(July 27) In 1978, news hit the headlines that female boxers were not allowed to compete in AAU boxing tournaments. If it weren't for the father of women's boxing, “Bill Dixon,” most people would never have known about this seminal moment in the sport. Before he passed away, he and his wife drove to Vancouver, Washington to meet me in my hotel room. During our meeting, he gave me a box of authentic historical documents that he had collected while organizing the many bouts featuring professional female boxers in the 1970s and 1980s, many of which I was a participant in.
Inside the box were not only women's and men's boxing records, but original programs, fight contracts, receipts from fighters who dined at the hotel, minutes of private discussions about how to evaluate women's boxing, and numerous historical documents that would not be found in newspaper archives alone.
In our first episode, we want to show you what's inside one of those folders that only a handful of people in the sports world knew existed. This folder contains important documents about the historic event of May 12, 1978, when female boxers were finally allowed to compete in AAU amateur boxing tournaments.
No, considering May 12, 1978 marked the world's first AAU-sanctioned amateur women's game, there were no television crews from around the world, no national broadcast and very little local coverage.
On May 14, 1978, reporter Pat Thompson wrote an article in the St. Paul Sunday Pioneer Press Sports section, page 3, entitled “Female Boxer Makes History.” Excerpts from the article:
“Claire Buckner, a mother of three from St. Paul, recently made history in Minnesota amateur boxing with her sharp left jab and powerful right hand. The 24-year-old University of Minnesota theater arts major became Minnesota's first AAU girls' champion after four bouts on Friday night at the Beerman Building.”
The article also reported that the opening match is being billed as “the world's first women's amateur boxing championship.” [It should be noted that there were
several female amateur bouts on this date].
But this first-ever women’s amateur boxing event, held on May 12, 1978, didn’t come about without struggles.
These women, previously unrecognized and lost in the true history of women's boxing, fought “outside the ring” before they stepped “inside” the square ring.
The women boxers were unaware that the AAU had blocked the bout and that Kaufman and Markolt were not allowed to compete in the next day's bout. The women's boxing association, then called the Minneapolis University Women's Boxing Club, was outraged and took the matter to the media. [below are letters that was within the AAU folder]
An article in the Rapid City Journal on Saturday, April 8, 1978, in the sports section on page 8, titled “The Troubles of Female Boxers” stated:
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Frustrated female boxers and their supporters who were blocked from competing in the state AAU boxing tournament on Friday have been told they can fight on their own to determine the state champion in May. But the boxers and promoter Bill Paul remain unhappy and plan to protest. “All we wanted was four minutes,” Paul said. Paul had wanted Joan Marcoult of St. Paul and Debbie Kaufman of Minneapolis to compete for the state girls bantamweight championship at Fred Moore Middle School in Anoka.
By April 20, 1978, negotiations had taken place between the Women's Boxers Association and AAU directors, and it was anticipated that women boxers would be sanctioned by the AAU for this event.
The final bout of the first ever amateur women's boxing tournament was held on May 12, 1978, and the competitors on that day were: Mary Byrne of Bloomington and Karin Schoen of St. Louis Park at flyweight, Anita Howard of Minneapolis and Debbie Kauffman at bantamweight, Claire Buckner of St. Paul and Natalie Onefeather of Minneapolis at featherweight, Laurie Dinneen of St. Paul and Kathy Hetterick of Edina at heavyweight. There was also an exhibition bout between Barb Drew of Minnepolis and Sue Carson of St. Louis Park.
International Ban
WBAN Instagram
WBAN Facebook
WBAN/IWBHF website
Click here for details
Women's Boxing Records
translation:
home page
Florida Boxing
home page
home page
WBAN Group Facebook
