Sharon first stepped into a boxing gym in June of 2001. She had her first amateur fight just six weeks later in July 2001. After competing at the amateur level for a little over two years, and winning an amateur championship, she made her pro debut on November 21, 2003.
Q&A
Q: OK, why boxing?
A: Many people ask me why would you box? Aren’t you scared of ruining your looks? What if you get cut? I admit, there are times when I question why I am doing it, especially if I am walking around with a black eye! But it is like an addiction for me. After my first day at Hillman City Boxing Gym (the first “real” boxing-only gym I went to in Seattle) I knew I would be back again and again. The first time I sparred really hard was only three weeks into my training and I actually cried on the way home because I had a fat lip, a bruised eye and a headache and I knew without a doubt I would not give up boxing, I would be back the next day.
Q: What about those risks?
A: There are risks in many jobs, such as washing windows in high rises or working construction on a busy road. Like many people, I do put myself at risk to do something I love and am good at. Honestly, more than my looks I worry about any type of injury to my head. But my coach, Larry, is very good about training us properly. We train very hard, but that doesn’t mean sparring hard every day. There is so much a boxer can work on to develop good skills and stamina without sparring full strength everyday. In fact, I believe that gyms where fighters spar hard every day do not produce the best fighters. We have technique days and stamina/cardio days and spar days. A few weeks before a fight is when we increase the sparring and try to simulate fight situations….the good thing is that our stamina and strength are already good from all the other training.
I have to mention, as well, that I made an agreement with myself that if the headaches continued I would quit boxing. Fortunately, I got better. I learned to keep my hands up and protect myself and now rarely get a headache from sparring or fighting. That was really important to me if I was going to make a career out of it. Coach is always very concerned about us and asks about our heads and how we feel, etc. If I ever had doubts I guarantee he would not let me jeopardize my health!
Q: So, come on, what about your looks? You really aren’t scared of breaking your nose?
Please….there is a good surgeon out there right now just waiting for my business! Seriously, most facial injuries today can “disappear” with the help of a good doctor. Even a cut can be healed without using stitches so that no scar will be visible later. Noses can be re-aligned. I’ve had my nose fractured before and it looks just fine!
I would be lying if I said I NEVER thought about it. I am pretty vain sometimes and wonder if multiple black eyes will damage the skin near my eyes and make it more wrinkly or dark-looking when I am older. (If I keep my hands up--like I have been doing lately--this won’t be a problem at all)! The only thing that would be tough is a cut in the eyebrow area, the eyebrow wouldn’t grow back where the cut was and that could look a little funny. But what a petty thing to worry about when I am living a dream!
I also remind myself that beauty is fleeting anyway. Some day I will be an old woman, hopefully a grandmother, with stories to tell about the lines on my face. It’s not like my face is going to be young and smooth forever anyway! My grandma Gaines always said that her wrinkles were her “life lines” and told the story of her life. If I do end up with any scars that will be part of my “life lines” and I’m sure I’ll sure have a good story to tell!
Q: You still haven’t answered, how did you get started in boxing? What brought you to that first gym?
A: I had a fairly athletic background as a kid and even went on to compete in track and cross-country at the University of Washington in Seattle—one of my favorite life experiences. Anyway, after college I really missed having the motivation to train and began gaining weight. I was starting to suffer from lack of self esteem, something I had battled my whole life. Meeting Maurice Smith, one of the best kickboxers in the world, changed my life. He encouraged me to come to his gym in Seattle and learn self-defense through grappling. To make a long story short, although I liked grappling, I really wanted to learn kickboxing. Unfortunately I’ve had to deal with shin splints for years and knew I could not successfully compete, or even spar, due to the shin pain.
I was constantly after Mo to teach me how to box and coach me. He refused saying he knew kickboxing, not boxing, and on top of that he didn’t want me to put my face in danger! After harassing him for months (and continuing the grappling training) he finally broke down and led me to Hillman City Boxing Gym in Seattle, managed by Bob Jarvis, an ex-pro-fighter. My first day there was the beginning of June 2001, and on that first day I met Jody Hill, my first coach. After one day of training I just KNEW, without a shadow of a doubt that this was the sport for me.
At that point, I didn’t know how soon I would compete, or even if I would compete. But the opportunity came, just five weeks later, to fight a girl that was athletic already, like me, but with very little boxing background, and no fights. I won that amateur fight and after that there was no going back!
Boxing did help me loose weight and get into the best shape of my life, but it did even bigger wonders for my self-esteem and confidence!
Q: How or who got you started in sports as a kid? And what did you do?
A: My dad, to this day, is an athlete (just not a professional)! He was always going for a run when I was growing up and started letting me jog with him when I was in about 2nd grade. He had a lot of patience; I am sure I was quite slow (but he never made me feel like I was holding him back on those slow jogs). As soon as I was old enough I started running track and playing basketball. That lasted through junior high, in high school I stopped playing ball and just ran.
I wish I had been better at basketball, I did like that sport better, but track kind of chose me. I was better at running! I continued to compete through my final year at UW (1995).