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Ann Wolfe Enters IWBHF in July 11, 2015 at Hyatt Regency Pier 66 Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA -by Bernie McCoy - Photo/Tony Duffy
IWBHF Press Release

PORTLAND, OR - (April 3, 2015)  Ann Wolfe, generally considered one of the hardest punchers in the history of Women's boxing, will be one of six "modern era" boxers inducted into the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame in July. The others: Laila Ali, Laura Serrano, Jeannine Garside, Deirdre Gogarty and Terri Moss. The second class of IWBHF inductees will be completed with the addition of Sparkle Lee, the first female referee appointed by the NY State Athletic Commission and Phyllis Kugler (posthumous) a pioneer female boxer in the 1950s. The ceremony will be held in the Crystal Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale, FL from 3:00-6:30 PM on Saturday, July 11. The induction will be held in conjunction with the National Women's Golden Gloves tournament.

Ann Wolfe's prowess as a devastating puncher is securely ensconced in the statistics of the sport and further bolstered by the impact and reach of social media. Wolfe debuted professionally in October 1998 and grabbed the attention of the boxing community, in her fourth bout, a first round, forty-one second KO of highly regarded Mary Ann Almager (February 2000). She followed, two months later, with another KO of a ranked fighter, needing but two rounds to dispose of Gina Nicholas. In November, 2000, Wolfe, continuing her ascent up the ladder against quality fighters, suffered her first (and only) career setback, a three round KO loss against Valerie Mahfood (who would subsequently fight Laila Ali twice). Wolfe, in turn, would avenge this lone blemish on her record with a pair of ten round decisions over Mahfood in June 2003 and August 2005. Anne Wolfe retired from the ring following a six round win over Lisa Ested in August 2006. Over her more than eight year career in the professional ring, Wolfe compiled a sterling 24-1 record (one NC) with 16 of her wins coming by way of KO. Those are the statistics.

If you Google "female boxing knockouts," the result will list, at or near the top of the links, Ann Wolfe's May 8, 2004 bout with Vonda Ward. Ward, a 6' 6" former basketball player with Pat Summitt's powerhouse Tennessee team, came to the fight with eighteen straight professional wins. The accompanying tapes of the bout employ such terms such as "devastating," and "incredible," describing it as the most spectacular knockout in the history of the sport of Women's boxing. The phrases are apt. Wolfe's right hand punch is as sudden as it is shocking and at the 1:08 mark of the opening stanza, it deposited Ward supine on the canvas for several minutes as referee Elmo Adolph ministered to the unconscious fighter. But what is sometimes lost in watching the tape is the truly lightning like hand speed of Wolfe. As Ward is about to throw a right hand, Wolfe takes a short step forward and beats Ward to the punch with her own right hand and, in the process, scores as conclusive a KO as has been witnessed in the sport.

Wolfe's win over Ward is, thanks to the virally of the Internet, probably her best known. But it is, by no means, among her most prestigious wins. She fought most of the top contenders in the middleweight ranks and two decisions over Mahfood, two KOs of Nicholas, a KO of Monica Nunez and a unanimous decision over a talented Sunshine Fettkether probably rank, in competitive terms, above the Ward bout as distinctive wins. But a conundrum that will forever surround the career of Ann Wolfe; the spectacular knockouts, the wins against the top ranked middleweight fighters, the come forward style that she employed from bell to bell, centers on a bout that never happened.

Inevitably, there arose significant pressure, within the boxing community, for a bout between Laila Ali and Wolfe. Would that match-up have been compelling? Absolutely. But as often occurs in the sport, negotiations between the two sides never came to fruition. Boxing has no March Madness, no World Series, no Super Bowl, no path that bring together the two best in the ring. The potential Ali/Wolfe blockbuster suffered, notably from this circumstance. (Requests to Ann Wolfe for comments for this article went unanswered).

Ann Wolfe, over her nearly ten years in the professional ring, compiled an outstanding record in Women's boxing. It was accentuated by displays of punching power that may never again be seen in the sport. She occupies a lofty position in the ranks of female boxers and on July 11 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, she will be further elevated to a lofty position in the history of her sport.


IWBHF Hall of Fame Event

Schedule of Event

2:15 - 4:00 p.m.: Meet and Greet (with a Cash Bar) including the photograph and autograph session with inductees / celebrities present. We will have available for purchase IWBHF Official posters, IWBHF Official programs, 2015 IWBHF T-shirts, Everlast Gloves for autograph purposes.

4:00 - 6:30 p.m.: IWBHF Induction Ceremony. There will be a plated dinner for guests. The event will be world-wide live webcasted, with host Jake Gutierrez of Las Vegas, Nevada, who has appeared on appearing on HBO, Showtime, ESPN, BBC, TSN, Telemundo, Univision, and various Pay Per View and Satellite Networks.

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