Dallas Malloy Biography

In March of 1993, Dallas Malloy became the first female to challenge the USA Boxing’s bylaw in a federal court. Her dream was to box against other women in the Olympic Games, a goal attainable only as a member of USA Boxing. For months she trained without any immediate hope of competing. Malloy’s lawsuit against USA Boxing would go to trial, unless settled, in December of 1993, before the U.S. District Court in Seattle.

In May of 1993, Judge Barbara Rothstein granted Malloy a court injunction, temporarily nullifying USA’s ban on women until the matter could go to trial. Malloy’s application for membership was sent through.

At the time, if an amateur boxing match for Malloy could be made by the fall of 1993, this would be a history-first for females to fight in a sanctioned bout with USA Boxing.

Malloy had first become interested in boxing when she found a local boxing gym from looking in a phone book, and she had spoken to boxing promoter, Bob Jarvis. Jarvis at that time told Malloy that there was no place for women’s boxing. Wrong answer!

So Malloy at the tender age of 15 wrote a letter to the American Civil Liberties Union, who then was responsible for finding her an attorney.

A Seattle firm, “Graham and Dunn”, took the case, expecting it to be quickly settled due to state law that was very clear about gender discrimination. Malloy’s attorney filed the lawsuit in state court, anticipating that the USA Boxing would resist a trial in federal court.

Judge Rothstein only took a few moments to grant the injunction.

Malloy succeeded in taking the USA Boxing to task and on October 30, 1993, at the Edmonds Community College Gymnasium, in front of a crowd of about 1,200, she stepped into the ring with her opponent Heather Poyner, winning the fight by a second round stoppage of Poyner. Malloy entered the ring with the USA Flag wrapped around her.