BOXING: Rousey lifts female fighters into the spotlight
Ronda Rousey enters the Octagon for her UFC women's bantamweight bout against Cat Zingano.
, HARRY HOW, GETTY IMAGES
Fights on TV
Friday
• ESPN2, 6 p.m., Tony Harrison (19-0) vs. Antwone Smith (23-5-1)
• Fox Sports 1, 7 p.m., Jojo Diaz (14-0) vs. Juan Luis Hernandez (17-4-1)
Saturday
• HBO2, 5 p.m., Zou Shiming (6-0) vs. Amnat Ruenroeng (14-0).
• NBC, 5:30 p.m., Keith Thurman (24-0) vs. Robert Guerrero (32-2-1); John Molina (27-5) vs. Adrien Broner (29-1).
While Ronda Rousey was trouncing yet another opponent with speed and ease last Saturday, thousands of female prizefighters in both MMA and boxing watched with interest for another reason: Could a woman fighter sell out Staples Center?
Decades have passed, but female fighters in both boxing and MMA have been largely ignored by big-time promoters. Until Rousey was signed by Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Dana White, no female fighter had been signed by a recognized promoter since Christy Martin and Mia St. John in the 1990s.
UFC 184 sold out the Staples Center, though there were no male MMA stars to add star power to the event.
“When those two women walked out tonight for the main event almost 18,000 fans were standing on their seats going crazy,” said White, UFC’s president. “No women in the history of combat sports have ever done anything remotely close to this. And it’s awesome. And coming from a guy who said I would never do women’s MMA. I keep getting kicked in the face with that one.”
Rousey, who was born in Riverside but moved away as a toddler, has proved that fans ? including the former California governor’s wife ? are interested in female fights and will pay to see them perform.
“Maria Shriver was here tonight because she wanted to see this fight going down in the Staples Center, and she’s fascinated by this whole thing. And they should be. I say this all the time, though a lot of women’s sports are being ridiculed,” said White. “There were more stars than we’ve ever had tonight. The place was packed.”
Boxing failed to show one single female boxing event last year. No promoter was willing to step forward and show a female bout in the U.S. Only Mexico showed female fights regularly and has profited from it.
Many skeptics say Rousey is an exception and that boxing has no such star. But how can anyone know unless they’ve seen them on television? More than a few female boxers watched with great interest as Rousey performed.
“Ronda just opened up a lot of doors and not just in MMA,” said Katherine Rodriguez, a former boxer now working for a Riverside-based boxing management group called Arqangel Promotions. “With Ronda selling out the Staples Center, it showed it is possible for women’s boxing to do the same if we get the same support and promoting that she got.”
Rodriguez said that female boxers have proven over the years that fans are attracted to watching females perform. But without television, few know female boxing exists.
“Women boxers are fighting under the radar without television,” said Rodriguez, whose client Celina Salazar fights for the world title on March14 in Tijuana, Mexico against WBC bantamweight titlist Jazmin Rivas. “We’re invisible in the U.S.”
Ronda’s victory could unveil a whole new world for all female combat sports.
“It’s incredible. And it’s so cool to be a part of something like this,” said UFC’s White.
Fight chatter
? Mexico’s Pablo Cano (29-4-1, 21 KOs) won by majority decision over Dominican Republic’s Juan Abreu (18-2-1, 17 KOs) in a brutal welterweight battle between contenders on Friday at Fantasy Springs Casino. Other winners at Indio were Diego De La Hoya (9-0, 6 KOs), the cousin of Oscar De La Hoya, and China’s giant heavyweight prospect Taishan (3-0, 2 KOs).
? Former U.S. Olympian Jojo Diaz (14-0, 9 KOs) meets Juan Luis Hernandez (17-4-1, 9 KOs) in the main event at Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. It’s the debut for a regular monthly boxing series by Golden Boy Promotions. Several prospects will be featured, including Cesar Quinonez of Las Vegas and Ireland’s Jason Quigley. Fox Sports 1 will televise the sold-out event.
? NBC will show Covina’s John Molina (27-5, 22 KOs) in his junior welterweight battle with speedster Adrien Broner (29-1, 22 KOs) and undefeated welterweight Keith Thurman (24-0, 21 KOs) facing Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero. Also on the card will be Ontario heavyweight and former U.S. Olympian Dominic Breazeale (13-0, 12 KOs) fighting Victor Bisbal (21-2, 15 KOs). The fight card takes place Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.