Lucia Rijker
Encyclopedia
Lucia Rijker is a Dutch
professional female boxer
, kickboxer
, and actress.
Rijker has been dubbed by the press and opponents "The Most Dangerous Woman in the World". She can speak four languages and is a Buddhist, dedicating time daily to meditation and chanting. Her mother was born in the Netherlands and her father is from Suriname
.
. A year later, she was part of the Dutch National Softball Team. At fourteen, after picking up fencing a year earlier, Lucia became the Netherlands Junior Champion of that sport.
-winning, female boxer-based film Million Dollar Baby
. She was also featured in the documentary film Shadow Boxers. She played a minor role in Rollerball (2002 film)
and had a brief cameo in the season 2 finale of The L Word
as Dana's trainer. She returned to The L Word in Season 5 as Dusty, Helena's cellmate in prison. Rijker also played a Romulan
communications officer in the film Star Trek. Rijker also auditioned for the role of the female terminator
in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
and was one of three finalists.
(20-4 going in; 25-6 as of December 2004) by decision (eight rounds) on June 21, 2003 for her 16th win. Win number 17 was a ten-round decision over "Sunshine" Fettkether on May 20, 2004.
Rijker and Christy Martin were scheduled to fight on July 30, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas
. Major U.S. promoter Bob Arum
(Top Rank Boxing's head) had made their match the main event of a card (with otherwise male boxing matches) called "Million Dollar Lady". Each woman was guaranteed $250,000 (U.S.), with the winner receiving an extra $750,000; however, on July 20, it was announced that she had ruptured an Achilles tendon
while training for the fight; recovery time was estimated to be 4–7 months. The match was ultimately cancelled.
In 2006 Rijker stated that although not retired as a professional boxer, she would only consider one more fight - a bout with Laila Ali
.
kickboxing match against male opponent, World Champion Somchai Jaidee of New Zealand
(a 2nd-round K.O.).
Rijker has been on the cover of numerous magazines including Inside Kung Fu
. As a professional boxer, she has won the WIBF
Welterweight Title, and has beaten name fighters such as Marcela Acuña
(5th-round K.O.; Acuña was 0-1 going into the fight, and 19-4 as of June 2005), and Deborah "Sunshine" Fettkether (10th-round decision; Fettkether was 8-4-3 going in).
She remains busy giving lectures and seminars to athletes and people from all walks of life to perform their best, while still maintaining her top physical form and a strict diet.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
professional female boxer
Women's boxing
Women's boxing first appeared in the Olympic Games at a demonstration bout in 1902. For most of the 20th century, however, it was banned in most nations. Its revival was pioneered by the Swedish Amateur Boxing Association, which sanctioned events for women in 1988. The British Amateur Boxing...
, kickboxer
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
, and actress.
Rijker has been dubbed by the press and opponents "The Most Dangerous Woman in the World". She can speak four languages and is a Buddhist, dedicating time daily to meditation and chanting. Her mother was born in the Netherlands and her father is from Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
.
Early career
Rijker started her martial arts career at the early age of six, when she began training in judoJudo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
. A year later, she was part of the Dutch National Softball Team. At fourteen, after picking up fencing a year earlier, Lucia became the Netherlands Junior Champion of that sport.
Career change
After winning her first 14 fights, but failing to secure a match with Martin, Rijker stepped away from boxing in 1999 to pursue a career in Hollywood. She appeared as Billie 'The Blue Bear' in 2004's OscarAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-winning, female boxer-based film Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman...
. She was also featured in the documentary film Shadow Boxers. She played a minor role in Rollerball (2002 film)
Rollerball (2002 film)
Rollerball is a 2002 remake of the 1975 science-fiction film of the same name. This updated version stars Chris Klein, LL Cool J, Rebecca Romijn and Jean Reno, was directed by John McTiernan and has a much greater concentration on action with more muted social and political overtones...
and had a brief cameo in the season 2 finale of The L Word
The L Word
The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
as Dana's trainer. She returned to The L Word in Season 5 as Dusty, Helena's cellmate in prison. Rijker also played a Romulan
Romulan
The Romulans are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe. First appearing in the original Star Trek series in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror", they have since made appearances in all the main later Star Trek series: The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager...
communications officer in the film Star Trek. Rijker also auditioned for the role of the female terminator
T-X
The T-X, also known as the Terminatrix, is a fictional character who appears in the 2003 film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which is part of the Terminator franchise. The T-X is a cyborg assassin with a human female appearance; the character was portrayed by Kristanna Loken...
in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, commonly abbreviated as T3, is a 2003 science fiction action film directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken...
and was one of three finalists.
Return to the ring
She returned to the ring in February 2002, beating Jane CouchJane Couch
Jane Couch, MBE became the first officially licensed British female boxer in 1998. In a 14-year professional career, she won five world titles and announced her retirement from boxing on 1 December 2008...
(20-4 going in; 25-6 as of December 2004) by decision (eight rounds) on June 21, 2003 for her 16th win. Win number 17 was a ten-round decision over "Sunshine" Fettkether on May 20, 2004.
Rijker and Christy Martin were scheduled to fight on July 30, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. Major U.S. promoter Bob Arum
Bob Arum
Robert "Bob" Arum is the founder and CEO of Top Rank, a professional boxing promotion company based in Las Vegas. He also worked for the US Attorney's Office for the southern district of New York in the tax division....
(Top Rank Boxing's head) had made their match the main event of a card (with otherwise male boxing matches) called "Million Dollar Lady". Each woman was guaranteed $250,000 (U.S.), with the winner receiving an extra $750,000; however, on July 20, it was announced that she had ruptured an Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
while training for the fight; recovery time was estimated to be 4–7 months. The match was ultimately cancelled.
In 2006 Rijker stated that although not retired as a professional boxer, she would only consider one more fight - a bout with Laila Ali
Laila Ali
Laila Amaria Ali is a retired American professional boxer. She is the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali from his third wife Veronica Porsche Ali.-Boxing career:...
.
Boxing records
As of February 2007, she was undefeated in the ring; her boxing record is 17-0 (14 K.O.'s), and her kickboxing record is 37-0 (25 K.O.'s), conquering five world titles in the process. She met her only defeat in October 1994 at an exhibition Muay ThaiMuay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
kickboxing match against male opponent, World Champion Somchai Jaidee of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
(a 2nd-round K.O.).
Rijker has been on the cover of numerous magazines including Inside Kung Fu
Inside Kung Fu
Inside Kung Fu is one of the major martial arts magazines in the United States. It is owned by Action Pursuit Group Media.The magazine focuses on Chinese martial arts but also covers martial arts and self-defense topics in general. It annually inducts martial artists into its well-known Hall of...
. As a professional boxer, she has won 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...
Welterweight Title, and has beaten name fighters such as Marcela Acuña
Marcela Acuña
Marcela Eliana Acuña is an Argentine female boxer, who is nicknamed La Tigresa. Her mother wished for Acuña to become a ballerina, but that was never Acuña's dream....
(5th-round K.O.; Acuña was 0-1 going into the fight, and 19-4 as of June 2005), and Deborah "Sunshine" Fettkether (10th-round decision; Fettkether was 8-4-3 going in).
Current activities
For several years Rijker has been training under the world famous boxing coach Freddie Roach.She remains busy giving lectures and seminars to athletes and people from all walks of life to perform their best, while still maintaining her top physical form and a strict diet.