Eagle not pulling any punches in pursuit of two world crowns Chris Barrett - smh- October 28, 2010 LAURYN EAGLE does not want for drive or ambition. If the 22-year-old has her way she will by this time next year be a world champion in two wildly dissimilar pursuits: waterskiing and boxing. She is also not lacking in conviction. Having decided this year to shelve the skis temporarily and attempt a career in the ring, Eagle is a fierce promoter of her adopted sport and a staunch defender against the stereotypes that hound it. This content is protected .....Lauren Eagle with Jeff Fenech. And she is willing to use another noticeable attribute, her looks, to get her message across if need be. ''I feel that some of the [female] boxers do probably get a bit upset with me because I do get the publicity that they don't. And I feel for them. I totally understand,'' said Eagle, who will fight New Zealander Christina Tai at welterweight as part of a high-profile card at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday. ' 'But at the same time, this is going to boost the profile of the sport, which is going to aid them anyway. It's a fashionable sport it's a sexy sport.'' Much as the career of Laila Ali - daughter of Muhammad Ali - inflated the standing of women's boxing in the United States (in 2001 she fought Joe Frazier's daughter Jackie in ''Ali/Frazier IV''), Eagle hopes she can use her fame to drive the sport in Australia. Women's boxing in Australia has its achievers - West Australian Erin McGowan, for example, this month won the WBO world lightweight title - but their efforts barely rate a mention. Eagle says typically held reticence about women boxing - legendary trainer Johnny Lewis, for instance, tried to talk her out of the fight game - was misdirected. ''Nowadays, people are doing 'boxercise' for fitness, they love it and they want to take it to the next level,'' Eagle said. ''The amateur side of it is great you're not going to get hurt, you're wearing head-gear. ''People forget - we're not males, we don't punch near as hard as the males. It's more about the fitness, it's more about the strategic game, about using your jab, about your leg work. Rarely you see a woman get hurt. The worst injury you see is a broken nose and, you know, that's part of sport. You're going to get a broken leg playing soccer.'' Trained by Gairy St Clair, and having sparred with Vic Darchinyan and Lovemore Ndou, Eagle is setting the bar characteristically high. She aims to couple her budding boxing career by regaining the world waterski title in Brisbane next September. ''I'm training for two world titles right now waterskiing and boxing,'' she said. ''I hope to get two world titles in a year in two different sports. Even if I don't, that's the goal and the journey will be unbelievable.'
I dont see her winning a world title if she isnt putting 100% of her effort into the one sport. Just a pretty face, Erin McGowen on the other hand is a beast! Put those two in together and say goodbye to Eagle's good looks
The women's ranks are pretty thin and Eagle may do better than you think. Eagle is campaigning at welter and McGowan lightweight. But you are right, at this stage McGowan would eat hear.
The biggest joke is Eagle thinking she can win anything but a few paper titles and some lopsided circus shows. Her one fight so far was an embarrassment, she couldnt punch a hole in a paper bag and with no experience she is a pro now. If she was as serious about the sport as she says she is she'd have fought as an Am first. Were she would have got absolutely schooled by the host of excellent female fighters across the weight classes. At her weights you have Claire and Naomi, Down you have Sabrina and up in weight Tammy. All of whom would knock her out, even with the head gear on. So she goes pro and stops an 0-1 fighter who had been stopped in her first fight and was considerably lighter and for her second fight she goes up against a girl whom is even lighter than the first and with a loosing record. Nice looking girl, but she should stick to the boxercise classes she talks about. That's as far as she deserves to go. And the people in the game egging her on should know better, fancy lowering yourself to this level.....