Lovemore Ndou
In my second interview with the fighting
beauties I talk to Susie ‘Q’ Ramadan. If any female from the Land Down Under
has a style to beat a lot of male fighters it is none other than the 33 year
old bantamweight from Preston, Victoria. Talk about ringcraft, agility, style,
courage and determination, this girl has got it all. She is a four times two
divisions world champion having won the World Boxing Foundation title twice at
Super Bantamweight and the IBF and WBC World titles at Bantamweight. Currently
she and Erin McGowan are the only two female fighters who does Australia proud
by taking fights anywhere around the world even if it means risking their own
world titles.
In
her last fight she captured the WBC world bantamweight title when she beat
Usanakorn Kokietgym. Up to this day her last opponent’s gender remains a
mystery as a lot of people in the sport believe she might have been a male.
With that in mind I felt Susie ‘Q’ would be the right person to talk to about
potential fights between males and females. She also talks to me about her
future plans, how she would like to beat Anthony Mundine and make the fans
happy, and a potential rematch against Yazmin Rivas in Australia, her favourite
fighters of all time and why Money Mayweather is her favourite fighter in this
time era.
1 You recently pulled out of your rematch with Yazmin Rivas in Mexico after
the venue was changed to the city of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico which is
well-known for being one of the most dangerous places in the world. Can you
tell us what’s next for you?
After pulling out of the Rivas rematch it’s put us back
with trying to secure a fight this year and it has been hard to get someone to
fight me. I’m continuing with my training and am hoping to defend my title
early next year. After having two really tough fights this year against Alecia
Graf and recently former WBC Champion Usanakorn Koietgym I'm happy to have some
time off to catch up with family & friends. This also gives me more time to
train my pupils at North Melbourne Boxing/Fitness Gym
In your first fight against Yazmin
Rivas many felt you were a victim of a hometown decision. Why would you wanna
risk with your title again in that foreign country?
I also believe I didn't get a fair decision even under
the circumstances of not having the right preparation for that fight. However
the way I see it every fight can be a risk no matter where you fight although
it’s more risky in a foreign country especially a country where I was robbed the
first time around. Boxing is about taking chances. I have always wanted a
rematch from the first time we fought but she was never interested up until I
captured the WBC world title.
This time around with my new team my preparation was
better than ever. I needed altitude
training for Mexico because it is a high altitude area hence I wanted to arrive
in Mexico 10 days earlier so I can acclimatize before the fight. These are some of the things I didn't do the
first time around. And believe me this could
have made a bigger difference in my performance this time around had the fight
materialized. I could have beaten her
again but this time a lot clearer. I’m aware however that even then there was
still a risk of not getting the decision.
But like I said it’s all about taking chances and doing the best you
can. I knew she was never gonna come here to fight me hence I didn’t care and
was not afraid to go there again.
Is there any possibility of doing the
Yazmin Rivas rematch in Australia? And what would it take to make it happen?
I doubt it. We have even asked to fight her in a neutral
country but it doesn't seem like her team wants any of that. As for getting the
rematch in Australia it would be awesome. I know the fans would love to see the
fight here live but I'm not sure if that’s possible especially considering that
Rivas has never fought outside her country since 2007. But apart from that she doesn't seem to be
interested in that at all. Maybe if we offered her an excessive amount of money
she would change her mind. But the
reality of it is it’s very hard to make such big offers in women’s boxing. Unless of course we get some bigger sponsors
and a bigger following behind us. Then maybe this rematch could happen in
Australia.
You have already won two of the most
prestigious world titles, the WBC and the IBF. And in fact achieved more than
most Australian fighters, both male and female. What are your future plans? Do
you see yourself winning more titles?
I have been very patient in my career while climbing up
the ranks. I would love to win more titles but I take one fight at a time and
work extremely hard to succeed in all my bouts.
5. Who is your favorite male fighter of
all time? And why?
That’s like asking a chocoholic what’s your favorite chocolate
(laughing). I love fighters like Sugar Ray Robinson as he may have been the
best combination of boxing talent wrapped up in one man. It’s more a boxer I
can't keep my eyes off when he fights and has really good rhythm that I like.
Mohammed Ali and Joe Louis are some of the boxers I admire. Not only because of
the success they have achieved inside the ring but outside the ring as well.
Rocky Marciano is also one of my favorites more because I
was named after his trademark punch (laughing). Willie Pep is another one I admire and I
believe had one of the most impressive records in boxing :won 229 (KO 65) lost
11, drawn 1. He was another great mover too. In today’s era Money Mayweather is
my favorite boxer. He has the best defensive skills ever and he is just another
fighter you just can't keep your eyes off.
6. Who is your favourite female fighter?
And why?
Jazmin Rivas (laughing). She's the only female fighter
that tends to pop into my head from time to time (laughing again). But Anne Wolfe is my favorite. She's regarded by many within the sport as
the best fighter in women’s history. The best knockout I’ve ever seen in
women’s boxing was when she knocked out Vonda Ward. She is a female who had done it tough and
turned her life around. I find her very inspiring.
7. Do you think women should be allowed
to fight 3 minute rounds like men instead of 2 minute rounds? Why?
I think as a fighter you have to love fighting and if you
love it, it makes no difference whether it’s 2 minute rounds or 3minute rounds you are fighting. The question however still remains should it
be allowed? Firstly we are thankful as
women to be boxing altogether, however there are pros & cons to this
question. Fighting 3 minute rounds adds an extra 10mins of fighting. This might
make it even worse for our fights to be televised. It is hard as it is when we
are only fighting two minute rounds because the men’s bouts always come first
as far as television is concerned.
Secondly, 3 minute rounds give you more time in each
round. An extra 1minute might not seem much but it is. It can either work in your favor or against
you, depending of course on your fitness as well. Two minute rounds on the
other hand can put you a bit under pressure as you only got two minutes to get
the job done to win a round. So you can’t really afford to lose a minute.
In 3 minute rounds you can afford to lose the first
minute and come back strong and win the last two minutes which will give you
the round. Men used to fight 15x3 minute rounds in title fights but that got
changed to 12x3 minute rounds. I believe that was for a reason. There could
also be a reason why we women are required to compete in only two minute
rounds. The truth is I’m not sure how it will be like fighting 3minute rounds.
We do spar 3 minute rounds but sparring is quite different to fighting. We should also remember that we are still women
at the end of the day and our well being and safety comes first. So if it can be medically tested, put on trial,
and proven to be risk-free then it will be ok for us to compete in 3 minute
rounds. I know I would fight 3 minute rounds.
Do you think women title fights
should be 12x3 minute rounds instead of 10x2 minute rounds? Why?
12 x 3min rounds are extra 16mins of fighting. Like I
said above it might be harder to get on television as television usually has a
limited time slot for fights and as always men will always get the first
choice. There is also a positive to it in
a way as it will give us enough time to showcase our talents and skills with
the extra time. But again women’s boxing doesn’t get enough credibility and
recognition as it is and as a result one just doesn’t know whether fighting 12 x
3min will get us any more recognition than we do now. But again realistically we are women at the
end of the day and fighting 10 x 2minute rounds is tough enough for most
females.
There is already a limited number of women in boxing so
if we were to fight 12 x 3minute rounds I'm not sure if the limited number will
increase. The truth is if a female fighter
is having 12x3 minute round wars her career will with no doubt be shortened
thus further decreasing the number of women in the sport. But there is no doubt
that 12x3minute rounds would be a lot more challenging, fun and competitive to
female fighters like myself who always thrive for more challenges and
competition.
In your last fight, your opponent’s
gender still remains a mystery. Most people feel you fought against a boy and
won. What are your thoughts on women fighting against men? Do you think such
fights should someday be allowed and legalized?
It sure does still remain a mystery (laughing). As a
matter of fact I have accepted Usanakorn’s friend request on Facebook and
noticed her status states she's male and interested in women. So I sure am
confused by this (laughing again).
In no way should it be allowed or legalized for women to
compete against men. We spar men in gyms
but fighting is a completely different story altogether. We may possess the same amount of good fighting
skills as men if not better but the power men carry is a different thing
altogether and this could be way too dangerous.
10. If you were to fight against any of
the current male world champions in your division who would be your first pick?
And why?
Anthony “The Man” Mundine (laughing). It’s all about what
the fans want. I have doubt a lot of the boxing fans would love to see Mundine
get beat up by a woman. And I'm sure he wouldn't mind either (laughing again).
In my division I would fight Nonito Donaire. It would be two sleek fighters
against each other. It will be more like or even better than a game of chess.
11. Anything else you would like to tell
us?
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has
played a part in my entire career. My right hand girl who has been in my corner
all my life, my beautiful sister and best friend, Julie Ramadan. A big thank
you to my family whom I’ve had to change their views about me boxing and they
haven’t stopped supporting me since then.
Thanks to my team who work hard and tirelessly to keep me
at the top of my game. These include Barry Michael, Steve Stenborg, Brian
Amatruda, all the members at the North Melbourne Boxing-Fitness Gym, Mick
Loveridge (LW Marine), Brian Johnston (Johnston Houlahan Bloodstock) , Systronic
It Group, Working Girls Creative, Sting Sports and Musashi. Thanks for
continuing to support my career. Above all I would like to thank my loyal fans
whom I regard as my family. Boxing is my life and I appreciate the love and
support you continue to give me.
Thank you Susie ‘Q’.