Britt VanBuskirk, of Carbondale, Illinois,
fought an extensive professional boxing career from 1979 to about 1983,
and then re-entered the sport in 1996, fighting the likes of Diane
Clark, Lucia Rijker, Gina Nicholas, Suzette Taylor, Isra Girgrah, Sumya
Anani, Marischa Sjauw and more.
Britt said, "when I was 16, I read the life story of Muhammad Ali. It
was that story that inspired me to get into boxing. Believing I had a
roadmap to the championship, that all I had to do was follow his lead
and I would become a champion."
As a pioneer boxer in the late 1970's and early 1980's some of her
highlights at the time was in the welterweight division. In one very
high profile fight at the time, Britt scored an upset when she KO'd
popular Julie Mullen of Las Vegas in 1979. Britt had something about
KO’ing fighters in the second round because she made the headlines when
she knocked out Julie Mullen, the Nevada State champion, in the second
round. Mullen was ranked number three contender at the time.
Another very tough opponent was Dulcie Lucas. Britt took care of
business in that bout when she won by a fifth round TKO over Lucas who
did not come out for the sixth round. The fight took place in Los
Angeles to decide the California State championship. Britt accumulated a
17-0-0 (12 KO) in her earlier career. Britt became California's first
female welterweight champion.
In 1982 she joined the Army living in Illinois and she played on the
southern Illinois women's rugby club for 22 seasons and then she coached
the team for five seasons.
In January, 1995, she opened her own gym, and developed exercise
programs, trained male and female fighters and promoted boxing on an
amateur level through USA boxing. Her boxing club grew to 17 members,
while the gym itself had over 100 members. At the gym, BRITT worked with
kids from age 10 to the seniors, age 50 and up. For the full biography
on Britt go to WBAN.
Britt VanBuskirk was inducted into the IWBHF in 2016.
