5'5½" Belinda "Brown Sugar" Laracuente was born on January 29 1979 in
Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 1989 she moved to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. She
was always active in sports, and as a long-distance runner won a Puerto Rican
national cross-country championship. Her brother Laureano is
a boxer, and at age 12 she was motivated to try the sport herself by hanging
around the Mayaguez gym where he trained. They
became two of the best amateur boxers in Puerto Rico.
She moved from Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida, in May 1998 with just one goal ...
a world title belt. Belinda is a stylish ring general who built her skills and a
solid ring record carefully at first with fights mainly in the Miami area and
Puerto Rico.
Laracuente defeated Philadelphia fighter Karen Nye in her pro boxing debut in
Pennsylvania on February 12 1997, dopping Nye's pro record to 1-1.
On march 14, 1997 in Miami she won a first-round TKO over debut fighter
Stephanie Hopkins.
She lost a four-round decision to veteran Cora
Webber of Ocala, Florida in Miami on May 23, 1997. Webber had been a pro
boxer since 1986, and went the full 15-round distance with Laurie Holt for the
WIBF Super Featherweight title.
On September 27, 1997 in Condado, Puerto Rico, Belinda TKO'd 16-year-old Haydé
Núñez of Condado in the fourth round.
On October 24, 1997 in Miami, Florida she scored a four-round unanimous decision
over Atlanta's Tawayna Broxton, dropping Broxton to 1-3-0.
On February 13, 1998 in Miami, Belinda (132 lbs) stopped Shannise Davis (134½
lbs) of Atlanta, Georgia by TKO at 1:05 of the first round. Davis fell to 0-2
with the loss.
On April 3, 1998 at Coliseo de Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, she
continued her knockout ways with a first-round TKO of debut fighter Sharon
Tiller.
On April 18, 1998 in Miami, Florida she knocked out debut fighter Jasmine Lawson
in the first round.
On June 28, 1998 at North River Boxing Gym in Miami, Florida she stopped debut
fighter Latasha Church at 1:25 in the first round.
On September 12, 1998 in Miami, Belinda won by TKO in the first round over Gail
Grandchamp of North Adams, Massachussetts, who fell to 0-5.
On October 10, 1998 in New Orleans she was held to a 4-round draw by Jeanne
Martinez of Slidell, Louisiana, whose record was then even at 2-2-1.
On October 17, 1998 in Miami, she resumed her winning ways with a six-round
unanimous decision over Atlanta's Tawayna Broxton, who fell to 1-6 with the
loss.
On December 3, 1998 at Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, she suffered
a setback when she lost a four-round unanimous decision to former New York
Golden Gloves and U.S. national amateur champion Denise
Moraetes of Augusta, Georgia, who progressed to 2-0 with the win. (This
wasn't a good trip for Belinda, who was arrested the night before the fight for
gambling while under Mississippi's legal age for that recreational activity and
spent a night in jail.)
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