5'3" junior welterweight Sharon "Wild Thing" Anyos from
Australia fought professionally from July of 1998 to February of 2007.
Like many female boxers Sharon Anyos began her ring combat career in martial
arts. In 1998 Anyos debuted a professional boxing career in her native
Australia with three straight wins over customary introductory opponents.
However, her next bout involved a major venue and competitive move,
traveling to England and matching up with veteran Jane Couch (10-2). While
Anyos dropped a ten round decision to the tough Englishwoman, a 2016 IWBHF
Inductee, the move said much about Sharon Anyos and the manner in which she
would conduct her own IWBHF worthy career. She would go where the fights
were, not the "put another W in the record" fights, but the fights against
ranked opponents, often those ranked above Anyos. Not discouraged by the
Couch loss, Anyos stayed with her aggressive matchup strategy by shifting it
in to another gear.
The Aussie featherweight did not stay in a "home court" cocoon, she went
where the action in the sport was; she went where, at this point in the
development of Women’s boxing, the interest in the burgeoning sport was
showing signs of an upturn; she went where the top ranked boxers in the
sport were campaigning. She went to the USA. Anyos had two bouts in the
States in the first year of the new century, winning both, including a
close, ten round, bell/bell action decision against highly ranked, slick
southpaw Jo Wyman.
Other accolades to add to Anyo's collection was she had became the first woman
to receive an award from the Australian National Boxing Federation. At their
Annual Awards Presentation Dinner that took place in Brisbane In February
of
2000, she got an Outstanding Achievement Award for her WBF world title fight
with Jane Couch. According to Sharon's father and trainer Les Anyos. this was a
"first" for a previously exclusively male event in a nation that only embraced
women's boxing officially in 1998. Sharon was also named "First Lady of
Australian Boxing".
In February of 2001, Anyos received the Australian Female Fighter of the Year
award, plus a historic award for pioneering women's boxing in Australia and for
being the first Australian female world boxing champion.
At the end of 2002, Anyos continued her pilgrimage, heading to Tokyo to step
in with the type of top international competition emerging in the sport,
taking on Fujin Raika for the WIBA title, losing a razor thin split
decision. And a year later, returning to drop a close majority decision to
the Japanese fighter. It is worth noting that both bouts were staged in
Japan, a historically difficult place for visiting fighters to leave with
decisions. Anyos retired in February '07 ending with an eight fight winning
streak, highlighted by a win over undefeated Lisa Brown, winning the
inaugural WBC featherweight crown with a decision over Marcella Acuna and
defending that crown with a eighth round TKO of Esther Schouten. Annoys
finished with a career record of 14-3.
Sharon holds a fifth degree black belt in karate and is a nationally
licensed boxing trainer, kickboxing instructor and karate coach. Other Accomplishments,
includes the following:
Australian lightweight title; Oceania Boxing Association super
lightweight; Oceania Boxing Association welterweight; WIBA World
featherweight title; IBA World featherweight title; WBF
World featherweight title; and WBC World featherweight title.
As an Australian boxer Anyos was deprived of even cursory, world wide, media
coverage due to the extreme time difference and sheer distance from both
Europe and, especially, the United States, where, at the turn of the
century, TV, and even some sports sections, were discovering the attraction
and talent inherent in this growing sport of Women’s boxing. Mischa Merz is
a champion amateur boxer and best selling author and is also an Australian
who, literally and figuratively, "wrote the book" on the sport "down under".
Asked about her thoughts on Sharon Anyos'' induction into the IWBHF, Merz is
unequivocal: "Sharon Anyos is a key figure in the history of Women's boxing.
She made her mark not just at home but internationally when Women’s boxing
was really taking off. She was a fearless competitor, a larger than life
character and she deserved this induction more than anyone I can think of. I
always saw her as an inspiration along with other pioneers in the sport,
Lucia Rijker and Christy Martin and thought she should be better recognized
in her home country for her achievements. Hopefully, that will happen." That
type of recognition may well begin when Sharon Anyos is welcomed into the
International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame in August.
