Exclusive Boxing Interview: Mia St. John

12 Steps The Key For Boxing Beauty

IFBA Lightweight Champion Mia Rosales-St. John insists the easiest to quit smoking is by using the 12 steps program, saying,”Go to Smokers Anonymous meetings and use the 12 steps program, it really does work.”

St. John has also thrown her support towards the smoking ban which comes into effect July 1 in England and thinks that the sooner other countries follow suit the better.

“I totally support these sorts of bans, I hate smoking and the sooner more of these bans are put into place everywhere the better it will be for everyone,” she commented.

St. John, who used to be managed by Don King, became the first Mexican on the cover of Playboy when she posed for photos in November 1999. St. John is not ashamed of this as she believes that the pictures were done tastefully saying, “The main motivation behind the Playboy pictures was to be the first Mexican on the cover; it is something I am proud of. I ensured the pictures maintained a boxing theme, plus the shoot did help my career and of course there was the financial incentive of it.”

Despite her impressive Boxing record, which includes 43 wins out of 52 fights, Mia is in the belief that a lot of boxing fans are starting to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship just because it is so much more violent. As she reveals,

“The UFC took over and now boxing is fading. It’s just evolution. People like to see the ultimate fighting because it’s more violent and that’s the direction our society is heading. You see it in our video games, music videos and movies its everywhere to see.”

Miaʼs career was almost cut short following her twentieth bout as she was injured in a skiing accident which threaten not only her career but she faced possibly losing one of her legs. After undergoing two operations to remove a blood clot she was given the all clear, Mia insists though that even losing a leg would not have ended he career so prematurely, “When I had the accident I never considered quitting, I was prepared to box with one leg.”

St. John who recently lost a controversial split decision to Brooke Dierdoff in Merrillville, Indiana has also rubbished claims to that marijuana is commonly used by boxers saying, “I donʼt believe that for one second. Its make sense as marijuana slows you down, so why would any athlete want that?”

Mia, who ranks Oscar De La Hoya as one of her idols, does however state that there are still some smokers in boxing but the numbers are dwindling, “There are some smokers in boxing, but the numbers are getting smaller,” she said.

St. John is also a well known personality in the boxing world, considering her eventful career thus far she has promised a ʽtell-allʼ book about her career, a project which is almost finished, “The book is coming along nicely; I am really excited to get my story out there. It is almost finished,” she said.