Tonya Harding to fight in Japan...

[Leo]

From KABC..

Tonya Harding Heads to Japan to Fight

PORTLAND, OREGON — Former figure skater Tonya Harding, who lost her first professional boxing match just five months ago, is getting in shape for a new bout in Asia.
Harding says there are promoters in Japan who have offered her six figures to re-enter the ring.

She has quit smoking and hired a professional trainer to get into shape. Harding is now spending hours each day in a Portland gym.
She says her goal is to learn how to box rather than brawl.

Last Updated: Jul 24, 2003


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I think its great that Tonya Has quit smoking and hired a professional trainer to get her back in shape..

Although she did "Win" it.. Tonya was really out of shape out her last Fight on June 13 2003 and sadly it showed..

Now as soon as I get more infomation on this fight in Japan I will do my best to post it here..

[Mike Amo]

Fox News Channel ran a 1-minute feature on Tonya's boxing endeavors tonight. It was basically upbeat and positive: featured a clip of Tonya talking about how she decided to get serious about a boxing career, about interest in matches against her coming in, showed her new manager, and showed her working out.

[Leo]

Originally posted by Mike Amo
Fox News Channel ran a 1-minute feature on Tonya's boxing endeavors tonight. It was basically upbeat and positive: featured a clip of Tonya talking about how she decided to get serious about a boxing career, about interest in matches against her coming in, showed her new manager, and showed her working out.

Thanks Mike!!

Sadly I missed it..I did go to FOXnews online but they had nothing on it..

[Leo]

This was partly related to the fox story that Mike Amo talked about..

From WBAN Women's Boxing 24/7..

Harding Vows to Take Boxing Seriously!

By Sue TL Fox

July 25, 2003

(JULY 25) This week on a local News station in Portland, Oregon (KOIN 6),_ Tonya "America's Bad Girl" Harding was featured on that show.__ Harding talked about how she is going to give it her all to become a good boxer, and vowed to train hard to achieve her goals in the sport._ One of the eye-openings for Harding was her last fight against on June 13, against Emily Gosa, when the four-rounder became more of a brawl then a bout and she said that watching that video was a determining factor---and that she felt it was time to do something about her boxing.
Harding has been working with Paul Brown who has an impressive background in the sport, and he said that he was training Harding to get her to box and not brawl._ Harding will be having her next fight in Dallas, Texas, on August 2, against possible opponent Kendra Davis. _By the way---Harding did look much better on the footage that was shot of her in the gym in Portland, so it looks like she will try to apply her talent as a world-class skater to her boxing career!

WBAN©2003

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NOTE: This is the first really "positive" story that I have ever read coming from Susan TL Fox or from the WBAN site..

And I hope its a good sign!!

[Leo]

Here is a "Bit" of a artical from the Portland Tribune..

It was part of a story on a male fighter..



July 29 2003


By Kerry Eggers


Another fighter who could be on the Oct. 4 Staples card is Tonya Harding, equipped with her third trainer since her pro boxing debut in February -- Portland's Paul Brown. Before that, Harding (3-1) fights Saturday against Kendra Davis (2-1) in Dallas.

_ _Harding, 32, dumped Will Massie and hired Brown six weeks ago.

_ _"She has done a beautiful job," says Brown, who works with about 15 Portland area boxers. "On Saturday, you are going to see a whole new Tonya Harding. You are going to see a boxer instead of a street fighter."

_ _Brown says he intends to be a good influence on Harding.
_
_"Tonya is really trying to get her life together," Brown says. "She's picking the right company to hang around. She said, 'Paul, I don't want to associate myself with anything bad anymore.' A lot of the things that happened in her life, it was the company she was keeping. She's trying to better herself now."
_
_Brown, who says he has booked Harding for a September spot on the "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," envisions vast improvement in the ring for his latest protégé.
_ _
"The next five or six fights will tell the difference," Brown says. "If she sticks to what she has learned over the last six weeks, then you can start putting her in there with Christy Martin, Leila Ali and the great women fighters. Her competitive edge is unreal. It is what made her so great as a skater."

Portland Tribune © 2003