Tonya pulls out of Oakland fight

[hallterr]

This all looks very bad. This whole boxing thing looks a bigger disaster by the minute.

The problem is that most boxers spend some time as amateurs before turning pro. In a sport as thin in talent as women's boxing, that makes it almost impossible to find a pro opponent with the same level of (in)experience as Tonya.

I think Tonya's boxing career is toast after this. No-one will want to book her and risk losing money if she fails to show.


http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...PGHJ5OT9R1.DTL

Harding withdraws: Showing she still knows how to
skate even if it is no longer on the ice, Tonya
Harding abruptly withdrew from her boxing match
scheduled for Saturday night at the Oakland Arena
against Blanca Hilder.

According to a press release, distributed by Biz
Productionz and matchmaker David Pereda, Harding
did not inform the promoters until 4 p.m. Saturday
afternoon. But according to rumors around the Arena,
the notorious former figure skater decided at Friday's
weigh-in she wanted no part of Hilder.

The promoters tried to offer Harding, who claims a
3-2 record as a prize fighter, some alternate
opponents. She refused, and was roundly booed in
absentia by the crowd at the Arena when the
announcement was made.

According to the press release, Harding has bailed
out of two fights in the last year.



http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/...ts/8240889.htm

Posted on Sun, Mar. 21, 2004

Harding skates, is a no-show for bout

By Jay Heater
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

OAKLAND - As unusual as it might sound, former ice skater Tonya Harding got cold feet.

Now performing as a boxer, Harding fled Oakland on Saturday after she informed promoter Don Clark that she would not perform on his card Saturday night at the Arena in Oakland.

Harding, who is 3-2 as a boxer, was supposed to face Blanca Hilder in a four-round featherweight bout.

Although Hilder was making her professional debut, Harding started to think the competition was too tough. She requested Clark's
match-maker, David Pereda, find another opponent after a press conference on Tuesday in San Francisco.

"The bottom line is she chickened out," Pereda said. "She bowed out of the first fight because she heard her opponent had some experience as an amateur."

Pereda tried to save the fight by finding another opponent.

"We got Tracy Carlton from Compton," Pereda said. "We flew her up for the weigh-in on Friday."

Carlton had not fought a professional fight and had almost no amateur experience. Pereda figured Harding would approve.

"But Harding saw her at the weigh-in and Carlton trash-talked her," Pereda said. "Harding said she wouldn't fight."

Harding had already been paid $12,000 for the fight.

"I think the whole thing was a hoax. I don't think she ever intended to fight," Clark said. "We're going to sue. I have to check with
the Arena (officials) to see how we're going to pursue it, but we both are going to pursue it."

Clark made sure anyone attending Saturday night's show was aware of Harding's decision. Although it was only an undercard bout, signs were posted at all the ticket windows and entrances that said, "Tonya Harding will not fight."

Pereda paired Hilder against Carlton so the crowd could see a woman's bout. They fought to a draw.

It was hard to believe that Harding would have been afraid to face either Hilder or Carlton because neither appeared to have substantial boxing skills. Although they were both game, neither landed any compelling shots during their four rounds.

[Leo]

I stayed up as late as I could before finally giving in and going to bed..

I was hopeing to wake up to the news Tonya Harding had won her bout BUT instead I wake up to this....

I'm NOT going to lie to you...

I'm only half suprised about this..

When I read that the women she was to first fight was NOT the first time boxer she made herself out to be ( She was a championship level kick boxer.) I knew Paul Brown was not going to put up with that again.( Last Aug 2004 Tonya had a fight with a women who she was told was not a pro but it turned out that she was and Tonya was beating up real badly..)

We got Tracy Carlton from Compton," Pereda said. "We flew her up for the weigh-in on Friday."

Carlton had not fought a professional fight and had almost no amateur experience. Pereda figured Harding would approve.

"But Harding saw her at the weigh-in and Carlton trash-talked her," Pereda said.

"Harding said she wouldn't fight.

Do you blame her??

For the past 2 weeks it seems that Tonya had to put up with so much Bull $hit in the press its finally gotten to her...

Going to Oakland and having to put up with some nobody "Trash-Talking" her must have royally pissed her off!!!





************************************************** *




BTW: Terry thank you for posting this Thread..I was hopeing you would because It was 4:00am here and I just could not stay awake any longer..

[hallterr]

4:00 am - heck, talk about a hard core Tonyaphile.

One of the advantages of living in NZ - the time zone means I can catch this late stuff. I nearly didn't manage to post it - it came thorough around midnight here and as I had a stomach ache I nearly went to bed early.

I'm also not surprised. When I heard about the change of opponent I started to get that "uh-oh, here we go again" feeling.

[hallterr]

This article gives a clue as to why Tonya withdrew:

http://www.fightnews.com/nelmark4.htm

Harding a no-show

The evening's semi-main event was supposed to feature
infamous ex-figure skater Tonya Harding, who pulled out at
the last minute. According to promoters, Harding refused to
fight originally scheduled opponent Blanca Hilder, and then
also refused to fight her replacement Tracy Carlton. This
led to Hilder and Carlton making their pro debuts against
each other in a contest that ended in a Split Decision Draw.

Carlton was more than a foot taller than Hilder and she
used her reach to her advantage. All four rounds of the fight
followed a similar script. Hilder would work her way inside,
throw a few punches, and then get driven back by Carlton's
chopping rights. At times, Carlton looked like she was
playing the “Whack-A-Mole” arcade game as she threw
arcing right hands down on the top of her significantly
shorter opponent's head.

The fight featured little technique, but lots of action. In a
controversial decision, Judge Jon Schorle had it 39-37 for
Hilder; Jack Campbell had it 40-36 for Carlton; and Judge
Marshall Walker had it 38-38. Fightnews scored it 40-36 for
Carlton.

It says that Carlton is more than a foot taller than Blanca Hilder.

This boxing database entry says that Hilder is 5 feet. Tonya is listed as 5'1".

http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=243413

So Carlton would have been around 12 inches or over 30cm taller than Tonya. Such a fight would have been a joke; no wonder Brown pulled her out.

[Leo]

It says that Carlton is more than a foot taller than Blanca Hilder.
This boxing database entry says that Hilder is 5 feet. Tonya is listed as 5'1".


So Carlton would have been around 12 inches or over 30cm taller than Tonya. Such a fight would have been a joke; no wonder Brown pulled her out.

Yep...I knew it...

Its Just like the Aug 2004 fight with Melissa Yanas...

When I read your first post Terry in this thread all I could think about was the photos taking by David House of Tonya Standing next to Melissa Yanas at the weigh-in..

There was noway that Tonya had any chance to beat the women..Too dam tall..

Your right..

Such a fight "would" have been a joke Terry..

A sick one..

[hallterr]

Having said all that, though, this still leaves Brown with the problem of how to find suitable opponents for Tonya. And all this business of pulling out at the last minute, however justified, just looks amateurish at best, or at worst makes Tonya look like a wimp who's terrified of fighting anybody who has a ghost of a chance of beating her. People are going to start asking themselves why they should spend money on tickets to her fights if there's a good chance she won't show at the last minute. It just reinforces the view many people have that the whole Tonya boxing deal is just a cynical scam to make money off her name.

I'm not quite sure what the answer is to this. Perhaps Tonya needs to spend some time in the amateur ranks where she would be against fighters of similar ability.

[Mike Amo]

Sounds like they should know more about their opponents in advance. It seems to me that, almost every time, these matches are announced days to hours before the fights. Also, they usually involve opponents who are unknown, even to Tonya and Paul Brown. The promoter bringing in a 6-foot boxer from Compton tells me they want to see Tonya take a beating for the Oakland fans.

[Leo]

Originally posted by Mike Amo
Sounds like they should know more about their opponents in advance. It seems to me that, almost every time, these matches are announced days to hours before the fights. Also, they usually involve opponents who are unknown, even to Tonya and Paul Brown. The promoter bringing in a 6-foot boxer from Compton tells me they want to see Tonya take a beating for the Oakland fans.

Thats the way I feel Mike..

[Leo]

Originally posted by hallterr
Having said all that, though, this still leaves Brown with the problem of how to find suitable opponents for Tonya. And all this business of pulling out at the last minute, however justified, just looks amateurish at best, or at worst makes Tonya look like a wimp who's terrified of fighting anybody who has a ghost of a chance of beating her. People are going to start asking themselves why they should spend money on tickets to her fights if there's a good chance she won't show at the last minute. It just reinforces the view many people have that the whole Tonya boxing deal is just a cynical scam to make money off her name.

I'm not quite sure what the answer is to this. Perhaps Tonya needs to spend some time in the amateur ranks where she would be against fighters of similar ability.

I know its looks amateurish for Tonya Harding to pull out of her fight at the last minute but this kind of thing happens weekly in womens boxing..

I've read this stuff over at WBAN Womens Boxing all the time and I would be suprised if they really used it againt her because she not alone in doing this..

As for: This still leaves Brown with the problem of how to find suitable opponents for Tonya..

From what I've been reading Paul Brown can't stand the idea of people ( Women Boxers.) useing Tonya Harding for self gain..

He's been very open about his feelings on that subject..

And thats the number one reason he's having a problem finding suitable opponents for Tonya..

His "Hart" is in the right place but its very unrealistic way of thinking IMO...