Does Shakura Witherspoon have any friends in her corner? by Sue TL Fox
Shakura Witherspoon has lost 27 fights and won only nine. Of her last 12 has won only one. Yet last week, like a lamb led to slaughter, she climbed into the ring to face Lucia Rijker. Of the predictable result, one writer said that Witherspoon was “destroyed.” This was a matchup more suitable for sadists than sports fans, And it is a perfect example of a disturbing issue in our sport that few will acknowledge and even fewer will address. In Witherspoon’s case, it is obvious that even those who are supposed to be looking out for her — her manager, promoter and trainer – have no concern for her safety. This is not the first time she has been used as fodder for a top-class boxer. She has been pounded by many of the women in the sport that are considered some of the best in the world. You have to wonder if Witherspoon herself even cares about her safety. Of course, she is one of many fighters who have been so used. And that raises questions about the ethics of the matchmakers who arrange such fights and the commissions that allow them. How can any of these people continue to have such utter disregard for the welfare of the Shakura Witherspoons of the boxing world by repeatedly allowing such matches? It is unconscionable that so many people with control over the sport accept this as common practice. One boxer the “fighter,” one boxer the “fightee.” One boxer gets the easy mark—-the other is used as no more than a piece of meat. This is not only dangerous for the overmatched fighter—it is bad for the sport’s image. Witherspoon has been suspended for 90 days. WBAN believes that is a good. And WBAN hopes that some commission will follow the example of what California did with Sue Chase after she had accumulated a 24 loss record with only one win—they “retired” her. Sue TL Fox 02/19/02