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France-Monique
Duval (goes by the name Monique), 5'7", 155 lbs. born September 30, 1968, in
Royal Oak Michigan. She has an amateur record of 2 wins, both by knockouts,
and 2 losses, fighting out of Ontario, Canada. Monique has fought at weight
anywhere from 140- 165, but typically fights middleweight division.
She has had six pro fights.
She has always been athletic, adding boxing to her list of sports which
include, soccer, basketball, football, tennis, figure skating, skiing, and
windsurfing, Monique took up running at 30 years of age, entering charity
races, pregnant or not. Boxing, her
most loved sport, didn't start for Monique until just after having her third
child at age 35. She had joined a Cardio Boxing Class for fun and exercise.
After the first class, the instructor approached Monique, and expressed that
she had a natural ability to box.
Being the only one out of the class wanting to spar, she decided to seek
further training ending up in Orangeville, Ontario, almost an hour drive
from home which she gladly drove 4-5 times per week. It is there where her
addiction to boxing began. Monique personally trained with Bryon Mackie,
professional boxer and owner of Bigtyme Fitness Club in the mornings and
returned in the evenings for sparring with male and female boxers. She then
moved on to training at Champion Boxing Club in Brampton, Ontario with
Rafael Delgado, and sparred with another group of boxers. They soon moved to
train at Kombat Arts, in Mississauga, Ontario. It was November 20th, 2004,
when Monique experienced her first amateur fight at Sully's Boxing Gym, in
Toronto, Ontario. She won with a TKO after the second round when her
opponent refused to continue the fight.
Her second amateur bout, Monique went into the fight sick with the flu. In
the first round, developed a rib injury. Yet Monique continued the fight
until the end not wanting her opponent to win by knockout. Monique lost the
bout, however, was content knowing she could tough it out due to the illness
and injury and go the distance. It was not until the following day, Monique,
told her trainer that she had been injured during the fight and found out
that she had compressed ribs.
After taking approximately 6 weeks off to heal, Monique once again began to
train even harder. Her third amateur bout held in the McGibbons Tournament,
in St. Catherines, Ontario. This bout lasted only approximately 1 minute and
20 seconds of the first round,being called off by the referee, Monique won
by TKO, simply outclassing her more experienced opponent.
Shortly, thereafter, Monique developed back pain simply by lack of
stretching after such vigorous training, but did not stop completely. It is
then despite the problem with her back, not wanting to turn down a fight,
she had her fourth bout. It ended up in a loss for Monique, however, by
split decision.
Monique again took a short time off had gone through treatments for her back
and is as good as new. Monique, at this point, sought professional training
with mixed martial arts trainer Chris Borelands and son Dustin, which also
provided her with a new group of sparring partners including a visiting
professional boxer Steve Rowe and mixed martial arts fighters.
Over the past winter, Monique then secluded herself building a boxing gym in
a neighbor's barn with trainer Rob DiRuscio, sharpening her technique, power
and quickness through intense cross-training outside of continuous sparring.
This spring she will return to training at Boreland's Karate School.
Monique eats, sleeps, breathes boxing. With her goal-setting attitude,
addiction, dedication and love for the sport,
Duval told WBAN in September of 2010, "I'm
a female professional boxer always looking for fights. I fight anywhere from
135-154 depending on amount of notice. "
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