The Boxer: Dulce Lucas – Pioneer Female Boxer from the late 1970s

The home for female boxing Dulce Lucas, a well-schooled and tough pioneer female boxer from the late 1970s trained in Los Angeles, California.  She trained at the Hoover Street Gym, the training ground for many boxing superstars.

They call Lucas “Miss Perpetual Motion” and she was currently #2 ranked super welterweight of the Women’s World Boxing Association in 1979, with Sue TL Fox was ranked #1 in the same division. past ratings:  http://womenboxing.com/ranking2.htm

Lucas had fought the likes of tough veteran Gwen Gemini with Gemini winning by a close split decision.   With a historical anecdote, Sue TL Fox of WBAN also fought Gemini in the late 1970s and had a draw with her at the Expo Center in Portland, Oregon.   Gemini also fought Theresa Kibby at the Expo Center in Portland, OR in 1976, with Kibby losing to Gemini.  Fox had fought Kibby at the Expo in Fox’s  pro debut, when she barely trained for a few months and being lied to about her opponent’s background.  The fight was stopped in the third round.  After that terrible mismatch that Fox was tricked into taking—she went on to train in Los Angeles, California, and Westminster, California to eventually fight Gemini.

Lucas was described by others in the sport as a piston punching, jabbing, slide-stepping boxing prodigy.  She pranced about the ring, quickly faked a punch, then land a solid left hook!

WBAN spoke to Gwen Gemini many years ago, who said that Lucas was her toughest opponent that she fought.

So what were her pay offers in this timeframe to fight one of the best?

Promoters offered her only eight hundred bucks to box Marian “Lady Tiger” Trimiar, one of the more established and top ranked women fighters in the boxing circle.

Dulce who is originally form Puerto Rico, said, “I did not make plans to become a boxer.  I just wanted to get into the ring to see how it felt.  Once I got into the ring and gloves came on.  I got inquisitive as to how it would feel to actually box.”

Lucas was born with natural athletic ability, and she said, “I was always having fights” and she laughed when she tells of being expelled from kindergarten because she grew up punching every day, and used her hands to the detriment of the other youngsters in her class.

As many pioneer female boxers, not really supported in their endeavors in the sport Lucas started her boxing from scratch, learning the motions,  jumping rope, early morning running, improving her endurance, molding herself with her own determination into a polished fighter.  Lucas was very motivated.

In an article, entitled “Players” page 57, her trainer, James “Mac” MacArthur said Dulce’s unique talent and ability as she works out diligently on the 75-lb punching bag, said that she can really punch and that she is a natural competitor.