Maureen Shea On Her Support For Victor Ortiz and Being Respected in a Male Dominated Sport

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    Recently I had a chance to sit down with well-known female boxer, Maureen Shea. During Part 1 of the interview, she talked about how she got into the sport, how is her life going right now, and what she looks for in the future. Today in Part 2, she talks about Victor Ortiz, female boxers getting respect, how she was stripped of the WBC belt, and what makes her excited to see a boxer, whether they are male or female.

    I questioned her regarding some current event in the sport. I 1st asked if she had seen the Timothy Bradley vs. Ruslan Provodnikov fight this past Saturday. “I didn’t see it. I went to LA and went to the UFC fight because it was my last night out before training and I wanted to hang out with my friends. The GSP-Diaz fight was a big letdown. It definitely didn’t live up to what it was supposed to be. I was pissed I missed the Bradley fight. So I’m going to watch it tonight if possible. My guys in the gym were calling me a sellout for going to UFC, they are great,” as Shea laughed.

    Now this interview took place on Tuesday, 1 of the reasons was because Shea was actually in the crowd supporting her friend, boxer Victor Ortiz. So I asked if she had fun and how did she like it. She responded excitedly, saying, “It was so much fun. I know people hate on Victor right now, but he smart. He’s staying relevant. He’s got everything going, cologne, face lube, everything. I was so blessed to be there. It’s just so nice to see him doing things. That kid had a broken jaw for 4 rounds before they stopped the fight. He’s doing what he has to do right now. He’s still training, he’s never out of shape, and he’s staying active. The dancing is going to help his boxing. He looked nervous out there, but it was awesome to be there and he did great. It was really cool. He’s a good guy and a good person.”

    I next asked how she came about meeting Victor. Shea then said, “I was filming a reality TV show in Mexico and then left for California to go train with Joseph “Hoss” Janik in 2008. I was introduced to him by my nutritionist Robert Ferguson. “Hoss” was 1 of Victor’s trainers. In 2011, I met Victor for the 1st time while he was working out there in the gym. He saw me working training and said ‘you’re pretty good’. He didn’t know that I had just won the WBC title.

    We then moved on to the subject of respect in what’s considered a male dominated sport. I asked if she thought she got the respect she deserves as a top female fighter. Shea responded, “I think from the guys I do get respect. It depends on how you carry yourself. I compete against myself, not the guys. In terms of financially, I think you can make it happen, and my team is trying to do that. Instead of complaining, I just work, I don’t complain. I fought for Golden Boy, Lou DiBella, Top Rank, and the Garcia’s in Mexico, I just keep working.”

    I then asked what the status of the WBC belt she had won, whether it had been stripped and where were the circumstances behind that. “Yea, I lost it when my fights kept getting moved. They approached my team to fight a girl in Canada for less than I fought for when I won the title. It wasn’t a good opportunity for me. I asked for a purse bid and they never answered back, but I don’t focus on the negative. I’ve made peace with myself and I’m ready to keep going. It’s not all about the money, but I want to pave a way. I want to make opportunities for myself, my team, and other women”, said Shea.

    According to Shea, the person she thinks is the best female boxer in the sport today is Cecilia Braekhus, “I like her boxing skill and toughness. She comes forward and has this energy. That’s what attracts me to both female and male boxers, their energy. I like that,” said Shea.

    And finally, he we talked about twitter and if she had a message for her fans. She said, “It’s great to see my fans on twitter, how my California and New York fans fight over me. I LOVE both of them. I’m 718 and 805. I am NY. My attitude is NY, but I’m in Cali. They love my accent and how I talk. So to both of you, NY and Cali, I love both of you equally.”

    Maureen can be reached on Twitter @MaureenShea.