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On May 3, 2000, I had an opportunity to visit "A Woman's Place
Boxing Gym" in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where IFBA World
Super-Middleweight champion Trina "Iron Butterfly" Ortegon
trains other women to box, Irene Garcia, a top-world class past woman
boxer and current boxing trainer who fought the likes of Grace
Casillas and Darlene Valdez, and
IWBF ranked #5 in the World Brenda "Tiger" Burnside.
There were also some amateur boxers training the night that I paid a visit
to the gym.
Due to not having a rental
car, Trina picked me up from the hotel. It was easy to spot
the "Iron Butterfly" as she drove up the hotel entrance,
when I spotted her license plate displaying the words,
"grlsbox." As we made our way to the gym, she played
me "her" song called "Butterfly" (of
course, what else), and told me how she chose that tune to accompany
her when she enters the ring to box at her fights. At the gym, I
asked Trina about her boxing career.
Trina said that what caught her
interest in boxing was when she was a sophomore at the University of New
Mexico in 1993. Trina would walk by the "Hideout" boxing
gym where Danny Romero trained and she would think about going there to
train.
Trina, 5' 9",
struggled with her weight that had topped 236 lbs, and wanted to
find a way to get her weight under control. But it
would not be until December of 1995, when Trina stepped in a
gym.
Trina's friends were into kickboxing,
and she didn't have any desire to get into that sport. She tried
aerobics and weight training, but then she saw a sign......
It was a new sign near her house,
that displayed "A Woman's Place Boxing Gym." Trina called
Irene Garcia, the owner and trainer of the gym, and spoke to her on
the phone about the workouts. Garcia told Trina to come in and to
see if it was something she was interested in. As Trina put it after
trying out a session in women's boxing, "I traded in my new tennis
shoes for some boxing gloves."
About nine months later, her weight pummeled from 236 lbs., to 160
lbs. She ran on her half hour lunch break, took a
"Summertime" shower and would be back on the job. Trina's
background includes six amateur bouts 5-1 record. She won a bronze
medal in the 1st Women's Nationals in Augusta, Georgia in the 178 lb.
division.
Trina's original ambition was to fight in
the Olympics, but she soon discovered that women's boxing had not made it
in that arena for women's boxing. Trina had her pro debut in
February of 1997, and has been fighting ever since!
Another fighter at the gym was Brenda
"Tiger" Burnside. I soon discovered that the
tattoos that she dons on her body are REAL! I thought they were
painted on when she would put on her boxing attire, but not a
chance. Brenda explained to me what her tattoos
represented.
Brenda explained her
tattoos as representative of her major fights against Bridgett
"Baby Doll" Riley, Kathy
William, Mary Ortega, and Para
Draine.
Brenda, who is probably one of
the most daring boxers, willing to fight anyone at anytime, has one
of the most misleading records in the sport. She is currently
#5 in the IWBF, and #9 in the IFBA and rightfully so.
Her record has no reflection as to
the accomplishments she has made in the sport, and has proven that
"Records mean nothing."
In the early part of this day, Brenda had
been a guest speaker for the ACES (All Children Exercise Simultaneously).
She is an advocate to keep sports in school and speaks to others about the
importance of diet and exercise.
Brenda is a graduate of the University of
New Mexico, and her degree is in communications. She has worked in
Search and Rescue in Reno, Nevada, and has her own trademarked clothing
line called "IBOX." (WBAN will feature this clothes line soon.)
Brenda is determined to act as a "free agent", and it is not
hard to figure out that fighters who do not sign with promoters/managers
struggle much harder with the types of matches that are offered to them,
often having to take fights in hometowns, etc.
Brenda has been offered opportunities to sign with promoters, but she is
disheartened when they immediately talk to her about having to take some
easy fights to pad her record. Brenda says that, "I refuse to
be a bully." Brenda realizes that she has paid a heavy price
for not signing, and acting as a free agent, but she feels strongly that
she can look at herself in the mirror....
Irene Garcia, the owner
and trainer of the gym is a past boxer of the late 70's and
80's.
Irene is from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has lived there most of
her life, other than a move to California when she was
younger.
She has quite a history in women's boxing, and has fought some of
the most noted women boxers of the past.
In December of 1979, she fought
Grace Casillas for the WKA kickboxing championship at the Dunes
Hotel, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout was seven-two minute
rounds. Casillas got the decision, but she
didn't get it without reports that got back to Garcia, that Casillas
suffered a broken nose. Irene said about Casillas, "A really
great champion." Although she and others felt it was a
controversial loss. She also fought her pro debut against Darlene
Valdez, a very accomplished boxer in the past, and defeated her. She said
that she had several matches with her.
Irene said that when she turned 18, she moved to California to live on her
own. Irene said that she was inspired to get into contact sports
when one day she had seen the movie with Bruce Lee, called the "Fist
of Fury." Irene loved Lee's moves and said, "I want to do
that."
She took Martial Arts for about six months
in California, before deciding to return to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
She then resumed her martial arts training in Kempo.
In 1972, she entered in some Kempo competitions, that included fighting in
the men and women's divisions. She eventually got into full-contact
karate, and was ranked #1 in two different divisions.
Irene is now a certified USA Boxing State
and regional coach and has a gym full of women boxers, that compete in
amateurs or come to the gym to get in better physical condition.
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