The Aussie boxer has slammed USA Boxing for a policy that allows male boxers who transition to fight in the female category.
Ebanie Bridges has slammed USA Boxing for a ‘Transgender Policy’ that allows male boxers who transition to fight in the female category. The Aussie boxer blasted the policy, saying it is dangerous and puts the health and safety of boxers at risk.
The governing body, which oversees both America’s amateur and Olympic-style boxing, announced transgender athletes will be allowed to compete in their current gender under certain conditions if they are over the age of 18. Boxers under 18, however, must still compete as their birth gender.
Bridges labelled the decision by USA Boxing as ‘wrong on so many levels’ and believes it is dangerous for female boxers. “I will never agree to this… it’s bad enough having trans women breaking records in other sports like track and field, swimming and powerlifting but it’s a bit different to them breaking our skulls in combat sports where the aim is to HURT YOU not just break a record…however I think it’s wrong in ALL SPORT,” Bridges wrote on X.
“I have nothing against trans but can’t be skewing the line in sport…. You don’t see reference or debates for transmen in sport… cos it’s not a threat… It ain’t just about the test levels what about their bone density and a heap of other biological factors. Cutting your bits off and adding boobs won’t take back the masculine maturity your body has gone through before you decided you are now a woman.”
The former world champion boxers believes the controversial policy could ultimately harm women’s boxing as a whole and says sportswomen must fight this change together.
The former world champion boxer believes the controversial policy could ultimately harm women’s boxing as a whole and says sportswomen must fight this change together. “I don’t care about ‘political correctness’ it’s politically incorrect to have a man fighting a woman,” she wrote in another post on X.
“And idc (I don’t care) that’s exactly what it is… this society is too soft.. this is our health and safety. The girls need to stick together or women’s sport in 50 years will be filled with male-born champions.”
How the ‘Transgender Policy’ will work
For a transgender athlete to be able to compete in the female category they must meet certain criteria such as; declaring their new gender identity, completing gender reassignment surgery and undergoing regular hormone testing. Both male and female transgender athletes must complete quarterly hormone testing and this must be documented with US Boxing for a minimum of four years post-surgery.
Boxers who have transitioned from male to female must also be able to show that their total testosterone level in serum is below 5 nmol/L and has been for a minimum of 48 months before their first competition. In a statement last week USA Boxing announced the change and said it was to “provide fairness and safety for all boxers”. Boxing’s International Federation is yet to determine eligibility for transgender boxers.
Early this morning, Claressa Shields shared a short clip through her X/Twitter handle. It shows her exchanging kisses with her fiancé. Meanwhile, a big engagement ring bedecked her right-hand finger.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist just mentioned, “Lol, back officially engaged.” Later, she shared the video through her Instagram story as well. It appears that the undisputed middleweight champion has finally gotten engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Tony Rich. His Instagram describes him as a certified fitness trainer and a gym owner based out of Flint, Michigan, the boxing champion’s hometown.
Claressa Shields: Taking the first steps towards happy matrimony!
In the Instagram Story, Claressa Shields stated, “Lol, @tonyrichfit jumped in the river an got my engagement ring.” Not much detail has been provided through either of the social media platforms.
Tony Rich is an ISSA (International Sports Science Association)-certified trainer. He founded the AT Fitness Gym in 2019. The Mt. Morris-located gymnasium was reportedly established with the aim of encouraging a fitness culture among the general public.
Clearly, the good news comes in the wake of some of the philanthropic initiatives taken by the superstar boxer. Last week, before Christmas, on Saturday, she organized her fourth annual toy giveaway. Incidentally, AT Fitness Gym was the venue for the outreach program. Speaking about her charity work, Claressa Shields said, ““It means a lot. I’m like a huge giver. When I was growing up for Christmas, a majority of the time, I never got what I wanted.”
The Olympic gold medal-winning boxer reached the pinnacle of boxing success through sheer hard work and determination. It hadn’t been an easy journey, especially with the challenges she faced during her early years. Probably that’s the reason she carries the torch for her local community.
2024 Return
Now, given what she has done for the country and the people in and around her neighborhood, Claressa Shields truly deserves all the happiness in her personal life. In terms of boxing, given that she’s signed up with the Professional Fighter League (PFL) once again, there’s a good chance of her returning to the octagon in 2024. The highly anticipated rematch with Savannah Marshall remains in the offing. However, since the Englishwomen too have joined the PFL rolls, the chances of a mixed martial arts fight between the two fighters appear high.
Would you like to wish Claressa Shields a happy engagement? You may do so by posting your messages in the comments section below.
Otto Wallin has spoken out for the first time since being stopped by Anthony Joshua after just five rounds on December 23.
Before the Day of Reckoning, a portion of boxing fans were backing Wallin to spring an upset and derail a planned fight between AJ and Deontay Wilder.
Joshua was at his blistering best agaisnt Wallin
However, after ‘The Bronze Bomber’ spoiled the mega-money clash by being easily outpointed by Joseph Parker on the undercard, Joshua rolled back the years in the main event.
The former two-time heavyweight champion dominated Wallin from the first bell and forced the stoppage after just five rounds of boxing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In his first interview since his second career defeat, the Swedish contender refused to make any excuses and praised his opponent for a great performance.
“I know that he is one of the best fighters out there,” Wallin told Boxing News.
“I really have no excuses, he was just better. He did really well, used his reach well, and he hit me with some really good shots. He was just better.
“I think he had a good game plan. He felt like a very good fighter, and obviously, it was a much tougher fight than what I had with Tyson Fury. Maybe he’s found his home with Ben Davison.”
Wallin’s nose was pouring with blood after round five, and his long-time coach, Joey Gamache, made the bold decision to pull his fighter out early.
The 33-year-old didn’t dispute the call at the time, and over a week later he still feels his trainer did the right thing.
In 2019, Wallin almost pulled off an upset win over Tyson Fury
“I didn’t disagree [with the stoppage],” Wallin added.
“Joey told me, ‘I’m going to stop it.’ And I didn’t say anything. Joey has been with me for ten years, he’s seen me training and in almost all my fights – he’s never pulled me out of anything.
“I trust Joey, he is always looking out for me. I feel very happy that I have a trainer who puts my health first. There’s a life after boxing, so I’m really appreciative that he is looking out for me.”
Wallin confirmed he suffered a fractured nose during the fight, and revealed a surgery to repair it has already taken place – but may need to go under the knife again.
“I’ve gotta heal up,” he said when asked what he plans to do next.
“I’m going to the hospital on Tuesday to deal with my nose.
“I had a surgery after the fight, and I might need another one.”
Iga Swiatek had a penchant for a bagel in 2023 and her hunger for them seems as strong as ever in 2024 as she claimed a pair of them in doubles alongside Hubert Hurkacz to lead Poland to victory over Spain at the United Cup.
The Polish pair claimed victory over Brazil on Saturday, but were pushed far harder by Spain.
Hurkacz fell to defeat to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who secured a 3-6 6-3 6-4 success to put pressure on women’s world No. 1 Swiatek.
But she did not let her team down, claiming a 6-2 6-1 win over Sara Sorribes Tormo to set up a decider in the doubles.
As the four players from the singles came together, any hopes of a Spain win were ruthlessly snuffed out by the Polish duo, who claimed a 6-0 6-0 victory.
The victory cemented Poland’s position at the top of Group A.
RUUD STARS IN NORWAY WIN
Casper Ruud helped Norway secure a 2-1 win over Croatia.
After seeing team-mate Malene Helgo fall to defeat to Donna Vekic, Ruud stepped up and claimed victory over Borna Coric for the loss of five games.
That 6-4 6-1 win set up a doubles decider, and Ruud and Ulrikke Eikeri won a tie-break 10-7 to move top of Group F.
Netherlands face Croatia in the final match of the group knowing a win will take them through.
The ski champ from Minnesota opens up about her foundation, life after retirement and why she’s happier than ever in the sun and sand
For an Olympic Alpine ski racer who was born in Minnesota and raised in Colorado, Lindsey Vonn confesses she actually hates cold weather. Which is why she says she’s loving her new life in Miami, where she bought a waterfront home in 2022.
Lindsey Vonn in Miami
“I’m not a cold weather person,” she tells PEOLE. “I’m finally thawing out.”
Vonn, 39, continues with a laugh, “I have definitely adapted to the temperatures out here. I went outside the other day and it was 75 degrees and I felt cold. I’ve gone quite the opposite direction very quickly.”
Vonn, who retired from professional ski racing in 2019, says the seaside life totally suits her. “We recently bought a boat,” she says. “So whenever we can, we just go out on the water.”
That’s not to say she has a lot of downtime. The entrepreneur and investor sits on the board of several foundations, is on the ownership team for Angel City FC and is an ambassador for brands like Under Armor.
However, the athlete is most proud of running the Lindsey Vonn Foundation, which supports underserved girls between 10-18 through empowerment camps and scholarships.
Vonn says she was inspired by her hero, Picabo Street, to start the foundation after she was injured and couldn’t race at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
“I was trying to think of something positive that I could do with my time instead of just sitting there and being depressed,” she says. “So I just kind of thought back on my life and what has been the most impactful to me.
She continued, “And honestly, meeting my idol Picabo Street when I was 9-years-old was the most impactful thing that happened to me. It literally took 90 seconds of her time, and because of her, I wanted to be an Olympian. So I thought, okay, can I replicate this experience and can I inspire and empower more young girls to follow their dreams?”
While not all the camps have to do with sports, Vonn says athletics hold a special place in her heart.
“I think sports have just a really special way of teaching kids a lot about life,” she says. “I think specifically about failure. I think that’s one of the most important things about sports is learning how to fail, because we all fail in life, but it’s about how we pick ourselves back up.”
Vonn says while she’s happy in retirement — and especially living in a warmer climate — she still loves skiing.
“I miss the competition, obviously, but I feel like with being an entrepreneur and all these businesses that I’m in, I get a good hit of that,” she says. “But there’s nothing that’s ever going to replace going 90 miles an hour down a mountain. I’ve accepted that.”
As an Mike Tyson got ready to ruin Michael Spinks as if he was the Nakatomi Plaza on Christmas Eve (venue for the worst Crimbo party in history), Bruce Willis was sitting ringside waging a PR war on behalf of his new risky blockbuster: Die Hard.
It went on to become an action classic – and arguably the greatest Christmas film ever made – but in 1988, it was seen as a huge gamble by film studio 20th Century Fox. Unable to get a leading action star (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood and even Al Pacino all turned the role down, while 70-year-old Frank Sinatra was also offered it), the studio decided to pay TV actor Willis a then sky-high £5million. At the time, he was better known as the small-screen star of rom-com series Moonlighting and was a bizarre choice to many.
Tyson became the heavyweight world champion by unifying all of the belts against Michael Spinks in June 1988
So it’s little wonder that a bearded Willis – sitting ringside for Tyson’s long-awaited showdown – was rather shamelessly wearing a Die Hard baseball cap and sunglasses as he chatted to Sean Penn and Madonna. If Willis was nervous about his film’s release the following month in July, he probably wasn’t as intimidated as one Michael Spinks on 27 June, 1988.
The 31-year-old former light-heavyweight champion and lineal heavyweight champ was being paid £13.5million to face the headline attraction: Iron Mike. When Spinks’s manager Butch Lewis decided to play pre-fight mind games on Tyson by insisting that his hands needed to be re-wrapped, causing a lengthy delay, it backfired. The move only seemed to agitate his fighter and fire-up an already bad-tempered Tyson.
Lewis later recalled that he walked into Tyson’s dressing room only to see: “He’s punching holes in the wall. I’m like – to myself – ‘Oh no!” In his own changing room, observers claimed that Spinks – a world-class boxer who’d never been knocked down or tasted defeat – was in a state of fear. Not the nervous butterflies that can affect athletes before they perform, but genuine alarm at the pain that the 5ft 11ins, ferocious-punching Tyson might inflict upon him.
At least the delay for the main event gave cameras plenty of time to focus in on Willis and his unsubtle hat among a star-studded ringside crowd that included Jack Nicholson, Stallone, Donald Trump (who was staging the fight in Atlantic City), Chuck Norris and fictional former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).
Boxing fan Willis was ringside for Tyson vs Spinks but sadly only got 91 seconds to promote action hit Die Hard
By the time Spinks came to the ring to the shrill pop stylings of ‘This Is It’ by Kenny Loggins, he wore a sickly smile and a sheen of sweat. Tyson, bare-chested having even dispensed with his usual white towel, exuded menace as he emerged second to a strange cacophony of clanging and banging that sounded like The Undertaker’s alarm clock going off. Let’s assume none of this did anything to settle Spinks’ nerves.
The bout itself offered minimal airtime for Willis’s baseball cap as it lasted only 91 seconds. A shaken Spinks – instead of using his jab to try to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm, which was his usual tactic – instead tried to stand his ground and gain Tyson’s respect early on. This proved an error. Instead Spinks earned a series of concussing bombs that quickly hammered him to the canvas. ‘The Jinx’ gamely got up but Tyson was on him with a short left hook-right uppercut combo that left Spinks falling backwards like Hans Gruber off the side of a skyscraper.
Former President Trump joined the A-List cast that, as well as John McClane, included Jack Nicholson, right, Sean Penn and Rocky himself Sylvester Stallone
The most anticipated heavyweight fight since the reign of Muhammad Ali was all over in half a round. The watching Willis, a boxing fan and ringside regular to this day, would have loved to have had the guaranteed box-office success Tyson brought, however. The card billed as ‘Once and For All’ grossed $70million, making it the richest fight in boxing history at the time. The Don King-promoted Tyson earned a supposed $22million, while in the background his manager Bill Cayton and his wife Robin Givens battled for control of his career.
Retrospectively this is viewed as Tyson’s defining victory, despite the undisputed heavyweight champion being only 21 years old at the time. Within two years he’d lose to James Buster Douglas (fighting on the undercard here) in a seismic upset.
Spinks was a dangerous heavyweight, but Tyson made light work of him with the belts on the line
After a stint in prison, he had major fights, but wasn’t quite the same fighter, boxing for the love of the sport as he had once done.
Willis, however, was just getting started. Despite fears he was horribly miscast as an action star, audiences loved his everyman appeal and cocky wisecracks. Die Hard went on to earn $140million on a $28million budget, justifying Willis’ fee and turning him into a big-screen superstar.
Was it all to do with that garish hat ploy at the Tyson fight? Only the wisest among us can say. However, Die Hard’s influence extended well beyond the four (and counting) sequels. The popularity of the underdog-stuck-in-a-restricted-environment story meant it was rehashed as Die Hard on a bus (Speed), Die Hard on a boat (Under Siege), Die Hard on a plane (Passenger 57, Air Force One and Con Air), Die Hard on a mountain (Cliffhanger), Die Hard on Alcatraz (The Rock), Die Hard in the White House (Olympus Has Fallen, White House Down) and so on.
Both Tyson and Willis would go on to cash even bigger cheques than they did in the summer of 1988, but in terms of their ongoing legacy, both had reached an early-career peak. Yet spare a thought for Mike Spinks. A hall of fame boxer who that June was trapped in the scariest disaster movie of all: Die Hard trapped in a boxing ring with Iron Mike Tyson.
pic.twitter.com/i3278GZKqo 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 “91 Second Massacre” Tyson🇺🇸 vs Spinks🇺🇸 June 27, 1988. Billed as “Once And For All” 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
As the year comes to a close, Claressa Shields responds to a heartwarming clip from the magical night of Christmas. The undefeated Light Middleweight champion, known for her candid social media presence, stumbled upon a young kid’s confession to his neighbor on the platform. The incident in question transpired on the night of Christmas.
Tragically, the kid had just lost his mother a couple of weeks earlier, so he had to confess his feelings to his neighbor. When ‘The Goat’ Shields found the clip on X (formerly Twitter), she could not help but leave a heartfelt message.
Claressa Shields is left in awe
A handful of hours before Shields tweeted, an X user shared the clip where a young boy approached his neighbor’s front door. Unfortunately, the neighbors weren’t home, but it produced a beautiful confession from the kid. “Merry Christmas, that’s all I gotta say! I wanted to make myself happier [by wishing you Christmas]. My mom recently died, a couple of weeks back…that’s all I have to say, Merry Christmas,” said the kid.
Given how sweet the message from the kid was, Shields could not hide her thoughts, and her emotions overflowed. “Aww. I just wanna hug him, man,” Shields wrote on X. While the gesture from the little kid was indeed heartwarming, what Shields did for her own community before Christmas was also praiseworthy. Recently, Shields hosted her fourth annual giveaway.
‘The Goat’ Shields wants kids to feel special
As reported by ABC 12 News, the undefeated Shields hosted the annual toy, food, water, and winter clothing giveaway drive on 23 December. The event was held at AT Fitness, 2189 Coldwater Road in Mt. Morris Township. The Christmas giveaway aimed to sprinkle some holiday cheer on the youth grappling with depression.
“The Shields Community Outreach Program is doing community work throughout the year,” Shields told ABC 12 News. Shields went on to suggest that she has always been passionate about hosting such events for the community. She added, “I wasn’t always as fortunate as I am now, so I want those kids coming up who are not as fortunate to feel special and feel important.” Per Shields, she would keep doing it as long as she can.
While Christmas Eve has passed, it continues to spread joy online as Shields responds to the cute clip of the kid leaving a message for his neighbor. What did you think about the clip? How do you feel about Shields’ fourth annual giveaway?
Coco Gauff shared her aspirations for the 2024 season and emphasized that she won’t settle for winning just one Grand Slam throughout her career. A remarkable streak at the end of 2023 earned her three titles: her first WTA 500 (Washington), first WTA 1000 (Cincinnati Open), and her maiden Grand Slam (US Open) within just six weeks.
At 19 years old, much is still expected from the world No. 3, who will kick off her season at the ASB Classic on January 1st as the top seed, facing her compatriot Claire Liu (world No. 98) in the opening match. Upon her arrival in Auckland, she reflected on her impressive finish in 2023 and her first Grand Slam: “I felt like I had a clock and I needed to win as a teenager,” said Coco Gauff.
The young American swiftly made a name for herself on the WTA Tour after defeating the 5-times Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the first round of Wimbledon in 2019 at just 15 years old. Since then, the spotlight has been on Gauff, and she finally secured the coveted Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows: “Just for how I started, with Wimbledon and everything, I felt like I just needed to.”
She's fifteen years old.
She just beat five-time champion Venus Williams at Wimbledon.
Rise and ambitions of Coco Gauff
“Not with anyone’s expectations from my team, but fans and people who watch the game.” She also recalled the US Open final against Aryna Sabalenka, who was guaranteed to be the world No. 1 at the end of the tournament: “That feeling I felt on match point was a high, and I want to continue to chase that high,” said Gauff.
The moment that changed Gauff at the end of the season was Wimbledon, as she mentioned when, as the 7th seed, she couldn’t surpass the first round, falling to the former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin: “After Wimbledon, I reached the lowest point of my career, losing that match,” Gauff said.
“Learning from it helped me push forward and I think sometimes you need those setbacks to push you forward,” she added. “Not to wake me up, because I felt like I always was awake, but realize that maybe you should put less pressure on every single match,” Coco Gauff concluded.
While George Russell wants to be ahead of Lewis Hamilton, he believes he matched “the greatest of all time” for pace in F1 2023 and so must take the positives from that.
Russell has now spent two seasons as Mercedes team-mate to seven-time World Champion Hamilton, though the second campaign did not go nearly as well as the first.
Having scored Mercedes’ only win of 2022 in Brazil, Russell ended his first season with the Silver Arrows ahead of Hamilton in the standings, but that swung for F1 2023 to produce a comfortable defeat for Russell against his iconic team-mate.
George Russell matching Lewis Hamilton pace
Russell reflected on his F1 2023 campaign as one of the strangest of his career where the results just did not come together, only two podium finishes achieved across the season.
However, Russell places his outright pace on a par with Hamilton’s and while he does not want to settle for this, he admits he needs to be “realistic” and see the achievement in simply being a match for Hamilton, who has a record 103 grand prix wins to his name.
“I’ve been on Lewis’ level, on average, throughout this year,” said Russell in an interview with the Telegraph.
“And I’m not satisfied with just being on his level. I want to be ahead of him. But I’ve also got to be realistic.
“I’m going up against the greatest driver of all time. He’s definitely not a bad benchmark. And, you know, I think qualy statistics, if you include sprint races, we’re exactly the same. And pace-wise, we’re generally the same as well.
“So there are positives. And to be honest I’d prefer to be sat here without the results, but with the pace. Rather than saying ‘Oh, we lucked into a result here or we lucked into a result there’ when actually I was a tenth or two off the pace.”
George Russell is not feeling the pressure
Russell could potentially have added a second win to his F1 CV at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, but his ambitions were met with disaster while harrying leader Carlos Sainz for the victory as he crashed out in the closing stages.
Singapore was his “lowest point of the season”, though Russell denied the suggestion that he was suffering second-season syndrome and crumbling under the pressure in a underwhelming second Mercedes season alongside Hamilton.
“There have been a few small incidents,” he said. “Nothing major, but they happened.
“They haven’t happened in previous years. I need to try to understand why that is.
“It’s not pressure. I don’t care if I have the greatest driver of all time in the garage next to me, or if I’m a one-man team. It doesn’t change the way I approach my job. There’s definitely been no additional pressure.”
Both Hamilton and Russell signed new Mercedes contracts during the F1 2023 campaign, keeping them with the team until the end of 2025.
Serena Williams is one of the best professional tennis players the world has ever seen. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champ, who also boasts four gold Olympic medals, announced her retirement last fall in a self-penned Vogue essay, but she hasn’t slowed down at all with other pursuits.
The 41-year-old athlete is also the founder of S Ventures and S by Serena, and will soon be a mom of two. Williams and her husband, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, are proud parents to 5-year-old Olympia, and will welcome another baby girl to their family later this year.
While Williams initially announced she was expecting ahead of the Met Gala red carpet in May, she and Ohanian recently had an epic gender reveal party in which they found out the sex of their second baby with a drone light show.
Williams, a three-time SI Swimsuit model, first posed for the publication in 2003 in Miami, then returned to the fold the following year in the same location, where she again worked with photographer Walter Iooss Jr. Her most recent feature with the magazine took place in Turks and Caicos in ’17, when she traveled to the islands to pose for Emmanuelle Hauguel.
Below are six of our favorite photos from Williams’s most recent SI Swimsuit photoshoot that we’re still obsessed with six years later.
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