Both the first
class of the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame and the eight women who
will be inducted on July 11, are heavily skewed toward a veritable "Who's Who"
of female boxers from both the "modern" and "pioneer" eras of the sport. Sparkle
Lee, who will be inducted with the second class on July 11 in Fort Lauderdale,
FL., is the first referee to be so honored. And to know the story of Sparkle Lee
is to know just how fitting and appropriate honoring her with this induction is.
"I actually started as a
professional wrestling fan and then
gravitated to boxing after I reached my
limit of 'heroes and villains'. I
eventually wound up spending a lot of
time in Gleasons Gym, which, at the time
was located near the Garden in New York
City. Refereeing peaked my interest as a
way to get involved in boxing and
following a lengthy training program, I
was assigned to work amateur bouts. This
was 1983." That's Sparkle Lee describing
the start of her somewhat circuitous
path to the boxing ring. "At the time,"
she continues, "it was a struggle
getting work, particularly for a female,
a rarity even then at the amateur level.
And believe me, 'struggle' is an
understatement. (a movie treatment of
the story would have the struggling
Sparkle Lee suddenly being discovered,
maybe working in a small fight club in
the Bronx. But this story was real life;
no dramatic background music, no
benevolent boxing benefactor offering to
help, "Sparkle, you're going to get a
shot at the pros." But Sparkle Lee knew
from real life; for twenty years she
proudly served as a member of the New
York City police department).
"I worked over twelve
years in the amateurs until, in
May,1995, Randy Gordon, then the New
York State boxing commissioner, offered
me an opportunity to step up to the
professional ranks. I still have,
somewhere, the receipt that I paid for
my temporary license. It was $75. Two
days later Randy was out of his job and
I was out of a opportunity to move up to
the pros. But when one door closes,
sometimes another opens. Shortly
thereafter, I was given the opportunity
to be the first female referee to work
the NY Daily News Golden Glove
tournament, which was awesome." It was
six more years in the amateur rings
before the "powers that be", in New York
boxing, saw what Randy Gordon had seen
earlier; Sparkle Lee was ready for the
professional ring. In 2001, Lee's ring
skills earned her an appointment as the
first female licensed to referee
professionals bout in New York state.
Six years later, in 2007, former referee
Larry Hazzard, now New Jersey boxing
commissioner, picked Lee as the first
female to work professional bouts in the
Garden State.
Lee has officiated many
female bouts and is both enthusiastic
and confident about the future of the
sport of Women's boxing. "I can't count
how many (fight) cards I've worked when,
at the end of the night, the consensus
is that the 'best fight' was the female
bout. The talent level of women boxers
has continued to improve and I, for one,
would like to see them fight three
minute rounds. Women constantly do this
while training in gyms, where the timers
are set on three minute intervals. And,
believe me, it's not a question of
stamina, these are well conditioned
athletes; the Olympics, in which the
only US gold medal came home around the
neck of a female fighter proved that. I
think the future is bright for women in
the boxing ring. All they need is a fair
opportunity."
In response to her upcoming induction
into the International Women's Boxing
Hall of Fame, Lee, a deeply religious
woman, attributed it, first and
foremost, to "God's plan" which she
considers the paramount factor in her
life. She also admits to surprise when
she heard the news, a "Wow!" moment that
she sought to confirm with Sue Fox,
founder and driving force behind the
IWBHF. "I'm humbled and grateful for
this honor, especially since I'm going
to be able to share it with my children
and grandchildren."
Surprise at Sparkle Lee's induction will
be absent among the boxing fans who have
seen her take charge in a ring. Surprise
will not be a factor among those in the
boxing community who have watched her
develop into one of the most respected
referees in the NYSAC lineup. The
ancient boxing adage has it that the
best referees become "invisible" in the
ring when doing their job well.
Invisibility is markedly more difficult
when you're the first female referee in
a boxing hotbed such as New York City.
But Sparkle Lee often manages to achieve
that state of competence. She has grown
into an accomplished a referee; not an
accomplished female referee, an
accomplished referee. However, on July
11, in Fort Lauderdale, FL., Sparkle Lee
won't be invisible. She'll be easy for
all to see, shining brightly, as she is,
fittingly, inducted into the
International Women's Boxing Hall of
Fame. It will be another first for
Sparkle Lee, and, like her elevation as
the first female referee in New York and
New Jersey, a well deserved honor.
Lee will join "modern era" boxers Laila
Ali, Jeannine Garside, Laura Serrano,
Ann Wolfe, Deirdre Gogarty and Terri
Moss. In addition, a posthumous award
will be made to Phyllis Kugler, a
pioneer fighter in the 1950s. The
ceremony will take place in the Crystal
Ballroom of the Pier Sixty-Six Hyatt
Regency in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
(3:00-6:30 PM) on Saturday, July 11 and
will be held in conjunction with the
National Golden Gloves Tournament.
