Mia St. John

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox boxer Mia Rosales St. John (born June 24, 1967) is an American professional boxer and former World Boxing Council (WBC) champion in the super welterweight division.<ref name="wbcboxing">Template:Cite web</ref> She is also the IBA and IFBA lightweight champion.<ref name="saddoboxing">Template:Cite web</ref> She is also a model, businesswoman, and taekwondo champion.<ref name="doghouseboxing">Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life

St. John, a Mexican-American with family roots in Zacatecas, Mexico, was born in San Francisco, California. She attended California State University, Northridge, earning a degree in psychology. While a student, she compiled a taekwondo record of 27–1, was awarded a black belt, and worked as a model to fund her education.<ref name="nochelatina">Template:Cite web</ref>

She married actor Kristoff St. John. They had two children, son Julian (1989–2014) and daughter Paris. The marriage ended in divorce.

Professional boxing career

At the age of 29, St. John decided to become a professional boxer. In her first bout on February 14, 1997, she knocked out Angelica Villain in 54 seconds of the first round, earning her the nickname "The Knockout."<ref name="thekoncretejungle">Template:Cite web</ref>

St. John, whose first manager was Art Lovett,<ref name="latimes">Template:Cite web</ref> in partnership with his brother Stewart Lovett,<ref name="LAT">Template:Cite web</ref> would eventually sign a contract with Don King and then Top Rank Boxing, and was featured on the undercard of Oscar De La Hoya bouts. She had 23 fights and won 22 with one draw, 3 KOs and 9 TKOs. All fights were four-rounders and most were televised gaining her national attention. St. John was crowned the "Queen of the Four-Rounders", a title she hated. St. John's opponents were selected by Top Rank without her input.<ref name="wban">Template:Cite web</ref>

After her twentieth bout, St. John was injured in a skiing accident that threatened possible amputation of one of her legs. She underwent two operations to remove a blood clot.<ref name="boxinginsider">Template:Cite web</ref>

In November 1999, St. John appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine and in an 11-page pictorial. She wanted to show that she was a feminine woman as well as an athlete. Critical of her career, the boxing press added the term "Busty Bunny Boxer" in describing St. John.<ref name="aolnews">Template:Cite web</ref>

St. John did not renew her contract with Top Rank in 2001, becoming her own manager and promoter. On November 9, 2001, she lost her first fight to Rolanda Andrews with a TKO in the second round, St. John's first contest after parting with Top Rank.<ref name="esnewsreporting">Template:Cite web</ref>

Eduardo and Roberto Garcia

St. John turned to trainers Eduardo and Roberto Garcia to learn proper punching techniques, footwork, and defensive strategies. St. John won her next four bouts, one by TKO.<ref name="angelfire">Template:Cite web</ref>

On December 6, 2002, St. John fought top boxer Christy Martin. Martin had a record of 44 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws. The press laughed at the match-up and predicted St. John would be knocked out early in the bout. St. John, coming up two weight classes, lost the bout but fought toe-to-toe with Martin all ten rounds for a credible performance.<ref name="boxingscene">Template:Cite web</ref>

WBC, IFBA and IBA lightweight championships

On June 12, 2005, and after 47 professional bouts and 9 years, St. John was given a title bout with Liz Drew. St. John won by unanimous decision, earning the International Female Boxers Association lightweight world title. She followed this win with a unanimous decision over Donna Biggers in August, winning the IBA continental lightweight title.<ref name="wizardworld">Template:Cite web</ref>

St. John has fought all over the world, including Beijing, China, where she won her IBA Championship. After accumulating an unheard of boxing record of nearly 60 pro fights, on June 14, 2008, St. John fulfilled her dream of fighting in her mother's home country of Mexico. She fought one of the toughest fights of her career and became the WBC international boxing champion of the world at the age of 40.

In November 2008, she was awarded by the Governor of Zacatecas, Mexico, an outstanding achievement award for her role in sports and humanitarianism. The WBC also presented her with the 2008 "WBC Goodwill Ambassador" Award.

In November 2010, Rep. Grace Napolitano joined St. John and LA Laker Ron Artest for an official mental health and suicide prevention training at Napolitano's district office in Santa Fe Springs. Artest and St. John have joined Napolitano to promote the Mental Health in Schools Act, legislation she authored which would increase federal funding for mental health therapists in schools.

She also spoke at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, where President Barack Obama made a speech at the CHCI's annual Gala.

As well as Congress, St. John speaks in schools and juvenile halls on the importance of education and overcoming hardship. She speaks of her own battles with mental illness, addiction, poverty and overcoming it all, to become a three time international boxing champion.

On August 14, 2012, St. John fought Christy Martin in a long-awaited rematch. Her dream of sixteen years finally materialized and at the age of 45, she captured the WBC super welter weight championship of the world.

On November 10, 2012, St. John was defeated by Tiffany Junot in Bakersfield, California, losing her WBC Female Super Welterweight Championship in a unanimous decision.<ref name="turnto23">Template:Cite web</ref>

On April 14, 2016, St. John had her last boxing bout in New Zealand on the Kali Reis vs. Maricela Cornejo undercard as the curtain call. This was her retirement bout, winning by TKO in the 4th round.

In August 2018, St. John admitted to the use of prohibited substances including steroids and masking agents in preparation for around 20 bouts, stating that "everyone does it and everyone in boxing knows it."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

MMA career

On January 26, 2008, in Honolulu, Hawaii, St. John's fighting career took yet another turn. "Returning to her roots" in the martial arts, she competed in her first mixed martial arts (MMA) contest and, with a combination of kicks and punches, defeated her opponent Rhonda Gallegos with a first-round knockout.Template:Citation needed

Professional boxing record

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
65	Template:Yes2Win	49–14–2	Template:Flagicon Lisa Lewis	TKO	4 (4), Template:Small	Apr 16, 2016	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
64	Template:Yes2Win	48–14–2	Template:Flagicon Tammy Franks	UD	4	Oct 23, 2015	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
63	Template:No2Loss	47–14–2	Template:Flagicon Tori Nelson	TKO	2, 0:42	May 17, 2014	Template:Flagicon Template:Small	Template:Small
62	Template:No2Loss	47–13–2	Template:Flagicon Cecilia Brækhus	TKO	3, 1:38	Apr 13, 2013	Template:FlagiconArena Nord, Frederikshavn, Denmark	Template:Small
61	Template:No2Loss	47–12–2	Template:Flagicon Tiffany Junot	UD	10	Nov 10, 2012	Template:Flagicon Home Base Building, Bakersfield, California, USA	Template:Small
60	Template:Yes2Win	47–11–2	Template:Flagicon Christy Martin	UD	10	Aug 14, 2012	Template:Flagicon Table Mountain Casino, Friant, California, USA	Template:Small
59	Template:Yes2Win	46–11–2	Template:Flagicon Tammy Franks	UD	6	Oct 16, 2010	Template:Flagicon Santa Ana Star Casino, Bernalillo, New Mexico, USA
58	Template:No2Loss	45–11–2	Template:Flagicon Rola El-Halabi	TKO	5, 0:43	Mar 20, 2010	Template:Flagicon Kuhberg Halle, Ulm, Germany	Template:Small
57	Template:No2Loss	45–10–2	Template:Flagicon Brooke Dierdorff	UD	8	Apr 4, 2009	Template:Flagicon Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico	Template:Small
56	Template:Yes2Win	45–9–2	Template:Flagicon Darys Esther Pardo	UD	8	Dec 20, 2008	Template:Flagicon Parque Andrés Quintana Roo, Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico	Template:Small
55	Template:Yes2Win	44–9–2	Template:Flagicon Amy Yuratovac	MD	8	Jun 14, 2008	Template:Flagicon Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico	Template:Small
54	Template:No2Loss	43–9–2	Template:Flagicon Brooke Dierdorff	SD	6	Apr 20, 2007	Template:Flagicon Star Plaza Theater, Merrillville, Indiana, USA
53	Template:No2Loss	43–8–2	Template:Flagicon Jaime Clampitt	UD	10	Feb 9, 2007	Template:Flagicon Convention Center, Providence, Rhode Island, USA	Template:Small
52	Template:No2Loss	43–7–2	Template:Flagicon Jelena Mrdjenovich	UD	10	Jun 23, 2006	Template:Flagicon Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada	Template:Small
51	Template:Yes2Win	43–6–2	Template:Flagicon Shelby Walker	TKO	3	Apr 1, 2006	Template:Flagicon Palo Duro Creek Country Club, Nogales, Arizona, USA
50	Template:No2Loss	42–6–2	Template:Flagicon Holly Holm	UD	10	Dec 8, 2005	Template:Flagicon Isleta Casino & Resort, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA	Template:Small
49	Template:Yes2Win	42–5–2	Template:Flagicon Donna Biggers	UD	10	Aug 20, 2005	Template:Flagicon Capital Gym, Beijing, China	Template:Small
48	Template:Yes2Win	41–5–2	Template:Flagicon Liz Drew	UD	10	Jun 12, 2005	Template:Flagicon Ohkay Casino, San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, USA	Template:Small
47	Template:No2Loss	40–5–2	Template:Flagicon Jessica Rakoczy	TKO	2	Feb 10, 2005	Template:Flagicon Palace Indian Gaming Center, Lemoore, California, USA
46	Template:Yes2Win	40–4–2	Template:Flagicon Joy Irvin	TKO	2, 1:14	Feb 3, 2005	Template:Flagicon HP Pavilion, San Jose, California, USA
45	Template:Yes2Win	39–4–2	Template:Flagicon Janae Archuleta	TKO	1, 1:46	Dec 18, 2004	Template:Flagicon Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
44	Template:Yes2Win	38–4–2	Template:Flagicon Lana Alexander	UD	4	Nov 6, 2004	Template:Flagicon Grand Casino Coushatta, Kinder, Louisiana, USA
43	Template:Yes2Win	37–4–2	Template:Flagicon Janae Archuleta	UD	4	Oct 23, 2004	Template:Flagicon Activity Center, Maywood, California, USA
42	Template:Yes2Win	36–4–2	Template:Flagicon Janae Archuleta	UD	4	Oct 15, 2004	Template:Flagicon Casino Del Sol, Tucson, Arizona, USA
41	Template:Yes2Win	35–4–2	Template:Flagicon Ragan Pudwill	UD	4	Aug 13, 2004	Template:Flagicon Buffalo Chip Campground, Sturgis, South Dakota, USA
40	Template:Yes2Win	34–4–2	Template:Flagicon Talia Smith	UD	4	Jul 29, 2004	Template:Flagicon Oakland Arena, Oakland, California, USA
39	Template:Yes2Win	33–4–2	Template:Flagicon Melissa Yanas	TKO	3, 0:34	Jul 23, 2004	Template:Flagicon Club Avalon, Denver, Colorado, USA
38	Template:Yes2Win	32–4–2	Template:Flagicon Lana Alexander	TKO	4, 1:57	May 8, 2004	Template:Flagicon Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
37	Template:No2Loss	31–4–2	Template:Flagicon Jessica Rakoczy	UD	8	Apr 15, 2004	Template:Flagicon Palace Indian Gaming Center, Lemoore, California, USA
36	Template:Yes2Win	31–3–2	Template:Flagicon Ragan Pudwill	UD	4	Feb 7, 2004	Template:Flagicon Grand Casino Coushatta, Kinder, Louisiana, USA
35	Template:Yes2Win	30–3–2	Template:Flagicon Franchesca Alcanter	UD	4	Jan 24, 2004	Template:Flagicon Bank of America Center, Boise, Idaho, USA
34	Template:Yes2Win	29–3–2	Template:Flagicon Jessica Mohs	UD	4	Oct 10, 2003	Template:Flagicon Desert Diamond Casino, Tucson, Arizona, USA
33	Template:DrawDraw	28–3–2	Template:Flagicon Olivia Gerula	PTS	6	Sep 19, 2003	Template:Flagicon 4 Bears Casino & Lodge, New Town, North Dakota, USA
32	Template:Yes2Win	28–3–1	Template:Flagicon Jessica Mohs	UD	4	Jul 11, 2003	Template:Flagicon City Center Pavilion, Reno, Nevada, USA
31	Template:No2Loss	27–3–1	Template:Flagicon Jenifer Alcorn	UD	8	Apr 19, 2003	Template:Flagicon Selland Arena, Fresno, California, USA
30	Template:Yes2Win	27–2–1	Template:Flagicon Jessica Mohs	UD	6	Mar 15, 2003	Template:Flagicon Club Life, Dallas, Texas, USA
29	Template:No2Loss	26–2–1	Template:Flagicon Christy Martin	UD	10	Dec 6, 2002	Template:Flagicon Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, USA
28	Template:Yes2Win	26–1–1	Template:Flagicon Elisha Olivas	TKO	3, 1:52	Aug 10, 2002	Template:Flagicon Soboba Casino, San Jacinto, California, USA
27	Template:Yes2Win	25–1–1	Template:Flagicon Kristy Follmar	MD	4	May 18, 2002	Template:Flagicon Silver Star Casino, Choctaw, Mississippi, USA
26	Template:Yes2Win	24–1–1	Template:Flagicon Janae Archuleta	MD	4	Apr 7, 2002	Template:Flagicon Soboba Casino, San Jacinto, California, USA
25	Template:Yes2Win	23–1–1	Template:Flagicon Gina Greenwald	UD	4	Jan 18, 2002	Template:Flagicon Sports Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
24	Template:No2Loss	22–1–1	Template:Flagicon Rolanda Andrews	TKO	2, 1:47	Nov 8, 2001	Template:Flagicon Sunset Station, San Antonio, Texas, USA
23	Template:DrawDraw	22–0–1	Template:Flagicon Imelda Arias	MD	4	Jul 28, 2001	Template:Flagicon Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
22	Template:Yes2Win	22–0	Template:Flagicon Linda Tenberg	UD	4	May 13, 2001	Template:Flagicon The Hangar, West Wendover, Utah, USA
21	Template:Yes2Win	21–0	Template:Flagicon Amy Yerkes	TKO	3, 1:49	Mar 25, 2001	Template:Flagicon Greyhound Park, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
20	Template:Yes2Win	20–0	Template:Flagicon Sherri Thompson	TKO	3, 1:55	Jan 20, 2001	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
19	Template:Yes2Win	19–0	Template:Flagicon Amy Yerkes	TKO	4, 1:18	Dec 3, 2000	Template:Flagicon Plaza Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
18	Template:Yes2Win	18–0	Template:Flagicon Linda Robinson	UD	4	Jun 17, 2000	Template:Flagicon Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
17	Template:Yes2Win	17–0	Template:Flagicon Franchesca Alcanter	UD	4	May 19, 2000	Template:Flagicon Playboy Mansion, Beverly Hills, California, USA
16	Template:Yes2Win	16–0	Template:Flagicon Kristin Allen	MD	4	Feb 26, 2000	Template:Flagicon Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA
15	Template:Yes2Win	15–0	Template:Flagicon Kelly Whaley	UD	4	Jan 22, 2000	Template:Flagicon Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar, California, USA
14	Template:Yes2Win	14–0	Template:Flagicon Sharon Sirls	TKO	1	Dec 11, 1999	Template:Flagicon Dixie Junior College, Saint George, Utah, USA
13	Template:Yes2Win	13–0	Template:Flagicon Kelley Downey	TKO	4, 1:40	Sep 18, 1999	Template:FlagiconMandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
12	Template:Yes2Win	12–0	Template:Flagicon Maryanne Haik	UD	4	Jun 26, 1999	Template:Flagicon Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
11	Template:Yes2Win	11–0	Template:Flagicon Chris Sepulvado	TKO	1, 1:30	May 8, 1999	Template:Flagicon Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
10	Template:Yes2Win	10–0	Template:Flagicon Amanda Skelton	UD	4	Feb 13, 1999	Template:Flagicon Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
9	Template:Yes2Win	9–0	Template:Flagicon Brandy Mae Vaughn	KO	2	Dec 12, 1998	Template:Flagicon Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California, USA
8	Template:Yes2Win	8–0	Template:Flagicon Brenda Felter	SD	4	Sep 19, 1998	Template:Flagicon Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
7	Template:Yes2Win	7–0	Template:Flagicon Brenda Felter	UD	4	Aug 15, 1998	Template:Flagicon Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA
6	Template:Yes2Win	6–0	Template:Flagicon Chris Sepulvado	KO	2	May 30, 1998	Template:Flagicon Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA
5	Template:Yes2Win	5–0	Template:Flagicon Dolores Lira	UD	4	Nov 28, 1999	Template:Flagicon Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, USA
4	Template:Yes2Win	4–0	Template:Flagicon Dawn Wimer	TKO	1	Aug 5, 1997	Template:Flagicon Nashville, Tennessee, USA
3	Template:Yes2Win	3–0	Template:Flagicon Contina Frederick	TKO	3	Jun 21, 1997	Template:Flagicon Sun Dome, Tampa, Florida, USA
2	Template:Yes2Win	2–0	Template:Flagicon Dawn Graham	TKO	1, 1:32	Apr 19, 1997	Template:Flagicon Celebrity Theater, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Template:Flagicon Angelica Villian	KO	1	Feb 14, 1997	Template:Flagicon Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California, USA

Mixed martial arts record

Template:MMArecordbox Template:MMA record start |- | Template:Yes2Win | align=center| 1–0 | Rhonda Gallegos | KO (punches) | X-1 Champions | Template:Dts | align=center|1 | align=center|0:44 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |}

External links

• Template:Official website
• Split Decisions: Official Documentary on Mia St. John
• Template:IMDb name
• Template:Sherdog
• Template:Boxrec