British Boxer Marianne Marston KO’d By American Embassy In London
English super bantamweight Marianne ‘Golden Girl’ Marston, who was due to fight on the undercard of Brian Cohen’s WBC Americas title fight in South Philadelphia on May 9, suffered a further setback to her career when the American Embassy in London refused her visa application.
After regularly traveling back and forth to America to train for over two years on the visa waiver system with no problems, Marston had expected her visa application to be a formality.
Marston is expecting further repercussions from her failure to secure a visa, as her contract with sports clothing and equipment manufacturer, Pugilist Urban Garments, is reliant on her being in America as part of the promotion of their P.U.G. Athletic brand into the $50 billion American sporting goods market in 2009.
Both Marston’s contracts with Team ‘USS’Cunningham, who represent and train her in America, and the May 9 event promoters, ABBCorp, Inc. and Bionic Bull Enterprises, are also on the basis of her securing the visa.
Her not being able to make the May 9 fight is particularly worrying for Marianne as Donna Cohen, of ABBCorp, Inc. and Bionic Bull Enterprises, had made an offer of a twelve fight contract between May 2009 and Dec 2010.
Marston, a protégé of legendary former heavyweight boxing champion of the world Smokin’ Joe Frazier and former IBF Cruiserweight Champion, Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham, spoke of her feelings during her daily training session at Gleason’s Gym near Tower Bridge in London.
“I can’t believe that they refused my visa again,” sahe said. “I originally applied in March so I could return to Philadelphia to resume training with Steve Cunningham and Shar’ron Baker in preparation for my anticipated pro-debut.
“The guy that interviewed me at the Embassy in March said he was refusing my application because I don’t have adequate socioeconomic ties with the UK, not much family here or a job, and as such doesn’t feel I would return here. He also said my boxing is just a ‘hobby’.
“I found that unbelievably insulting. I’m English born and bred, London is my home and always will be. It’s not my fault I only have two close family members still living and boxing is my job. I can get plenty of fights in America. I am aware that the chances of getting many fights here in the UK is very slim as there just aren’t many female pro-fighters here.
“As for my not returning to the UK, I have been going to America for the past couple of years to train, firstly at Joe Frazier’s and then at James Shuler Memorial Gym on the visa waiver system.
“I’ve never abused it, I always returned within the 90 days. If I was going to stay illegally surely I would have done it then, not after going to the trouble of applying for a visa.
“Yes, I accept I’m an amateur by definition as I have yet to have my pro-debut fight, but I am a professional in reality. Boxing is my life and now it is the way I make a living. They don’t realise how hard I train. It’s not a hobby, I run between 3 and 17 miles in the morning, then spend between 4 and 5 hours in the afternoon training at the gym.
“I reapplied for my visa after P.U.G. renewed my sponsorship and I had been emailed the contract to fight on May 9th. These were already being discussed, but had not been sorted, before my first application so I didn’t mention them.
“I supplied the contracts from P.U.G. and the promoter but the guy who interviewed me the second time said I have just changed my story and the refusal still stands. It makes me wonder if they don’t believe that a woman could make a career of being a professional boxer.
“I’m flabbergasted, I have been waiting so long for my professional debut, I was supposed to debut last May but Frazier’s closed down and I was left without a gym, trainers or management. Then in August, as I was preparing for a fight in New Jersey, I burst my Achilles tendon.
“I was on the Casino Battle Royale card for January this year, I’d even made my appointment for a visa interview back then, but as the whole event got canceled I put the interview back to March so I could get back in time for Steve’s fight [Cunningham vs Tomasz Adamek’s IBF Cruiserweight Championship bout] and now this happens. It feels like I’ll never actually get to fight.
“I’m not going to give up though, I’m still training hard just in case we can get this sorted and I can get to fight. â€
Marston’s professional debut was due to be on the undercard of Brian Cohen WBC Americas Light Heavyweight title fight on May 9, 2009 at the South Philadelphia High School. Marston’s contest would have been one of three female bouts on the ten fight card.
Promoter Donna Cohen is a big supporter of Women’s boxing and every event she promotes includes at least one female match-up.
www.mariannemarston.com
For tickets and further details for the event at South Philadelphia High School please contact:
Donna Cohen, ABBCorp, Inc. & Bionic Bull Enterprise. Tel: 215 755 8155