Christy Martin vs.  Mia St. John

 December 6, 2002

6pm Pacific- Pontiac Silverdome, Michigan - On PPV

So you are starting to hear the hype of the upcoming bout between Mia St. John vs. Christy Martin this

Friday night on Pay-Per-View. But you still think women's boxing is boring. Well, to all those who think that,

I disagree with you. 

All I seem to hear is that women's boxing is boring. 

And men's isn't? 

Does anyone remember paying to see Mike Tyson dance with Tony Tucker for 12 rounds. How about Eric

Morales one sided victory over Paulie Ayala. Let's face it, men's boxing can be just as boring as any other

sport. 

Every men's fight isn't action packed so that standard shouldn't be applied to women's boxing.

And unlike the men, they don't have multi-million dollar pay days as an incentive waiting for them. They fight

because they enjoy the sport and because they have the fighting spirit. That's what makes women's boxing

interesting.

I'm not saying that men don't have the fighting spirit, most do.

I'm just pointing out that the women have it as well. This seems to be overlooked.

And if you have ever seen Martin or St. John box, then you know that they have skills. 

Christy Martin (44-2-2, 31 KO's) is a stalker who has punching power and will try to knock you out. In a way,

she reminds me of  Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

Mia St. John (26-1-1, 13 KO's) is a boxer styled after Sugar Ray Leonard. She'll jab and jab and try to

sneak in a power punch so that she can swarm all over you. She may not have the punching power of Martin

but she is definitely quicker. She is giving 20 pounds to Martin in this fight. 

And much like all other big matches, the trash talking just keeps coming. 

Martin says she'll punish St. John for three or four rounds before she knocks her out. 

St. John says that she'll punish Martin for the full 10 rounds. 

Martin was upset that on a previous episode of the BDSS on Fox Sports that St. John called her a bitch via

satellite and now that they were face to face on the BDSS on Fox Sports, she didn't have the guts to say it

to her face. To St. John's credit, she called her a bitch to her face and a fight almost broke out on the set.

I think Martin will stalk St. John trying for the knock out while St. John will use the ring to try to establish her

jab. 

Depending on how St. John reacts the first time she tastes Martin's power, St. John might decide to box the

full 10 rounds from the outside which could lead to a frustrating fight for Martin. 

On the other hand, if St. John thinks she can take Martins best shots, then it will be a knock out for the first

one who makes a mistake. I like both fighters but considering Martin goes in 20 pounds heavier, my mind

says Martin pulls out a victory. But I would like to see the underdog win though. 

I wonder if Christy Martin will want to face Kathy Long if she wins. 

For those of you who think women's boxing is virtually new, guess again. Women's Kick-boxing has been

around for a while and in the 90's, Kathy Long was Supreme. She had speed, power and skills. That's a fight

I would love to see.

Or then again,  maybe "BabyFace" Riley can fight Mia St. John if she wins. Riley is like a smaller Christy

Martin. 

Martin vs. St. John could do for women's boxing what the Nicole Albright vs. Debbie Purcell did for

NHB. 

The competition is just getting better and better whether you're a man or woman - when you step into the ring

- you'd better be prepared.

And if that's the case, then man or woman, it's going to be a great fight.

That's my two cents,

TMS

(12/2/02)