"Matchmaker
Johnnie Nate stands outside the Armory last Thursday night and tries to figure
out why he was denied the rental of the building. Nate had scheduled a nine-bout
amateur fight card for the building, but authorities in Indianapolis later
cancelled him out. Nate believes it is because he had two lady boxers on the
show" Written in 1957...
Phyllis
Kugler, a boxer in the 1950's, who had reported over 50 fights that most were
exhibitions, with only one loss is one of the most prominent women boxers in the
past, and played a significant part in the world of women's boxing. [WBAN
uncovered by extensive research with the Official Record Keeper for the sport
FIGHT FAX, and other sources, i.e., boxing commissions, that many of these past
fights that happened in the 70's and prior years were not sanctioned bouts, and
are in fact either "unsanctioned" or in many cases "exhibitions.)
In the South
Bend Tribute, dated 1957, it says, "Phil Kugler's name didn't stir any
controversy in the Tribune's amateur boxing results. Kugler seemed like just
another young boxer who fared well at The Arena over on North Hill Street during
the early 1950's. But all that changed when a reporter ambled over to watch the
fights one night and found out that Phil was short for Phyllis."
Phyllis told
WBAN that it was not all that unnatural for her to take up the sport as her
father was an amateur boxer, and her brothers also boxed. She was acclimated to
going to a boxing gym, and felt that she would also like to box when her
brothers were boxing. With the help of a boxing trainer/manager, Johnny Nate,
Kugler turned pro. Kugler managed to earn world women's titles in three weight
classes.
Kugler said
that she has never looked at boxing as something that a woman should not do.
She admitted that she was somewhat of a "tomboy" when she was growing up.
Kugler said that when she first started boxing, that her mother had a problem
with it--- especially after she broke her nose several times. Kugler said that
people in her area did not always understand her love of being a boxer....
Because it
was more of an oddity at the time, Nate her trainer, told Kugler to wear dresses
out of the ring and to keep her hair long. Kugler always maintained a
femininity outside of the ring---which was totally opposite of her inside the
ring! Full
Story
