Story written by Christopher Benedict “You know, this is a man’s world. We live in a man’s world. We have to constantly defend what we believe in,” Cora Degree, formerly Webber, said to me during our recent talk. “But that’s a good thing, because we’ve proven ourselves quite a bit from where it was.” She’s
Written by Christopher Benedict From Tobacco Farm to Moulin Rouge November 16, 1926 was opening night for the rechristened Seven-Eleven Club in midtown Manhattan, 47th Street and 7th Avenue to be precise, after having been padlocked by Federal decree back in March when it was known as the Chummy Club. An entirely African American revue
Written by Christopher Benedict Sometimes Truth is Stranger Than Fiction Shortly after Jackson Lake Park Ranger Harry Grace heard gunshots coming from up the mountain road, a distraught young man swinging a suitcase riddled with bullet holes burst through the door of his station house, babbling a breathless, barely coherent story about the gruesome discovery
Written by Christopher Benedict Known as ‘The Frisco Kid’ after the City by the Bay which was her hometown, flyweight Louise Loo made her boxing debut eight months after the release of the Western comedy movie of the same name featuring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford. Paula Trichel was Loo’s costar on March 6, 1980,
Written by Christopher Benedict Boxing and show business have long gone hand in hand. In many ways, the two are inseparable and sometimes indistinguishable. The roll call of professional prizefighters who appeared on film and television either during their career or after they hung up the gloves is a lengthy one and includes the likes
Written by Christopher Benedict “The majority of women in professional boxing is in it for the money. Otherwise, we wouldn’t subject ourselves to the catcalls and remarks on how undignified boxing is for young ladies,” Shirley Tucker wrote in an October 18, 1977 editorial printed in the San Francisco Examiner. The byline simply carried her
Written by Christopher Benedict By the time she turned eighteen, Lydia Bayardo had earned the hard-won reputation as a slugger on the softball field as well as in the boxing ring. Growing up in the coastal Los Angeles neighborhood of San Pedro, Lydia wielded one of the hottest bats on the Pirates, routinely responsible for
Written by: Christopher Benedict Theresa Kibby was looking to turn things around after having her formerly flawless record tarnished twice over by roller derby sensation turned professional pugilist Diane Syverson. After first dueling to a four-round draw with the skating ‘Slugger Queen’ from Canada, Princess Red Star lost a disputed decision in their rematch three
Written by Christopher Benedict Born April 18, 1939 in East Oklahoma and residing in the mining town of Virginia City, Nevada in the summer of 1975, Caroline Svendsen had already lived a pretty full life. A child bride at thirteen, Svendsen was divorced two times and counting. She was a mother to a pair of
Christopher Benedict is a writer, historian, and longtime advocate for women’s boxing who lives in Huntington, New York. Beginning with a sit down interview and feature-length story on Heather “The Heat” Hardy in 2015, his boxing writings have appeared on the Ringside Report, True School Boxing, The Grueling Truth, and Women’s Fight News websites, as