Bantamweight contender Ava Knight has been practically begging for a fight against anyone, both anytime and anywhere. If you look at her brief eight-bout résumé, you would notice that the combined record of her last four opponents was 56-9-8.
After a 16-month stretch of inactivity, one of boxing’s obscure talents is finally ready to take off once again against Gloria Salas, 3-5-1 (1), on the undercard of this Friday’s edition of Telefutura’s “Sólo Boxeo Tecate.”
“I’m really excited about it,” said a relieved Knight. “I haven’t been as motivated in awhile. I’m ready for anything this Friday.”
With most of her bouts occurring in the other fighters’ backyards, to escape the entire stretch at 5-1-2 (2), says a lot about the steely 22-year-old native of Chico, Calif. A two-time San Francisco Golden Gloves champ and silver medalist at the 2006 national amateur championships at flyweight, Knight has displayed flashes of the relentless “Lady of Boxing” that her team hopes will show up in the ring this weekend.“Competition just makes us better,” said her trainer, Ben Bautista of SFC Boxing. “It brings the best out of you and it sure did in Ava. After being an underdog and not getting the same type of privileges as other fighters and not being spoon-fed opportunities, she’s starving like a hungry hippo. She’s more hungry, more determined, and more dedicated. She just needed to be in the right place and an opportunity to shine. She’s packing TNT and will show the world what she can do.”
Knight’s pro career, albeit brief, has quite a few names on her ledger. In addition to a unanimous decision over previously undefeated and current WBO bantamweight champ Kaliesha West, she also stopped 9-2-1 Noriko Kariya (sister of former NHL star Paul Kariya) in five frames and battled former IFBA flyweight titlist Elena “Baby Doll” Reid to a draw. What’s most astounding is that she was favored to win in as many fights as Dan Marino has Super Bowl rings.
“Even when I started, it’s always been someone more experienced as an opponent,” said Knight. “But I took these fights as experience, win, lose, or draw. No matter what I got, I got what I wanted out of it. I got the knowledge. Fighting Elena Reid, who fought for a championship, and the variety of tough fights I got helped me in the long run.”
Inevitably, assuming the role of road warrior time and time again accompanies a great deal of risk. It was at the end of the aforementioned unbeaten streak when she incurred her first defeat, a ten-round decision loss to Ana Maria Torres for the WBC female 115-pound title back in August of 2009.
Knight did not enjoy her stint south of the border. “When we landed in Mexico, I didn’t like the way we were treated. We were the first ones out and the last ones in. It was like 126 degrees outside. The food before the fight made me sick, too. It’s like they did everything they could to make it hard for us. I couldn’t get my mind fully into the fight. I know I lost. I had it 6-4 but I thought it was a close fight.”
Still, the fighter was able to find a silver lining in the setback. “That loss was the most important fight I’ve had to date,” she said. “I learned more about the mental game. The physical part is important but it doesn’t matter if your mind isn’t in it 100-percent.”
It was during this time when Knight decided it was time to reevaluate her career. A student at Butte Community College (the alma mater of NFL star Aaron Rodgers), Knight was employed at a payroll company. When she eventually decided she wanted to continue, she discovered an old friend from the amateurs to help steer her back in the right direction.
“My old coach, Joe Rodriguez, was getting up in age and even though he got me to where I am today, he had to stop because he had to take care of his family. I was bouncing around between Chico and Sacramento. When I went to San Francisco, I went to Ben Bautista because I’ve known him since I was 13. I feel a sense of community here in the gym.”
As we all know, making waves in boxing can often be a matter of who you know, rather than what you can do. Without any weight behind her and coming off a loss, Knight found it difficult to convert her success into bigger fights, much less a single fight.
“Since I came out here [to San Francisco], we started getting calls about potential fights,” recalled Knight. “Somehow though they all kept falling through.”
Fate intervened in the form of adviser Claudia Ollis, who had been watching Knight spar undefeated super bantamweight Melinda Cooper. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Ollis was instrumental in securing an undercard bout for West on the recent Golden Boy show featuring Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora.
“I’ve been looking at Ava for awhile,” recounted Ollis, who managed West to the WBO belt last autumn. “I knew it was the only blemish on Kaliesha’s record. I’ve been looking for women with a lot of skill and heart. She’s kind of like a hidden gem. She hadn’t fought for a while and women’s boxing is making a comeback.”
Almost immediately, the raven-haired adviser worked her magic once again and Knight’s 16th month of inactivity would be her last. “I made the call to Ava a couple months ago and she was like, ‘Really? Golden Boy?’ I asked her if she could be ready in time and she’s been so grateful. I’m really ecstatic for her and her team. They’re going to show the people out there is a fan base for female boxing.”
Slowly but surely, women’s boxing is getting back on its feet in the mainstream and Ollis spoke of the importance of females like Knight appearing on higher-profile fight cards.
“You’re going to see a skillful fighter on Friday,” she added. “You’re going to see someone with combinations like the big boys do. It’s been a long time since women have been in the limelight to showcase their skills, so they have so much more to prove. Now that I’ve been in the picture, I’m glad to help her get this opportunity on this Golden Boy card.”
Armed with a new team, Knight has seen her stock rise, especially with the exposure that will come with being on the same card as Golden Boy prospects Erislandy Lara, Frankie Gomez, and Randy Caballero.
“What a great opportunity this is!” Knight exclaimed. “I feel blessed that Claudia helped make this happen. But I don’t feel pressure at all. I always give my best and I’m usually picked as the fight of the night afterwards. I’m a very exciting fighter and everyone’s going to see that.”
With Salas’s sub-.500 record, many see this bout as a showcase fight for Knight, with the Telefutura crew in attendance and Oscar De La Hoya scheduled to make an appearance. However, Knight’s cornerman is unwilling to concede any notion that they are looking past Salas.
“Salas is a tough fighter,” said Bautista. “She comes in straight-forward. But I’m 100-percent confident that Ava’s hungry. When she comes out to the ring, the only thing she’s focused on is her opponent. This is a golden opportunity for a golden girl to fight on a Golden Boy card. We believe we’re going to make a statement.”
No longer perceived as fodder on another fighter’s bill, Ava Knight finally has the luxury of not having to look over her shoulder and worry about anything outside of what happens in the ring. But don’t mistake this newfound comfort for complacency.
“I’m definitely not going to take this for granted,” she said, “because just like before, the fight doesn’t happen until you step in the ring and you hear the bell. No matter how this ends up, I’m still going to go my hardest.”
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On Friday, January 14, the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., will be the site for Telefutura’s “Sólo Boxeo Tecate,” presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate. Featured on the card are Erislandy Lara, Frankie Gomez, Randy Caballero, Trevor McCumby, and Ava Knight. Doors open at 6:00 PM, PT, the first bell rings at 7:00 PM, PT, and the Telefutura broadcast begins at 11:30 PM, ET/8:30 PM, PT (10:30 PM, CT). Tickets, priced at $25, $35, and $45 are on sale now at the Fantasy Springs Box Office by calling (800) 827-2946 or by going online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
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