Isra Girgrah
Encyclopedia
Isra Girgrah is a world champion female boxer. The Girgrah family is of the old, high society, families of Aden, Yemen. They trace their roots to the northern Yemeni mountains of Al Bayda governorate. Isra, at the age of 3, moved to Canada with her family in 1974 and began boxing there in 1994 to stay in shape. A multi-sport star in high school volleyball, soccer and volleyball, she proved a natural as a boxer. She says she fell in love with the sport after a year of training and took it up again after graduating from college and moving to Atlanta, United States.
Girgrah, whose world boxing identification number is MD040035, is an American citizen, although the "MD" in her identification number stands for Middle East. Girgrah and Naseem Hamed
are the only two world champion boxers of the Arab world, and both hail of Yemeni origin. Unlike Egypt
, Morocco
and several other Arab nations, Yemen does not boast a rich sporting culture, yet these two phenoms have sparked worldwide interest in the hidden athletic talents Yemen may possess.
Isra's style has been dubbed beautiful & dynamic as she dominates her opponents. Her fighting nickname is "Raging Beauty". Her record includes holding 4 World Class Belts. IBF Lightweight Champion, UBA Lightweight Champion, IWBF Jr. Lightweight Champion, WIBF Jr. Lightweight Champion
Her professional boxing debut came on February 14, 1995, in Louisiana
, when she lost to future world champion Deirdre Gogarty
by a knockout in three rounds. On November 2, she acquired her first victory, a six round decision win, over Melinda Robinson, another future world champion, in Austin, Texas
.
On January 19, 1996, Girgrah recorded her first knockout
win, beating Amy Sherald in the first round at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Her wins over Robinson and Sherrald were the beginning of a six fight winning streak, which included another victory over Robinson, with a six round unanimous decision on February 22, 1996 in Corpus Christi, Texas
.
The streak came to a halt when she faced Andrea DeShong
, on October 6 of the same year. She and DeShong fought to a four round draw (tie) in Washington, D.C.
. After that, Girgrah knocked out Norma Mosley in the second round fifteen days later, to begin a three fight winning streak that also included wins over Bethany Payne and in a rematch against Tennile Davis.
Girgrah then faced Christy Martin on a pay per view televised match that formed part of an undercard that included the Trinidad
-Waters
and López-Sánchez
bouts. Girgrah lost to Martin on points over eight rounds, but her name's stock rose in defeat, as most boxing magazine writers agreed that she performed well against the defending WBC
women's world champion.
On April 11, 1998, she rebounded from defeat in her first world title try, by knocking out Andrea Buchanan in three rounds at Columbia, South Carolina
. Next came a rematch with Bethany Payne, whom Girgrah beat by a knockout in seven rounds on November 20, at Stone Mountain, Georgia
.
After one more victory, she was beaten on October 23, 1999 by Marischa Sjauw by a four round decision. This fight marked Girgrah's Las Vegas
debut.
On February 16, 2000, she faced the well known Britt Van Buskirk in Miami
, being held to a draw after four rounds.
Girgrah fought Melinda Robinson for the third time on July 12 at Woodlawn, Maryland
. Girgrah obtained her third consecutive win over her nemesis with a six round unanimous decision. On September 16, she beat Susan Mullet by a unanimous six round decision in Atlantic City, New Jersey
. After one more win, Girgrah received her second world championship opportunity.
On January 12, 2001, she and Mullet were rematched, with the UBA's vacant world Lightweight championship on the line. Girgrah became the first Middle Eastern woman to be a world champion in boxing history when she knocked out Mullet in the fourth round, in a fight that was, once again, held in Atlantic City.
After a fourth win over Robinson, she met Snodene Blackeney on June 1, at Atlantic City, to unify her UBA title with the WIBF
world championship. Girgrah added the WIBF's belt with a ten round unanimous decision over Blackeney.
Girgrah won her next three bouts, but she did not expose the WIBF title in any of those fights, reason why she was stripped of the WIBF championship. She won all three of those non-title bouts, which included a February 28, 2002 ten round decision victory over Tracy Byrd
in Baltimore. After those three wins, however, she was given an opportunity to regain her WIBF championship.
Fighting for the vacant championship that she had vacated herself, Girgrah met Michele Nielsen on August 24, with Girgrah recovering the title by a ten round decision win, once again, in Atlantic City.
She followed this win with a series of non-title bouts, which led to her being stripped again, this time of the UBA and the WIBF belts. But among the fighters she beat were Mexico's Laura Serrano
, decisioned over eight rounds on April 18, 2003 in Lemoore, California
, and Puerto Rico
's Melissa Del Valle
, outpointed over eight rounds on September 6 of that same year in Washington, D.C.
After the win against Del Valle, Girgrah fought Jo Wyman on December 13, for the IFBA's vacant world Jr. Lightweight title. Contrary to common boxing practice, Girgrah won her second division world championship by going down in weight, when she outpointed Wyman over 10 rounds in Washington.
On March 27, 2004, she had her fourth fight with Carla Witherspoon, defeating Witherspoon by a six round unanimos decision in Washington. Girgrah also has four victories without a loss against Witherspoon. The March 27 bout has been Girgrah's last fight to date.
Isra Girgrah has a record of 28 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws in 33 bouts as a professional boxer, with 11 wins by knockout. Her record includes holding 4 World Class Belts. IBF Lightweight Champion, UBA Lightweight Champion, IWBF Jr. Lightweight Champion, WIBF Jr. Lightweight Champion
Girgrah, whose world boxing identification number is MD040035, is an American citizen, although the "MD" in her identification number stands for Middle East. Girgrah and Naseem Hamed
Naseem Hamed
Naseem Hamed is an English former professional boxer.He is the former WBO, WBC, IBF, & Lineal featherweight champion, and European bantamweight champion....
are the only two world champion boxers of the Arab world, and both hail of Yemeni origin. Unlike Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and several other Arab nations, Yemen does not boast a rich sporting culture, yet these two phenoms have sparked worldwide interest in the hidden athletic talents Yemen may possess.
Isra's style has been dubbed beautiful & dynamic as she dominates her opponents. Her fighting nickname is "Raging Beauty". Her record includes holding 4 World Class Belts. IBF Lightweight Champion, UBA Lightweight Champion, IWBF Jr. Lightweight Champion, WIBF Jr. Lightweight Champion
Her professional boxing debut came on February 14, 1995, in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, when she lost to future world champion Deirdre Gogarty
Deirdre Gogarty
Deirdre Gogarty is a female boxer who was born in Drogheda, Ireland.Due to legal issues regarding Women's Boxing in Ireland at the time, Gogarty could not engage in competition there. She currently fights out of New Orleans, Louisiana...
by a knockout in three rounds. On November 2, she acquired her first victory, a six round decision win, over Melinda Robinson, another future world champion, in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
On January 19, 1996, Girgrah recorded her first knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
win, beating Amy Sherald in the first round at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. Her wins over Robinson and Sherrald were the beginning of a six fight winning streak, which included another victory over Robinson, with a six round unanimous decision on February 22, 1996 in Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
.
The streak came to a halt when she faced Andrea DeShong
Andrea DeShong
Andrea DeShong is a former United States female boxer who is best remembered for defeating Christy Martin in Martin's fourth professional bout.- Professional career :...
, on October 6 of the same year. She and DeShong fought to a four round draw (tie) in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. After that, Girgrah knocked out Norma Mosley in the second round fifteen days later, to begin a three fight winning streak that also included wins over Bethany Payne and in a rematch against Tennile Davis.
Girgrah then faced Christy Martin on a pay per view televised match that formed part of an undercard that included the Trinidad
Félix Trinidad
Félix 'Tito' Trinidad, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional boxer, considered one of the best in Puerto Rico's history. After winning five National Amateur Championships in Puerto Rico, he debuted as a professional when he was 17. He won his first world championship when he defeated Maurice Blocker...
-Waters
Troy Waters
Troy Weston Waters is a retired light middleweight boxer and member of the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame...
and López-Sánchez
Alex Sánchez (boxer)
Alex "El Nene" Sánchez is a retired Puerto Rican professional boxer.-Boxing career:Sánchez began his professional boxing career on October 4, 1991, knocking out Carlos Figueroa in round one at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico....
bouts. Girgrah lost to Martin on points over eight rounds, but her name's stock rose in defeat, as most boxing magazine writers agreed that she performed well against the defending WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
women's world champion.
On April 11, 1998, she rebounded from defeat in her first world title try, by knocking out Andrea Buchanan in three rounds at Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. Next came a rematch with Bethany Payne, whom Girgrah beat by a knockout in seven rounds on November 20, at Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,802 at the 2010 census. It is an outer suburb of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.-Geography:...
.
After one more victory, she was beaten on October 23, 1999 by Marischa Sjauw by a four round decision. This fight marked Girgrah's Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
debut.
On February 16, 2000, she faced the well known Britt Van Buskirk in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, being held to a draw after four rounds.
Girgrah fought Melinda Robinson for the third time on July 12 at Woodlawn, Maryland
Woodlawn, Maryland
Woodlawn is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Maryland:*Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland*Woodlawn, Prince George's County, Maryland...
. Girgrah obtained her third consecutive win over her nemesis with a six round unanimous decision. On September 16, she beat Susan Mullet by a unanimous six round decision in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
. After one more win, Girgrah received her second world championship opportunity.
On January 12, 2001, she and Mullet were rematched, with the UBA's vacant world Lightweight championship on the line. Girgrah became the first Middle Eastern woman to be a world champion in boxing history when she knocked out Mullet in the fourth round, in a fight that was, once again, held in Atlantic City.
After a fourth win over Robinson, she met Snodene Blackeney on June 1, at Atlantic City, to unify her UBA title with the WIBF
Women's International Boxing Federation
The WIBF is, along with the WIBA, IWBF and others, one of the more recognized world championship fight sanctioning organizations in women's boxing. The organization is based in Miami, Florida, and is not associated with male boxing's IBF.The WIBF was formed in the middle 1990s. It is presided by...
world championship. Girgrah added the WIBF's belt with a ten round unanimous decision over Blackeney.
Girgrah won her next three bouts, but she did not expose the WIBF title in any of those fights, reason why she was stripped of the WIBF championship. She won all three of those non-title bouts, which included a February 28, 2002 ten round decision victory over Tracy Byrd
Tracy Byrd (boxer)
-Background:Byrd comes from a boxing family: her father, Joe Byrd, is a former boxer who currently trains her.Her brother Antoine once lost to Roy Jones Jr. in a bid to win the world's Middleweight title, and her other brother, Chris, is a former heavyweight title holder.Tracy Byrd enjoyed...
in Baltimore. After those three wins, however, she was given an opportunity to regain her WIBF championship.
Fighting for the vacant championship that she had vacated herself, Girgrah met Michele Nielsen on August 24, with Girgrah recovering the title by a ten round decision win, once again, in Atlantic City.
She followed this win with a series of non-title bouts, which led to her being stripped again, this time of the UBA and the WIBF belts. But among the fighters she beat were Mexico's Laura Serrano
Laura Serrano
Laura Serrano Garcia is a Mexican boxer.Serrano began boxing at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma Nacional in Mexico City, where she was studying to become a lawyer. She wanted to lose weight and stay in shape. She applied for a professional boxer's license in Mexico...
, decisioned over eight rounds on April 18, 2003 in Lemoore, California
Lemoore, California
Lemoore is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of 230 feet . It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's Melissa Del Valle
Melissa Del Valle
Melissa Del Valle is an American multiple champion in the sport of women's boxing, both at the amateur and professional levels....
, outpointed over eight rounds on September 6 of that same year in Washington, D.C.
After the win against Del Valle, Girgrah fought Jo Wyman on December 13, for the IFBA's vacant world Jr. Lightweight title. Contrary to common boxing practice, Girgrah won her second division world championship by going down in weight, when she outpointed Wyman over 10 rounds in Washington.
On March 27, 2004, she had her fourth fight with Carla Witherspoon, defeating Witherspoon by a six round unanimos decision in Washington. Girgrah also has four victories without a loss against Witherspoon. The March 27 bout has been Girgrah's last fight to date.
Isra Girgrah has a record of 28 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws in 33 bouts as a professional boxer, with 11 wins by knockout. Her record includes holding 4 World Class Belts. IBF Lightweight Champion, UBA Lightweight Champion, IWBF Jr. Lightweight Champion, WIBF Jr. Lightweight Champion