|
As
promised last week I am going to give you an insight into Martial Arts in
the Southport area, the North West is a good breeding ground in general
but in Southport, and in my opinion we have got some of the best.
It was in the GoJu-Ryu
stile of Karate` under Chief instructor Pete Mc Dowell 4th Dan that I
myself trained in which I believe set in me a great discipline and self
belief that I carried write through my kick- boxing career.
So I am going to start
with Cheryl Robertson Former Pro British & Commonwealth Kick-Boxing
Champion and the former Ladies W.I.B.F Ladies Pro World Boxing Champion.
Cheryl born in
Southport and a former pupil at Greenbank High School says she had little
or no interest in sport at school and admitted to skiving PE lessons
because she just was not interested.
Cheryl a Personnel
Officer in Human Recourses told me my first experience in Martial Arts was
in Lau-Gar Kung Fu at the Temple in Castle St under the instruction of
Mike Lavender I reached a Brown belt standard and in competition I was
North West Area Champion and placed 2nd in British Nationals.
Her interests in
Kick-boxing took Cheryl to Wolverhampton in 1989 because at the time she
was traveling to the Dudley Martial Arts Centre from Southport to do her
training so she decided to make the move permanent.
Training under Leon
Kelly and Ken Holt Cheryl soon took British Titles in both Full Contact
Kick-Boxing (all kicks above the waist) and Kickboxing which includes
(kicks to the legs).
In the early 90`s
Cheryl moved to the extremely well respected Trojan Gym based in the very
tough Heath Town part of Wolverhampton the breeding ground for the likes
of Winston Walker Kirkwood Walker and Eval Denton all Kick-Boxing World
Champions.
It’s a tough gym for
the men and just as tough on the women.
At this time Cheryl was
also boxing and in 1993 an Irish American called Jimmy Finn had set up the
W.I.B.F. (Women’s International Boxing Federation.
Cheryl’s strongest
points in her Kick-Boxing is her boxing ability so it came as no surprise
when she was offered a British Title fight against Loraine Farley the
first women’s Pro Boxing fight to be held in England and at the famous
York Hall in Bethnal Green and just to add to the pressure it was live on
National TV Cheryl took the Title on points.
So now Cheryl holds
Titles in Boxing and Kickboxing and had added the Commonwealth Kick-Boxing
Title to her tally. And in between times she was a single mum with two
young children and a full time job.
Cheryl was still
training at the Trojan gym but was now being coached by former British
Light Heavy Weight Boxing Champion Tony Wilson, Tony a Champion in his
own right but made more famous for the fact that it was his mother that
made that attack on the other boxer with her shoe.
It was also true that
the media were also showing a big interest in women's boxing, the
attention was drawn on to Cheryl although the fame was nice the pressure
to take on bigger fights became more to the for front 6 round fights
became 10 round fights and in the 12 months of 95/96 she had 8 fights
finishing that year with a World kickboxing Title in Porto Rico over 10
rounds against Kim Messer Cheryl was robbed of her first World Kickboxing
Title and vowed never to fight Kickboxing again.
Cheryl chose to
concentrate on her now flourishing boxing career and in December 96 fought
for her first World Boxing title in Frankfurt Germany against home girl
Regina Halmich who was unbeaten at the time, Cheryl explained I enjoyed
the fight but found it hard to make the 49 kilo weight category after 10
rounds of boxing the decision was a draw so Halmich kept her title being
the Champion.
March 97 gave Cheryl
another crack at a World Boxing Title this time it took her to the U.S.A.
and the wonderful of City New Orleans and her opponent was Susan
Ricco-Majorf in front of a packed stadium.
Cheryl continued after
the first five rounds I thought I was loosing, the fight went the
full ten rounds and Cheryl took it on points giving her, her first
World Title (she did mention that the famous Angerlo Dundee commentated on
her fight which added to the memory of winning the title.
May 97 Cheryl defended
her Commonwealth Kickboxing Title in what Cheryl described as a grudge
match against a highly rated fighter at the time Sarah Hall this was my
hardest fight another fight that went the distance and this was the one I
think took its toll although I won it.
Cheryl defended her
World Boxing Title twice before the end of 97 against American Leony Brown
10 round win and England's Patrica Phillips 7 round KO. Although Cheryl
described both these fights as relatively easy she went on to explain that
the hype for women's boxing was so big and the fact that I was breaking
new ground in women's boxing I should have been on top of the World but it
was the hardest time of my life training for World Title fights a
mother of two and a full time job I just felt tied all the time I needed a
break.
In March 98 Cheryl was
challenged by an American called Eva Black Magic Jones, the fight to be in
Atlantic City. Added Cheryl I was expecting a hard fight she was a bit of
an unknown quantity it wasn't until a week before the fight that we
found out she was a south paw (left handed) I just had a bad feeling about
this one.
When I arrived in
Atlantic City for the fight I found myself at the middle of media madness
TV interviews I was still being interviewed 5 hours before the fight and
to make matters worse I could not sleep.
I kept telling myself
that as soon as the fight starts everything would be all right , but when
the fight started I just couldn't get going after the first 4 rounds I
hadn't laid a glove on her.
Cheryl was stopped in
the 5th round and Cheryl retired from fighting the day after and has
not fought since.
Cheryl told me that the
lack of sponsors and the fact that women don’t get paid anything like
what the men do,we are discriminated against because the boxing purists
don’t like women boxing for example Pat Cowdell refused to coach me for
these reasons I would not box again if I did fight again it would be
Kickboxing.
I asked Cheryl did she
miss fighting,
I miss the training.
What about the future,
well I'm going to move to Sheffield with my partner Dean and children
Cassie 10 Lewis 6 and Jamal 6 weeks old and may be teach kickboxing /
boxing to women and children.
Good Luck Cheryl . |
