Q & A With Author & Women’s Boxing Historian Malissa Smith

Q & A With Author & Women’s Boxing Historian Malissa Smith

Malissa Smith is the author of A History of Women’s Boxing, an incredibly detailed piece of work on the female side of the sport. A vitally important and original addition to the numerous additional publications the sport offers.

Malissa has now followed up on her successful first offering with The Promise of Women’s Boxing: A Momentous New Era For the Sweet Science.

On publication day of her new book, I caught up with Malissa for a quick Q & A.

What is your background in the sport?

I am an author and women’s boxing historian. I grew intrigued by women’s boxing after I began to train in the sport at Gleason’s Gym in my early 40s. A decade later, I went back to school and, in my late 50s, completed a master’s degree in liberal studies. By then, my interest in the sport had turned academic – piquing my curiosity as to why, among all combat sports, boxing remained so resistant to women’s participation. My thesis, Boundaries in Motion: Women’s Boxing, explored the challenges women faced historically and contemporaneously. My question was why, at different periods over the centuries, did the hyper-masculine sport of boxing make room for women to compete as prizefighters. That in itself fascinated me and, in my estimation, was an artefact of what popular culture deemed an acceptable gender norm during any given period.    

Where did the love of boxing come from?

I was about nine years old when we first got a television. Aside from cartoons, my younger brother and I loved to watch wrestling and boxing matches. Fast-forward a couple of years, my Uncle taught us the rudiments of the sport, such as how to turn a jab and throw a straight right behind it. I also came of age in the era of Muhammad Ali. He was such a huge figure in the popular culture of the day, both as a fighter and an activist, and out of that, my love for the sport continued to grow. 

Is it hard staying neutral in certain fights? You would, I suppose, by the nature of what you do, get close to certain fighters, and be emotionally invested in them?

I do indeed find it hard to stay neutral. That is why I typically do not opine on upcoming bouts and, other than wishing a fighter a “best of the best” message on social media, tend not to show any preferences. I will say that there are fighters that I certainly post more about, and I admit to gushing like an idiot when I’ve had the chance to speak with Katie Taylor in person. 

What was the motivation for writing the new book?

My editor at Rowman & Littlefield and I initially talked about updating the first book with a coda about the last ten years, but in thinking better of it, I submitted a proposal for a new book that would offer a more in-depth look at the sport beginning on the day after the 2012 London Games. My premise was that inclusion in the Olympics was a promise of sorts, a contract if you will, based on the higher visibility and legitimization that the Olympics offered. 

What can we look forward to in the book?

The book includes an introduction and nine chapters in three sections.  The introduction provides readers with an overview of the sport from the 1720s through the 2012 Games. Each of the three sections tackles specific years. The first section is roughly 2012-2016, the second is 2017-2019, and the third covers the COVID year 2020 through to the summer of 2023. Each focuses on fighters who have had an impact during each period – along with through threads of such fighters as Claressa Shields and Katie Taylor.

What’s your writing process?

My work starts with writing a book proposal. This helps me organize my thoughts and gives me a first draft of the structure of the book. Once the publisher and I agree on it, that pretty much accounts for about 90% of what the finished structure will look like.

As a writer, I tend to research and write, chapter by chapter, section by section. I’m also more of a sprinter competing in a tournament. I will go, go, go, for rounds of writing to map out a chapter. Rest it a bit and edit, and then begin again with the next chapter. What I found is when the section was completed, I really needed to put everything away for a while to rest up my brain – and allow things to percolate in the background. For this book, I also shared a chapter or two with my editor earlier on as a check-in of sorts. I wanted her to be comfortable with the writing style and tone, and after receiving her approval, I continued with the work in the agreed-upon style. 

Is it hard to decide what goes in the book and what doesn’t?

What an excellent question! And yes – it is difficult for historians to have the temerity to determine what should and should not be included. Given the paucity of titles in publication that explore women’s boxing, it makes that decision all the harder. In any given year, there may be 30–40 books published on boxing in general. When it comes to women’s boxing history, there have been two in ten years. My first one, A History of Women’s Boxing, was published in 2014, and my latest book, The Promise of Women’s Boxing: A Momentous New Era for the Sweet Science, was published in 2024. That fact put a huge amount of pressure on me with respect to your question. The guidelines I developed for myself were to explore and write about the most significant events of the era. That included such things as the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, the rise of women’s boxing superstars, and a review of the champions that had been keeping the sport going despite the paucity of opportunities. Short of listing every fighter and every fight, I could not include everything, but I tried my best to give a sense of the sport in as well-rounded a way as possible. My hope is that the books I’ve written and the excitement of the sport itself will sufficiently intrigue other historians and journalists to publish books themselves and thereby not only increase the literature but the range and depth of the stories told.  

The female side of the sport has moved so much since your last book. What changes have you seen in that time?

I agree that the sport has truly exploded since the 2012 London Games, most particularly since about 2019. We’ve had multiple undisputed champions, million-dollar fights, sold-out arenas headed by female champions, and, importantly, a much greater appreciation by the boxing press-as well as crossed over into daily newspapers and television outlets. Women’s boxing in the United Kingdom has also seen exponential growth with the rise of Matchroom Boxing and Boxxer as prime promotional movers for women in the sport. The year 2022, in particular, was a pinnacle with the Taylor-Serrano sold-out fight at Madison Square Garden, followed by the momentous all-female Shields-Marshall card at the O2 arena. To round out the year, Tasha Jonas was named the 2022 BBB of C fighter of the year, and Claressa Shields was named the foreign fighter of the year, two firsts for the United Kingdom.

Despite that progress, there is still so much to do. What do you think can still be done to enhance women’s boxing?

Yes, yes, yes. The list can go on and on. Foremost is fair and consistent promotion and broadcast opportunities. Pay equity also has a long way to go, not only for the fight (the A & B sides), but financial support for training and fight camp, which many of their male counterparts enjoy. There also need to be far more women signed to promotional contracts. This will allow for more competition and access to competition on a regular basis without having to fight at so many different weight classes in order to keep fighting, which is a huge health and safety issue.

Boxing can give so much, but many fighters tell stories of not earning anything like they should and leaving the sport damaged in many ways. Is it hard at times to justify to yourself your involvement in the sport, and even your love of it?

The saying goes, “You don’t play boxing.” It is and has been a dangerous sport where fighters suffer permanent damage and even death. Women are not immune from those aspects of the sport, and just last month, Heather “The Heat” Hardy announced her retirement from the sport due to injuries suffered in the ring, including damage to her eyes. If Heat’s career is a marker for the challenges women face, we certainly see that she has not only done battle in the ring, but out of the ring to get placement on cards, on the broadcast portion of fight night, equitable pay (a losing battle), and consistent opportunity. Heat even crossed over into MMA for a better paycheck. Lack of support has also meant that she had to work throughout her career, including during “camp” – which was not the airy mountainous lodge of boxing lore, but for Heat and women like her, camp is the extra hours added to the workday for sparring, strength and conditioning, road work, et al.

What I find hard to deal with is the indifference of certain promoters to appreciate the brilliance of women inside the ring and if anything keeps me up at night, it is the notion that the lack of equity puts these amazing athletes at such risk.

The Promise of Women’s Boxing: A Momentous New Era For the Sweet Science is out now.

To view more of Malissa’s work visit:

http://www.Girlboxing.org
malissa-smith.com