Lucia Rijker, greatest female athlete?

[Ron Swanson]

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.

[FinitoElDinamita]

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.

[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.

[FinitoElDinamita]

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.

[p4pking]

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.

[FinitoElDinamita]

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..

[bradlee180]

Rijker was the best female fighter I've ever seen.

[beenKOed]

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.

Every man knows you are the man!

[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!

[Ron Swanson]

Yeah, Rijker wanted the fight, Martin didn't. Rijker retired because she couldn't get the fight. After she came back from retirement they had it lined up but Rijker tore her achilles. Since Martin was so clearly fading Rijker said she would only return to the ring to fight Ali. While Rijker was much much better than Ali she faught at 140 and Ali at 168 so it would have been a mismatch size wise.

I don't worry too much that Rijker never got to beat up Martin because it would have been easy.

[greynotsoold]

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.

[frasd]

She certainly did a number on Hilary Swank.

[bradlee180]

^ Ahah hah, I was cheering for Rijker all the way in that movie!