Historic Article: Pioneer Boxer – Bonnie Prestwood from the 1970s and 1980s

On February 11, 1999, WBAN was able to contact Bonnie Prestwood, another past World-class Bantamweight/Flyweight boxers in the World from 1978 – 1986.  Prestwood still resides in Indiana.  She told me that she boxed for about ten years.  She said that she had so many unofficial fights in small towns in many make-shift situations that she would not be able to recall how many fights she actually had in the past.   Prestwood definitely recalled knocking out Ernestine Jones,  Prestwood  is a housewife.  She told me that she experienced memory-loss from her boxing days.   Prestwood said that she started boxing on a dare (sound familiar),  and she ended up making it into a life-long career.” Sue TL Fox

ARTICLE WRITTEN ABOUT PRESTWOOD IN THE 1970’s:

One woman who has been making a name for herself recently is 28-year old housewife.  Bonnie Prestwood. The 118-pounder from Elwood, Indiana claims the Bantamweight title.  Known to her friends as “The Iron Maiden”, she had a left hook that is fast becoming a legend in her hometown.

Of her ten opponents so far she has stopped seven, knocked out one and lost to two by close decisions. Nearly all her opponent’s have been heavier than she is and the two defeats against her were by heavier women. The one knockout victory, which was in the fourth round, was against  Ernestine Jones. You may recall she featured in that fiasco of a match against Cathy Davis when she fought under the name of Connie Smith.

First she was announced as the winner by a T.K.O. in the fourth round and then later found that the match had been called a no contest. Bonnie Prestwood’s match with Ernestine Jones took place at Saginaw, Michigan on 31st March 1978 and by all accounts Miss Jones did not know too much of what happened in that fourth round.So it would appear that Bonnie Prestwood is a woman to be contended with. Bonnie’s number one fan is her husband Jerry and he travels all over with her. Her manager has received an offer for her to fight Marion Bermudez of Arizona for the 126 pound title but nothing has been settled on this yet. Why Bonnie Prestwood should be offered this match when there are two very good unbeaten fighters, namely Lydia Bayardo and Shirley Tucker, who are nearer Bermudez’s weight. I do not know. Though I have no doubts that Bonnie will give a good account of herself. Bonnie Prestwood is the name to look out for in 1979 along with Bayardo and Tucker.

Disclaimer, all credit and property of photos are from Amazons in Action magazine, article: eight-part series, Lady is a Boxer,   Copyright© 1979, Swish Publications LTD, 47 Great Guildford St. London SE1 Permission granted by Swish Publications.

Highlights of fight career:

*March 31, 1978, KO’d Ernestine Jones, Michigan (Documented in Amazons in Action)

*November 24, 1978, lost to Karen Bennett, (documented in the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza paper, Page 1A)

TL Fox located Bonnie Prestwood on February 11, 1999