Strong Woman - Ada Vélez, Puerto Rican female professional boxer

Ada "Ace" Vélez (born September 15, 1970) is a Puerto Rican female professional boxer who lives in Hollywood, Florida. Vélez was brought into boxing by former women's boxing world champion Bonnie Canino.

After a successful undefeated amateur career that included a national title, Vélez became the first Puerto Rican to win a women's world boxing championship on January 19, 2001, when she defeated Kathy Williams on a unanimous decision over 10 rounds to win the IBA bantamweight title. Ten months later, she moved up in weight and challenged undefeated Mary Elizabeth Ortega for the WIBA super bantamweight title, again winning a 10-round unanimous decision.

Vélez won her first 10 pro fights before suffering her first loss as a professional, in her first defense of the WIBA title. On June 21, 2002, Melissa Del Valle decisioned Vélez in Waco, Texas in the featured bout on an all-women's card featuring world champions Anne Wolfe, Sumya Anani, Delia Gonzalez and Kelsey Jeffries.

On December 21, she bounced back to reclaim the IBA version of the world bantamweight title by decisioning Lakeysha Williams over 10 rounds.

Vélez has added the WIBA bantamweight title to her IBA belt on June 28, 2003, when she beat Gonzalez on a seventh-round disqualification.

Vélez traveled to Denmark to defend her WIBA bantamweight title against Anita Christensen. on January 17, 2004, Vélez lost a highly controversial 10 round split decision to Christensen. Vélez had knocked down Christensen in the 9th round, and looked to be the obvious winner of their encounter. The Danish press strongly criticized this decision, saying on record that Vélez was robbed of her title.

Vélez' current record is 14 wins, 2 loss and 2 draws, with six knockout wins.

Strong Woman - Brenda Burnside, Mexican boxer

Brenda Burnside (born March 20, 1963 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) is a former women's boxing "journeywoman". Despite being given such title by boxing fans and critics (a journeyman or woman in boxing is someone who takes fights, usually on short period, and loses to other fighters), she was well known in the boxing world for the quality of opposition she faced; and she contended for a world title once. She fought in the Super Flyweight division.

She began her professional boxing career on August 8, 1997, at the relatively old age (for a boxer) of 32, losing a four round decision to Gloria Ramirez, in Houston, Texas. Burnside lost her first four fights, but her opposition included Valerie Troike (twice) and future world champion Sandra Yard.

Her first win came on March 12, 1998, when she outpointed Jayla Ortiz over four rounds in Santa Fe. On her next fight, she beat Dolores Lira.

Burnside began to show a promising future when she dealt Sue Chase a fifth round knockout defeat on June 3 of that year,[clarification needed] in the women's boxing hot bed of Worley, Idaho. Sixteen days later, she and Gloria Ramirez were rematched, in Coachella, California. Their second bout resulted in a four round draw (tie).

Burnside went on to win two more fights in a row, when she and Jayla Ortiz were rematched, on October 17, at Las Vegas, Nevada. The second time around, Burnside and Ortiz fought to a six round draw.

1999 was a very busy year for Burnside, and a year in which she met mostly world class competition. On January 23, she beat former world champion Imelda Arias by a second round knockout. On March 13, she made her Madison Square Garden debut, dropping an eight round split decision to Bridgett Riley. On June 16, she lost to future world champion Margaret Sidoroff for the WIBF's intercontinental Super Flyweight title, by a ten round unanimous decision, in New Orleans, Louisiana. On August 14, she lost to Kathy Williams, but she got a break on her next fight, beating Rosie Johnson by a four round unanimous decision on November 18. She finished 1999 by dropping another four round decision, to Kelsey Jeffries, on December 14.

By 2000, Burnside was already contemplating retirement from boxing. Nevertheless, an opportunity to face the well known, two time world champion Para Draine came by, and Burnside accepted it. On February 17, at Worley, she lost to Draine by an eight round split decision.

Strong Woman - Cecilia Brækhus, Norwegian boxer

Cecilia Brækhus (born 28 September 1981 in Cartagena, Colombia) is a 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) and 66 kilograms (150 lb), professional Norwegian boxer and a former kickboxer. She is currently the World Champion in Welterweight in the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organization and World Professional Boxing Federation. She currently resides in Berlin, Germany.

Originally from Cartagena, Colombia, she was adopted as a 2-year-old by Norwegian parents and raised in the Sandviken area of Bergen. Brækhus started with kickboxing at the age of 14.

In November 2007, she signed a pro contract with German promoter Wilfried Sauerland, who announced his intention of making her the first Norwegian woman World Champion. Her first fight was against Croatian boxer Ksenija Koprek, 20 January 2007.

On 14 March 2009, she became the WBC World Champion in welterweight against Danish boxer Vinni Skovgaard. She also captured the vacant WBA female welterweight title.

 

   

 

Strong Woman - Leona Brown, American Boxer

Leona Brown (born July 27, 1960) is a female boxer who is the WIBC world Bantamweight champion. Because of her age, many consider her to be "the George Foreman of women's boxing". Brown's nickname, "Downtown", is both a homage to actress Downtown Julie Brown, and it also serves as name play, such as in the case of "Hannah The Vegas Fox".

A native of Buffalo, New York, she now lives in Wappingers Falls, also a New York state city.

Brown was an award winning amateur boxer, winning the New York state golden gloves award before turning professional, on September 27. 1997, beating Judy Mayrand by a four round unanimous decision in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Brown proceeded to win her first seven fights as a professional, including victories over Sue Chase, Sonya Emery and Suzanne Riccio.

On her eighth professional bout, fought June 11, 1999 in Bossier City, Louisiana, she fought for a world title for the first time, losing a ten round decision to IFBA world Bantamweight champion Eva Jones. Her next bout was a six round unanimous decision loss at the hands of the noted Margaret Sidoroff.

On October 1, 1999, Brown became a world champion for the first time, when she knocked out Dee Dufoe in round ten to become the IFBA's world Super Bantamweight champion.

Strong Woman - Alicia Ashley, Jamaican Boxer

Alicia Ashley (born August 23, 1967) is a women's boxing participant who is the current WBC female world super bantamweight champion. Ashley is a Jamaican-American. Born in Jamaica, she moved to the United States at a young age.

Ashley began her professional boxing career on January 29, 1999, defeating Lisa Howarth by a six round split decision, at Atlantic City, New Jersey. On her second professional boxing fight, held at Halifax, Canada, she suffered her first defeat, when she was outpointed over six rounds by Doris Hackl on June 20 of that year.

Ashley rebounded from that defeat with an eight round decision win over Bonnie Canino June 27 at Tunica, Mississippi.

After her first three fights, she took a seven-month hiatus from boxing, but on February 11, 2000, she returned, losing by an eight round decision to Mexico's Laura Serrano, also in Tunica. After splitting her two next fights, she met "Downtown Leona Brown": on June 29, she beat Brown on points over eight rounds at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Next, she fought Kelsey Jeffries, who, until that bout had lost only one of her nine fights. On September 3, Ashley beat Jeffries by a six round unanimous decision in Nevada.

Strong Woman - Sumya Anani, American Boxer

Sumya Anani (born February 12, 1972) is one of the top fighters in the sport of women's boxing.

Anani, like many women's boxers, came to the sport in a roundabout fashion. While living in Kansas City in the early 1990s and working as a massage therapist, she took a course in self-defense. When she impressed her instructor with her athletic ability and powerful punch, he encouraged Anani to give boxing a try.

She entered professional boxing in August 1996, mostly fighting in and around Kansas City. She quickly made a name for herself when, in her fourth fight on December 12, 1996, her opponent Katherine Dallam suffered massive brain injuries during a fight that ended in a fourth-round knockout.

In her ninth fight, in March 1998, Anani defeated Andrea DeShong, a longtime rival of world welterweight champion Christy Martin. Then, on December 18 of that year, Anani faced Martin herself, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Coming into the fight, Martin was unbeaten in her last 34 bouts. However, Anani controlled the fight from start to finish and won a stunning victory.

The win over Martin propelled Anani into the top rung of women's boxing stars, and she won her next four fights before suffering an upset at the hands of Britt Van Buskirk on September 17, 2000.

While waiting for a rematch with Van Buskirk, Anani captured the IBA lightweight title from Liz Mueller in May 2001. Then, on October 20, she got the rematch and took a 10-round unanimous decision over Van Buskirk for the GBU welterweight title.