Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?

[Master]

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.

[Beanflicker]

I don't know if she was the greatest female athlete, but certainly the greatest female boxer.

[bradlee180]

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!