Mia St. John
Mia St. John | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Mia Rosales St. John June 24, 1967 |
| Nationality |  American |
| Other names | The Knockout |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Welterweight Light welterweight Lightweight Super featherweight Featherweight |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Reach | 66.5 in (169 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 60 |
| Wins | 47 |
| Wins by KO | 18 |
| Losses | 12 |
| Draws | 2 |
| No contests | 0 |
Mia Rosales St. John (born June 24, 1967) is a Mexican-American professional boxer and former WBC champion in the super welterweight division.[1] She is also the IBA and IFBA lightweight champion.[2] She is also a model, businesswoman, and taekwondo champion.[3]
Early life
St. John, a Mexican-American with family roots in Zacatecas, Mexico, was born in San Francisco, California. She attended California State University, Northridge, earning a degree in psychology. While a student, she compiled a taekwondo record of 27–1, was awarded a black belt, and worked as a model to fund her education.[4]
She married Kristoff St. John, star of Young and the Restless, but they later divorced. They have two children, son Julian and daughter Paris.
Professional boxing career
At the age of 29, St. John decided to become a professional boxer. In her first bout on February 14, 1997, she knocked out Angelica Villain in 54 seconds of the first round and earning her the nickname "The Knockout."[5]
St. John, under contract first to Don King and then Top Rank Boxing, was featured on the undercard of Oscar De La Hoya bouts. She had 23 fights, won 22 with one draw, 3 KOs and 9 TKOs. All fights were four-rounders and most were televised gaining her national attention. St. John was crowned the "Queen of the Four-Rounders", a title she hated. St. John's opponents were selected by Top Rank without her input.[6]
After her 20th bout, St. John was injured in a skiing accident that threatened possible amputation of one of her legs. She underwent two operations to remove a blood clot.[7]
In November 1999, St. John appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine and in an 11 page pictorial. She wanted to show that she was a feminine woman as well as an athlete. Critical of her career, the boxing press added the term "Bunny Boxer" in describing St. John.[8]
St. John did not renew her contract with Top Rank in 2001, becoming her own manager and promoter. On November 9, 2001, she lost her first fight to Rolanda Andrews with a TKO in the second round, St. John's first contest after parting with Top Rank.[9]
Eduardo and Roberto García
St. John turned to trainers Eduardo and Roberto García to learn proper punching techniques, footwork, and defensive strategies. St. John won her next four bouts, one by TKO.[10]
On December 6, 2002, St. John fought top boxer Christy Martin. Martin had a record of 44 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws. The press laughed at the match-up and predicted St. John would be knocked out early in the bout. St. John, coming up two weight classes, lost the bout but fought toe-to-toe with Martin all ten rounds for a credible performance.[11]
WBC, IFBA and IBA lightweight championships
On June 12, 2005, and after 47 professional bouts and 9 years, St. John was given a title bout with Liz Drew. St. John won by unanimous decision, earning the IFBA lightweight world title. She followed this win with a unanimous decision over Donna Biggers in August, winning the IBA continental lightweight title.[12]
St. John has fought all over the world, including Beijing, China, where she won her IBA Championship. After accumulating an unheard of boxing record of nearly 60 pro fights, on June 14, 2008, St. John fulfilled her dream of fighting in her mother's home country of Mexico. She fought one of the toughest fights of her career and became the WBC international boxing champion of the world at the age of 40.
In November 2008 she was awarded by the Governor of Zacatecas, Mexico, an outstanding achievement award for her role in sports and humanitarianism. The WBC also presented her with the 2008 "WBC Goodwill Ambassador" Award.
In November 2010, Rep. Grace Napolitano joined St. John and LA Laker Ron Artest for an official mental health and suicide prevention training at Napolitano's district office in Santa Fe Springs. Artest and St. John have joined Napolitano to promote the Mental Health in Schools Act, legislation she authored which would increase federal funding for mental health therapists in schools.
She also spoke at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, where President Barack Obama made a speech at the CHCI's annual Gala.
As well as Congress, St. John speaks in schools and juvenile halls on the importance of education and overcoming hardship. She speaks of her own battles with mental illness, addiction, poverty and overcoming it all, to become a three time international boxing champion.
On August 14, 2012, St. John fought Christy Martin in a long awaited rematch. Her dream of sixteen years finally materialized and at the age of 45, she captured the WBC super welter weight championship of the world.
On November 10, 2012 St. John was defeated by Tiffany Junot in Bakersfield, Ca., losing her WBC Female Super Welterweight Championship in a unanimous decision.[13]
MMA career
On January 26, 2008, in Honolulu, Hawaii, St. John's fighting career took yet another turn. “Returning to her roots” in the martial arts, she competed in her first mixed martial arts contest and, with a combination of kicks and punches, defeated her opponent Rhonda Gallegos with a first-round knockout. St. John expressed respect for the dedicated athletes of this fast-growing sport and may compete in future events.[14]
Charity work
St. John spoke at the AAPRP (American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians) annual medical conference in Las Vegas at Ballys Hotel on October 17, 2008. St. John recommended changes to improve safety for fighters with which other boxing professionals in attendance concurred.
St. John created the non-profit foundation "El Saber Es Poder" to aid Latino schools in the U.S. St. John, accompanied by her mother Maria Rosales, visit schools to stress the importance of family, education, self-empowerment, and voting.[15]
References
- ^ "Ratings". web.archive.org. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "Women's Boxing Star Mia St. John To Be Honored In Mexico". saddoboxing.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "Mia St. John "A Night of Knockouts" Affair This Friday in Los Angeles - Boxing News - Doghouse Boxing". doghouseboxing.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "Q&A Sessions: Mia St. John". nochelatina.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "The Koncrete Jungle – Mia St. John “A Night of Knockouts” Affair". thekoncretejungle.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "Women's Boxing: Mia St. John Biography". wban.org. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "Mia St John Goes To Washington On Behalf Of Mental Health | BoxingInsider.com". boxinginsider.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "Former Mia St. John Trainer is Not A Fan of Women's Boxing". aolnews.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "Playmate-Boxer Mia St. John Want's Christy Martin". esnewsreporting.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "TSW: Mia St. John". angelfire.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "Christy Martin, Mia St. John Trade Words at Presser - Boxing News". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "KNOCKOUT MIA ST. JOHN ROCK BIG APPLE COMIC-CON". wizardworld.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "Boxing championship raises funds for the Kern County Cancer fund - 23ABC News". turnto23.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "Mia St. John on Victorious MMA Debut". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ^ "501c3 nonprofit, The Mia St. John "El Saber Es Poder" Foundation Home". miastjohnfoundation.org. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
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