Book Review: The Promise of Women’s Boxing

A long time has passed since the days in which women’s boxing was a novelty, a sideshow, or an occasional special attraction under the shadow of its male counterpart. The writer Malissa Smith set out to document that story with academic rigor and literary flair in her already classic “A History of Women’s Boxing.”. And her latest delivery is another example of her commitment to this endeavor.

Presented as “a timely exploration of modern women’s boxing, from its first inclusion in the 2012 Olympics to today”, Smith’s recently released opus entitled “The Promise of Women’s Boxing” (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 292 pages) tells the story of women’s boxing’s coming-of-age in the 21st century with the emergence of such trailblazers as Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, Claressa Shields and many others.

After a very informative introduction that encompasses the entire previous history of women’s boxing, Smith delves right into the beginning of what is already considered a golden era of the sport, right on the aftermath of the explosive irruption of pioneers such as Christy Martin and Lucia Rijker back in the ‘90s. Fighters such as Alicia Ashley and Heather Hardy pave the way for the new generation that changed the boxing landscape forever as they emerged from the very first Olympic Games that featured women’s boxing, kickstarting the professional careers of fighters like Taylor, Shields, Mikaela Mayer, Natasha Jonas and so many others.

Claressa Shields wrote the foreword for Smith’s latest work – Photo by Tom Casino/Showtime

The generational clashes between old school fighters, growing up in the trenches and taking charge of their careers by bankrolling their own training and selling their own tickets to their shows, and the newer arrivals fighting for equal pay with their male counterparts and driving their careers into million-dollar territory with their groundbreaking achievements, is one of the most enthralling features of the book, where the sense of exponential growth can be felt in real time.

The personal stories of each of these fighters is only a part of the journey. Smith’s deep research into every detail of their careers and into how each of them contributed to making women’s boxing one of the fastest growing sports in recent memory is impressive. The tales of the two-decade-long transition between poorly paid prelims and million-dollar purses, the growing interest of promoters and TV networks, and the transition from skepticism to admiration in boxing’s fan base are described in detail.

As much as her previous “History of Women’s Boxing” is a description of a long and arduous process, this work covers the explosion of that initial big bang into the greatest generation of female fighters ever. Names such as pound-for-pound queen Cecilia Braekhus and her fight to have boxing legalized in Norway, as well as the stories of other struggles in other countries with women such as Marcela Acuña and her monumental fight to get licensed in her native Argentina give this story a broad international scope. And the constant description of how the boxing business gradually embraces and fosters the sport after decades of derision and even mockery turn this book into an even more complete historic testimony.

Smith, born in New York and training at the legendary Gleason’s Gym since her early forties to stay in shape, is also a part of The Ring’s trailblazing Women’s Ratings Panel, and as a result of her membership she was also called to serve as an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. During her training sessions at that world-renowned facility in Brooklyn she met some of the characters of her book in person and witnessed her stories as they developed in real time, gaining an access that very few other writers could have achieved. The personal stories of each one of them resonates in every page of this book in a way that blurs the line between the fighter inside the ring and the character outside of it, and that gives her a fantastic perspective to analyze the rise of each one of the great fighters of this era not only in their athletic prowess but also on the way their own real-life dramas affected their careers and inspired them to pursue their goals.

As the book reaches its final chapters leaving no stone unturned as it moves along, Smith’s work finally delves into the ongoing debates on the future of women’s boxing and the many challenges that lay in its path. From the two-versus-three minute rounds controversy to the conundrums of transgender competitors entering the fray, “The Promise of Women’s Boxing: A Momentous New Era for the Sweet Science” never stops answering lingering questions and asking pressing new ones.

One question, according to Smith, already has a very definitive answer.

“What’s clear is that the women of boxing have persevered,” says Smith in the closing chapters of the book, “bringing each other along through the camaraderie of the gym, and the willingness to push the boundaries of the sport to make it better for the next woman who stands for a moment on the apron of a ring before entering the field of combat. That spirit endures through hardships and disappointments, but most assuredly as the moments of grace that shine through to make it all seem new again.”

As much as this is a history volume standing with one foot on the literary side and the other on the journalistic realm, it is in the constant reminder of that spirit of endurance that this book finds its core – as well as in the certainty that there will be much more to write about the plight of women’s boxing in the future.

In that gigantic endeavor, and as ready as she definitely is, Smith (and all of us writers along with her) will have her work cut out for her.

The fighter in her, I believe, wouldn’t have it any other way.

Diego M. Morilla has written for The Ring since 2013. He has also written for HBO.com, ESPN.com and many other magazines, websites, newspapers and outlets since 1993. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has won two first-place awards in the BWAA’s annual writing contest, and he is the moderator of The Ring’s Women’s Ratings Panel. He served as copy editor for the second era of The Ring en Español (2018-2020) and is currently a writer and editor for RingTV.com.

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