Lou DiBella still cares.
That’s saying a lot, considering the love-hate relationship the Hall of Fame promoter has often had with the sport of boxing. But when it comes to the sweeter science, the New Yorker still believes, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to give the women of the sport not only their time to shine but to make a fair wage in the process.
And now, that means putting together an eight-woman tournament to crown the sport’s first undisputed bantamweight champion. That’s great on paper, but we all know how “on paper” works in real life. So here’s the kicker: Each of the fighters DiBella wants in the tournament – IBF titleholder Miyo Yoshida; WBA titlist Cherneka Johnson; WBC, WBO and “The Ring” champion Dina Thorslund; IBO belt holder Amanda Galle, Nina Hughes, Shurretta Metcalf, Jamie Mitchell and Shannon Courtenay – are all-in.
“We’ve spoken to representatives of all of the eight girls in the tournament, and I’ve also spoken to most of the sanctioning bodies, and they’re all supportive,” DiBella told BoxingScene. “They know how difficult it is to make fights for women right now in this environment. But, right now, we have eight of the best women in the world in the same weight class.”
And they’re willing to fight each other, which is something that can’t always be said for those on the men’s side of the sport. But the ladies have always been amenable to taking the toughest matchups possible if it meant getting to the point of some parity with the men when it comes to paydays. Even doing that, however, has never been a guarantee of better money. And while the one-million-dollar paydays earned by Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano for their 2022 bout was a bright spot and a momentary move in the right direction, as of late, women’s boxing has largely fallen on the backburner when it comes to paydays, card placement and broadcast exposure.
DiBella, a longtime proponent of women’s boxing, wants this situation to change, and it starts with the tournament that he hopes will kick off in the fall – ideally in October, but no later than November – and be completed in a year’s time.
“We are sending paperwork this week, asking the women to confirm that we can go out and shop the tournament to broadcasters, etc.,” DiBella said. “We haven’t locked in all the purses, because it’s going to be dependent on what we’re able to get for TV rights and sponsorship. But every woman in this tournament, none of them have been spoiled. Dina Thorslund has been defending three belts and, frankly, not being very well compensated for it. And none of the eight women here – although we have multiple world champions and ex-world champions – has been able to make a great living. And this is not about trying to break the bank. This is about trying to get a partnership, trying to get some streaming service and some sponsor support to do this tournament in a way that everybody can be treated fairly. This is not about equality, frankly; it’s about basic fairness and finding a partner out there to help support the unification of a major division in women’s boxing.”
That unification can bring in fans from around the globe, as the eight boxers hail from the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark and Canada, each with a compelling story that can bring in more and more fans with each round of the tournament. That builds relationships that will lead to bigger and better opportunities and, subsequently, better paydays. So thus far, it was a no-brainer to put the most important element of this together.
“Getting them on board to unify their division is not even an issue,” said DiBella. “They’re like, ‘OK, OK, let’s get it done.’ And the first step was to go to each of the girls and get a commitment.”
First mission accomplished. Now it’s up to DiBella to get someone to step up with a platform for these ladies to perform. That’s the real struggle. But as strongly as he feels about this topic, who would bet against him?
“I have invested over a decade of my life paying attention to women, where other people weren’t,” he said. “And I also watched when there was this need for women’s fights, and all of a sudden everyone was [watching] during the pandemic. Every other fight was a women’s fight, and it was getting much easier for women to get paid.
“But I was also pointing out, even when it looked like everything was wonderful, there isn’t a developmental series for women. There’s not a single network worldwide that has a women’s boxing series. The overwhelming majority of televised fight cards around the world don’t even feature one female fight. For the working-class female fighter, for the female fighter who even comes out of the Olympics and is a prospect, there is no money there to help develop you. And we can marvel at the incredible success of Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, and we can look at another half-dozen women who have been able to support themselves and put some money in the bank and live a life like a champion. But the overwhelming majority of female champions worldwide are still struggling to live a middle-class life.”
See, Lou DiBella still cares. Hopefully, more people will, too.
“I care because they’re the kind of athletes that will agree to this kind of tournament with a reasonable discussion,” he said. “I care because I’m tired of explaining to women that have worked really hard and have watched the sport grow in terms of the depth of its talent and the quality of its fights, and still not be able to achieve basic fairness. I care because the right thing to do is to care.”
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