- Dec 27, 2016
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Promoters of Saturday night's Battle of Bendigo Jeff Horn v Michael Zerafa have replaced ring card women with men, after coming under fire from local councillors and women's advocate groups.
Most ring girls I know are professional dancers, singers and cheerleaders. They follow a well rehearsed dance routine between fights, they train and work hard to earn what is really not much all considered.
Is this the end of the boxing as we know it?
City of Greater Bendigo councillors Yvonne Wrigglesworth and Jennifer Alden were critical of the between-rounds custom which has been part of boxing for decades.
He said the three women would still be paid and their replacements had been found by his co-promoter, Bendigo resident and Australian 1996 Olympic boxing representative Lynden Hosking.
"Ironically, four women will be fighting tonight and wearing less clothing than those women I have now had to replace with men in response to these protests," Lonergan said.
"As a result of their outcry and concern from sponsors about these uninformed media comments from an organisation that have never raised their concerns with me, shows their agenda is more about headlines than equal opportunity.
Wrigglesworth said women were being objectified in events like The Battle of Bendigo and Alden said stereotypes of this nature was not respectful of women.
Event co-promoter Dean Lonergan said he was disappointed with the criticism and had replaced the three women with males, who would be referred to as 'fight progress managers'. (Me: Just call them ring boys/men or risk proving their point right?)
One of the replaced women, Kalista Thomas, objected to some of the criticism.
"To undermine my work as a ring card and call it sexualised I feel is absolutely discriminatory," Thomas said.
"Never in my time in the ring or at the fights have I been made to feel less worthy for being there."
Most ring girls I know are professional dancers, singers and cheerleaders. They follow a well rehearsed dance routine between fights, they train and work hard to earn what is really not much all considered.
Is this the end of the boxing as we know it?
City of Greater Bendigo councillors Yvonne Wrigglesworth and Jennifer Alden were critical of the between-rounds custom which has been part of boxing for decades.
He said the three women would still be paid and their replacements had been found by his co-promoter, Bendigo resident and Australian 1996 Olympic boxing representative Lynden Hosking.
"Ironically, four women will be fighting tonight and wearing less clothing than those women I have now had to replace with men in response to these protests," Lonergan said.
"As a result of their outcry and concern from sponsors about these uninformed media comments from an organisation that have never raised their concerns with me, shows their agenda is more about headlines than equal opportunity.
Wrigglesworth said women were being objectified in events like The Battle of Bendigo and Alden said stereotypes of this nature was not respectful of women.
Event co-promoter Dean Lonergan said he was disappointed with the criticism and had replaced the three women with males, who would be referred to as 'fight progress managers'. (Me: Just call them ring boys/men or risk proving their point right?)
One of the replaced women, Kalista Thomas, objected to some of the criticism.
"To undermine my work as a ring card and call it sexualised I feel is absolutely discriminatory," Thomas said.
"Never in my time in the ring or at the fights have I been made to feel less worthy for being there."
'Absolutely discriminatory': Jeff Horn fight rocked by ring girl controversy
Men have replaced women in holding up the cards between rounds at the Battle of Bendigo.
au.sports.yahoo.com
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