JoAnn Hagen: The Bashing Blonde Who Paved the Way

Back in the 1950s, stepping into a boxing ring as a woman was almost unthinkable. Athletic commissions frowned, promoters sneered, and most of the public considered it a novelty at best. Enter JoAnn Hagen  (Jo Ann Verhaegen), South Bend, Indiana’s own firebrand who refused to be sidelined. Known as the “Bashing Blonde from South Bend,” Hagen broke the barriers that kept women out of the sport, and she did it with style, heart and a knack for grabbing the spotlight.

The Beginning

JoAnn’s story starts like a midwestern legend: a girl tossing footballs with the boys on cracked concrete and showing a spark of something fiercer than most men could match. Born in 1930 or ’31 (records are a little fuzzy), she stumbled into boxing the way some stumble into fate. Under the watchful eye of local trainer and promoter Johnny Nate, she took her first steps into the ring. And legend has it — after just two days of formal training — she stepped in as a last-minute replacement for a fight… and won.

This wasn’t just a lucky start. Hagen had the heart, the hand speed, and the audacity to stick with it.

A Banned Sport

Hagen’s career took her across the Midwest, where she fought in makeshift gyms, school auditoriums, and venues willing to skirt the bans on women’s boxing. Indiana, Illinois, and much of the country frowned on women boxing professionally, but she didn’t care. Graceful, fearless, and increasingly famous for her style and tenacity, Hagen was a magnet for both crowds and controversy. Every match she fought was more than just a bout, it was also about exposure for all women in the sport. Hagen barnstormed through towns, sometimes under assumed names or in exhibition matches, refusing to let legal or social barriers keep her out of the ring.

Taking on Men

One of the tales that has survived over the years, though it falls into historical lore, is her 1952 match against Norm Jones, a male boxer in Michigan City, Indiana. Sources say she won a four-round decision. Verified records? Not exactly. But the story stuck, illustrating the kind of fighter she was: fearless and willing to test herself against anyone. Promoter Jittery Jack Berry is credited with saying, “She knows how to throw a good punch. In fact, she throws better leather than some guys I know”.

The Barbara Buttrick Upset

September 1954, Calgary, Alberta: Hagen faces Barbara Buttrick, one of England’s finest. Eight rounds. A crowd of 1,200. Hagen wins a decision, the only woman to ever defeat Buttrick in her storied 31-fight career.  Radio crews broadcast it, giving women’s boxing a first real voice in public media. It’s reported that Hagen called the Buttrick the best and toughest fighter she’d ever met, commenting that she had a split lip an cut nose to prove it.

Rivalry with Phyllis Kugler

In 1956, Hagen is squared off against fellow Hoosier Phyllis Kugler. December 13 in Roseland, Indiana, Kugler wins by decision. This bout is one of Hagen’s final competitive matches.

Bringing Women’s Boxing to America’s Living Rooms

1956: Hagen walks onto the televised show What’s My Line? and shocks the panel. She’s not a teacher, a nurse, or a secretary. She’s a boxer. Later that year, The Steve Allen Show features Hagen and Kugler. They start in evening gowns, slip behind a screen, and emerge in gloves and trunks. Television, glamor, sport; Hagen knew how to sell the story while making her point.

Life Beyond the Gloves

Retirement didn’t slow her down. Hagen joined the United States Marine Corps, a bold move for any woman in the 1950s. She always stayed close to boxing circles, celebrated as a pioneer, until her passing on February 5, 2004, at 73.

In 2014, Hagen was inducted posthumously into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame

In 2023, Hagen was honored in the Women’s Trailblazer category at the International Boxing Hall of Fame