By Michele Emrick
In a sport that is largely lacking in stars, and losing the few they have to other endeavors such as MMA, Maricela Cornejo thinks she has what it takes to make it to the top of her profession. And so far, so good. Her 2-0 record certainly doesn’t give a lot to go on, but you have to start somewhere.
Unfortunately, in the world of women’s boxing, finding a fight can be a difficult task. Cornejo has had more than her share of difficulty getting a third fight. Originally, she hoped to be part of a card taking place on the same weekend as Floyd Mayweather’s bout with Robert Guerrero, but as is too often the case, that fight fell through. Now, she hopes to secure a fight in July.
Cornejo with stablemate Andrew Tabiti and trainer Floyd Mayweather
When we talked to her about what she had lined up, she mentioned that she did have an opportunity to fight for a belt, but needed an opponent. She thought a good candidate might be Holly Lawson, a 5-2 fighter who fights at welterweight, that she met when she first started training at the Wildcard Gym.
She had her manager reach out to Lawson to ask her about her availability. The response she got was certainly not one she was expecting! Apparently, although Cornejo was not aware of it, Lawson had quite a negative opinion towards her. In the interview, she goes over the contents of the email which is certainly very interesting.
Despite being in different weight classes, Lawson is willing to fight as high as 149 lbs., and that is a weight Cornejo says she can make it down to. For whatever reason, it seems that most ladies in boxing, unlike their male counterparts, are unwilling to engage in public feuds. Clearly, the lack of animosity, real or fabricated, is a primary reason for the lack of interest from the general public.
So here we have the great makings of a potential rivalry involving two talented, attractive ladies. One claiming the other is sleeping her way to the top, while the other claims the bitterness stems from jealousy, not knowing where the allegations came from. If that isn’t enough to get the public interested, not much else can.
All that remains to be seen is if the two can carry on the fight beyond emails and interviews, and actually get it on inside the ring. We certainly hope they do, as the sport could use the shot in the arm.
