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5'6" junior welterweight Sumya "Island Girl" Anani was born in Minnesota
on February 12, 1972. A yoga instructor and massage therapist, she competed as a
weighlifter for 18 months, and began to box professionally in the summer of
1996.
Anani first came to prominence in tragic circumstances a few months into her
boxing career. In her fourth pro bout she faced novice welterweight Katie Dallam
at the Firefighter's Union Hall in St. Joseph, Missouri.
 Anani
dominated the fight (against an opponent who got her pro boxing license only the
day before) and won by TKO in the fourth round.
Dallam, badly overmatched, had fought with a a bloody nose for
most of the fight ... but suffered a hidden injury that was almost fatal. She
collapsed in her dressing room after the fight, fell into a one-day coma, and
required surgery for a major cranial bleed.
Anani put this tragic experience behind her and moved on to build
an unbeaten record that earned her a shot at Christy Martin.
In an unusual twist for a pro boxer, Anani is a practitioner of the healing
touch, a holistic healing approach.
Interviewed by the Kansas City Star in the aftermath of
the Dallam bout, Anani said: " I know that's why I'm here. People always say,
`Why am I here?' I know. I'm here to tell people that life is in their health.
People make themselves sick. I'm hear to spread the word that they don't have to
live with the pain."
Ironically, she says the publicity that she received after the
Dallam fight gave her an opportunity to tell more people about healing touch.
Sumya Anani's early ring record included:
- On August 12, 1996, she won a 4 round decision over
Jessica Breitfelder.
- On August 27, 1996, she won a 4 round decision over
Jessica Breitfelder.
- On October 16, 1996, she stopped Valerie Almack in the
second round.
- On December 12, 1996 in St. Joseph, Missouri, she
stopped Katie Dallam in the fourth round.
- On March 19, 1997 in Omaha, Nebraska, she won a
four-round decision over Shelly Waldon.
- On April 2, 1997 she won a 4 round decision over Ashley
Needham
- On September 30, 1997 at the Station Casino in Kansas
City, she knocked out former WIBF lightweight champion Stacy Prestage, also of
Kansas City, in the fourth round; Prestage fell to 9-4-2 with the loss
- On November 15, 1997, she knocked out Charlotte Esparza
in the first round.
- On January 31, 1998, she stopped Loretta Kay James in
the first round.
- On March 28, 1998 at the Market Center in Kansas City,
Missouri, she won a six-round unanimous decision over
Andrea DeShong.
Anani was originally set to fight Christy Martin on November 13,
1998 in Las Vegas, but the bout was cancelled at short notice when Martin backed
out, claiming illness but evidently around a dispute over her contract with Don
King..
Sumya Anani vs. Christy Martin
on December 18, 1998
Their showdown finally came at the War Memorial
Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on December 18, 1998. Anani (138¾
lbs) bloodied Martin's nose in the first round and traded with her on equal
terms in the second. Martin went down in the third, but referee Tommy
Kimmons ruled it a slip. Anani went after her hard, staggering her and
handing out punishment against the ropes. Martin rallied in the fourth to
rock Anani with strong rights to the head. Martin continued strong in the
fifth and sixth but Anani made her own comeback in the eighth and ninth,
landing heavily and backing Martin up. Anani finished strongly and when it
was all over Martin sported a bloody nose and a swollen right eye while
Anani was unmarked. Judge Stu Winston scored the fight 95-95. Jay Kassees
and Ric Bays scored it 96-94 for Anani, handing Martin her first loss since
November 1989!
"I thought for sure it was over when she was on the ropes", Anani said.
"It's
overwhelming. I'm surprised. I thought I would have to knock her out to get the
win."
 
Sumya Anani vs. Denise Moraetes on March 12, 1999
On March 12, 1999 at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City: Sumya
(at 140 lbs) won a clear eight-round unanimous decision over
Denise Moraetes (5'4", 139 lbs) of Augusta, Georgia
by a 78-73 margin on all three scorecards. Anani quickly found the openings left
by Moraetes' looping rights and tagged the former U.S. amateur champion with
solid counterpunching
 throughout
the fight. A left hook to the jaw decked Moraetes in the fourth (see picture)
but she fought back fiercely to keep herself in it. Moraetes rarely found a way
to land on Anani without taking straighter, heavier shots in return and was
badly bruised and swollen under her left eye by the end of the fight. The bout
was seen live on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights.
On March 23, 1999 at the Park Place Hotel in Kansas City,
Missouri, Sumya won an eight-round unanimous decision over veteran Dora Webber
of Patterson, New Jersey, who fell to 12-5-2.
On June 11, 1999 at the Horseshoe Casino in Bossier City,
Louisiana: Sumya won a clear ten-round unanimous decision over Dora Webber to
take the IFBA Intercontinental Junior Welterweight Title. Anani ground down the
plucky but overmatched Webber with her precise punching and relentless pressure.
She again showed rapidly improving ring generalship and a solid chin when she
needed it against Webber's hard shots. This rematch dropped the amazingly
durable Dora Webber's record to 12-6-2.
On June 25, 2000 at Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana, Sumya won a six-round
unanimous decision over Vicki Woods of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This was a tough
fight that tested Anani, who was knocked down in the first round but came back
to send Woods to the canvas in the final moments of the bout. Woods is now
9-9-1.
On September 17, 2000 at Harrah's Casino & Hotel in St.Louis, Missouri, underdog
veteran Britt Van Buskirk of Carbondale, Illinois
moved her pro record to 9-10-1 with a six-round split decision over Anani, who
suffered her first loss in seventeen bouts. "It was close," said Anani
afterwards. "I'm really ashamed of myself because I didn't fight the way I
fight. I've talked to a lot of boxers and they say everybody has one fight like
that, but you only get one. That's how I feel. It usually takes a few rounds for
me to get loose, size her up, and see what's happening, and it was only a six
round fight. I'm in good shape. I should be fighting ten rounds. If it would
have went ten, I would have come back and done my thing."
 On
May 11, 2001 on the Charity Fight Night X card in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Anani
bounced back from this first loss. She weighed in at 135 lbs and won the IBA
lightweight title with a clear (96-94,98-92,99-91) ten round unanimous decision
over former US amateur champion Liz Mueller (5'4",
133 lbs) of New London, Connecticut, who dropped to 6-2 (2 KO's).
On October 21, 2001 at Seven Feathers Hotel and Casino in
Canyonville, Oregon, Sumya (142½ lbs) avenged her only defeat by posting a
ten-round (100-90,100-91,100-91) shut-out over
Britt Van Buskirk (141 lbs) of Carbondale,
Illinois. Anani won a vacant GBU welterweight title with the win, and moved her
pro record to >18-1 (6 KOs); Van Buskirk fell to 10-14-1 (5 KOs).
On November 16, 2001 at the Convention Center in Austin, Texas,
Sumya Anani battled former world kickboxing champion Fredia
Gibbs of Los Angeles to an exciting ten-round majority draw
(94-94,94-94,96-92 Anani) which left the 140-lb WIBA World title vacant. Anani
and Gibbs traded throughout the fight, with Anani trying to confuse Gibbs by
switching to a southpaw stance at times. Anani landed the better shots in the
second round but Gibbs came back on the third and fourth behind her jab and hard
rights to Anani's head. Anani worked inside and came back in the fifth but Gibbs
continued to work her jab effectively in the sixth and seventh. Anani picked up
her pace in the eighth and ninth but it was Gibbs who finished stronger in the
final session. Anani is now 18-1-1 (6 KOs) while Gibbs is 7-1-1 (2 KOs).
 On
February 1, 2002 at Bricktown Coca-Cola Events Center in Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, a sellout crowd of 900 saw Anani (143 lbs) emphatically erase the
memory of her only loss as a pro boxer with a lop-sided eight-round unanimous
decision over Britt Van Buskirk(144 lbs) of
Carbondale, Illinois. Anani totally controlled the action for a shutout 80-72
decision on all three scorecards in this second rematch of the two
welterweights. Van Buskirk fell to 10-15-2 (5 KOs) with the loss, while Anani
progressed to 19-1-1 (6 KO's).
On June 21, 2002 at the Convention Center in Waco, Texas: Sumya
(140 lbs) stopped Jane Couch (138½ lbs) of the
U.K. at 0:51 in the fourth round to take the WIBA junior welterweight (140-lb)
WIBA title. Women's Boxing Page correspondent Kevin Cockle
wrote: "A hammering left hand from the southpaw stance staggered Couch
and sat her stupefied in the ropes, right arm draped over a middle strand, and
brutal follow up punches bashed home as Anani made no mistake. Maybe a dozen
unanswered lefts and rights swivelled Couch’s head and put her out on her feet,
finally eliciting action from the ref ..." Couch fell to 16-4-0 (7 KO).
On November 2, 2002 at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Sumya
(144 lbs) knocked out WIBF welterweight champion Lisa
Holewyne (144 lbs) of Austin, Texas at 0:59 in the fifth round of a
scheduled 10-round bout for the vacant IBA world welterweight belt. Anani had
now snared the WIBA Junior Welterweight and IFBA Intercontinental Junior
Welterweight titles and progressed to 21-1-1 (8 KO) while Holewyne fell to
16-8-1 (5 KO).
On April 18, 2003 at Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore,
California, Sumya (141 lbs) won by a TKO at the end of the first round over
Fredia Gibbs (140 lbs) of Marina del Ray, California when Gibbs was unable
to answer the bell for the second round with an injury to her right hand. Gibbs
was in obvious pain as her right glove was removed. The first round had been an
ugly grabby affair with Anani moving forward swinging looping punches with her
head down while Gibbs grabbed on to her and worked her body. This was a
disappointing rematch following their ten-round draw in 2001. Gibbs fell to
9-2-1 (2 KO).
Sumya lands a left on Lisa Holewyne
© Copyrighted photo taken by photojournalist
J.P. Yim
On April 24, 2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Sumya (142
lbs) showed no ring rust at all while winning a clear six-round unanimous
(60-53) decision over Lisa Holewyne (144 lbs) of
Houston, Texas in front of 17,000 fans. Anani pressured Holewyne moving forward
steadily with her duck and weave style while Holewyne backed off looking to
counter. Anani stepped up the pressure in the second and third, scoring with her
left while Holewyne countered with her right. Holewyne was knocked down by a
hard left in the third round, but she battled on gamely and was able to tie
Anani up to survive the round. Anani went to Holewyne's body in the fourth while
Holewyne countered with uppercuts and clinching. Anani continued to pursue
relentlessly and land combinations for the rest of the fight but she could not
put Holewyne away as Lisa focused more on defense and occasionally looked to
land her counter right. Anani is now 23-1-1 (10 KO) while Holewyne fell to
21-12-1 (5 KO).
“She’s a tough girl. A real good fighter”, said Anani after the fight.
“She fought me differently this time,” Anani said. “She was moving a
lot more in this fight. She’s improved her footwork, she was giving more
angles.” (See full WBAN
fight
report by Mara Castillon and
WBAN Photo Gallery #165 on the
WBAN Records Member Site).
Sumya Anani vs. Stephanie Jaramillo in Kansas City
© Copyrighted photo taken by Lori Steinhorst
On December 3, 2004 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, Sumya
(140 lbs) defended her WIBA Junior Welterweight world title with a convincing
(100-88,100-88,99-89) ten-round unanimous decision over Stephanie Jaramillo (140
lbs) of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Anani was the aggressor throughout the
bout while Jaramillo spent much of it trying to avoid hard shots and looking to
catch Anani with counterattacks. Sumya bloodied Jaramillo's nose with a series
of lefts in the fourth and knocked her down near the end of the ninth.
Jaramillo, who was in survival mode by the end of the fight as Anani went for
the KO, had a point deducted in the final round for holding. Anani improved her
record to 24-1-1 (10 KO's) with the win while Jaramillo fell to 4-2-1 (2 KO's).
Jaramillo took the fight at about 8 days' notice after Darys Pardo of Colombia,
Anani's originally scheduled opponent, had visa problems getting into the USA.
Jaramillo had been training for a bout in Trinidad that was canceled after she
had flown there, and stayed in training to fight Anani.
On January 22, 2005 at Grand Coushatta Casino Resort Pavilion, in Kinder,
Louisiana, a crowd estimated at 3000 saw Sumya (143¼ lbs) defeat
Belinda Laracuente (136¼ lbs) of Puerto Rico by a
ten-round unanimous (100-90,97-93,99-91) decision, defending her IBA
Welterweight world title.
Cut early but victorious over Belinda Laracuente in January 2005
© Copyrighted photo by Valerie Mahfood
According to a
ringside
report from pro boxer Valerie Mahfood, "Within
the first ten seconds of round one, the two women clashed heads above their
right eyebrows. Anani, however, suffered a cut as a result of it. At no time did
the cut threaten the stoppage of the fight, but it did require minor medical
attention afterwards. Rounds one through six all played the same tune. Anani
attacked and Laracuente moved. The majority of the time, Anani remained the
aggressor. She consistently backed Laracuente into the ropes and then unleashed
a flurry of both body and head shots. Laracuente was able to retaliate at times,
yet, it was simply wasn’t enough. When Laracuente threw consecutive punches,
Anani traded with her. When Laracuente threw single shots, Anani absorbed the
punches and continued undaunted. To me, it seemed as if Laracuente simply
couldn’t find her rhythm. Or perhaps, Anani’s aggression refused to allow it.
The most controversially moment of the fight occurred in round seven. From my
perspective, it appeared to be a clean left hook to the body that dropped
Laracuente. The referee, however, immediately called a time-out and sent Anani
to a neutral corner. Laracuente held her glove over her head and complained of a
head-butt. A few moments passed before the referee ruled the contact an
accidental head butt. Half the crowd hissed, half the crowd cheered. When the
fight resumed, it continued much on the same path as before." Anani improved to 25-1-1 (9 KO) with this win while Laracuente fell to 21-6-2 (9
KO).
On March 25, 2006 at the Grand Victoria Casino in Rising Sun, Indiana,
Terri Blair of Louisville, Kentucky
stunned the women's boxing world by TKO'ing Sumya at 1:37 in the final round of a ten-rounder for
the IBA Welterweight title. Ahead on two judges' scorecards by one point
going into the tenth, Anani was knocked down and then the fight was called. Anani
fell to 25-2-1 (10 KO's) with this loss while Terri Blair improved to 7-10-2 (4
KO's) with the win.
On May 27, 2006 at the Louisville Gardens in Louisville, Kentucky,
Terri Blair (141 lbs) of Louisville again stopped Sumya
(143 lbs), this time by a TKO at 1:59 in the ninth round. Anani led in the
early going and Blair took some punishment but Blair rallied in the ninth,
knocking an apparently tiring Anani down three times
to keep her IBA Welterweight title.
Terri
improved to 8-10-2 (5 KO's) with her second straight stoppage of Anani, who fell
to
25-3-1 (10 KO's).
Terri's manager Abdul Jarvis said about the fight: "(Anani) came out with a
different game plan. She boxed a whole lot better this time. But I knew that she
couldn't keep up that pace. I told you before that we don't degrade over a
period of time…; I knew (Anani) was getting hurt. She would freeze every time
she got hit."
Anani complimented Blair after the loss,
telling the Louisville Courier-Journal: "She
caught me. It happens. It's boxing. Who was it that made the statement that it
takes one punch to change a fight?" and adding
"She's such a sweetheart. As an athlete you always
try to do your best. Of course, you're kind of upset about it. But to lose to a
sweetheart like her … she represents her sport well."
Anani with her collection of title belts
© Copyrighted photo courtesy of Sumya Anani
For fight reports and huge photos of Sumya Anani
and many other women in the sport, go to the WBAN Records Member Site!
 Other
Sumya Anani links
Page last updated:
Sunday May 28, 2006
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