Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
This woman began her fight career in judo, played softball for the Dutch national team, took up fencing and within a year became the national junior champion.
That's on top of being 37-0(25KOs) as a professional kickboxer
And 17-0(14KOs) as a professional boxer
I'm not declaring she is the greatest female athlete ever just proposing she may be. I'll never forget the first time I saw her fight. She didn't flail, she didn't flinch. She moved and threw punches with purpose. For a while I was convinced she was a guy she was so impressive. Really made me address my prejudices.
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
She is great but she aint got nothing on Hyun Mi Choi. Female boxing in Asia have better fighters and tougher competition than america and hyun mi choi is crazy with it.
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
I'll never forget the time she got laid out by that guy when she took one right across the chops from this little muay thai guy that wasn't about to lose to a woman. Even in defeat, she went in there and fought with no fear.
Its too bad we never got to see her dismantle Christy Martin.
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
J_Undisputed
I'll never forget the time she got laid out by that guy when she took one right across the chops from this little muay thai guy that wasn't about to lose to a woman. Even in defeat, she went in there and fought with no fear.
Its too bad we never got to see her dismantle Christy Martin.
I remember that lol. That's just a reminder that no man is going to lose to some chick with tits no matter how crazy they are.
I'd knock her out too with a grazing check hook but that's nothing to brag about.
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
She could be right up there, but you'd probably have to look at how good she was at softball and fencing to have any real idea. Women fighting has never remotely interested me in general, but there are intangibles in any combat sport that don't really enter the equation in most others, and don't really pertain to "athleticism", if that makes sense. Could be she was just a lot mentally tougher than most who choose to box, men or women.
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
Women belong in the hot kitchen with aprons on, not boxing trunks.
Kitchen or the bed.. I dont like it when women tries to do guys stuff..
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
Rijker was the best female fighter I've ever seen.
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
J_Undisputed
I'll never forget the time she got laid out by that guy when she took one right across the chops from this little muay thai guy that wasn't about to lose to a woman. Even in defeat, she went in there and fought with no fear.
Its too bad we never got to see her dismantle Christy Martin.
I would have loved to see her fight Christy Martin that would have been good.
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
I don't know if she was the greatest female athlete, but certainly the greatest female boxer.
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
Rijker and Christy Martin almost fought in 2005, but Rijker suffered an Achilles tear not long before the scheduled match, and the fight was scrapped, not postponed.
The scheduled fight was too late anyway; they should have fought 7 or 8 years earlier in 1997 or 1998, but I believe that it was Martin who didn't want that fight. Purse split issues.
6 months difference in age.
Lucia had 2 inches in height advantage.
Martin had far more pro boxing experience, whereas Rijker had been a pro kickboxing Champ.
Martin went pro in 1989, whereas Rijker's 1st pro boxing match was early 1996, but she'd been a pro kickboxer since 1982.
1996 was when Martin got the Sports Illustrated cover.
In late '97 and '98, they were trying to put that fight together.
They both were 28, 29 years old around that time, at their peaks.
They dicked around enough over the purse split that Martin finally lost in late '98 to unheralded Sumya Anani in a huge upset, and the Big Fight with the big money went right down the drain.
That late 90's era is when they should have fought, not the one finally scheduled for 2005 when they were both 37 years old. Martin had already lost a few times by then including in that farce with Laila Ali.
Crapola!
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
I saw Rijker win a fight with a right uppercut to the body inside an opponent's left hook, aimed at her body. That is a beautiful and natural counter and you never see it. I have tried to teach it for a quarter of a century and never had anybody believe enough to do it. The only other example I can recall was Hector Lizzaraga vs Welcome Ncita, and Lizzaraga hit it to the chin.
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
She certainly did a number on Hilary Swank.
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
^ Ahah hah, I was cheering for Rijker all the way in that movie! :)
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
Y'know, in both Kickboxing and Boxing, Rijker only had 1 loss and that was to a man.
Re: Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?
Lucia was something refreshing and strictly business. I think she should have kicked the shit out of Martin...twice...and Ali, weight aside. Manny steward was with her on FNF watching Ali gas late one night and made the 'catchweight' sound reasonable and let it be known. Ali was dodging Anne Wolfe questions in interview and lost the mic to her manager/husband though. King knew he had a floating cash cow on undercards in Martin, a niche, and no way he was ever serious about Lucia I don't think. That would have been a brutal beat down.
