 1600 screaming fans at the Edmonton Shaw Conference Centre on Friday night. The three judges scored the bout 99-92, 97-93, 97-93 all in favour of the Edmonton fighter.

Mrdjenovich, 17-1, 11 KO’s, came out aggressive in the first round, cutting off the ring and used a vicious body attack to take Mia St. John off her game. The pattern continued for the first three rounds. St.John, 43-7-2, 18 KO’s was rarely able to employ her signature movement game, due to Mrdjenovich’s body attack. Although the Edmonton fighter came up from superfeatherweight it was evident early on that she was the stronger fighter.

“I established the jab and worked the body,” said Mrdjenovich. “I think that is the key and the bread and butter of fighting. I think that really threw her off and it took her awhile to get back onto her game plan. Styles make fights, and so what can you do, when the style changes up, you have to change your style.”

Even though St.John, 38, had to make adjustments the crafty veteran was still competitive, as she used every trick in the book to frustrate her younger opponent, including switching to southpaw and using rapid fire right jabs. Mrdjenovich, 23, appeared to hurt, St. John with a big left hook in the sixth round, but the California fighter was able to hold on and weather the storm.

St.John, who has been in with the best, including Christy Martin, and Holly Holm, gave the young star her due after the fight.

“She is a great fighter, and I wish her all the best and have nothing but respect for her,” said the former champion. “I see her at that (elite) level. She is young and has so much time. She is so young. I think she is going to have one hell of a career. I think that Jelena is the type of girl that will be a success, no matter what she does. That is just a given.”

St. John, who was pleased with her own performance, used every tactical strategy she could muster to turn the fight in her favour.

“I was using everything I could,” said St.John. “You know she is a lot younger. Tomorrow I turn 39, I am just happy that I can keep up with the best. I am just grateful for that.”

Mrdjenovich who is also the WBC and IWBF Superfeatherweight champion must now decide whether to fight as a lightweight or go back down to superfeatherweight. Although Mrdjenovich was non-committal after the bout, it seems logical that she will drop back down, as she walks at 135.

The Edmonton fighter was extremely impressed with how well St.John took the body shots. In the eighth round St.John called Mrdjenovich in to pound on her body.

“I have to give it to her she can take one good body shot,” said the champion. “This is what a lot of girls lack in female boxing. She can sure take a punch, for someone who has had two kids as well.”

In the semi-main event Jeannine Garside had to rally the last two rounds to pull out a majority-decision draw and retain her WIBA Super Bantamweight title against Lisa Brown.

Last September Garside, 5-0-1, 2 KO’s dominated Brown, 12-2-3, 4 KO’s, to win the title. The rematch was a completely different story. Brown, who paid dearly in the first bout for reaching in, fought a much smarter fight and forced Garside to make huge adjustments. To start the bout it was Garside this time, who was reaching in, missing with wild shots and being countered. Brown won the first three rounds of the bout setting the pace with effective aggression, getting off first and landing harder and more frequently. Garside made her first adjustment in the fourth round sitting back and counterpunching the shorter Brown. In the fifth round both fighters came out firing. The round was even heading into the last 30 seconds, but Brown may have stolen the round with a good combination just before the bell. The sixth round saw Garside fighting a much more tactical battle as she was able to find her range landing big right hooks and overhand lefts. The seventh round was very close Garside pinned Brown on the ropes but Toronto fighter rallied driving the Windsor fighter backwards. The round could have gone to either fighter. Brown took the eighth round with effective aggression and overhand lefts. Garside came out in the ninth round, throwing for the ceiling like she knew she needed something big. The two women stood toe-to-toe for the last thirty seconds. Garside’s physical strength won the round for her. The last round was a thing of beauty, and has to be considered for round of the year, as both women stood in the trenches for the entire two minutes. Garside would land the big overhand left and Brown would counter with the right hook; as the two southpaws exchanged punch for punch. But by the end of the round Garside seemed to hurt Brown and was the one who was forcing her opponent backwards.

The three judges had it 95-95 twice, and 96-94 for Brown. Fightnews scored it 96-94 for Brown, but the seventh round could have gone to either fighter depending on what you like, so the draw was a fair decision.

Both women felt they won the fight.

“I thought I was pacing myself,” said Garside. “I thought I was taking the rounds. I had her back to the ropes and I had her hurt three times in the fight. I am confused. What they want is to see me fight her again and that’s fine. There will not be any question the next time I fight her. I has nothing to do with revenge, it just has to do with who is the champ, and I am the champ!”

Brown thought she was the clear winner.

“It was robbery,” said Brown, 35. “I came out to fight, I did what I had to do . . . I come and give the fight of my life and they call it a draw. I can’t believe it.”

The Toronto fighter felt she made the right modifications to her game, from her first bout with Garside.

“The first time I fought her, I wasn’t in shape,” said the former champion. “I had so much going on I wasn’t mentally in shape, mentally and physically. This time I actually got my game together and I was hungry. So I came out to put on the best fight of my life.”

When they fought last September, Garside, 28, with only three professional bouts, looked like the more polished fighter. This time the roles were reversed. The taller Garside did not employ her jab effectively, had trouble with footwork and balance, was reaching in and loading up and missing. A third contest will definitely be interesting.

In the first bout of the evening Edmonton’s Cora Sipe, improved to 1-1, with a unanimous decision win over Wendy Roy, 0-1, of Vancouver. The fight was competitive up to the third round when Sipe’s power took over as she rocked Roy with a left hook followed by an overhand right. Sipe would rock Roy again with the same combination in the fourth round to post the 39-37, 40-36, 40-36 win.

[jr]

admin said:

Here is another take on this card, from Chris Cozzone's site:

by Doug Rowe

www.insidewomensboxing.com/2006/ringoftheirown-june.html

Edmonton boxer Jelena Mrdjenovich, the new Woman’s International Boxing Federation Lightweight Champion, catapulted herself into the elite of woman’s boxing with a dominant unanimous decision win over Mia St.John before 1600 screaming fans at the Edmonton Shaw Conference Centre on Friday night. The three judges scored the bout 99-92, 97-93, 97-93 all in favour of the Edmonton fighter.

Mrdjenovich, 17-1, 11 KO’s, came out aggressive in the first round, cutting off the ring and used a vicious body attack to take Mia St. John off her game. The pattern continued for the first three rounds. St.John, 43-7-2, 18 KO’s was rarely able to employ her signature movement game, due to Mrdjenovich’s body attack. Although the Edmonton fighter came up from superfeatherweight it was evident early on that she was the stronger fighter.

“I established the jab and worked the body,” said Mrdjenovich. “I think that is the key and the bread and butter of fighting. I think that really threw her off and it took her awhile to get back onto her game plan. Styles make fights, and so what can you do, when the style changes up, you have to change your style.”

Even though St.John, 38, had to make adjustments the crafty veteran was still competitive, as she used every trick in the book to frustrate her younger opponent, including switching to southpaw and using rapid fire right jabs. Mrdjenovich, 23, appeared to hurt, St. John with a big left hook in the sixth round, but the California fighter was able to hold on and weather the storm.

St.John, who has been in with the best, including Christy Martin, and Holly Holm, gave the young star her due after the fight.

“She is a great fighter, and I wish her all the best and have nothing but respect for her,” said the former champion. “I see her at that (elite) level. She is young and has so much time. She is so young. I think she is going to have one hell of a career. I think that Jelena is the type of girl that will be a success, no matter what she does. That is just a given.”

St. John, who was pleased with her own performance, used every tactical strategy she could muster to turn the fight in her favour.

“I was using everything I could,” said St.John. “You know she is a lot younger. Tomorrow I turn 39, I am just happy that I can keep up with the best. I am just grateful for that.”

Mrdjenovich who is also the WBC and IWBF Superfeatherweight champion must now decide whether to fight as a lightweight or go back down to superfeatherweight. Although Mrdjenovich was non-committal after the bout, it seems logical that she will drop back down, as she walks at 135.

The Edmonton fighter was extremely impressed with how well St.John took the body shots. In the eighth round St.John called Mrdjenovich in to pound on her body.

“I have to give it to her she can take one good body shot,” said the champion. “This is what a lot of girls lack in female boxing. She can sure take a punch, for someone who has had two kids as well.”

In the semi-main event Jeannine Garside had to rally the last two rounds to pull out a majority-decision draw and retain her WIBA Super Bantamweight title against Lisa Brown.

Last September Garside, 5-0-1, 2 KO’s dominated Brown, 12-2-3, 4 KO’s, to win the title. The rematch was a completely different story. Brown, who paid dearly in the first bout for reaching in, fought a much smarter fight and forced Garside to make huge adjustments. To start the bout it was Garside this time, who was reaching in, missing with wild shots and being countered. Brown won the first three rounds of the bout setting the pace with effective aggression, getting off first and landing harder and more frequently. Garside made her first adjustment in the fourth round sitting back and counterpunching the shorter Brown. In the fifth round both fighters came out firing. The round was even heading into the last 30 seconds, but Brown may have stolen the round with a good combination just before the bell. The sixth round saw Garside fighting a much more tactical battle as she was able to find her range landing big right hooks and overhand lefts. The seventh round was very close Garside pinned Brown on the ropes but Toronto fighter rallied driving the Windsor fighter backwards. The round could have gone to either fighter. Brown took the eighth round with effective aggression and overhand lefts. Garside came out in the ninth round, throwing for the ceiling like she knew she needed something big. The two women stood toe-to-toe for the last thirty seconds. Garside’s physical strength won the round for her. The last round was a thing of beauty, and has to be considered for round of the year, as both women stood in the trenches for the entire two minutes. Garside would land the big overhand left and Brown would counter with the right hook; as the two southpaws exchanged punch for punch. But by the end of the round Garside seemed to hurt Brown and was the one who was forcing her opponent backwards.

The three judges had it 95-95 twice, and 96-94 for Brown. Fightnews scored it 96-94 for Brown, but the seventh round could have gone to either fighter depending on what you like, so the draw was a fair decision.

Both women felt they won the fight.

“I thought I was pacing myself,” said Garside. “I thought I was taking the rounds. I had her back to the ropes and I had her hurt three times in the fight. I am confused. What they want is to see me fight her again and that’s fine. There will not be any question the next time I fight her. I has nothing to do with revenge, it just has to do with who is the champ, and I am the champ!”

Brown thought she was the clear winner.

“It was robbery,” said Brown, 35. “I came out to fight, I did what I had to do . . . I come and give the fight of my life and they call it a draw. I can’t believe it.”

The Toronto fighter felt she made the right modifications to her game, from her first bout with Garside.

“The first time I fought her, I wasn’t in shape,” said the former champion. “I had so much going on I wasn’t mentally in shape, mentally and physically. This time I actually got my game together and I was hungry. So I came out to put on the best fight of my life.”

When they fought last September, Garside, 28, with only three professional bouts, looked like the more polished fighter. This time the roles were reversed. The taller Garside did not employ her jab effectively, had trouble with footwork and balance, was reaching in and loading up and missing. A third contest will definitely be interesting.

In the first bout of the evening Edmonton’s Cora Sipe, improved to 1-1, with a unanimous decision win over Wendy Roy, 0-1, of Vancouver. The fight was competitive up to the third round when Sipe’s power took over as she rocked Roy with a left hook followed by an overhand right. Sipe would rock Roy again with the same combination in the fourth round to post the 39-37, 40-36, 40-36 win.

I'm not surprised to see this article (which is part of the inconsistent coverage I mentioned) on Chris Cozzone's website.

Cozzone was critical of St. John when she fought Holly Holm by comparing her defensive strategy to that of a "bunny, hopping around the ring" referring to her Playboy pictorial. Never mind that Holm "bounces like a kangaroo" (Christy Martin's comment) when she fights.

In my opionion, Cozzone is jealous of St. John's accomplishments and is one of the Mia-Haters.

As an aside, the 20 percent Edmonton hometown bias factor I mentioned in my comments is less than the 25 percent factor I believe exists in Albuquerque.

[Christian Brown]

Cozzone LOVES Holly Holm. After Blair beat Anani the first time, Cozzone said that Anani was off Holly's list of future opponents. When was she ever on?

[jr]

luvaboy97 said:

Cozzone LOVES Holly Holm. After Blair beat Anani the first time, Cozzone said that Anani was off Holly's list of future opponents. When was she ever on?

Sumya Anani's name would come up in post-fight interviews with Team Holm but Anani has stated the team turned down offers to fight in Albuquerque.

[jr]

jr said:

jr said:

Mrdjenovich couldn't stop St. John. And the Edmonton judges actually gave two or three rounds to St. John! Almost all of Mrdjenovich's fights have been with stand-and-punch opponents and now she's fought a boxer with superior defense.

If the Edmonton press is to be believed, Milan Lubovac actually admitted his fighter did not perform well, a hint of humility.

I suspect Rock and Sock is not pleased with the results of this fight since it didn't produce the anticipated flashy knockout that sells well to cable networks.

Inconsistent Edmonton Reporting

The Edmonton sports writers have been inconsistent in their reporting of the Mrdjenovich-St. John fight. They usually speak as one voice in their praise of Jelena Mrdjenovich, but not this time. It’s possible the writers were inconsistent all along but, since most of Mrdjenovich’s bouts ended with stoppages, their writing was terminated with sudden endings to her fights.

One report talked about the “lop-sided” decision for Mrdjenovich. Another stated the first three rounds were even. So I turned to the scorecards to see if there is a reason for this inconsistency.

Boxrec does not document scoring for the Mrdjenovich stoppages, so only four fights could be examined.

The three judges for the St. John fight were Usman Ali, Ken Rudd, and Craig Metcalfe.
Rudd and Metcalfe scored the contest 97-93 but Ali scored it 99-92. Why was Ali’s score three points different from the other two officials?

A further examination of Ali’s scoring of Mrdjenovich fights shows that of the three he officiated, he awarded higher scores for Mrdjenovich than did the other judges in two instances. Those contests were the St John bout and the Olga Heron fight of 3/12/05. Ali scored the fight 39-36 and the two other judges scored the bout 38-38 and 38-37. Mrdjenovich won this fight by majority decision.

Ken Rudd, an Alberta official since 1994,has judged eight Mrdjenovich fights with four going the distance. Of these four contests, Rudd scored the bouts equal to that of other judges in two cases, one time higher for Mrdjenovich (58-55 in the Lisa Lewis fight on 11/12/04), and one time lower (59-55 in the Olga Heron contest). His scores were only one point different that the other judges.

Craig Metcalfe has scored two Mrdjenovich fights with only one going the distance, the St. John contest. As mentioned before, his score was 97-93, the same as Rudd’s.

I can understand why the sports writers are inconsistent with the St. John contest. The judges are inconsistent in scoring decisions for Mrdjenovich as well.

For the St. John fight, the majority score was 97-93. Applying the 20 percent hometown bias factor I believe exists in Edmonton, the score was more realistically 96-95.

Whether 97-93 or 96-95, the Mrdjenovich’s performance was not her best (a 4 out of 10 claims manager Milan Lubovac) but this is not Mrdjenovich’s fault. St. John, at the age of 39, is a better-conditioned and more intelligent athlete than 24-year-old Mrdjenovich, can take a punch better, and has defensive skills that baffled Mrdjenovich, demonstrating that Mrdjenovich is effective with punchers and not boxers.

I expect future Mrdjenovich opponents will be punchers.

www.630ched.com/station/inside_sports.cfm?rem=41605&jor=41605

This is a radio interview with Jelena Mrdjenovich the day after the Mia St. John bout.

Mrdjenovich stated that St. John was tougher than she expected.

She was “absolutely” surprised that St. John was able to take her best body punches without backing up. Mrdjenovich was over-anxious at the beginning of the fight, trying for the knockout to fulfill the pre-fight hype. She also came off her game plan in the middle rounds and returned to it in rounds 7 through 9.

When she realized that a stoppage was unlikely, Mrdjenovich stated she returned to her jab, body punches, and staying on the outside. She also stated that the “cagy” St. John taunted her during the fight, a new experience for Mrdjenovich.

Mrdjenovich is disappointed that she did not win by knockout but also said that St. John has been in contests with the best fighters in her weight class and they too were unsuccessful at stopping St. John.

St. John had to lose six pounds the day of the weigh-in.

Mrdjenovich mentioned the 10-ounce gloves once in combination with fighting at a heavier weight and the pressures of a high-profile match. She did not use 10-ounce gloves as an excuse for failing to stop St. John.

It’s refreshing to hear the fight recap from the competitor without the “gaming” of the promoter and the distortions of the local press. St. John should provide a radio interview as well.

The big news is Team Mrdjenovich is negotiating a bout for August 31 in the U.S. A Ring of Their Own is promoting a show on 8/31 in Lake Tahoe. Could this be the debut of Mrdjenovich outside of Canada? And who will be her opponent? Will Team Mrdjenovich be brave enough to fight elite opponent Chevelle Hallback or rematch with Layla McCarter? In my opinion, the opponent won’t be either. And it won’t be a fighter with moves like Mia St. John but rather a puncher who stands and takes punishment. The choice of opponent will define Mrdjenovich as either a world-class fighter or a regional star.

[Dee Williams]

jr said:

Never mind that Holm "bounces like a kangaroo" (Christy Martin's comment) when she fights.

In a thread about biased comments, that's a laugher, Mr. J.R. Let's see, how many rounds did Christy Martin win in their fight? What was Jim telling her during it? Comments from sore losers ... c'mon, surely you can do better than that ...

[jr]

admin said:

jr said:

Never mind that Holm "bounces like a kangaroo" (Christy Martin's comment) when she fights.

In a thread about biased comments, that's a laugher, Mr. J.R. Let's see, how many rounds did Christy Martin win in their fight? What was Jim telling her during it? Comments from sore losers ... c'mon, surely you can do better than that ...

Dee,

You've missed my point. Depending who is doing the writing, a boxer's style and technique is either poor (Cozzone on St. John) or great (Cozzone on Holm). Both boxers employ a punch-and-escape-before-being-punched style. In my opinion, Cozzone is a Mia-Hater and will say what he can to denigrate her.

[Michael Korff]

JR

When it come to Mia most of the writers are anti Mia pure and simple.

It boils down to her career under TOP RANKED. They wanted a BUNNY BOXER and got it. I can't prove it but to me it seamed they wanted to make a fool out of Mia and the sport. I think she had the last laugh. I never have read once where she claimed to be a top level boxer. Just advage if I remember reading right. Lets face it when she lost to Anderson many it seamed the way I read about it. Thought thats it we are threw with her. and almost five years later she still is in the ring.

The way she goes about getting her fights such as why the gloves mentioned and about contracts. Top me says there is a whole story about her Top Ranked Era we know nothing about.
Mia does advise all women coming into womens boxing to have a good Lawyer.

Does that say something.

The whole article misses the boat possible. That until it is seen we can only read about it. But once seen it might turn out to be a good fight. In it own way. There was too much play up to KO'S before the fight. By what I read. No KO a let down. And a good fight can get lost it the aftermath of it. we will have to waite and see.

If you get to see it on TV post it here so I can read what you think
J R. I live in south texas and as far as I know A ring Of There Own does not come down here.

Michael

[jr]

michaelkorff said:

JR

When it come to Mia most of the writers are anti Mia pure and simple.

It boils down to her career under TOP RANKED. They wanted a BUNNY BOXER and got it. I can't prove it but to me it seamed they wanted to make a fool out of Mia and the sport. I think she had the last laugh. I never have read once where she claimed to be a top level boxer. Just advage if I remember reading right. Lets face it when she lost to Anderson many it seamed the way I read about it. Thought thats it we are threw with her. and almost five years later she still is in the ring.

The way she goes about getting her fights such as why the gloves mentioned and about contracts. Top me says there is a whole story about her Top Ranked Era we know nothing about.
Mia does advise all women coming into womens boxing to have a good Lawyer.

Does that say something.

The whole article misses the boat possible. That until it is seen we can only read about it. But once seen it might turn out to be a good fight. In it own way. There was too much play up to KO'S before the fight. By what I read. No KO a let down. And a good fight can get lost it the aftermath of it. we will have to waite and see.

If you get to see it on TV post it here so I can read what you think
J R. I live in south texas and as far as I know A ring Of There Own does not come down here.

Michael

Michael,

Some articles on Mia St. John:

www.wban.org/biog/mstjohn.htm

www.wban.org/stjohn032303.htm


And the prediction of the end of St. John's career in 2001 after the Rolanda Andrews bout (with the 20/20 vision of hindsight):

www.eastsideboxing.com/mcoy1110.html


For network coverage, watch the "A Ring of Their Own" website for scheduled broadcasts.

[Michael Korff]

JR

Thank you for the links. I a long time Mia fan and there very few articles about her I have not read. I know about all of the WBAN blogs and articles about her and other boxers.

I do thank you thought for bring to my attention where if it comes down to this are of Texas how I ight see the fight. Or for that fight any womens boxing match. I live in a small town Near corpus christi Texas on the Gulf Coast. Not a big are for womens boxing by far. In fact the last womens boxing match the I saw on TV period was Mia's last fight on either ESPN Or Fox sports.

I posted this on the old form. I not had time to post on the new one yet much. I am a long time womens boxing fan. since the days of Graciela Casillas and Kathy Barnet. In fact I still have Graciela layout from Playboy.

I also remember reading about a fighter named Sue TL Fox. I wonder whatever became of her.

I have also on the old form had heated decussions with TD about Mia on the old form.

Take Care
Michael

[jr]

michaelkorff said:

JR

Thank you for the links. I a long time Mia fan and there very few articles about her I have not read. I know about all of the WBAN blogs and articles about her and other boxers.

I do thank you thought for bring to my attention where if it comes down to this are of Texas how I ight see the fight. Or for that fight any womens boxing match. I live in a small town Near corpus christi Texas on the Gulf Coast. Not a big are for womens boxing by far. In fact the last womens boxing match the I saw on TV period was Mia's last fight on either ESPN Or Fox sports.

I posted this on the old form. I not had time to post on the new one yet much. I am a long time womens boxing fan. since the days of Graciela Casillas and Kathy Barnet. In fact I still have Graciela layout from Playboy.

I also remember reading about a fighter named Sue TL Fox. I wonder whatever became of her.

I have also on the old form had heated decussions with TD about Mia on the old form.

Take Care
Michael

WBAN is Sue "TL" Fox's web site.

There is an old saying that "the best voices are in the choir". Mia St. John is front-and-center in women's boxing and there are better "voices" in women's boxing, but St. John has successfully capitalized on her intelligence and strengths. Unfortunately, there are deserving fighters who will never receive the recognition and opportunities they deserve.

[Michael Korff]

JR

I was trying to insert a little humor into it. I guess I should of said I remember reading about Sue TL Fox when she was fighting in the ring. A while before Christy Martin.

You are right about those fighters. Unless they learn to sell themselfs and there fights. It is a business pure and simple. The one thing that I learn about womens boxing over the years it has to work much harder to be accepted than the men do. Tther are those no matter how good of fighter that a woman might be. they are nothing but the side show. Not the real deal.

It is much better than waht it once was though. I was in my teens was I became a fan of the sport. I now 30 something years later enjoy it.

Take Care
Michael

[jr]

Mrdjenovich vs. St. John – June 23rd

I watched the broadcast of the June 23rd Edmonton bout between Jelena Mrdjenovich and Mia St. John. Since the contestants, the press, and the promoters have written much about this contest and the surrounding circumstances, I scored the fight myself.

Round 1: St. John started slowly, bouncing on her toes; Mrdjenovich charged St. John, cutting off ring and began body punching; Mrdjenovich cornered St. John three times but St. John fought out of trouble. Mrdjenovich won round, 10-9.

Round 2: St. John stood toe-to-toe with Mrdjenovich; Mrdjenovich continued body attack but is ineffective with head punches due to St. John’s movement and defense; St. John taunted Mrdjenovich, motioned her to punch her body. Mrdjenovich won round, 10-9.

Round 3: A repeat of round 2 with Mrdjenovich brawling with St. John; Mrdjenovich continued the body attack and St. John blocked Mrdjenovich’s head punches; St .John switched to a southpaw stance and landed several right hand punches to Mrdjenovich’s head. Mrdjenovich won round, 10-9.

Round 4: Mrdjenovich continued body attack scoring points but St. John landed more head punches than in previous rounds; at the end of the round, Mrdjenovich had swelling above and below her right eye and corner applied enswell irons. Mrdjenovich won round, 10-9.

Round 5: Mrdjenovich slowed in the round, appeared tired; St. John landed several right hooks to Mrdjenovich’s head and again motioned Mrdjenovich to punch her in the abdomen. Mrdjenovich continued body punching and landed one hook to St. John’s head; enswell again applied to Mrdjenovich. St. John won round, 10-9.

Round 6: St. John smiled and motioned Mrdjenovich to continue her body punches; St. John continued right leads and hooks over Mrdjenovich’s left body hooks; at 1:23, Mrdjenovich landed a right hook to St. John’s jaw, St. John stepped back two steps and came forward, clinched, and landed three unanswered right hands to Mrdjenovich’s head; St. John landed 33 punches, Mrdjenovich 26. St. John won round, 10-9.

Round 7: Mrdjenovich slowed again in the round evoking questions about her conditioning from the commentators; St. John landed several left hooks to Mrdjenovich’s head; Mrdjenovich continued body punches but at a slower pace; St. John blocked Mrdjenovich punches to head. St. John won round, 10-9.

Round 8: St. John used successive left and right hooks to Mrdjenovich’s head driving her back; St. John landed several right hand leads to Mrdjenovich’s face; Mrdjenovich trapped St. John’s left glove and punched with her left hand prompting a warning from the referee. St. John’s best round, 10-9.

Round 9: St. John started round with more ring movement and landed several right hand leads; Mrdjenovich used more left jabs; St. John fell to mat, ruled a slip by referee; At 00:48, Mrdjenovich landed a left and right hook to St. John’s head, St. John hesitated a few seconds, stood her ground, and landed punches on Mrdjenovich. At 00:56, Mrdjenovich landed another right hook to St. John’s head but St. John fired back. St. John landed 23 punches, Mrdjenovich 22. St. John landed and blocked more punches in round but Mrdjenovich was busier in last ten seconds. Mrdjenovich narrowly won round, 10-9.

Round 10: Referee warned St. John and Mrdjenovich about holding and wrestling at beginning of round; St. John landed lead right hands on a back-peddling Mrdjenovich; Mrdjenovich started using right-hand leads prompting remarks from the commentators: Mrdjenovich used left forearm against St. John’s face and was warned again by referee; Mrdjenovich landed a solid left on St. John’s chin and St. John countered with two right hooks to Mrdjenovich’s head. St. John landed 30 punches, Mrdjenovich 27. Round even, 10-10.

Decision: Two judges scored the bout 97-93 and one 99-92; When 99-92 score was announced, boos were heard from audience; Team St. John applauded Mrdjenovich for her victory; fighters hugged, smiled, and talked; Mrdjenovich lifted St. John and crowd applauded. St. John’s face was unmarked, Mrdjenovich had swelling around right eye.


In My Opinion

The contest between Mia St. John and Jelena Mrdjenovich surprised many. St. John’s critics predicted she would run from Mrdjenovich for ten rounds or Mrdjenovich would end the fight with a knockout. Team Mrdjenovich wanted a knockout, Edmonton wanted a knockout, the promoter expected a knockout - but St. John had other plans.

St. John’s ring experience, conditioning, and endurance were the keys to her performance. Since all but two of Mrdjenovich’s bouts have been with fighters of limited experience, she had never faced a boxer with the background and defensive skills of St. John. An “over-anxious” Mrdjenovich brawled with St. John for the first four rounds to capitalize on St. John’s slow starts in fights. St. John blocked and ducked Mrdjenovich’s head punches but Mrdjenovich scored points with body punches, winning the first four rounds. St. John was more effective in round four but Mrdjenovich still won the round based on the number of body punches. The fourth round was a turning point for St. John.

St. John won rounds five through eight due to her right hand leads, jabs, and right hooks. Mrdjenovich had no answer for St. John’s right hand technique and resorted to trapping St. John’s glove and punching. The referee warned Mrdjenovich about holding and hitting.

Mrdjenovich narrowly won round nine. St. John demonstrated her best ring movement of the bout, landing right hand leads to Mrdjenovich’s head. Mrdjenovich increased her left jabs. At 00:48 and 00:56 Mrdjenovich hit St. John with right hand hooks to the head. St. John absorbed the punches and hit Mrdjenovich several times. Although St. John landed and blocked more punches in the round, Mrdjenovich was the more improved and busier at the end.

Round ten was an even round. St. John continued to land right hands to Mrdjenovich’s head but Mrdjenovich used right hand leads for the first time in the fight.

St. John fought toe-to-toe with Mrdjenovich for the entire bout as she did with the harder-hitting Jenifer Alcorn and Christy Martin. St. John even waived Mrdjenovich into striking range because St. John had to knock out Mrdjenovich to win.

St. John made two mistakes in this contest. Fighting in Edmonton made winning impossible without a stoppage (as if Team Mrdjenovich would fight anywhere else). And allowing Mrdjenovich to punch her body scored points, costing her the first four rounds.

Team Mrdjenovich also made two errors in this bout. This overconfident team underestimated St. John’s skills and conditioning, but more importantly they relied on the body attack to wear down St. John. St. John showed no fatigue in the fight and there is no indication St. John was hurt by body punches, contrary to Mrdjenovich’s claim that “I hit her with some great body shots and I know I hurt her, but she's tough and proud. Somehow she stayed on her feet.“

Mrdjenovich admitted she was impatient at the beginning of the fight. She tried to force a knockout to fulfill the pre-fight hype, but her record shows that her contests with skilled boxers end in decisions.

St. John showed Mrdjenovich things she had not seen before. St. John used leads, jabs, and hooks with her right hand, a southpaw stance, effective ring control, footwork, and head movement to punch her opponent and avoid Mrdjenovich’s best punches. Mrdjenovich was mostly one-dimensional in this fight with left hooks and jabs, the “bread and butter” of boxing she states. She showed little ring movement until the last two rounds and her only defense was her jab, typical for a puncher and making her head an easy target for St. John. Mrdjenovich’s overhand right, successful against puncher Donna Biggers, was rendered ineffective by St. John’s ring movement. And St. John took Mrdjenovich to the tenth round where Mrdjenovich had never been.

Mrdjenovich would pick up the pace at ten seconds left in the round, an old trick to influence the judging. Judges are required to judge the whole round, not the last ten seconds.

After her “4 out of 10” performance, the Mrdjenovich support system - judges, press, and promoter - rallied to revive Mrdjenovich’s reputation as a knockout artist.

The Edmonton judges applied the hometown bias factor in scoring the fight. Two judges scored the fight 97-93 and the third 99-92. As required by the Ten-Point Must scoring system of equal weight given to clean punching, effective aggression, ring generalship, and defense, the score of the fight was a more realistic 96-95. Based on their scores, the Edmonton judges apparently do not follow the rules of the scoring system. The 99-92 score has no rational explanation.

The Edmonton press came to the aid of Mrdjenovich as well. With overblown hyperbole, two writers described the fight as an overwhelming victory for Mrdjenovich and survival for St. John.

One Edmonton writer stated that a Mrdjenovich hook in the fifth round sent St. John flying across the ring. While Mrdjenovich did hit St. John with a left hook, St. John was unaffected, kept coming forward, and did not “fly” across the ring. In fact, St. John won the round and the commentators agreed. He also wrote that a three-punch combination in the sixth round, culminating with a hook to St. John’s jaw had a devastating effect. There was a two-punch combination that did not affect St. John. And he wrote a right cross in the ninth round shook St. John’s knees. Mrdjenovich landed two right hooks in the ninth, at 00:48 and 00:56. St. John stopped motion, waiting for Mrdjenovich to double up her punches. In both cases, St. John kept throwing punches.

Disappointed with these works of fiction, St. John, in an unusual move, sent a letter to WBAN criticizing the Edmonton press coverage, the scoring of the fight, and claimed the Edmonton Sun fabricated quotes attributed to her.

In response to St. John’s letter, the promoter exercised damage control by using ten-ounce gloves as the excuse the fight went the distance. The promoter did not get the planned flashy knockout of the high profile St. John to excite the media networks.

Even the broadcast team tried to help Mrdjenovich. Arnie Rosenthal scored the fight heavily in favor of Mrdjenovich (98-93) and added nonsensical comments as St. John will be pizzing (sic) blood after this body attack (as if many fighters don’t pass blood after a bout) to fill dead air. His use of adjectives such as “torrid” would make Peter Roget proud. His commentary clearly had a Mrdjenovich bias.

Corinne Van Ryck was a refreshing exception to the gaming of this bout. She disagreed with Rosenthal’s scoring, rated St. John higher for her effort, and stated that Lisa Brown was robbed of a victory in the earlier bout with Jeannine Garside. As a former professional boxer, Van Ryck’s experience makes her better qualified to score a women’s contest than the Edmonton judges or Rosenthal. Her openness and candor would probably threaten her affiliation with AROTO.

But then Van Ryck turned on St. John. In comments after the fight and with the promoter standing directly behind her, she stated “Mrdjenovich might have scored a knockdown with eight ounce gloves; it’s a huge difference.” Van Ryck’s job is secure with AROTO.

Mrdjenovich won the fight, but the bout was much closer than scored. Pro St. John judges could have awarded her the close ninth round for her machismo in absorbing body shots so she could punch Mrdjneovich’s face and head to the disappointment of Mrdjeonvich trainer/manager Milan Lubovac: “I thought she got hit with too many shots, and I wanted her to jab more.” A St. John-biased venue could have altered the decision.

This bout was not a good performance for Mrdjenovich. She was affected by the pressures of the high-profile contest and the promoter’s expectation of a knockout. And the body attack did not wear down St. John, proving a one-fight-strategy-fits-all is a flawed one. But fault does not lie solely with Team Mrdjenovich. St. John brought a wealth of knowledge, experience, and determination to this contest, making the bout a difficult one for Mrdjenovich. Mrdjenovich was apologetic for her performance in a radio interview the day after the fight.

The ten-ounce issue surfaced with the promoter, the fight announcers, and Mrdjenovich herself. In the post-fight interview with Van Ryck, Mrdjenovich stated “I think the difference was the ten ounce gloves. That’s a heavyweight glove, not a lightweight glove. I think with the eight ounce gloves I would have knocked her out with the body shots.” First, ten-ounce gloves are not “heavyweight” gloves. The WIBA, for example, requires ten-ounce gloves for the light middleweight division and heavier. Second, Mrdjenovich is assuming that she could punch St. John’s body with eight-ounce gloves. St. John allowed Mrdjenovich to punch her body. It is reasonable to expect St. John would alter her fight strategy if the punches from eight-ounce gloves affected her. St. John avoided the body punches when she wanted. And third, the promoter and Team Mrdjenovich agreed to St. John’s requirement to use ten-ounce gloves believing Mrdjenovich would knock out St. John with these gloves. St. John stopped Shelby Walker and Joy Irvin with ten-ounce gloves. Mrdjenovich couldn’t stop St. John with these gloves.

Mrdjenovich relinquished the WIBF Lightweight title two weeks after the contest. Despite the promoter’s claim that "we are having problems finding opponents for Jelena because fighters are seeing her on TV in the States and they don't want to face her left hook", this bout was conceived to gain notoriety for Mrdjenovich by knocking out St. John, not a lack of opponents in her weight division. The plan failed, so Team Mrdjenovich is returning to the super featherweight division.

Mrdjenovich’s success is based more on venue and opponent selection than on fighting ability. Mrdjenovich’s eleven wins by stoppage have been against fighters of limited defense, six of these stoppages against opponents with losing records and one a pro debuter. Her six wins by decision were over boxers with defensive skills. Two decisions were over boxers with losing records, one with an even record, and three with winning records - Olga Heron, Layla McCarter II (broken arm), and St. John. The thirty percent hometown bias factor helps Mrdjenovich win decisions.

Opponents are unwilling to compete at the biased Edmonton venue. Calling out super middleweight Laila Ali is a promotional stunt. And the reported offer of an insulting purse to top opponent Chevelle Hallback avoids an elite fighter in the super featherweight division.

Like Holly Holm in Albuquerque, Jelena Mrdjenovich is becoming trapped in Edmonton by her team and her support system. Team Mrdjenovich can remain in Edmonton, avoid the elite fighters, and compete against punchers, not boxers. And Mrdjenovich will continue to be known as the Canadian girl who only keeps winning at home. Or Team Mrdjenovich can accept the challenge of fighting the best competition, fight outside Edmonton, and prove if Mrdjenovich is a true world champion.

[Michael Korff]

JR

Thank you for your report. It was not shown down where I live in south texas. Of course I do not have digital cable. I asked a freind who does have it if it was offered. He did not reply that it was. I cauld not even find it on the net braodcast.

You did not happen to tape it on DVD where we could make an arrangement so I could watch it did you. My VCR broke so I just use DVD now.

If not ok.

It read like it was another local fighter gets the win. It did not help the sport any.

Michael ;D

[Michael Korff]

By the way has anyone even seen a photo of this fight. I have not.

If you have where was it.

Michael

[jr]

michaelkorff said:

JR

Thank you for your report. It was not shown down where I live in south texas. Of course I do not have digital cable. I asked a freind who does have it if it was offered. He did not reply that it was. I cauld not even find it on the net braodcast.

You did not happen to tape it on DVD where we could make an arrangement so I could watch it did you. My VCR broke so I just use DVD now.

If not ok.

It read like it was another local fighter gets the win. It did not help the sport any.

Michael ;D

Michael,

I recorded the fight from the Men's Channel on Dish TV. I reviewed it several times but I did not keep it. Sorry.

AROTO claims to be making the fights available to Prizefightnetwork.com and Villagetelevision.com. Prizefightnetwork has had no AROTO fights posted and Villagetelevision posted the Clampitt-Fiorentino and the Brown-Garside fights. The web admin said they did not receive the St. John-Mrdjenovich bout.

Now Villagetelevision is showing the two-round Mrdjenovich fight against an overmatched Donna Biggers. I believe AROTO is still in damage control by showing the Biggers fight, trying to hype Mrdjenovich. Don't expect to see the St. John bout on the web. The more people see this bout, the better St. John's performance looks and questions will be raised about the decision.

[Michael Korff]

JR

Don't feel bad about not keeping the fight. I just thought that I would ask. I tried those web link but as you said they never got it. There is one site on Ebay that I watch that sell women fights on DVD I watch it to see if they get it. I let you know if they do.

This has not turned out to be the huge fight that the promotors wanted. I as said before I never even see a photo of this fight.

Thank you for your report. I enjoyed a netural oppinion on it.

Michael

[TD]

JR..you gotta be kidding?

I gave MSJ one round, had two even and Jelena winning the other 7. Arnie was sucking up to Mia the entire time.

JELENA was un-marked. MSJ looked like a juiced grapefruit at the end.

MIA's left arm swipes couldn't knock a nick-knack off a two inch shelf.

But hey, you gotta like that new MIA ring fashion, HIDE THE GUT UNDER A FULL LENGTH T-SHIRT. That's why Jelena pounded her body when she could get Mia to stop running.

I gave Mia maybe 6 or 7 meaningful punches landed. 6 or 7!!! One thing about Mia, she did throw alot more than I expected. But her ring "dancing" was sad.

Are you related to her...?

TD

PS, Mia is the ONE that contracted for 10 ounce gloves or NO fight. That's weak.

[jr]

td said:

JR..you gotta be kidding?

I gave MSJ one round, had two even and Jelena winning the other 7. Arnie was sucking up to Mia the entire time.

JELENA was un-marked. MSJ looked like a juiced grapefruit at the end.

MIA's left arm swipes couldn't knock a nick-knack off a two inch shelf.

But hey, you gotta like that new MIA ring fashion, HIDE THE GUT UNDER A FULL LENGTH T-SHIRT. That's why Jelena pounded her body when she could get Mia to stop running.

I gave Mia maybe 6 or 7 meaningful punches landed. 6 or 7!!! One thing about Mia, she did throw alot more than I expected. But her ring "dancing" was sad.

Are you related to her...?

TD

PS, Mia is the ONE that contracted for 10 ounce gloves or NO fight. That's weak.

Tom,

I am not related to and have no affiliations with Mia St. John.

After eight rounds, Rosenthal scored the bout 5-3 for Mrdjenovich and Van Ryk 4 rounds each - much different than your one round for St. John.

Mrdjenovich's corner used enswell irons around her right eye after several rounds to stop swelling.

As far as St. John's conditioning, judge for yourself with the October cover of Ms. Fitness magazine.

Finally, your criticism of all things Mia St. John is well known.

[TD]

JR,

Nothing against MIA the person...but the image thing is false.

And the scoring I made could easily have been worse for Mia, it literally could have been a 99-91 score.

You tell me why Mia insists on 10oz gloves?

Did you look at punch counts? On the force of blows landed? Look at Mia's face at the end, gassed and swollen would be nice descriptions.

I honestly dont think Mia's own family would have have or could have scored it better than 4 to 6 AGAINST Mia.

I read all the Canadian reports, which I usually consider to have a slant of bias, but in this fight the scoring bias was given to MIA!!!

As far as upcoming Fitness Cover, why wouldn't Mia be that fit to go into the ring?

TD

[Rick Scharmberg]

michaelkorff said:

JR

I was trying to insert a little humor into it. I guess I should of said I remember reading about Sue TL Fox when she was fighting in the ring. A while before Christy Martin.

Take Care
Michael

I actually saw her fight on TV once