In a remarkable celebration of athleticism and perseverance, Yessica “Kika” Chávez Valencia has been inducted into the 2025 International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame (IWBHF). This prestigious recognition not only highlights her successful boxing career as a professional boxer but also underscores her impact on the sport of women’s boxing. From her early days in
Helga Risoy was born and raised on a quaint island in northern Norway, surrounded by the love of her grandparents and five uncles. Navigating between two islands for school was a daily adventure that imprinted resilience in her character from a young age. At just nine years old, Risoy discovered her passion for kickboxing through
Few stories resonate as deeply as that of trailblazers who defy societal expectations. One such remarkable figure is Yvonne Barkley, a pioneer in women’s boxing and now a proud IWBHF inductee into the 2025 International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame (IWBHF). This honor not only celebrates her tenacity and skill within the ring but also
Written by Christopher Benedict “Wow—Lookie Here For The First Time In Texas” screamed the bold-type print on the fight poster. Above small black and white photos depicting Barbara Buttrick and Phyllis Kugler (whose first name is misspelled as Phyliss), the ballyhoo advertising the October 8, 1957 boxing card at San Antonio’s Municipal Auditorium promised that “These
written by: Christopher Benedict (An elderly Polly with heavyweight contender Jack Doyle) As an esteemed pioneer of women’s boxing in the 1950s, Barbara Buttrick, known as England’s Mighty Atom of the Ring, broke a good deal of new ground in her heyday. Being a nonagenarian has done little to impede Barbara’s ability or desire to
Written by Christopher Benedict “Whatever you do,” Nancy Thompson famously warns her boyfriend Glen in A Nightmare on Elm Street, “don’t fall asleep.” Playing opposite a then-unknown Johnny Depp in the franchise’s original slasher flick, Heather Langenkamp portrayed Nancy Thompson, ultimately going toe-to-toe with the Christmas-sweater-wearing Elm Street boogeyman in three movies while becoming one of
(OCT 11) On October 6, 2023,at the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame event, at the Orleans Hotel & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at our pre-celebration day of the “Night of the Stars” event, WBAN presented three mini-WBAN Belts with a case to three prominent pioneer female boxers for the first time in the
The Boxing Writers Association of America would like to proudly announce that Lance Pugmire is the 50th recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism that was first presented by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 1972. A 30-year newspaperman who grew up reading daily dispatches by prior Fleischer winners Norm
Barbara Buttrick was on the fight scene a good many years. In these photos, we see her in a private bout held in a carnival tent in Iowa. In August of 1954. Her opponent was Vivian Foster. Despite the weight difference–Barbara only weighed 95 lbs., Vivian quit after a third-round knockout. [This document is in