Kaliesha West | |
---|---|
Born | (1988-02-11) February 11, 1988 (age 36) South Haven, Michigan, USA |
Other names | Wild Wild |
Statistics | |
Weight(s) | Bantamweight, Super-bantamweight |
Height | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) |
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 22 |
Wins | 17 |
Wins by KO | 4 |
Losses | 2 |
Draws | 3 |
No contests | 0 |
Kaliesha West (born February 11 1988) is an American former professional boxer who held the WBO female bantamweight and International Female Boxers Association super-bantamweight World titles during her career.
Biography
West has a multi-cultural heritage. Her father, Juan, is of Nigerian, Cantù, Irish, and Seminole Indian descent while her mother, Melissa, is of Mexican, French, Spanish, and Native American heritage. She was first introduced to boxing while attending her father's matches. Despite initial reluctance to involve her in the sport, Juan eventually taught her the basics and then took her to a boxing gym.
As an amateur, West had over 100 fights and won numerous tournaments and honors including the 2002-2003 Junior Olympic championships, 2003-2004 Silver Gloves and the 2002 125lb National Golden Gloves championship for ages 13-14.
Shortly after her 18th birthday, West made her professional boxing debut on February 23, 2006, at San Manuel Indian Casino in San Bernardino, California, recording a four-round unanimous decision win over Suzannah Warner. Women were now allowed to box in the Olympics during this time, and this became the deciding factor to why West turned professional.
On September 18, 2010, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, West won the vacant WBO female bantamweight World title with a seventh-round technical knockout victory against Angel Gladney. She made boxing history, as she became the first boxing champion from the Inland Empire region in Southern California. West successfully defended her title against Ava Knight (split decision draw) on 18 June 2011, Jessica Villafranca (unanimous decision win) on 20 August 2011 and Claudia Andrea Lopez (majority decision win) on 14 April 2012.
On October 6, 2012, at the Finish Line Sports Grill in Pomona, California, West won the vacant International Female Boxers Association World super-bantamweight title with a unanimous decision success over Christina Ruiz.
West retired from professional boxing in 2017 and was inducted into the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame in 2023.
Professional boxing record
22 fights | 17 wins | 2 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 4 | 0 |
By decision | 13 | 2 |
Draws | 3 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 | Win | 17–2–3 | Kirstie Simmons | UD | 6 | 2017-09-23 | Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, California, USA | |
21 | Controversial Loss | 16–2–3 | Olivia Gerula | UD | 8 | 2014-08-15 | Crowne Plaza Hotel, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada | |
20 | Win | 16–1–3 | Christina Ruiz | UD | 10 | 2012-10-06 | Finish Line Sports Grill, Pomona, California, USA | Won the vacant International Female Boxers Association World super bantamweight title |
19 | Win | 15–1–3 | Claudia Andrea Lopez | MD | 10 | 2012-04-14 | Auditorio Ernesto Rufo, Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico | Retained WBO World female bantamweight title |
18 | Win | 14–1–3 | Jessica Villafranca | UD | 10 | 2011-08-20 | Casino Black Pyramid, Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico | Retained WBO World female bantamweight title |
17 | Draw | 13–1–3 | Ava Knight | SD | 10 | 2011-06-18 | Sports Arena, Pico Rivera, California, USA | Retained WBO World female bantamweight title |
16 | Win | 13–1–2 | Angel Gladney | KO | 7 (10) | Sep 18, 2010 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, USA | Won the vacant WBO World female bantamweight title |
15 | Win | 12–1–2 | Vannessa Guimaraes | TKO | 5 (8) | 2010-06-26 | Jockey Club, Lima, Peru | |
14 | Draw | 11–1–2 | Anita Christensen | MD | 10 | 2010-03-26 | Arena Midt, Kjellerup, Denmark | |
13 | Draw | 11–1–1 | Ada Velez | MD | 6 | 2010-01-21 | San Manuel Indian Casino, Highland, California, USA | |
12 | Win | 11–1 | Rolanda Andrews | UD | 6 | 2009-08-01 | Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, California, USA | |
11 | Loss | 10–1 | Ava Knight | UD | 8 | 2008-11-18 | Table Mountain Casino, Friant, California, USA | |
10 | Win | 10–0 | Elizabeth Cervantes | KO | 1 (6) | 2008-07-23 | Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Cabazon, California, USA | |
9 | Win | 9–0 | Elizabeth Moreno | UD | 6 | 2008-06-27 | Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Cabazon, California, USA | |
8 | Win | 8–0 | Flor Verdugo | TKO | 2 (6) | 2008-03-29 | Gimnasio Oscar 'Tigre' García, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico | |
7 | Win | 7–0 | Carly Batey | SD | 6 | 2007-08-17 | Harrah's Rincon Casino, Valley Center, California, USA | |
6 | Win | 6–0 | Elizabeth Cervantes | UD | 4 | 2007-03-30 | Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, California, USA | |
5 | Win | 5–0 | Stella Nijhof | UD | 6 | 2006-11-18 | Conference Center, Monterey, California, USA | |
4 | Win | 4–0 | Maria Contreras | UD | 6 | 2006-07-08 | Conference Center, Monterey, California, USA | |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Elizabeth Cervantes | UD | 4 | 2006-05-19 | Quiet Cannon, Montebello, California, USA | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Tonia Cravens | UD | 4 | 2006-03-25 | Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California, USA | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Suzannah Warner | UD | 4 | 2006-02-23 | San Manuel Indian Casino, San Bernardino, California, USA |
References
- ^ "Boxrec profile of Kaliesha West". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- "Boxing record for Kaliesha West". BoxRec.
- ^ "Biography of Kaliesha West". womenofboxing.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ "One-on-One Interview with Kaliesha West - the 2023 International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee". womenofboxing.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- "2010 Female Fighter Of The Year 2010 Kaliesha West". The Sweet Science. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- "West Stops Gladney by TKO and wins WBO Title". womenofboximg.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- "Kaleisha West Beats Ruiz on Mosley's First Card". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- "GALLERY: Kaliesha West Defeats Ruiz to Win IFBA Super Bantamweight Title". patch.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- "Bullied No Longer, Kaliesha West Readies For IWBHF Induction". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- Sportspeople from Moreno Valley, California
- People from South Haven, Michigan
- 1982 births
- Living people
- American women boxers
- American boxers of Mexican descent
- Sportspeople from Michigan
- Sportspeople from California
- World boxing champions
- Bantamweight boxers
- Super-bantamweight boxers
- 21st-century American women