Harding Joins the ranks of fighting mixed exhibitions January 19, 2005 Source: delawareonline.com

(JAN 19) On January 15, 2005, in front of a few hundred people, at the New Castle bar in Newark, Tonya “America’s Bad Girl” Harding fought a non-boxer male, Mark Mason, a 5’2”, 125-pounder, that is also a former ice skater.
Mason who had never donned a pair of gloves, was quickly dispatched by TKO in the second round of a scheduled three round bout. In news sources, they reported that Spectators shouted derogatory comments toward Harding for most of the match. AND that Mason was picked out of a pool of 100 people, and that in the fight Mason basically flailed haymarkers at Harding. photos and full story on www.delewareonline.com

(OCT 17,  2003) This last week in Curacao, Ana "Dinamita" Pascal, Panama, and a top-ranked women's boxer fought a male boxer.  Pascal, according to news sources took quite a beating, when the fight was stopped by the ref in the fourth round.

Media Frenzy in Washington when MacGregor takes on Chow! By Sue TL Fox, Ringside October 9, 1999

"The Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) has determined that planning may continue for the first professional female vs. male boxing match in Washington State, scheduled to take place on the evening of October 9, at the Seattle Mercer Arena.  To this point, DOL has reviewed the fight records and license applications received, followed the law and has determined that planning may continue with the Margaret McGregor vs. Hector Morales fight. Upon review, DOL notified the promoter, O'Malley Productions, to continue planning for the fight (subject to change if any of the remaining application components do not meet licensing requirements.) The remaining requirements will continue to be submitted to DOL up to 24 hours prior to the fight, and any information received may alter this decision. The fight contract matches Margaret McGregor, Bremerton, Pro Boxing fighter, 3-0, 130 lbs., vs. Hector Morales, Vancouver, B.C., Pro Boxing debut, 130 lbs.  DOL is charged with the responsibility of reviewing bout applications to ensure the health and safety of the fighters. The application was reviewed according to the state Professional Athletics Act, which does not include gender as a fight-matching factor. Applications are reviewed by DOL for the five determining factors mandated by law: weight, skill level, physical health test, vision exam, communicable disease blood test, and controlled substances urinary test (WAC 36.12.240).   Promoter and fighters are required to submit all necessary application components no later than 72 hours before the fight. Final approval is dependent on all parties complying with application and safety requirements contained in statute or rule."

The match did occur, but within a few days, this mixed sanctioned boxing match was declared an "Exhibition".  
So much for being a "History First", and did the news media ever straighten the history of mixed matches after it was no more than a four-rounder mixed exhibition?  Uunfortunately they didn't, and left the history hanging "inaccurately" like they have managed to do with so many other historical events in women's boxing history.

Joanna Hagen, a very famous female boxer from the 50's

Hagen had a mixed boxing match with Norm Jones and defeated him in a four-round decision in Michigan City in 1952.  If any boxing match should be declared the "first" the Hagen/Jones fight was the closest to equivalency of that honor...Hagen was also on the Steve Allan Show and had talked about her mixed matches, which WBAN was told she talked about four of them.   This information has not been confirmed.

In 1975, Jackie Tonawanda made her mark in history at the Madison Square Garden, in New York, when she took on a Kickboxer Larry Rodania. Tonawanda KO'd Rodania in the second round. Tonawanda believed that doing this exhibition, she would gain her much needed New York boxing license that was being denied, by the New York commission, but the matchup did not further her cause.  Along with two other women boxers, Lady Tyger Trimiar and Cathy "Cat" Davis who were also trying in vain to get the right to fight in New York. 
WBAN has full articles and fight photos of this event archived.

Marion Bermudez, probably the most noted past fighter to mix it up with men in the ring-1975

One headliner said, "Woman Boxer BEATS MALE RIVAL In Golden Gloves, dated July 1975". The article goes on to say, "Miss Marion Bermudez, 23, connects with a long right to the face of Edwardo Parras en route to scoring a first-round technical knockout victory in the Phoenix Golden Gloves tourney.  Fighting in the 125-pound novice class, the Arizona State University engineering senior is the first female boxer to score a victory in a nationally sanctioned tournament in the United States."

In November of 1982, it was documented in the New York Times, that after the legality of boxing matches between women and men was argued by the American Civil Liberties Union, the five-member board of the California Athletic Commission voted to approve professional boxing matches between the sexes effective immediately. ''We had no recourse but to approve it,'' said Don Fraser, the commission's executive officer. ''To my knowledge there is only one woman interested in fighting men -and that's Shirley Tucker  of Santa Rosa, who is in the 120-pound division.'' Fraser added that he didn't know of any men willing to fight women.   Shirley Tucker never did fight a male, after fighting for the right to do so in 1982....... 
 

EVEN TL FOX MIXES  IT UP WITH MALE OPPONENTS!  Fox said, "There was one exhibition I wish I had never done that was against my karate Instructor...A local TV crew was filming me for a feature story in 1976. I kicked him in the mouth, snapped both of his front teeth off the roots, cut his lip that needed stitches... and the TV Crew made it worst when they handed him a business card, asking him to call the station as soon as he found out how many stitches he would take on his mouth..!" $3,000 later, Fox's Instructor had his mouth fixed! Fox paid half of the damage ($1,500)

Regina Halmich vs. Stefan Raab

On March 22, 2001, Regina Halmich joined the ranks of mixed boxing on WBAN.  Some said it was a joke, others took it seriously, and at the end Raab was reported to have had a broken nose the following day of the five-round exhibition bout.  To read all the details of this mixed match, go here!

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