Christy Martin remembers the whistles and cat calls, the promoters who dismissed her as a sideshow and the times—so many times—she fought effectively for free. She remembers the dusty auditoriums in Asheville, Johnson City and Greenville, the opponents so unknown they were, in one case, literally unknown: Martin’s sixth professional fight, in September 1990, came against Jamie Whitcomb, though BoxRec, an official record keeper, notes that “some reports say Martin’s opponent name was Vickie Rice.”
When Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano step into the ring on April 30 it will be a watershed moment. Officially, Taylor’s four 135-pound titles, collected over the course of a brilliant, unblemished, six-year professional career, will be at stake. Unofficially, it will signal that women’s boxing has arrived. A women’s boxing match has never headlined Madison Square Garden in the arena’s fabled, 140-year history. When tickets went on sale in February, it was the second-largest boxing presale the building has ever had. When Shakur Stevenson–Oscar Valdez, an anticipated 130-pound title unification fight, was announced for the same date in Las Vegas, the buzz wasn’t whether the women’s fight would move to avoid a conflict, but the men. “This event,” says Eddie Hearn, Taylor’s promoter, “will be a monster.”
LEBRECHTMEDIA/Sports Illustrated (top); Clay Patrick McBride/Sports Illustrated (bottom)
