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Junior welterweight Myriam Lamare was born on January 1, 1975 at Saint-Denis (Seine Saint Denis)
in France. She began her boxing career at age 18. She lives in
Marseille where she trains at Challenge Boxing club under Louis Lavaly and works
as a sports instructor for the city.
Always an athlete, Myriam Lamare discovered boxing when "one day, a teacher of American boxing
suggested that I come to
try out in his club: fifteen days later, I was on my new course."
In savate, she won the French championship in 1999 and 2001, was European champion in
1998 and 2000, and the world champion in 1999, compiling a 19-1 record.
 As an amateur boxer she was French champion in 1999, 2000, 2002
and 2003 and also won several European and world championships.
On May 7, 2000 in the 63.5-kg (139-lb) final of the
Feenix Box Cup international tournament in Turku, Finland, Myriam defeated
Canada's Tanya Robertson
by a 17-10 score to win her first international title.
On April 14, 2001 at the inaugural European Women's Championship in Saint-Amand-les-Eaux,
France, she defeated Nikoletta Gavka of Greece to become the first European
63.5-kg women's amateur champion.
In October 2001, she returned to the Feenix Box Cup competition in Turku,
Finland, again competing in the 63.5-kg division. On
October 5 she defeated Frida Wallberg of Gøteborg, Sweden
by a 10-5 score. On October 6 she won by a first-round stoppage (RSC-1) over Yasemin Ustalar
of Turkey, and on October 7 she edged Terhi Lukka of Finland by 15-14 to win the final.
In November 2001 she competed in the 63.5-kg division at the Inaugural AIBA World Amateur Championships
held at the
Scranton High School in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. On November 29, Myriam stopped Nataly Ostromouv
of Israel by RSC-1 in her quarterfinal bout. On November 30, she defeated Donna Mancuso
of Canada by 19-12 in the semifinal. In the final on
December 2, Frida Wallberg of Sweden avenged
her loss to Myriam at the Feenix Box Cup by a 12-10 score to take the gold
medal.
Myriam returned to the AIBA World Women's Championships in
October 21-27, 2002, this time in Antalya,
Turkey. She defeated Yasemin Ustalar of Turkey and Ida Gasanova of the Ukraine
to take the 63.5-kg gold medal.
 In May 2003 at the European Championships in Pecs, Hungary, Myriam defeated Anastasiya Savinova
of the Ukraine by RSC-1 on May 15 and won the final over Maria Karlova of Russia
by a 16-4 score on May 16.
On
July 4, 2003 at Futuroscope in Poitiers, France, she won by a first round
stoppage
over Virginia Chaillou of France, in her final amateur bout. This brought her total amateur record to 48 wins and
just 3 losses.
Myriam made her pro debut on October 10, 2003 in Marseille, France. Myriam weighed
in at 139 lbs and won a first-round TKO over then #15 ranked junior welterweight
Katalin Csehi (141 lbs) of Békéscsaba, Hungary, who fell to 4-2 (0 KO).
On November 14, 2003 in Levallois, France, Myriam (141 lbs) TKO'd Laura
Stefanescu (140 lbs) of Romania in the first round.
On December 16, 2003 at Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan in Levallois, France,
Myriam (138¾ lbs), then ranked #20 at junior welterweight by my computer rankings,
won a six-round decision over then #16 ranked lightweight Elena Tverdokhleb (136
lbs) of Kiev, Ukraine, who slipped to 3-3-0 (2 KO).
 On March 20, 2004 at Palais des Sports, Lyon, France, Myriam (137¼ lbs) won a
six-round unanimous decision over then #26 ranked junior welterweight Borislava
Goranova (136¾ lbs) of Sofia, Bulgaria, who fell to 2-8-0 (0 KO).
On April 29, 2004 in Levallois-Perret, France Myriam (139 lbs) won a six-round
decision over Larisa Berezenko (141½ lbs) of the Ukraine.
On May 28, 2004 at Zenith d'Auvergne, Clermont Ferrand, France, Myriam (139 lbs)
TKO'd pro debut fighter Monica Herzilla (140 lbs) in the first round of a
scheduled eight rounder.
On July 10, 2004 at La Palestre in Le Cannet, Myriam (136¾ lbs) won an
eight-round decision in a rematch with Elena Tverdokhleb (132¼ lbs) of Kiev,
Ukraine. The fight was full of action and fiercely contested. “I’m pleased
because it’s the first time I’ve gone eight rounds and I’m not tired,” commented Lamare. “I think I boxed better this time than the last time I fought the
Russian (sic), but I could do with a bit more power.” Tverdokhleb fell to 4-4 (3
KO's) with the repeat loss to Lamare.
Myriam Lamare (R) vs. Eliza Olson for the WBA world title
On November 8, 2004 at the Sports Arena in Paris, France,
Myriam (139¼ lbs) won
a 10-round unanimous (100-90,100-90,100-90) shutout decision over
Eliza Olson (140 lbs) of Redwood City, California for
the inaugural WBA Junior Welterweight title. Olson fell to 8-4-2 (2 KO's),
 On April 29, 2005 at the Palais
des Sports in Marseille, Myriam
(139 lbs) defended her WBA Junior Welterweight title
by defeating Elena Tverdokhleb (136¾ lbs) of the Ukraine when the referee
stopped the unequal contest at 1:06 in the tenth round. Lamare was never in any
trouble in this fight and dominated from
beginning to end. Tverdokhleb, who ended the fight with her left eye completely
closed, fell to 4-6-0 (3 KO) with her third loss to Lamare,
and the first within the distance. Myriam told reporters after this fight: "This wasn't my hardest fight. Elena took
far too many punches -- I know because my right hand still hurts. The referee should have
stopped the fight earlier. I wasn't trying to knock her out: simply to box effectively."
 On
July 9, 2005 at Le Cannet, France Myriam (139¾ lbs) retained her WBA Junior
Welterweight title with a third-round TKO of 19-year-old Iva Weston (140¼ lbs)
of Trinidad. According to WBAN correspondent Ewan Whyte: "Weston
had begun well enough, using her reach and a snapping left jab to keep Lamare at
bay, but the fight began to slip away from her the moment she threw the right:
Lamare ducked under it and hit her with a left to the solar plexus that bent her
double and set the pattern for the fight. Moments later, Lamare scored again
with a left hook to the waist band, followed with another left to the ribcage
and a right hook to the liver, and Weston’s posture became stiffer and her
movements more cramped as she began to lean over in an attempt to protect her
chin with her hands and her body at the same time with her elbows. “Hit her
behind the elbows,” Lamare’s trainer told her during the round break. “Then take
her out with an uppercut. She’s leaning forwards.”
"Weston had her best moment in the second round,
when she surprised Lamare with a left-right combination and began chasing
her across the ring, flailing with both hands. It was her uncle, apparently,
that had suggested she took up boxing, because she was always getting into
fights at school, and here it was as though she’d forgotten everything she’d
learned in the gym and was back in the schoolyard. “Knitting,” the
commentator called it. “It’s completely different from the style of boxing
practiced by Myriam Lamare.”
Normal service was resumed within moments as Lamare connected again with a
hook to the liver, followed by a left to the forehead. Fifteen seconds
before the end of the round, Weston lunged with a straight left, Lamare
ducked under it and threw the uppercut. Weston appeared to take it on the
breast rather than the chin, but it hurt her just the same, and now it was
Lamare driving Weston all round the ring, staggering her twice with left
hooks before doubling her over with a hook to the belly that would have
finished the contest had the bell not come to Weston’s rescue. In the round
break, the same mantra: ““Make life hard for her. Break her down below. Then
throw the uppercut.” The collapse came quickly in the third round. After
freeing herself nicely from the corner with a hard left (spoiling it
somewhat by missing widely with the following right), Weston took a
left-right combination to the head followed by the same to the body in the
next exchange, and resumed her stoop. Holding her left elbow too low –
doubtless with the idea of protecting her liver— she was surprised when
Lamare led with a right that struck her hard on the temple and effectively
ended her resistance. Realising her opponent was hurt, Lamare switched to
full throttle, driving her back into the corner, and as Lamare continued to
pound the body, Daniel van de Wiele, realising that Weston was no longer
fighting back, stopped the contest." (More fight photos
here).
 On December 5,
2005 at the Palais Omnisport in Bercy, Paris, France, Myriam TKO'd
Jane Couch of Fleetwood, U.K. with seven seconds
left in the third round for the vacant WIBF
Junior Welterweight and the WBA Junior Welterweight title. WBAN correspondent
Ewan Whyte wrote that "after a rollicking from Lamare's trainer for going
backwards and letting Couch take the initiative in the first round, Lamare
stood her ground in the second and third and muscled it out with her. Very
quickly her class began to tell, and she got the upper hand. Lamare
landed a right cross and began to open up. Within 10 to 15 seconds she had
Couch flat-footed and staggering in the centre of the ring. To me (and
obviously to the referee as well) it looked as though Couch was about to get
hurt - perhaps quite badly -- she has this bullock-like strength, Lamare --
but at the actual moment the referee stopped the fight, Couch appeared to be
regrouping and there were only 7 seconds to go to the bell, so she was very
angry with the stoppage. Someone explained that the referee did not have the
option of giving Couch a standing eight count and he obviously was not
prepared to take the risk of letting it continue." Couch fell to
26-8-0 (8 KOs).
On March 18, 2006 at Palais des Sport Marcel Cerdan in
Levallois-Perret, France, Myriam (139¾
lbs) retained the WBA Junior Welterweight title with a ten-round unanimous
(99-92,97-94,99-91) decision over Florida-based Puerto Rican
Belinda Laracuente (134½
lbs). This was a good, high energy fight throughout with TV commentators
saying that Laracuente was easily the best opponent Lamare had faced. Lamare
said she enjoyed the fight as every round was different and hoped they'd
give Laracuente a rematch. There was some booing as the lop-sided scores
were announced; the TV commentary agreed that Lamare had won but only by two
or three rounds, not by the wider margin on two scorecards.
On July 14, 2006 at Le Cannet, France, Myriam (139¾
lbs) won a convincing (98:93,97-93,97-93) ten-round unanimous decision over
Belinda Laracuente
(135¾ lbs) in a rematch of their March bout.
According to WBAN correspondent Ewan Whyte, "Despite another stylish
display and hampered by an injury to her right hand, Belinda Laracuente
failed for the second time to do any real mischief last night to the WBA
super lightweight champion".
Laracuente's record fell to
22-14-3 (9 KOs) while Lamare remained unbeaten as a pro boxer at 14-0-0 (7
KOs).
On December 2, 2006 at the Palais Omnisport in
Bercy, Paris, France, Anne-Sophie Mathis of Dombasle,
France TKO'd Myriam Lamare in the seventh round
to win the WBA and WIBF Junior Welterweight titles. As
described by WBAN correspondent Ewan Whyte, the fight was "a real
thriller, with Mathis – the more accurate puncher – generally in control and
seeming on several occasions to have Lamare hurt, only for Lamare to
counter-attack with a feral intensity, driving the gangling blonde backwards
to restore the balance ... until the last time. Mathis had hurt her
earlier in the seventh and Lamare had recovered, throwing her massive,
looping left hook, (and missing), but you could see she was unsteady now on
her feet; and as she shoved Mathis backwards to escape from the ropes, she
was caught by a short right; then another a few seconds later; then a third
– beaten to the punch as she threw the left for umpteenth time without
connecting – and suddenly there was nothing! Mathis drove a left, a right,
and a left through her guard; then a looping right round the outside that
caught her on the side of the jaw, followed by a left a split-second later,
and the rout was total: Lamare's dense, muscle-bound body began to go
backwards, slowly at first, but then with gathering momentum, the way a car
does when you have to bump-start it on a cold morning, as the blonde drove
her backwards into the corner with a cruel, exultant, snarl. And just as the
first commentator was correcting "Elle est fatiguée!" ("She's tired!") to
"Elle est KO debout!". ("She's out on her feet!") "… MYRIAM EST KO DEBOUT!!",
the other cut in with "Il l'a arrêté!" (He's stopped it!). And indeed he
had. And Mathis was the new world champion." Lamare fell to 14-1-0 (7 KOs).
On June 29, 2007 at Palais des Sports in Marseille,
Bouches du Rhone, France, 5,500 fans saw
Anne-Sophie Mathis (139½ lbs)
of Dombasle win a
ten-round majority (98-93,98-92,95-95) decision over Lamare (140 lbs) in a rematch for the WBA Junior Welterweight title.
The much shorter Lamare pressed the action early and scored well with jabs on the way in and
with damaging hooks once inside. However, by the fourth round Lamare began to tire from
what appeared to be an effort to knock Mathis ut early, and Mathis then began to take
control of the bout with clinical precision. Lamare began to back out of punishing exchanges,
but the hard-hitting Mathis was able to walk her down and dominate the action with
her power and size advantage. Mathis improved to 16-1 (14 KO's) while Lamare fell to
to 14-2 (7 KO's), both losses coming to Mathis.
On December 8, 2007 at La Palestre in Le Cannet,
France, Myriam Lamare TKO'd Daniela David of Romania in the fourth round. David fell to
4-13-0 (1 KO's).
On May 3, 2008 at the Palais des Sports in Marseille, France, Myriam Lamare
TKO'd Angel McKenzie of London, U.K. in the sixth round of a scheduled
six-rounder. McKenzie fell to
2-8 (0 KO's) with the loss.
On June 27, 2008 at the Palais
des Sports in Toulon, France
Myriam Lamare won by a third-round retirement over Angel McKenzie of London, UK.
The fight had been scheduled for six rounds. McKenzie fell to 2-9 (0 KO's) while
Lamare improved to
17-2-0 (10 KO's).
Myriam describes the difficulties that female boxing faces in
France: "The problem is that our sport brings little money
back to the
organizers, who are not interested in female boxing. It also does not match the ethics of sponsors,
and television does not want to launch out. In fact, it is hard for people to imagine two girls taking blows. It is a question of
culture specific to France, but one can't allow oneself to have a judgment on something which one
does not know. The French Boxing Federation did everything so that our sport
evolved and moved forward in the best possible way in a very short time. For
example, it organized the first European championships in history. It also set up a whole series of training
programs. Unfortunately, there are not many female boxers at a good level, we
are in a building phase."
Asked about the pressures she feels as a boxer, Myriam says "I do not feel the pressure. I feel an emotional wave at the time of the weigh-in, and then in the cloakrooms, where
I return two hours before the coming fight. But I have noticed that, a long time
before, my body prepares itself at the limit, there are extraordinary things which
take place organically so that I will be in phase with the
fight. I think there is an unconscious process which enables me to be in full possession of myself
on the D-day. My body does not undergo pressure, since it prepares, and then, one can relax! Louis and I like to prepare with music.
That relaxes me, and also enables me to put aside this 'wild' side which comes out from me as soon as
I leave the cloakroom!" "On the other hand", she adds,
"when I am on way towards the boxing ring,
when I hear the announcer and the cries of the public, I have goose bumps,
a shiver of pleasure! I am then in a tunnel, and nothing around me
matters. I feel that I am ready for combat, and my spirit is projected up
there towards the boxing ring. I adore that moment."
"For me, boxing is much easier to live than everyday life ...
when you are a bread-winner, you have responsibilities towards others, and life
is not made of gifts ... it is not easy. In the ring, your destiny is your own,
and you are the Master."
 Myriam has said that she intends to retire
from competition by 2010, and she already
has such projects in mind as opening a restaurant, world travel and having
children. But for now, she says that she intends to become one of the best
female boxers in the world and to keep her title as long as possible.
To contact
Myriam Lamare's management:
LAMARE MYRIAM SPORT EVENEMENT
93 bd Charles Livon - 13007 Marseille, France
Contact : S.TRIPATHI
lmboxe1@aol.com
+33(0)6.86.78.29.00
Other Myriam Lamare links
To check out fight reports, complete up-to-date boxing records, with huge digital photos you can go to
the WBAN Records Member Site
Page last updated:
Sunday, 29 June 2008 |
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