Female Fight News for week of Aug. 28, 2017 Promoting and Actual Worth
By David A. Avila
Another light week slides into female boxing this week with only scattered bouts around the world.
Mexico has the top fight this week as Lourdes “Lulu” Juarez fights Cecilia Santoscoy for one of the WBC minor titles in Leon, Guanajuato. Juarez, the 30-year-old younger sister of Mariana “Barby” Juarez, has found her groove in the boxing ring.
For several years Juarez has hopped up and down various weight divisions and seems to have settled in the flyweight level. She has also found her power and has dominated in her last several ring encounters.
Meanwhile her older sister Mariana is looking to find the most profitable opponent after her scheduled fight with fellow Mexican Jackie Nava was scuttled by the Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor mega fight. Mexican television preferred the men battle over the female clash.
Juarez continues to be the most popular and perhaps best paid female prizefighter in the world today. The current WBC bantamweight champion makes a minimum of $50,000 a fight. Some experts say she makes closer to $100,000 a fight when including endorsements.
So how did Juarez become the queen of female prizefighting?
Self-Promoting, Mayweather and Claressa
Many female prizefighters feel that their fighting skills alone should give them the hefty paydays of a Juarez or a male fighter like Floyd Mayweather.
That’s a big mistake in thinking.
Let’s take Mayweather first. He fought for years on cards in small ballrooms or as the understudy to others like Oscar De La Hoya. Though he began fighting professionally in 1996 after the Atlanta Olympics, he could not sell out a large arena of 10,000 seats on his own until 2006.
Before that, he needed a Mexican opponent with a large fan base. But the clever Mayweather figured out how to attract fans and that was by becoming the “bad guy” and bad mouthing opponents and claiming to be the best ever.
It worked.
Mexico’s Juarez took another road though she was always a talented prizefighter.
Juarez did whatever she could to attract fans. When Mexico did not allow female boxing she moved to Southern California. When she ran out of options there she moved to Colorado then back to Mexico. When Mexican television sponsored a reality show on female boxing she participated and became known to her countrymen.
““What we did here in Mexico was hard work because we were training, fighting and then also going to media events but it was worth it. Trying to get people to pay attention, to grow their interest, we began to go to different events, any TV show that would have us,” Juarez told the 2-Minute Round Show in February. “We would talk about boxing, give boxing clinics, different events and that is when the media showed some interest and begin to promote you. The first years of my career were very tiring because it was about going to shows, to events, asking for different opportunities to be seen by all kinds of different people. I think Claressa Shields is a prime candidate to do that in the United States. She is doing all the right things and her handlers are taking her in the right direction, putting her on different shows, to have people take notice and show people that women can also do it. A two-time Olympic champion in the United States deserves support and sponsors need to show their support.”
Whenever asked to pose for magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Playboy, and others the self-motivated Juarez would always consent.
“That’s how people know who you are,” said Juarez. “Then inside the ring you can show them you can fight.”
Juarez’s last fight in Mexico City’s Zocalo attracted more than 400,000 fans to her win over Catherine Phiri for the world title.
Actual worth
Many female prizefighters do not know their actual worth.
It’s easy to break down.
If only 10 people want to see you fight then that is your actual worth. Let’s say ticket prices are $50 a piece, then 10 times $50 equals $500. That’s your actual worth. It doesn’t matter if you have 20 wins and no losses. If no one wants to see you fight that’s still your actual worth.
There are female fighters that attract from $10,000 worth of ticket sales to $30,000 and more. That’s how much they are worth. It doesn’t matter if they have five or 20 losses, if people want to see them fight that’s their true worth and that’s the name of the game.
Most female and male fighters don’t understand that prizefighting is all about entertainment.
There are female fighters out there calling out others to fight them but they have no fans and no recognition factor. They take the easy way out and call out champions instead of promoting themselves.
Years ago an editor called me asking why I had never done a story on some kid from the area who claimed the champion was avoiding her. I informed the editor that fighter couldn’t entice people to come to her fight even if she paid them.
Promoters want to sign female fighters that have a large audience. It’s already tough trying to find room to put a female fight on a large fight card. But if a female fighter can attract at least $10,000 worth of ticket sales then she is worth promoting. It’s that simple.
It’s a large reason why the former Olympians were all signed by top promotion companies. The female boxers like Shields, Mikaela Mayer, Marlen Esparza and Katie Taylor all have large followings.
Social media is another way of proving a female fighter’s worth. And still others have established a home base and can regularly sell out venues where they live and fight. But most female fighters need to self-promote any way they can by attending fight cards big and small, talking to schools, visiting other sports venues, staging exhibitions and volunteering for a variety of causes.
Juarez proved it can be done and now she’s reaping the benefits after more than 20 years of hard work.
Female Fight News and Results
Argentina
Alejandra Zamora (5-1) won by majority decision after four rounds with Elizabeth Britos (1-2-1) on Saturday Aug. 26. The super featherweight clash took place in Hurlingham, Buenos Aires.
Iara Cortes (2-1) defeated Adriana Maldonado (1-7-2) by unanimous decision after four rounds on Friday Aug. 25. The bantamweight fight was held in Quilmes, Buenos Aires.
Flavia Quintero (1-2) won by split decision after four rounds versus Alejandra Reynoso (1-4-1) on Friday Aug. 25. The super featherweight bout took place in La Paz, Mendoza.
Brazil
On Friday Sept. 1, lightweights Rose Volante (10-0) and Luana Da Silva (0-1) meet at Santos, Sao Paolo for a six round bout. Also, bantamweights Danila Ramos (2-0) and Paula Vieria Da Silva (0-0) meet in a four round contest.
Finland
Eva Wahlstrom (21-0-1) was the winner by unanimous decision over Irma Adler (16-9) after eight rounds on Saturday Aug. 26. The lightweight match was held in Olavinlinna, Savonlinna.
Hungary
On Tuesday Aug. 29, super flyweights Kleopatra Tolnai (12-12-1) and Agnes Draxler (9-15) meet at Toalmas for a four round fight.
Japan
On Friday Sept. 1, minimum weights Nanae Suzuki (4-2) and Chie Higano (7-5) clash in Tokyo for a six round fight. Also, light flyweights Naoko Shibata (16-4-1) and Shisa Manopgym (0-2) meet in a six round match.
On Sunday Sept. 3, minimum weights Minayo Kei (6-2) and Sana Hazuki (5-2) meet in a six round match in Kyoto.
Mexico
On Saturday Sept. 2, flyweights Lourdes Juarez (20-2) and Cecilia Santoscoy (2-4) meet in a 10 round bout for the WBC Fecombox title in Leon, Guanajuato. “Lulu” Juarez, 30, is the younger sister of WBC bantamweight titlist Mariana “Barby” Juarez. She has not lost in 18 consecutive fights since 2014.
New Zealand
On Friday Sept. 1, lightweights Baby Nansen (5-2-1) and Quinita Hati (0-1) meet in an eight round contest in St. Johns. Also, heavyweights Lani Daniels (0-0) and Trish Vaka (0-0) debut in a four round match.
Philippines
Carlean Rivas (6-4-3) won by majority decision after six rounds versus Floryvic Montero (3-3) on Friday Aug. 25. The light flyweight match was held in Makati City, Manila.
Spain
Eva Naranjo (10-0) won by knockout of Danielle Hodges (0-1) in the fourth round of their encounter on Saturday Aug. 26. The super flyweight bout took place in Benidorm, Valencia.
On Friday Sept. 1, lightweights Miriam Gutierrez (1-0) and Mirabella Calugareanu (0-10) meet at Islas Canarias for a four round contest.
Thailand
Phannaluk Kongsang (1-3) won by technical knockout of Daorueng Pakkhetanang (1-5) in the second round on Sunday Aug. 27. The light flyweight fight took place in Bangkok. Also, Sumanthar Baenkham (2-4) defeated Suwanun Antanai (0-6) by decision after six featherweight rounds.
USA
Savannah Marshall (1-0) won her pro debut by unanimous decision over Sydney LeBlanc (4-4-1) after four three-minute rounds on Saturday Aug. 26. The super middleweight clash took place in Las Vegas on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight.
Alycia Baumgardner (4-0) knocked out Brittney Artis (0-1) in the first round on Friday Aug. 25. The super featherweight bout took place in Warren, Michigan.
On Saturday Sept. 2, super featherweights Adelaida Ruiz (1-0) and Haley Pasion (1-1) meet in a four round bout in downtown Los Angeles at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel.
Venezuela
Norleidys Graterol (1-0) won by technical knockout in the first round against Clara Morales (0-1) on Wed. Aug. 23. The light flyweight bout was held in La Victoria. Also, Estheliz Fernandez (1-0) stopped Zuyensi Gonzalez (0-1) in the first round of their lightweight clash.
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