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(JULY 31) Tonight, in Tunica, Mississippi, Sam's Town Casino will host live
boxing. On the card are seven matches, of which, three will
feature women. The
fighters for tonight's show are: Erin Toughill (4-1-1, 1 No Contest)
vs.Cassandra Geiger (6-2, 6 KO); Lana Alexander (2-4, 1 KO) vs
Leora Jackson (1-3); and Cristy Nickel (2-1, 2 KO) vs Kim
Catlena (Pro debut).
Of these three matches, two are scheduled to be televised on CSI Sports.
The first televised bout, Alexander vs. Jackson, should hit the screen about
7:15 CST. It is scheduled four rounds. At weigh-ins, Alexander
measured 137 pounds. Her opponent, Jackson, tipped the scales at 140 pounds.
WBAN had a chance to speak with both fighters at weigh-ins. Each seemed
equally confident of their abilities and plans for tonight.
Alexander, whose last fight was against Mia St. John on the Ann Wolfe/Vonda
Ward undercard, stated that she has had the opportunity to see her opponent
fight. She says Jackson "ducks with her head and comes inside." Her plan
is then to "lead with the uppercut. She's a sloppy fighter. I hope I can
make the fight look good, that I can make myself look good." To train for
this fight, Alexander says she has done a large amount of interval training
to improve her cardiovascular conditioning. She trains for an average of two
hours per day.
Jackson, a extremely well spoken woman, says she had never seen Alexander in
the ring. She knows only of her record and other physical attributes, such
as the height advantage Jackson possesses. Regardless, she says she
is "looking to show her skills. I'm going to give this my best shot. It's a
good event." Her plan for tonight is to "keep the jab going. I plan on
keeping it in her face, on moving around. I'll need to keep my feet in
motion and I think I will do quite well against her."
As a possible swing bout into the televised structure of tonight, Cristy
Nickel prepares for her four round event. Weighing in at 150 pounds, she
doesn't give much credit to Catlena. Prefight, Nickels stated, "It's going
to be over quick, first or second round. I'm in excellent shape. I can go
the distance, but I won't need to. She's scared, out of shape. I'm going to
establish my jab early and set her up with a right hook. That's probably
what I'll knock her out with."
Of her weaponry, Nickel states her best punch is a straight right. She also
states her goal in boxing is to avenge her only loss (Mirem Brakache).
She states in that fight, Brakache was the more experienced fighter and
beat her on decision. When she's not boxing, Nickel is a third year nursing
student.
Kim Catlena will be making her pro debut tonight against Nickel. She has not
been boxing for very long, however, she feels her ten years of Martial Arts
experience will help her tonight. She is an orthodox fighter who "plans on
finishing this fight. I plan on winning." When asked why she got into
boxing, Catlena tells of her father. "My Dad boxed in the Marines. I've
always kind of liked it. My Dad supports me. He says to kick her a..."
The final female bout will be the co-main event; Erin Toughill vs. Cassandra
Geiger. This is a scheduled eight round bout. Both fighters weighed in at
170 pounds (the weight limit) for tonight's event. And, for both fighters,
this will be the longest fight in their careers, as neither
have gone a greater distance than six. Toughill was scheduled eight rounds
against Jacqui Frazier, but a head butt caused the fight to end in the third
round.
Prior to the fight, Toughill is at ease. If she is nervous, it does not
show. She calmly states "It's a big fight. I'm in better shape than ever
before. I've been training with some phenomenal guys and I'm going out there
to win big." Toughill has not seen Geiger fight in the past. She
says she "doesn't know anything about her. I know she's got six KO's. I'm
expecting a tough fight. But I'm going in there to do a job, to kick her
a..." Toughill plans on "working off the jab" in order to get that job done.
Geiger, on the other hand, has other ideas. She says the fight "is not going
to go eight rounds. I'm looking to knock her out." Asked to predict a
specific round, Geiger laughs. "I don't have any round. I'm just going to
knock her out." Geiger, like Toughill, has not seen her opponent fight
in the past. She knows of Erin's martial arts background, but other than
statics, she has no further knowledge of what to expect. "I'm going to stay
behind my jab. For a long time, I kept forgetting that and I would just come
inside swinging. But tonight, I'm going to work my jab to get inside. I'm a
better inside fighter. I'm going to work the body; it takes it out of you."
Geiger says her goal tonight is "to be impressive so I can get my chance."
Ultimately, she wants to "fight for a world title at the 175 pound
division." And, her trainer adds, to get the right pay-day. To train for
this event, Geiger says she's been doing a lot of road and bag work. She's
also been working on her stamina.
Tonight's event at Sam's Town Casino is being hosted by Prize Fight
Promotions. A special acknowledgement is given to both Brian and Russell
Young, who have gone to great lengths in accommodating this WBAN
correspondent.
Big Bad Wolfe
aka V. Mahfood |
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Worldwide
