The matchmakers for Thursday’s Miller Lite Fight Night at The Tank played a little bit of a head game with local prizefighter Kelsey Jeffries, whose opponent was not finalized until Monday.
“It’s been a crazy week,” the California State Featherweight champion said. “I didn’t know who I was fighting a week ago. It went from a southpaw to right-hander. It was on and it was off. It was on and it was off. It just got confirmed yesterday.”
It will be Sacramento’s Valanna McGee, who holds a modest 5-2-1 record with one knockout, in the opposing corner. And Jeffries is all too familiar with McGee, defeating her by a split decision in Bakersfield on Sept. 19, 2003.
“Last September, I fought her. It was a last-minute fight. I knew nothing about her,” said Jeffries of McGee. “I knew she was a good fighter from people who had seen her fight. She has a lot of kick-boxing experience, so her record is deceiving.”
Back in September, Jeffries (27-8-0, 2 KO’s) got the victory, but not before she got a little bit of a scare when she took a solid right to the head that dazed her.
“Our last fight, she nailed me with a good right in the first round. I just got caught,” Jeffries said. “I didn’t drop, but I was out of it for two rounds. The end of the fight, though, I just started nailing her. She got a huge hematoma on her head.”
This time, however, Jeffries – known as ‘The Road Warrior’ – will be at home in The Tank, where she holds a perfect 6-0 record.
“I’ve fought there so many times I do feel at home,” Jeffries said. “I don’t feel any nervousness or pressure. If anything, I want to please the crowd so bad that I get in trouble because I go to war.”
That’s something Jeffries does not want.
“I’ve got to be real smart the first couple of rounds,” she said. “I have to juggle (between boxing and brawling). California judges like that. I have to be smart.”
McGee, who is the bigger fighter at five-foot-seven and 135 pounds, packs a wallop, recently earning a second-round knockout on July 8. But she must get down to a 124-pound maximum weight by the weigh-in for the fight to go on.
“This is going to be a good fight. She didn’t want to go eight rounds. She wanted six rounds. She didn’t want to go down to my weight, but we got what we wanted,” Jeffries said.
And the trash talking has not stopped since September.
“She’s been talking smack ever since that last fight. I don’t know if it was her or her people,” said the 28-year-old fighter. “She’s got a good punch and she’s taller, but I’ve got all the tools to beat this girl. I’ve just got to use them.”
Jeffries, who is tutored by well-known trainer James ‘Buddy’ McGirt, has been doing most of her training at her home in Hollister. But the garlic pugilist still calls Gilroy her hometown and the Youth Center of Sixth Street her home gym.
“I’m still highly involved with the Youth Center. It’s a big part of my life no matter where I’m at,” Jeffries said. “That’s where I started and that’s what I consider my home. I hope to be back there soon.”
Along with her state title, Jeffries is also the IFBA World Champion, the WIBF America’s Champion, and the WIBA Intercontinental Champion. And she likes to keep busy, winning two fights in a six-day span of June. Jeffries won unanimous decisions over Fresno’s Lisa Lewis at the San Jose State University Events Center on June 12 and then over New York’s Leona in Oregon on June 18.
“I took about a week off and started training again. It’s been going real good. I’ve been getting good sparring,” said Jeffries, who went to Redwood City and Fresno for her sparring. “I’ve been talking to Buddy everyday on the phone, but it’s not the same as having him here.”
Despite the short notice of her opponent and her training coming via telephone, Jeffries is prepared to dazzle the San Jose crowd like she’s done in her previous six fights there. But this is perhaps her toughest one yet, although she did give Miami’s Melissa ‘Honey Girl’ Del Valle her first loss in a thrilling fight on July 11, 2003.
“I’m going to definitely stay away from her right hand and move around and use my jabs,” said Jeffries of her fight strategy for Thursday. “I have to be real smart and move around and work the body. The body is key.”
Individual tickets are on sale now at the HP Pavilion Ticket Office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers located in Wherehouse Music stores, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations throughout the Bay Area, online at ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at (408) 998-TIXS, (415) 421-TIXS or (510) 625-TIXS.
