Lucia Rijker

Lucia Frederica Rijker (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɛikər]; born December 6, 1967) is a Dutch professional female boxer, kickboxer, and actress.

Lucia Rijker
Rijker in 2005
Born (1967-12-06) December 6, 1967
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nickname(s)The Dutch Destroyer
Lady Tyson
NationalityDutch
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight63.5 kg (140 lb)
StyleOrthodox
Professional boxing record
Total17
Wins17
By knockout14
Losses0
Kickboxing record
Total36
Wins35
By knockout25
Draws1

Rijker was sometimes dubbed by the press "The Most Dangerous Woman in the World".[1]

Early career

Rijker speaks four languages and is a Buddhist, dedicating time daily to meditation and chanting.[2] Her mother was born in the Netherlands and her father is from Suriname.[3]

Rijker started her martial arts career at the early age of six, when she began training in judo.[3] A year later, she was part of the Dutch National Softball Team.[4] At fourteen, after picking up fencing a year earlier, Lucia became the Netherlands Junior Champion of that sport.[3] When she was fifteen she began kickboxing and knocked out the reigning American kickboxing champion, Lily Rodriguez.[3] Rijker eventually amassed a 36-0 (25 KO) record as a kickboxer, and won four different world titles. Her only defeat in a kickboxing ring was in an exhibition match at Sporthallen Zuid in Amsterdam in October 1994, when she fought male Muay Thai champion Somchai Jaidee, (the then reigning Muay Thai Australasian champion), who knocked her out in the second round.

Career change

After winning her first 14 fights, but failing to secure a match with Christy Martin, Rijker stepped away from boxing in 1999 to pursue a career in Hollywood.[5] She appeared as Billie 'The Blue Bear' Osterman in 2004's Oscar-winning, female boxer-based film Million Dollar Baby and was featured in the documentary film Shadow Boxers.[5] 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 played a Romulan communications officer in the film Star Trek.

Return to the ring

She returned to the ring in February 2002, beating Jane Couch (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 "Sun shine” 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.[6]

In 2006 Rijker stated that although not retired as a professional boxer, she would only consider one more fight - a bout with Laila Ali.[7]

Boxing records

As of February 2007, she was undefeated in the ring; her boxing record is 17-0 (14 K.O.'s).[3]

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 retired with a record of 42-6-1), 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.[8] In 2012, she was hired as a striking coach to former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey.[9]

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.[10]

Rijker once again gained media attention in June 2013, when she worked in the corner of female boxing challenger Diana Prazak in her WBC super featherweight title bout against local champion Frida Wallberg in Stockholm, Sweden. Prazak knocked Wallberg down twice in the eighth round prompting the referee to stop the fight. After a brief check by the ringside doctor, Wallberg started to collapse in her corner. Rijker immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and called the doctor back to the ring while she and Prazak assisted Wallberg. Wallberg had to be carried from the ring on a stretcher to hospital and underwent surgery with a cerebral hemorrhage. This event sparked controversy about the level of the provided medical attention and reignited debates about banning boxing in Sweden.[4]

In 2014, Rijker was part of the inaugural class of the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[11] In 2020, Rijker will be among the first three female boxers inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. [12]

In 2017 Rijker hosted the Dutch adaptation of Jamie's Dream School; a second season followed in 2018.

Championships and accomplishments

Kickboxing
  • 1988–1989 — IWBA Women's Boxing World Champion
  • 1985–1994 — WKA Women's Division World Champion
  • 1989–1994 — ISKA Women's Division World Champion

Boxing
  • 1997 - WIBF Super Lightweight World Champion
  • 1998 - WIBO Junior Welterweight World Champion
  • 1997–1998 — European WIBF Boxing Champion

Kickboxing record
Kickboxing record[13]
37 wins (25 KOs), 0 losses, 1 draws
DateResultOpponentEventLocationMethodRoundTimeRecord
1994-04-30Win Sandra MooreK-1 Grand Prix '94Tokyo, JapanDecision (unanimous)53:00
1993-12-19Win Yoriko OkamotoK-2 Grand Prix '93Tokyo, JapanTKO (right low kick)20:38
1993-09-04Win Kyoko KamikazeK-1 IllusionTokyo, JapanTKO20:44
1992-05-17Win Michele AboroHamburg, GermanyTKO
1992-00-00Win Kathy PetereitAmsterdam, NetherlandsTKO1
1991-10-06Win Sandra MooreDecision53:00
1991-07-03Win SanchezNetherlandsDecision
Full contact title.
1991-06-00Win Michele AboroOldham, EnglandTKO1
IMTF world lightweight title.
1990-11-18Win Maxine AdamsKO1
1988-10-00Win Ruth O'HaraJapan
1988-02-14Win Daniëlle RoccardArnhem, NetherlandsTKO10:15
1987-11-08Win Valérie HeninAmsterdam, NetherlandsTKO4
World kickboxing title.
0000-00-00Win Bonnie CaninoDecision72:00
1987-04-26Win Anne HolmesAmsterdam, NetherlandsTKO10:30
1985-10-06Win Cheryl WheelerAmsterdam, NetherlandsDecision (unanimous)72:00
World full contact title.
1985-05-26Win Nancy VesulaAmsterdam, NetherlandsTKO2
European title.
1985-03-04Win Ermelinda FernandezClermont-Ferrand, FranceKO2
1984-01-15Win Lilly RodriuezAmsterdam, NetherlandsKO (low kick)10:306-0-1
Retains the ISKA World Super Lightweight (−62.3 kg/137 lb) Full Contact Championship.
1983-09-04Win Linda LladossaAmsterdam, NetherlandsDecision (unanimous)
1983-06-00Win Catherine ZanzouriParis, FranceKO3
1983-00-00Win Nancy JosephAmsterdam, NetherlandsTKO (doctor stoppage)1
1983-06-29Draw Linda LladossaAmsterdam, NetherlandsDraw
1982-11-04Win Sandra OostendorpAmsterdam, Netherlands

Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

Exhibition Kickboxing record
0 wins, 1 loss (1 KO)
DateResultOpponentEventLocationMethodRoundTimeRecord
1994-10-15Loss Somchai JaideeAmsterdam, NetherlandsKO20–1

Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

Professional boxing record
17 Fights, 17 Wins (14 KO's), 0 Losses
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
17 Win 17–0 Deborah Fettkether UD 10 May 20, 2004 Amsterdam
16 Win 16–0 Jane Couch UD 8 June 21, 2003 Los Angeles, CA
15 Win 15–0 Carla Witherspoon TKO 4 February 16, 2002 Ucansville, CT
14 Win 14–0 Diana Dutra TKO 3 August 28, 1999 Las Vegas, NV
13 Win 13–0 Britt van Buskirk TKO 3 April 18, 1999 Miami, FL
12 Win 12–0 Marcela Acuña KO 5 September 25, 1998 Mashantucket, CT
11 Win 11–0 Lisa Ested TKO 4 June 25, 1998 Mashantucket, CT
10 Win 10–0 Mary Ann Almager TKO 1 March 23, 1998 Mashantucket, CT
9 Win 9–0 Jeanette Witte TKO 3 November 20, 1997 Los Angeles, CA
8 Win 8–0 Andrea DeShong TKO 3 September 13, 1997 Las Vegas, NV
7 Win 7–0 Gwen Smith TKO 4 June 14, 1997 Biloxi, MS
6 Win 6–0 Dora Webber UD 6 May 14, 1997 Mashantucket, CT
5 Win 5–0 Chevelle Hallback TKO 5 Mar 22, 1997 Corpus Christi, TX
4 Win 4–0 Irma Verhoef TKO 4 Feb 4, 1997 Rotterdam
3 Win 3–0 Zsuzsanna Szuknai TKO 1 December 17, 1997 Rotterdam
2 Win 2–0 Kelly Jacobs TKO 1 December 6, 1996 Reno, NV
1 Win 1–0 Melinda Robinson KO 1 March 23, 1996 Los Angeles, CA
gollark: ABR cannot actually run t5-small-ssm-nq without consuming more RAM than I want.
gollark: What if LyricLy LITERALLY t5-*medium*-ssm-nq?
gollark: So you have a computer. Computers can run t5-small-ssm-nq. Do you not understand the implications?
gollark: You have a computer, yes?
gollark: Why can't you have t5-small-ssm-nq?

References
  1. Women's Boxing: LUCIA RIJKER
  2. Holden, Stephen (2000-05-12). "FILM REVIEW; Gotta Psych Yourself Up To Win at This Game". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  3. Bernhard, Brendan (1997). "Looking for a Fight". LA Weekly.
  4. Lessa, Christina (1 October 1998). "Lucia". Stories of triumph: women who win in sport and in life. Universe Pub. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7893-0233-5.
  5. Klein, Binnie (30 March 2010). Blows to the Head: How Boxing Changed My Mind. New York: SUNY Press. pp. 19–20. ISBN 978-1-4384-3003-4.
  6. ESPN - Entire card off after Rijker ruptures Achilles tendon - Boxing
  7. Horgan, Dan (2006-09-05). "Lucia Rijker: Hey Laila, "I'm not officially retired"". www.doghouseboxing.com. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
  8. Lucia Rijker Official Website News Section Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Iole, Kevin (2012). "Mixed Martial Arts - Rousey aims to silence critics". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on 2012-08-21.
  10. Hendin, Josephine (2004). Heartbreakers: Women and Violence in Contemporary Culture and Literature. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-312-23700-4.
  11. "2014 IWBHF Inductee: Lucia Rijker". Iwban.net. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
  12. "International Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee Lucia Rijker". Ibhof.com. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
  13. Women's kickboxing results
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