Blair - Anani Rematch Poll

[Dee Williams]

WBAN has confirmed information that we received this week, that Sumya "The Island Girl" Anani will be fighting Warrior Terri Blair in a rematch on May 27, 2006, in Louisville, Kentucky!


Terri Blair
7-10-2 (4 KO)
WBAN #1 ranked jr welterweight
Age: 30
Height: 5 ft 6 in
From: Louisville, KY

www.wban.org/biog/tblair.htm

vs.

Sumya Anani
25-2-1 (9 KO)
WBAN #2 ranked jr welterweight
Age: 34
Height: 5 ft 6 in
From: Kansas City, MO

www.wban.org/biog/sanani.htm

[Dee Williams]

Geoff McKay of East Side Boxing interviewed Sumya Anani on April 19, 2006. This is an excerpt from that interview, which you can read in full at

www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=6639&more=1

Known as the most avoided fighter in Women Boxing, Sumya Anani recently suffered an upset loss to Terri Blair. East Side Boxing sat down with Sumya to discuss the fight, and women's boxing in General.

ESB: Can you tell us about the fight? (What do you think went wrong, what went right?)

SA: Full credit to Terri, she lives up to her name of the 'Road Warrior'. Going into the 10th & final round, I was ahead on points. I was caught with a good shot I didn't see. I jumped straight up but the ref stopped the fight. I protested! There was only 23 seconds left in the fight, & I was the defending Champion. Anyway, she was fighting fit; I was only gym & training fit. That was not good enough against a tough & hungry fighter. Prior to the Blair match, I've only had 3 fights since early 2003, the last one being 14 months ago. I did not choose to be so inactive! In 2004 & 2005 I had the misfortune to receive the WBAN Award for being the "Most Avoided Fighter". Maybe now I will be less avoided! It was not my best performance. I definitely want & need to be more active in the ring..

ESB: How are negotiations going for a rematch?

SA: I want a rematch more than anything. After the fight, they did agree to one. Barry, my manager, will look after the negotiations.

[Dee Williams]

The Louisville Courier-Journal carried an article about their new local champion Terri Blair on Tuesday, April 18, 2006. This is just an excerpt, you can read the whole article at

www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060418/SPORTS/60418004/1002

Improbable Champ

Louisville's Terri Blair went a long way to get IBA belt

By Michael Grant
[e-mail]

With minimal cajoling and an assist from her trainer/manager, Abdul Jarvis, the International Boxing Association's welterweight championship belt is snugly fitted around Terri Blair's waist. While she wears it, you can see the hint of a grin from the victor.

The look of satisfaction has been four years in the making. Last month Blair was a journeywoman southpaw boxer with a losing record, relegated to taking fights with as little as two days' notice and always on the road. But Jarvis always believed in the 30-year-old shipping clerk from Paintsville. Now you can see it in pictures of the victorious Blair on the third floor of Terry Middleton's gymnasium in New Albany. You can see it in the black-and-gold belt.

You can see it in Blair's smile of quiet satisfaction.

"I can't believe that I finally have achieved what I set out to do," she said.

The unheralded Blair (7-10-2) scored a technical knockout against Sumya Anani (25-2-1) with 23 seconds left in the 10th and final round to win the IBA welterweight title (147 pounds) at the Grand Victoria Casino Resort in Rising Sun, Ind., on March 27.

"Her record is real deceiving," IBA consultant Tom Vacca said. "You're not going to get a fighter tougher than this girl. You're not going to punch out Terri Blair. She can just about take any guy's punch."

...

After graduating from Georgetown with a degree in biology, she moved to Louisville to live with her older sister in 1998 while she tried to decide what to do with her life. While taking a Tae Bo class, Blair caught the attention of her instructor, Jarvis.

Jarvis was impressed by her strength (she can bench press 190 pounds) and focus. He convinced her to try kick-boxing before switching to boxing because there were more fight opportunities.

Blair had 25 amateur bouts before turning professional in 2002.

...

Blair has never suffered a serious injury and never been knocked out. She trains five days a week, spending two to three hours at the gym doing bag work, sparring and agility drills. She's single and lives alone so she can dedicate her energies fully to boxing.

"I've always been competitive," said the 5-foot-4 Blair, who fights at between 130 and 147 pounds. "I've been an athlete my whole life. In boxing it's the whole deal. It's mental. It's physical. It's everything. For me, it's mainly the mental aspect. How far can I push myself? I just love the sport."

...

Everything seemed to come together in her last fight. Her losing record made her an attractive candidate for Anani. This was supposed to be another sure victory for the champ, who had 10 knockouts to her credit and is best known for beating women's boxing pioneer Christy Martin eight years ago.

The fight against Anani almost was stopped in the early rounds when an elbow caught Blair over her left eye. The cut required five stitches, and Blair described it as the most pain she had felt after a match. But with adrenaline pumping and confidence building, she scored her fourth knockout.

"I was nervous because she was considered the best female boxer out there," Blair said. "I went in with confidence, but I also went in thinking that I didn't have anything to lose. Once the fight started, I wanted that belt so badly. I didn't back down."

Sue Fox, creator of the Women Boxing Archive Network, called it the upset of the year.

"Sumya Anani has been very inactive," she said. "It could have been ring rust. It could have been Terri's activity. She has been fighting a lot. It could have been her super desire to win."

Blair and Jarvis declined to say how much money they have made in boxing. IBA president Dean Chance said that Blair most likely made $600 to $700 for four-round fights early in her career. He estimates her top purse was $7,500.

Blair has to make a title defense within 90 days of her last fight, and there's a good chance it will be a rematch against Anani. Jarvis is shopping for a venue. He would love the fight to take place locally.

Wherever it is, Blair said she's still out to prove herself. Asked what she hopes this title will do for her, she said: "Bigger fights, more money and just the respect from everyone. Everyone who just looks at records."

[len]

Anani was rusty in the the first bout, and it took her most of the bout to regain form. She is still one of the premier fighters in women's boxing. I believe she will regain her title. Then, I she either a match with Holly Holm or even a trilogy bout with Blair.

[jr]

len said:

Anani was rusty in the the first bout, and it took her most of the bout to regain form. She is still one of the premier fighters in women's boxing. I believe she will regain her title. Then, I she either a match with Holly Holm or even a trilogy bout with Blair.

If Sumya Anani wins the rematch, a third contest between the two is the honorable thing to do and I believe that is what would happen.

Team Holm, however, will continue to pray for rain on Anani so she rusts away. This fight will never happen.

[Dee Williams]

From the Louisville Courier-Journal today:

www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006604270424


'Road Warrior' comes home

By Michael Grant
[e-mail]
The Courier-Journal

The "Road Warrior" finally gets to box in her adopted hometown next month.

Terri Blair will defend her International Boxing Association welterweight title against the previous champion Sumya Anani on May 27 at Louisville Gardens. The rematch will be the first "home" fight for Blair, who originally hails from Paintsville. The closest Blair (7-10-2) has fought to Louisville since turning professional in 2002 was a bout in Lexington.

She'll have home-ring advantage against Anani (25-2-1), a Minnesota native.

"It's exciting," Blair said. "All my friends and my family can come to it. Most of the time I'm out in California and nobody can go watch me fight. I think a lot of people are excited about seeing a good fight. I know they're going to do a lot of promotions for it. I think it will be great."

Blair, 30, sent shockwaves through women's boxing in late March. She scored a technical knockout of Anani with 23 seconds left in the 10th and final round at the Grand Victoria Casino Resort in Rising Sun. Blair's trainer/manager Abdul Jarvis likened the victory to Buster Douglas stunning Mike Tyson.

Jarvis had hoped to get in at least one fight before granting Anani a rematch.

He said that the IBA wanted a rematch soon.

"With us being the new guys on the block, people put certain demands on Terri that they would normally not put on the other champion," Jarvis said. "Other champions fight people way down on the list, people out of rehab who have never fought before. They put a little bit of pressure on us to give her another chance. I don't mind. It wasn't a lot of pressure. They figure that it was a lightning strike."

IBA supervisor Tom Vacca said that's not entirely true.

"Anani doesn't have to be the opponent," he said. "They could have had another opponent. The one thing we did tell them, and if you want to call that pressure you could call it that, 'Don't throw some name on me of somebody who is 3-1. We won't approve of that.' We're not going to make a laughingstock out of ourselves.

"We went out on a limb on Terri. It turned out well, but we don't want to push our luck."

Blair took the hard road to the championship, taking fights on short notice and always on the road against quality competition. Still, when the southpaw boxed Anani it was supposed to be a sure victory for the champion.

"Sumya knows that she's going to have to be at the top of her game to fight Terri Blair," said Sue Fox, creator of the Women's Boxing Archive Network. "Terri is not a fighter to be taken lightly."

Barry Becker, Anani's trainer/manager, said his fighter was rusty from a 14-month layoff.

"It was hard to get her a fight," Becker said. "Nobody will fight her. We were real lucky to have Terri fight her. We just didn't take it serious enough. . … It's going to be a different fight now."

Blair said she "definitely" wanted a rematch.

"I want to solidify the fact that I deserved this first win," she said. "A lot of people think she was a little rusty. A lot of people don't give me all the credit that I deserve."

Promoter Greg Peals is hopeful this fight will help raise the profile of women's boxing.

"I think the females have been overlooked and overshadowed," he said. "Terri is finally getting her just due."

[Willie Edwards]

anani will be at the top of her game ,much luv to you sumya .

[len]

I am really surprised at the lack of voting in this poll!?

[Rick Scharmberg]

Contrary to popular belief, it will be tough for Sumya to win the rematch in her hometown. Should be a good one!

[dannii]

Nothing against Terru but I'm anxious that Sumya should put in a dominating performance to get that legacy in tact once again. Ideally I would have liked to see Sumya have a fight before the rematch later in the summer, but I guess Sumya's not likely to get too many tune up offers when she barely gets world title fight offers.

[Dee Williams]

Reluctant no longer, Anani wants her title back

By Michael Grant
[e-mail]
The Courier-Journal

www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060525/SPORTS/605250419/1002/SPORTS

Barry Becker was in Jamaica 10 years ago with a dream in his heart and a Sports Illustrated in his hand. His vision had been sparked by watching his friend Sumya Anani playfully wrestle a guy nicknamed "The Fire Man" on the beach. Even though the stocky Jamaican outweighed Anani by 25 pounds, he couldn't pin her.

Ever since Becker met Anani at a gym a few years earlier, the trainer had been trying to get her to give boxing a try. This time he fortified his argument with a visual aid. He showed Anani the April 15, 1996, Sports Illustrated with female boxer Christy Martin on the cover.

"You can beat this girl someday," Becker told her.

Someday was Dec. 18, 1998. The victory over Martin propelled Anani (25-2-1) into the women's boxing elite. She'll try to recapture some of that magic Saturday when she faces Louisvillian Terri Blair (7-10-2) at Louisville Gardens for the International Boxing Association's welterweight championship. Anani held the belt before suffering a stunning defeat to Blair in late March.

Anani, 34, has long been one of the sport's most feared fighters, a somewhat surprising assessment considering her initial reluctance -- even after Becker showed her that SI cover.

"My response to him was 'Why would I want to do this?' " she recalled. "But he planted a seed. When I moved home from Jamaica, he came to my home a week later. He said, 'I got you a fight. It's in three weeks.' He really had to do that. If he would have kept asking me to fight, I would have been, 'Uh, no.'

"I took it because I liked working out. I liked the idea of learning to defend myself. I trusted him. And I need the money."

Anani grew up in Kansas City without playing any sports in high school. A single mother by age 18, she went to junior college and later massage school to become a therapist. When she joined Bally's gym, she piqued Becker's interest because of her weightlifting strength. He had been teaching boxing at the gym and thought he might have a new pupil, but Anani wasn't interested.

The two remained friends and had one thing in common: a love of Jamaica. Anani spent several months there dealing blackjack at a resort. During a trip to Jamaica in 1996, Becker made one more attempt at persuading her to become his boxing protégé.

"I said, 'Sumya, if I had you as a student and you stayed with it, you could beat this girl someday,' " he said. "And that story came true. It's the most unbelievable thing that has ever happened to me before in my life."

In her first professional fight, Anani was paid $400 for winning a four-round decision. But her fourth fight was the most memorable because it was so tragic. In December 1996 she fought Katie Dallam, who was making her pro debut. During the bout a blood vessel ruptured in Dallam's brain, leaving her with brain damage.

It has been widely reported that Dallam's case might have been the inspiration for the short story on which the Oscar-winning film "Million Dollar Baby" was based. According to Dallam's Web site, the fight was "mismatched" and "poorly refereed." Anani said the bout shouldn't have occurred because Dallam had just been involved in a car accident.

"I just don't understand why she was in the ring," she said. "It's a question that I continue to ask myself. Whenever it's brought up, I can tell that I've never really let it go."

Anani continued to box and work her way up, highlighted by the decision over Martin. But as time went on she found it harder to get fights, as many potential opponents steered clear of her punching power. When she fought Blair at the Grand Victoria Casino Resort in Rising Sun, Ind., in late March, it was her first match in 14 months.

The rust showed, and Blair scored a technical knockout with 23 seconds left in the fight.

Anani says she should have won.

"She caught me with a good shot," she said. "I went down. I got right back up. The ref just waved it off. I was the defending champion. I was ahead on all three scorecards going into the 10th round. I felt like that they should have let me finish off (the fight)."

Anani is predicting victory in the rematch.

"To me the frustrating thing is not giving my potential," she said. "It's not losing. That's the story of our lives, our human journey into being the best we can be."

Michael Grant can be reached at [phone].

If you haven't voted yet ... go to this thread's poll and pick the winner!

[Rick Scharmberg]

jr said:

len said:

Anani was rusty in the the first bout, and it took her most of the bout to regain form. She is still one of the premier fighters in women's boxing. I believe she will regain her title. Then, I she either a match with Holly Holm or even a trilogy bout with Blair.

If Sumya Anani wins the rematch, a third contest between the two is the honorable thing to do and I believe that is what would happen.

Team Holm, however, will continue to pray for rain on Anani so she rusts away. This fight will never happen.

[Rick Scharmberg]

.[/quote]

If Sumya Anani wins the rematch, a third contest between the two is the honorable thing to do and I believe that is what would happen.

Team Holm, however, will continue to pray for rain on Anani so she rusts away. This fight will never happen.[/quote]

I would love to see a Holm-Anani bout. Sumya will not rust away. Anani will reverse her fortunes in the rematch to set up this classic boxer-puncher matchup. Holly has the style to give anyone fits, including Sumya Anani. Ryan? Can anybody make this match later this year?