Dawn Gibson
Sooke News Mirror
West Coast Wonder Women is the first all-female boxing card in Western Canada – and it’s coming to Sooke.
The event will feature around 29 fights, ranging in fighters ages 8 to over 50, and from beginners to national champions.
Eight women from the Sooke Boxing Club will be fighting, including Tia Nunn, Janelle Simoneau, Aranza Santana, Arianna Santana, Dawn Gibson, Jill Doucet, Mel Bishop and Kya Burley.
The rest of the fighters come from all over North America, including B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, Texas, Washington, Oregon, and California.
Ellen Connor, owner of Sooke Boxing Club and organizer of the event, said she wanted to hold an all-female card to give more opportunity for women in boxing.
“It’s always hard for girls to find fights, and there’s very few all-female cards worldwide. So this event allows women to come from all over and find a match,” said Connor.
“I’ve been on the boxing scene for a while, and at most cards there will maybe be one or two female fights. They are never the spotlight, they always take the back seat. So I wanted this event to let the girls shine for once, and put the attention on them.”
She added that women’s boxing has only been in the Olympics since 2012, but now lots of doors are opening for female boxers.
“We need to embrace this, and get on board with what’s happening in main stream society. Women’s boxing is here, it’s on the forefront,” said Connor. “It’s our turn, it’s our time.”
Some fights to highlight are: Reina Tellez from San Francisco, who is on the Beautiful Brawlers U.S.A International team vs Emelia Dermott who is a Canadian national champion from Oakville, Ont, and Lupe Gutierrez, a No. 1 prospect for the U.S. Olympic team from Beautiful Brawlers International team vs Maddy Swanson, a Canadian national champion from Edmonton who is a prospect for the Canadian Olympic team.
There will also be four master bouts, meaning women who are over 40, and three out of the four bouts include fighters from Sooke.
The event takes place April 28 and 29 at the Sooke Community Hall, and will be live streamed by All Streamed Up on the West Coast Wonder Women Facebook page.
Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased in advance at West Coast Auto in Sooke, the Sooke Boxing Club, Aloyd Fitness in Langford, Suits U in Victoria, or at the door on the nights of.
For more information, and up-to-date times for fights, please visit the West Coast Wonder Women Facebook Page.
