March 22 bout will be on Fox Sports
She owns just about every championship belt that women’s
professional boxing has to offer. Yet outside of this area, Kel-C
Jeffries is not as well known for her work in the ring as she
should be.
March 22 bout will be on Fox Sports
She owns just about every championship belt that women’s professional boxing has to offer. Yet outside of this area, Kel-C Jeffries is not as well known for her work in the ring as she should be.
On March 22, that is expected to change when Jeffries, who resides in Hollister and fights out of Gilroy, will defend her International Female Boxing Association World Featherweight Title in front of a national audience for the first time on Fox Sports Net’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period.”
“I’ve been on TV a lot but this will definitely be in front of the largest American audience yet,” said the 31-year-old champ, who will be defending her coveted title for the fifth time.
The 10-round bout will take place in Albuquerque, N. M. at the Isleta Resort and Casino where she will go up against Irvine’s Rhonda Luna.
Jeffries will enter the ring with a record of 36-9-1 while the 28-year-old challenger is 12-0 with 1 draw.
Jeffries, who is naturally a 122-pounder, is fighting at 126 pounds to defend her featherweight title.
“This is my fifth title defense at this weight but I’m really a Super Bantam Weight,” Jeffries said. “I’m always smaller than everyone in the ring. That’s got to say something for me.”
It says that she can flat out box. It also says that she is well-prepared, which is what she was doing as she trained at Hollister’s Mainstreet Kick Boxing Gym this week for her bout with Luna, a fighter she knows little about.
“I haven’t seen her fight but I know some of the people that she has fought against, and I know she is big and strong (5-foot-4, 130 pounds), and she’ll come at me with everything she’s got,” said Jeffries, who also stands 5-foot-4.
But Jeffries has a major force on her side: She is sponsored by the U.S. Army and is escorted into the ring by soldiers before each bout.
“That can be a little intimidating when they bring me in,” said Jeffries, who also cranks up the Kanye West song “Jesus Walks” when she enters the arena.
“I’m really excited about this fight, not because it’s on T.V.,” Jeffries said. “I want people to see a good fight. And I want to step it up so that people can see a higher level of women’s boxing. I want the people to appreciate it more.”
When not battling it out in the ring, Jeffries works part-time for the city of Hollister as a paid-call firefighter. Eventually, she hopes to land a fulltime gig with the department.
“They call me when they need extra help,” Jeffries said. “If they call me and I’m here (at home) then I’m out there.”
In order to keep her paid-call status with the department, Jeffries must be at 10 percent of the calls that the department pages out.
While firefighting is in her future, Jeffries has made it clear that for now boxing is priority one, and she has no plans to retire.
“I feel strong right now and I have no injuries,” she said. “I’m going to try and keep going until my body tells me not to. I know that I’m not going to be able to box forever but I try and live in the moment and take things day by day.”
For now, she’s just fine being a symbol of women’s boxing in America and beyond.
The March 22 bout will be broadcast live at 8 p.m.
“Hopefully, everyone in Hollister will tune in and cheer me on,” she said.
