CHAMPIONS

SCHEDULE

RESULTS

 

           

 
Print this article
 
World Boxing Federation Champions Of The Past: Myriam Lamare
POSTED ON OCTOBER 12, 2016.
BY: CLIVE BAUM.
                                            Bookmark and Share

         

 
FEATURE   Photo: Former World Boxing Federation (WBF) Womens World Light Welterweight Champion Myriam Lamare.
 
 

Since the World Boxing Federation was originally founded by American Larry Carrier in 1988, many of the sport’s biggest names have won a WBF title, and proudly defended the blue, red and gold belt all over the world.

In the Champions Of The Past Series we take a closer look at some of the boxers who held WBF titles in years gone by, from lesser known champions to world renowned fighters, legends of the sport and current or future Hall of Famers.

  
  

Myriam Lamare of France is yet another former WBF Womens World Champion who should go down in history as one of the most accomplished female operators in the sport. Retired for only a couple of years at time of writing, she was among the elite for almost ten years.

Lamare was born on the very first day of 1975, her father French and her mother Algerian, and left school at the age of seventeen to pursue a job that would help support her family. As a teenager she kept active by doing athletics and kick-boxing.

While staying in Martinique, the French insular region in the Caribbean sea, Lamare worked in catering and continued her Kick-boxing, which eventually led her to conventional boxing and back to mainland France to embark on an extraordinarily successful amateur career.

Lamare was a four-time French champion, won gold in the 2001 European championships, and silver in the world championships that same year. In 2002 she did one better when she captured gold in the world championships, and in 2003 she took home the gold again in the European championships.

After fifty-two unpaid bouts, where she won forty-nine times, she decided it was time to earn some money as a boxer, and reach new goals. With that in mind, she accepted an offer to turn professional with the renowned Acaries brothers, who ran one of the most established promotional groups in Europe.

Getting a late start in boxing, Lamare was 28 years old when she made her pro debut in October 2003. But it was soon clear that she was levels above her competitors, and just over a year later, after only seven straight victories, she won her first world championship, the WBA Light Welterweight title, out-pointing American Eliza Olson (8-3-2).

Lamare made five successful defenses of the WBA world title, including a third round stoppage of former WBF world champion Jane Couch (26-7) in a fight where she also captured the WIBF belt, before clashing with Anne Sophie Mathis (12-1) in an all-French Super-Fight in December 2006.

Fighting on a huge show at the Palais Omnisport in Paris, televised by Canal + Sport, the two ladies put on a marvelous fight and gave each other hell for seven rounds before Mathis got the better of Lamare and referee Daniel Talon stepped in to save the defending champion.

The fight was so good it was named Female Fight of the Year by “The Bible of Boxing”, Ring Magazine, and a rematch was bound to happen. And so it did, six months later, with Lamare going straight back in with Mathis, who had squeezed in two quick non-title bouts in the meantime.

On June 29 2007, at the Palais des Sports in Marseille and again going out to a huge TV audience, Lamare and Mathis went at it again, and delivered another incredible fight. But again Mathis had a little too much for Lamare, and won by majority decision.

Obviously there was no shame in coming up short against a fighter such as Mathis, who would not only go on to add WBF World titles at Welterweight and Super Welterweight but also win numerous other world championships from other organizations.

So, after three easy victories, Lamare was soon ready to fight at the very top again. In January of 2009 she traveled to America to fight another all-time great in future WBF two-weight world champion Holly Holm (22-1-3), with the WIBA World Welterweight title on the line.

Lamare put up a very good performance, but Welterweight was not her natural division and Holm won a deserved unanimous decision. Now with a 16-3 record, Lamare wisely decided to return to Light Welterweight, and before the end of 2009 she had reestablished herself as one of the best in the world.

After the defeat to Holm, Lamare decided to go on her own and created a promotional company called Absolute Boxing. Her first card was a big one, staged at the Salle Vallier in Marseille, with herself in the headliner fighting for another world title.

On October 9, 2009, Lamare squared off with former two-time WBC World Lightweight ruler Ann Saccurato (14-3-2) for the vacant WBF World Light Welterweight title. It was make-or-break time for the now 34-year-old, and the American was a very tough obstacle on paper.

But Lamare was excellent on that night, boxing extremely well on her way to a clear unanimous decision and her second professional world championship. With her performance she made it clear to the boxing-world that the losses to Mathis and Holm had not signaled the end for her.

True to form, Lamare did not chose an easy opponent for her first title-defense, as she took on future WBF and WIBA world champion Lucia Morelli (14-1) from Italy on November 6, 2010. Boxing in front of a packed crowd, and televised to millions across Europe on Eurosport, it was another big night for Lamare and French boxing.

And, despite being out of the ring for over a year, the WBF world champion hadn’t missed a beat. Morelli was strong and had her moments, as a quality campaigner such as she will have, but Lamare broke her down and retained the title by sixth round stoppage.

Perhaps feeling the hassle of being both the promoter and the main event fighter, it would be yet another ten months before Lamare defended her WBF world title again. This time in Réunion, the French island and region in the Indian ocean, against former WBC champion Lely Luz Florez (11-3) from Colombia.

As expected, Lamare had plenty in the tank to defeat Florez, winning every round on two judges cards and eight rounds according to the third judge, so for once it could be said that she had taken something of a routine defense. But it would not be long before she challenged herself massively again.

Less than two months after the trip to Réunion, Lamare added the vacant IBF world title to her resume when she beat (UD) tough American Chavelle Hallback (28-7-2) in Toulon, and again it was in front of a packed crowd and televised by Eurosport.

Hallback, nicknamed “Fist Of Steel”, was a former WIBF, IBA and WIBA world champion, and had just lost a competitive fight on points with unified world welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus in Denmark. She would later win the WBF World Welterweight crown, so it was a very good scalp for Lamare.

Unfortunately it would prove to be her last significant victory. Between the Hallback triumph and November of 2013, two years later, she would only fight twice. Both times were low-profile victories over eight rounds against Floarea Lihet (10-11-4) and Loli Munoz (12-12-3).

However, Lamare was not quite done challenging herself, at 39 years of age, and in February of 2014 she challenged the WBC, WBA and WBO World Welterweight champion, the aforementioned Cecilia Braekhus (23-0), for her titles.

But it was not to be for Lamare, who fought valiantly but lost clearly on points to the bigger, stronger Norwegian Pound-For-Pound claimant.

A former WBF, WBA and IBF World Light Welterweight Champion, Myriam Lamare retired with a 22-4 (10) record, having only lost to Mathis, Holm and Braekhus, three of the very best women to ever lace on gloves. She, along with Mathis, took female boxing in France to new levels, with big crowds and TV viewing-numbers.

Lamare deserves to be recognized as a member of the same group as the only three opponents that defeated her in the professional ranks: One of the best ever!


Former WBF Champ Myriam Lamare Gets Hall Of Fame Induction.

 
 
 
   Archive
  Part 33: Darrin Morris
  Part 32: Suwito Lagola
  Part 31: Aaron Zarate
  Part 30: Tommy Small
  Part 29: Matthew Charleston
  Part 28: Jane Couch
  Part 27: Fahlan Sakkreerin
  Part 26: Kenny Keene
  Part 25: Yvan Mendy
  Part 24: Ronnie Magramo
  Part 23: Randall Yonker
  Part 22: Holly Holm
  Part 21: Vinnie Curto
  Part 20: Robin Reid
  Part 19: Lionel Butler
  Part 18: Mads Larsen
  Part 17: Ken Sigurani
  Part 16: Orlando Fernandez
  Part 15: Roger Turner
  Part 14: Roy Jones Jr.
  Part 13: Fitz Vanderpool
  Part 12: Steve Roberts
  Part 11: Thulani "Sugarboy" Malinga
  Part 10: Junior Witter
  Part 9: Jimmy Thunder
  Part 8: Juan Lazcano
  Part 7: Jeff Malcolm
  Part 6: Ricky Parkey
  Part 5: Carl Daniels
  Part 4: Angel Manfredy
  Part 3: Samson Dutch Boy Gym
  Part 2: Greg Haugen
  Part 1: Johnny Nelson
 
 
 

| HOME |
       
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © wbf -  all rights reserved     |     world boxing federation     |     www.worldboxingfederation.net     |     webdesign by f.j.e.e.k. 2009     |