Ann Wolfe Enters IWBHF in July 11,
2015 at Hyatt Regency Pier 66 Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
-by Bernie McCoy - Photo/Tony
Duffy
IWBHF Press Release
PORTLAND, OR -
(April 3, 2015) Ann Wolfe, generally considered
one of the hardest punchers in the history of Women's boxing, will be one of six
"modern era" boxers inducted into the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame
in July. The others: Laila Ali, Laura Serrano, Jeannine Garside, Deirdre Gogarty
and Terri Moss. The second class of IWBHF inductees will be completed with the
addition of Sparkle Lee, the first female referee appointed by the NY State
Athletic Commission and Phyllis Kugler (posthumous) a pioneer female boxer in
the 1950s. The ceremony will be held in the Crystal Ballroom of the Hyatt
Regency Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale, FL from 3:00-6:30 PM on Saturday,
July 11. The induction will be held in conjunction with the National Women's
Golden Gloves tournament.
Ann Wolfe's prowess as a devastating puncher is securely ensconced in the
statistics of the sport and further bolstered by the impact and reach of social
media. Wolfe debuted professionally in October 1998 and grabbed the attention of
the boxing community, in her fourth bout, a first round, forty-one second KO of
highly regarded Mary Ann Almager (February 2000). She followed, two months
later, with another KO of a ranked fighter, needing but two rounds to dispose of
Gina Nicholas. In November, 2000, Wolfe, continuing her ascent up the ladder
against quality fighters, suffered her first (and only) career setback, a three
round KO loss against Valerie Mahfood (who would subsequently fight Laila Ali
twice). Wolfe, in turn, would avenge this lone blemish on her record with a pair
of ten round decisions over Mahfood in June 2003 and August 2005. Anne Wolfe
retired from the ring following a six round win over Lisa Ested in August 2006.
Over her more than eight year career in the professional ring, Wolfe compiled a
sterling 24-1 record (one NC) with 16 of her wins coming by way of KO. Those are
the statistics.
If you Google "female boxing knockouts," the result will list, at or near the
top of the links, Ann Wolfe's May 8, 2004 bout with Vonda Ward. Ward, a 6' 6"
former basketball player with Pat Summitt's powerhouse Tennessee team, came to
the fight with eighteen straight professional wins. The accompanying tapes of
the bout employ such terms such as "devastating," and "incredible," describing
it as the most spectacular knockout in the history of the sport of Women's
boxing. The phrases are apt. Wolfe's right hand punch is as sudden as it is
shocking and at the 1:08 mark of the opening stanza, it deposited Ward supine on
the canvas for several minutes as referee Elmo Adolph ministered to the
unconscious fighter. But what is sometimes lost in watching the tape is the
truly lightning like hand speed of Wolfe. As Ward is about to throw a right
hand, Wolfe takes a short step forward and beats Ward to the punch with her own
right hand and, in the process, scores as conclusive a KO as has been witnessed
in the sport.
Wolfe's win over
Ward is, thanks to the virally of the Internet, probably her best known. But it
is, by no means, among her most prestigious wins. She fought most of the top
contenders in the middleweight ranks and two decisions over Mahfood, two KOs of
Nicholas, a KO of Monica Nunez and a unanimous decision over a talented Sunshine
Fettkether probably rank, in competitive terms, above the Ward bout as
distinctive wins. But a conundrum that will forever surround the career of Ann
Wolfe; the spectacular knockouts, the wins against the top ranked middleweight
fighters, the come forward style that she employed from bell to bell, centers on
a bout that never happened.
Inevitably, there arose significant pressure, within the boxing community, for a
bout between Laila Ali and Wolfe. Would that match-up have been compelling?
Absolutely. But as often occurs in the sport, negotiations between the two sides
never came to fruition. Boxing has no March Madness, no World Series, no Super
Bowl, no path that bring together the two best in the ring. The potential
Ali/Wolfe blockbuster suffered, notably from this circumstance. (Requests to Ann
Wolfe for comments for this article went unanswered).
Ann Wolfe, over her nearly ten years in the professional ring, compiled an
outstanding record in Women's boxing. It was accentuated by displays of punching
power that may never again be seen in the sport. She occupies a lofty position
in the ranks of female boxers and on July 11 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, she will be
further elevated to a lofty position in the history of her sport.
Schedule of Event
2:15 - 4:00 p.m.: Meet and Greet (with a Cash Bar) including the photograph and
autograph session with inductees / celebrities present. We will have available
for purchase IWBHF Official posters, IWBHF Official programs, 2015 IWBHF
T-shirts, Everlast Gloves for autograph purposes.
4:00 - 6:30 p.m.: IWBHF Induction Ceremony. There will be a plated dinner for
guests. The event will be world-wide live webcasted, with host Jake Gutierrez of
Las Vegas, Nevada, who has appeared on appearing on HBO, Showtime, ESPN, BBC,
TSN, Telemundo, Univision, and various Pay Per View and Satellite Networks.
