| |
5'7" lightweight "Merciless" Mary McGee was born on
September 25, 1986 in Gary, Indiana, USA. Raised by a devoutly
religious grandmother, the former high school cheerleader had to choose
between a boxing career or an easier life with her family.
As an amateur she boxed out of
John Taylor's Gary Police Athletic Gym in Gary, Indiana. Under Taylor's
training, she won the 156-lb Novice Championship at the 2004 Chicago
Golden Gloves and was named captain of the PAL team in 2004
and 2005.
She made her pro debut on May
20, 2005 at the Radisson Star Plaza Hotel in Merrillville, Indiana,
weighing in at 144 lbs and winning a four-round unanimous
(40-32,40-32,40-32) decision over pro debuter Jasmine Davis (144 lbs)
of Madison, Wisconsin.
On July 8, 2005 at the
Radisson Star Plaza Hotel in Merrillville, Mary (142 lbs) TKO'd
Willicia Moorehead (5'10", 137 lbs) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 1:37 in
the third round of a scheduled four-rounder. Moorehead fell to 2-17
with this loss.
On September 30,
2005 at the Radisson Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana,
Mary (140 lbs) knocked out Brandi Davis (5'5", 140 lbs) of Milwaukee,
WIsconsin at 0:51 in the first round. Davis fell to 0-3 and has not
fought professionally since.
On October 21, 2005 at Caesars
Casino in Elizabeth, Indiana, Mary (138½ lbs) TKO'd pro debuter Brandy
Pope (138½ lbs) of Olive Branch, Mississippi at 1:53 in the first round
of a scheduled four-rounder.
On February 24, 2006 at the
Civic Center in Hammond, Indiana, Mary (140 lbs) won a four-round
unanimous (40-35,40-35,40-35) decision over Susan Winner (148 lbs) of
Lawrence, Kansas, who fell to 0-1-1.
 On
April 14, 2006 at the Radisson Star Plaza Hotel in Merrillville, Mary
(143 lbs) won by a TKO over pro debuter Kelah Pollari (142 lbs) of
Milwaukee at 0:57 in the first round of a scheduled
four-rounder (photo at left).
On May 26, 2006 at Resorts
Casino in East Chicago, Indiana, Mary (141 lbs) won a six-round
majority (58-56,59-55,58-58) decision over Leora Jackson (140 lbs) of
Springdale, Arkansas, who fell to 2-7 (0 KO's).
On November 17, 2006 before a
packed house at the Radisson Star Plaza in Merrillville, Mary (137 lbs)
faced unbeaten (9-0) rival Rita Figueroa (138¾) from Chicago, Illinois
in a scheduled eight-rounder for the IN.B.A. Junior Welterweight title.
The fight was stopped at 0:41 in the fourth round due to a clash of
heads, and it was ruled a no contest. The scorecards for the first
three rounds read 30-27 McGee, 29-28 McGee, 28-29
Figueroa.
Mary McGee (L) vs Kim Colbert
© Copyrighted Photo by Juan C. Allyon
On February 9, 2007 at the
Star Plaza Theater in Merrillville, Indiana, Mary (134 lbs) won a
four-round unanimous (39-37,38-37,38-37) decision over Kim Colbert (137
lbs) of Southfield, Michigan who fell to 2-12 (2 KO's) with the loss.
McGee received a standing eight count in the first round, but came back
to take the decision over the always-dangerous Colbert.
According to WBAN correspondent Juan C. Allyon, "In the first, Colbert
nearly floored McGee. Knocking her off balance on the ropes, she
unloaded with both fists. Covering up and pinned down on the lower
ropes, McGee drew an eight count. Resuming, she knocked Colbert across
the ring with a counter. Springing, she unloaded. The two battered each
other back and forth until the bell. Colbert’s rushing tactics threw
McGee off balance in the first half of the second round. Clearly
uncomfortable, McGee slipped into a pattern of covering on the ropes
while Colbert unloaded with winging, looping blows from odd angles.
Coming off the ropes, she said, “F—you,” to Colbert’s corner when they
said McGee was scared. That did it. She bulled forward and pounded
Colbert against the ropes. The two took slugged hard until the bell.
Changing gears in the third, McGee began moving more, spearing with two
or three punch bursts, then circling out instead of waiting for the
counter. Boxing better, she asserted herself. Her puzzle was solved.
This tactic carried into the fourth and final round. McGee jabbed,
crossed and circled out when Colbert pressured her to the ropes. The
two slugged toe to toe for the last 30 seconds of the round."
 On April
20, 2007 at the Star Plaza Theater in Merrillville, Indiana, Mary (137
lbs) KO'd Christina Jones (139 lbs) of Cincinnati, Ohio at 1:07 in the
second round of a scheduled six-rounder (photo at right). Jones fell to
0-3 with the loss.
On June 8, 2007 at , Mary (133
lbs) won a four-round unanimous (40-36, 40-35,40-36) decision over Eva
Lidia Silva (138 lbs) of Ciudad Acuna, Mexico who fell to 4-8 (0 KO's).
Try as she might teeing-off on rugged, but ultimately outmatched
Silva,
According
to Juan C. Ayllon for CyberBoxingZone: "McGee was unable to
stop her over four rounds. Their bout appeared on the cusp of a
stoppage in the first and fourth rounds, but Silva was truculent enough
in swinging back to stay in the bout. The decision was a mere
formality." (Fight photos
here).
On September 21, 2007 at the
Radisson Star Plaza in Merrillville, Mary (135 lbs) TKO'd Willicia
Moorehead (132 lbs) at 1:33 in the first round of a scheduled
six-rounder. Moorehead fell to 2-18 with her second loss to McGee.
Tawnyah Freeman (L) vs Mary McGee
On October 19, 2007 at the
Adam’s Mark Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana, Mary (139½ lbs) TKO'd
Tawnyah Freeman (137¼ lbs) of Fort Smith, Arkansas at 1:12 in the fifth
round of a scheduled ten-rounder for the NABC Lightweight title.
Freeman fell to 8-5 (3 KO's) with the loss. According to a
press
release from One In A Million Boxing, "McGee dropped Freeman for the
first time in round three and twice in the fourth. McGee, who got
stronger and sharper as the fight went on, finished Freeman off at 1:12
of the fifth. 'At first, it was hard for me to settle down,' McGee said
after the victory, 'but I looked to my corner and my trainer Carlos
(Jones) told me to relax and do what we worked on in the gym. So that's
what I did. When she threw her jab, I moved and then dropped her.'"
On December 14, 2007 at the
Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana, Mary (140 lbs) won a six-round
unanimous (60-54,60-54,60-54) decision over Leora Jackson (144¾ lbs)
who fell to 2-11-0. According to a
press
release on EastSideBoxing.com: "From the opening bell, McGee was
clearly a more skilled boxer, stronger puncher and smarter fighter, but
Jackson proved to have a chin of granite, taking power shot after power
shot during every round and refusing to go away. After the bout, McGee
said, "She's (Jackson) a tough girl. Tonight I beat her more
convincingly than I did in 2006. Now I'm moving on and will be looking
to win another title next year."
 On
April 19, 2008 at the Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana, Mary (135¾
lbs) TKO'd Renee Richardt Douglas (134 lbs) of Fenton, Missouri at 1:22
in the first round of a scheduled six-rounder. This was Richardt
Douglas's second straight loss since a three-year layoff from pro
competition, and dropped her pro record to 11-6-1 (4 KO's). "I
worked very hard to make sure everyone understood how serious I was
about defending my title tonight", McGee
told
NWI.com, adding "I hope everyone saw what they wanted to see."
On August 2, 2008 at U.S.
Steel Yard in Gary, Indiana, Mary (134½ lbs) TKO'd Tonya Gallegos
(5'6", 132 lbs) of Denver, Colorado at 1:52 in the second
round of a scheduled eight-rounder. Gallegos fell to 4-9 (2 KO's) with
the loss.
Jessica Mohs vs Mary McGee
Photo: One
In A Million Boxing
On January 23, 2009 at the
Radisson Star Plaza in Merrillville, Mary (133 lbs) TKO'd Jessica Mohs
(131 lbs) of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at 0:01 in the third round of a
scheduled six-rounder. Mohs fell to 7-20-2 (2 KO's) with the loss.
McGee said
that she entered her bout with
Mohs carrying a heavy heart following the passing of another World
Champion Giselle Salandy
17-0 (6 KOs). "I have the ultimate respect for her and I
looked up to her," said McGee of Salandy. "This
fight is for her and her family, this is one fighter that I had really
respected and there are not many female fighters that I do respect the
way I do Gisselle."
On
April 25, 2009 at the Civic Center in Hammond, Indiana,
Mary won a 10-round majority (95-95,97-93,97-93) decision over in-state
rival
Kristy Follmar
of Cedar Lake, Indiana for the vacant WBC International Junior
Welterweight title.
According
to Jacob Chavez at FightNews.com, "As
the ladies entered the ring, the shouting and applause from the
audience was deafening as the action got started right away. Both
fighters aggressively looked to establish a jab. Follmar displayed good
footwork as she circled the ring and used her taller frame to keep the
action at a good range. The crafty McGee demonstrated great skills in
her aggression. She landed solid combinations while fighting on the
inside which gave her the ability to cut-off the ring. McGee continued
to press the action in the second while she displayed better accuracy
in her punching. Follmar was very game when trading with her opponent
but often ate more punches than she connected with. Follmar began to
make adjustments in the third as she circled McGee more effectively and
found a better rhythm with her punches. She also focused more on the
jab, but McGee wisely stuck to her strategy. Midway into the round, she
pounced on Follmar and lured her into trading power shots. Again, the
fans went berserk as they came together for explosive
exchanges.
McGee once more had a higher connect percentage as she shortened her
punches, despite absorbing plenty of punishment herself. Follmar looked
to step up the pace in the fourth by becoming more aggressive than in
the previous rounds. She focused early on the body and scored with
solid combinations. But McGee however did not back off as she
successfully countered to the head of her opponent. Round five would go
to Follmar due to her steady and relentless pressure. This seemed to be
taking somewhat of a toll on McGee as she slowed slightly. Round six
also saw terrific trading with Follmar once again landing and moving,
however McGee connected with the more effective punches. Rounds eight
and nine were extremely close. Follmar stuck to her guns with
combinations on the outside. McGee continued to land with hard counters
within close range. The tenth and final round showed what makes certain
fights special and keeps people talking for years to come. The grueling
and debilitating exchanges from both fatigued women had fans on their
feet throughout the stanza. Both woman wanted the win and pushed for
it. There was no more boxing or back peddling; it was all toe-to-toe
trading. In the end McGee let out a cry and fell to her knees in tears
when announced as the winner, and like a true sportsman, Follmar
applauded and congratulated her." Follmar fell to
16-2 (9 KO's).
Brooke Dierdorff (L) vs Mary McGee in February 2010
© Copyrighted photo courtesy Team No Mercy
On February 26, 2010 at the
Hammond Civic Center in Hammond, Indiana,
Brooke Dierdorff
(133 lbs) won a six-round unanimous (58-56,58-56,58-56) decision over
Mary McGee (136 lbs).
According
to NW Indiana Times correspondent Nate Ulrich, "Dierdorff
controlled the first four rounds with several hard charges that
repeatedly pinned McGee against the ropes. McGee, however, opened the
fifth round with a relentless attack and ended the sixth by drawing
blood from Dierdorff's nose. Still, McGee's late emergence wasn't
enough in the end." Dierdorff improved to 6-4-1 (3
KO's) with the win.
On
July 30, 2011 at the US Steel Yard in Gary, Indiana, Mary McGee
returned to action at 138 lbs and won a six-round decision over Ashleigh
Curry (138 lbs) of St.Joseph, Missouri who fell to 3-6-2 (1 KO). On
September 8, 2012 at the Civic Center in Hammond, Indiana, Mary McGee
(135 lbs) won a six-round unanimous decision in a rematch with Ashleigh
Curry (135 lbs) of St. Joseph, Missouri. McGee improved her record to
19-1 (10 KO's) while Curry dropped to 4-8-2 (1 KO).
On December 7, 2012 at the Route 66
Casino near Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mary McGee (138¾
lbs) defeated Victoria Cisneros (138 lbs) of Albuquerque by a TKO at
0:23 in the fourth round. Cisneros fell to 8-14-2 (3 KO's) while
McGee punched her ticket for a followup fight in New Mexico with local
favorite Holly Holm.
On May 11, 2013 at the Route 66
Casino near Albuquerque, New Mexico, Holly Holm (139¼ lbs) of Albuquerque ended her
boxing career defending her IBA and WBF junior welterweight titles with a unanimous decision over Mary McGee (137 lbs) with scores of 100-90 on all three judges' cards. McGee fell to 20-2 (11 KO’s) while Holm retired from the sport with a 33-2-3 (9 KO) record.
"I am committed to my
career and to training hard every day,"
said
McGee, who regularly spars with more experienced male fighters. "I
chose this sport because I know how to work hard, and the world will
see the results of my work."
October 4, 2013, at Club Sportivo, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina,
lost a 10 round unanimous decision to Erica Anabella Farias. This bout was for
the WBC Female Light Title. Scores were 100-90, 98-91, and 98-90.
November 22, 2013, at Star Plaza Theater, Merrillville, Indiana, USA, won
six-rounder by unanimous decision against Lakeisha Williams. Final judges scores
were 60-54, 59-55, and 60-54.
October 17, 2015 at Hammond Civic Center, Hammond, Indiana, USA won a four round
unanimous decision against now transgender David Morrison. Final judges scores
were 40-36 on all cards.
August 26, 2016 at House of Champions Fitness Center, Indianapolis, Indiana,
USA, McGee won by TKO 13 seconds into round second round of a scheduled four
round bout against Ebony Teague.
October 13, 2018 at Mcbride Hall, Gary, Indiana, USA won by KO against Latasha
Burton with 19 seconds into the third round. The bout was scheduled for four
rounds.
April 6, 2019 at Mcbride Hall, Gary, Indiana, USA. McGee won a
six-round unanimous decision over Szilvia Szabados. All scorecards
by judges were 60-54.
On December 5, 2019 at Terminal 5, New York, New York, USA
Esache went down in the 8th round. Mary won the vacant IBF Super Light World
Title by TKO 30 seconds into round 10/10x2. Judges scores were 83-87, 88-82, and
88-82.
February 8, 2020 at Hammond Civic Center, Hammond, Indiana, USA. Mary won her
first IBF Title defence against Deanha Hobbs by TKO, 1:55 into round ninth round
of a ten-round bout. (IBF Supervisor Pete Podgorski).
Mary is scheduled to fight to unify the IBF and WBC Super Light Titles October
30, 2021, when she goes up against #1 ranked Chantelle Cameron in the UK at O2
Arena, Greenwich London, United Kingdom. The Ring Magazine belt will also be up
for grabs.
Other Mary McGee links
To check out fight reports, complete up-to-date boxing records, with
huge digital photos you can go to
the WBAN Records
Member Site
Page
last updated: Monday, May 27, 2013
|
|
