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(JUNE 2) WBAN has received a press
release today in regards to Crystal Hoy, who will be a new opponent
for IFBA World flyweight champion Elena “Baby Doll” Reid, in their
10-round title fight on Thursday night, June 12 on Fox Sports Net’s
Best Damn Championship Fight Night Period card at Mohegan Sun Arena
in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Best Damn Championship Fight Night Period, presented by Cappiello
Boxing in association with Hollybrook Regency, Inc., is headlined by
a 10-round championship fight between IFBA World junior
featherweight champion Lisa “Bad News” Brown (14-3-3, 4 KOs) and
challenger Alicia “Slick” Ashley (14-7-1, 1 KO).
Hoy (3-1-2, 2 KOs), fighting out of Las Vegas, is a late replacement
for Russian invader Anastasia Toktaulova (12-8, 2 KOs), whose visa
problems prevented her from taking on Reid (19-4-5, 5 KOs) for the
IFBA crown.
Up until a surprisingly strong performance this past February 29
against NABF title-holder Monica Lovato (11-1), Hoy was a relatively
unknown having fought only four times between 2002 and 2004. She
hadn’t been in action since November 19, 2005 when she walked up the
three steps into the ring to face Lovato in their 8-round title
fight. The dangerous Hoy floored Lovato twice in the seventh round
but she lost a controversial decision (74-76, 74-76, 74-75) in
Lovato’s hometown of Albuquerque that was met by heavy booing upon
announcement. After the fight Lovato called Hoy an underestimated,
hard hitter who was her toughest opponent.
Hoy and Reid, however, are not strangers and Elena won’t make the
mistake of underestimating Crystal. They both live and train in Las
Vegas, where they have also sparred. “Crystal’s a great fighter who
has a great trainer (Jessie Reid),” Reid said. “I saw what she did
to my friend Monica Lovato and I respect Crystal a lot. I prepared
for two months to fight Toktaulova and I’m disappointed in few
people because they had plenty of time to get her visa straightened
out. Crystal is much bigger than Toktaulova but I’m a fighter and at
least I know Crystal. We’ve sparred and two weeks is more than
enough time for me to prepare to fight her.
“You know, I really love everything about boxing. It’s tough to
explain. I’m really excited to be fighting on the East Coast. Some
of my friends, family and fans will be there and others all across
North America can watch me fight on Fox Sports Net and see what I’m
all about. I’m so excited to be part of this show. Judy (Kulis, IFBA
president) puts us all in great match-ups and she does a great
service to women’s boxing in the United States. We’re not trying to
take away from men’s boxing; we want to add to boxing. Women’s
boxing is further along everywhere else in the world than the United
States. I could fight in Europe, Japan or Korea and make a lot more
money, but I’m an American and I want to help women’s boxing grow by
fighting here. Shows like this one, especially with these kinds of
match-ups, are what’s been lacking in this country.”
[WBAN has edited this press release]
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