Fight Reports: Laura Serrano vs. Chevelle Hallback

A  Barnburner at the Texas Station:  Chevelle Hallback Faces Laura Serrano –by Carol Ann Weber

Unbelievable. That’s all I can say about the clash of the titans that took place Sunday at Texas Station in Las Vegas between two great female pugilists, Chevelle “Fists of Steel” Hallback and Laura Serrano. What is more unbelievable is this outstanding fight was actually televised on Fox Sports Net. Originally, the other women’s match on the Reid/Brantley undercard that included Jessica Racoszy and the last minute sub-in, Imelda Arias, was to be televised. But then the match made in boxing heaven was miraculously put together (props to the matchmaker.) Finally, television viewers across the country were given the opportunity to see what women’s boxing aficionados already know – women can definitely get their fight on. So much electricity was generated between the crowd and the boxers that fans in attendance didn’t come down from that high until the first round of the Reid/Brantley fight which was, unfortunately, rather anticlimactic after the non-stop action provided by Serrano and Hallback.

As the ring girl for the main event did her little sideways walk around the squared circle for round 2, a chant began. “We want the women, we want the women.” Even the jaded, and often acerbic critics of women’s boxing, the denizens of the press corps, started making comments. “That was the best women’s fight I’ve ever seen, including any of the Christy Martin fights. Definitely the best fight of the night.”

I can’t tell you how delighted I was to see two proud, strong, talented women boxers give everything they had to their sport. On this night, not only were both women the winners, but it was women’s boxing that took home the championship belt.

Here’s what each of these women had to say about their performance, and what, from their point of view, really happened.

LAURA SERRANO ONE-ON-ONE

CAW: In the early rounds, it looked as if Hallback was dominating. She came out very aggressively but you seemed to turn that around. Talk to me about what changed from Round 1 to Round 3.

LS: She came to the ring and tried to do her fight. I also tried to do my fight and I think I did my fight.

CAW: I noticed also in the early rounds, even though she had you in the corner several times, you came back out of the corner and you were working the body a lot. Do you think your body shots paid off in the later rounds?

LS: Yes, of course they paid off. She got me in the corner on the ropes, but I did it on purpose because I fight like that. Even when she was throwing punches, she didn’t hit me on the ropes. I was landing my punches when I hit her back.

CAW: At any point in the fight, were you certain you won the fight?

LS: A couple of times I thought she was going to the canvas but she didn’t. She’s a good fighter. In the third round she hit me with a right hand really really hard. I was hurt but I have a big heart and big courage and kept going.

CAW: Your left eye was swelling and there was a lot of blood. Did that affect your performance at all?

LS: Yes, it affected it but in a positive way. Once I saw the Mexican blood on the canvas. So I said to myself, “OK, you’ll see what’s going to happen now.”

CAW: A lot of the crowd was definitely on your side. Did you have a lot of friends and family here today?

LS: Yes, so many friends. The Mexican people came to see a fight and I think they liked it. And hope they wish to see me perform again and often.

CAW: There were several comments from the press section that this was probably going to be the best fight of the night, and probably the best women’s fight they’d seen, including the Christy Martin fights. Did you realize that you two were putting on such a great show? And did you have a lot of respect for your opponent as a result?

LS: Of course I have a lot of respect for her. So many ladies don’t want to fight me and so many ladies don’t want to fight her. So finally we meet each other. And this night you see who’s the best.

CAW: Men have a three-minute round, a lot of which they use to size each other up before they start punching. You ladies came out punching from the beginning of the round. Do you think that takes more out of you as a woman fighter?

LS: Yes, because we don’t look around. We just go out to fight. We love to fight and throw punches from the beginning to the end. That’s why people like it. It’s very exciting.

CAW: Do you think this was a step in the right direction for women’s boxing?

LS: Of course it is. We don’t want to see ladies who can’t even fight, and they are sometimes the ones who get on television. The women who are serious, who work hard and who are professional, we don’t always get the opportunity. But finally, FOX TV gave us the opportunity and we proved to them they were right.

CAW: This was definitely a great fight, the best fight on the card tonight. So what’s up for you next?

LS: I don’t know. I hope that I will fight for another world championships. Maybe have a rematch with Christy Martin because she’s always running from me. Maybe a rematch with Melissa Salamone. I don’t know what’s going to happen but it’s going to be good.

CAW: Now that it’s over, how do you feel now that you have the victory?

LS: I feel great, happy and glad. And I’m proud of my country. I want to thank all the people who supported me in this fight: my trainer, Teddy Concepcion, Gregorio Torche, in my corner Wayne McCullogh, and also my Mexican friends, the Marias family, and everybody who helped make this fight happen. And I thank God for this opportunity.

CHEVELLE HALLBACK ONE-ON-ONE

CAW: Well, this fight was a war. The comments I heard from the press and the audience, they all said it was the best women’s fight they had seen. Did you feel you were putting on the fight of your life?

CH: Yes. I felt great. But I felt I could have done better. I give all respect to Laura Serrano, she’s a great fighter. Maybe the decision would have been different if the fight wasn’t here in Vegas but I don’t make any excuses. We both did a great job. We gave the crowd something they didn’t expect. It was a great fight. My head is held up, I’m not ashamed of anything.

CAW: I noticed that at the end of Round 6 your corner lifting you up, believing you to be the victor. Did you feel you won this fight?

CH: I felt it was a draw, to be honest with you. She got a lot of good clean punches in . I thought that I landed the harder punches but I would have to see the tape of the fight to say if I actually I won. I got tagged more than usual but I can’t say if she really won or I did. According to the crowd, I won. So I feel good. The crowd got their money’s worth and we put women’s boxing on the map. We represented women’s boxing very well tonight.

CAW: Plus the fact you were finally on television. The biggest complaint is that often, not the best boxers don’t get the television coverage. You two finally made it. So what’s next for you?

CH: Back to the gym to train. They’re already talking about a rematch between us for the belt. I’m looking forward to that if that happens. My career just soars from here. This loss is not going to hurt me at all. Hopefully, I’ll be doing television again., give the crowd another great show, and a victory for sure.

CAW: I noticed that in the early rounds you seem to dominate, you had her up against the ropes several times. But then she started landing some body shots, and your mouth was open in the later rounds. Did those body shots take their toll on you towards the end?

CH: Not at all. She wasn’t hurting me at all. I was getting frustrated because I couldn’t land the punches I wanted to land. I know I have to learn to calm down and let it flow and not force it. She’s a great fighter and she keeps coming, but her punches weren’t hurting me at all.

CAW: Is that what your corner was telling you, to pull back and calm down?

CH: Yes. They told me to relax, relax, the fight is close. Even though I was hearing him and I was trying, I was just too tense and too frustrated.

CAW: Plus the electricity coming from the crowd had to have affected you. They were on their feet. I heard comments all over the place, like “this is the best women’s fight.” I want to congratulate you on that and really think it was a big step forward for women’s boxing. Do you think this is going to help and what would you like to see happen in women’s boxing?

CH: Yes, this is going to help tremendously. Now, I want to see the best of the best out there. Do like me and Laura Serrano did and step up and fight each other. Of course, every manager is looking after the well being of their fighters, but they won’t know how great they are until they step up against the best. I think tonight me and Laura gave an example. Step up. Stop being afraid. Let’s do this. This is what the crowd wants. And this is what the public needs to get recognition for female boxing.

CAW: Are you training here in Las Vegas?

CH: No, I train in Tampa, Florida.

CAW: You want to give props to your people?

CH: Yes, to my manager, Brian Pardo, my trainer, Luis Avilla, Tito Blanton, Pancho back at home. I’ve been training with Ann Wolfe, I want to give her props. I want to give everybody the highest respect to help me get to where I’m at today.

CAW: You are in incredible shape, you are so buffed, you’ve got that six-pack going on. Do you focus on getting into that kind of razor-sharp conditioning before every fight?

CH: Yes, every fight. I want to look as good as I fight. I want my body to say “that’s a fighter.”

CAW: Well, it certainly did. And you were indeed a fighter on this night. Congratulations.