Erin Toughill is one of the top fighters in the 165 pound class, having fought several times overseas and was recently working on a deal with King of the Cage.
BP: What have you been up to lately?
ET: Well, I have been working very hard on my boxing. I am strictly focusing on that with a new coach with plans to fight in April. I plan on fighting as much as I can and eventually compete for a title(s).
BP: Lets talk about the rumors of you pulling out of the Smack Girl and King Of The Cages fights. Could you tell us exactly what happened here?
ET: I fought for SmackGirl in September of 2002, and after I won, there was a contract for a second fight in place. They agreed to pay me a certain amount of money and take care of certain things the next time I fought for them. For the March show they said their budget was X amount, but when all was said and done I would have been getting almost 50% less than what they promised which would have been even less than what I got paid the first time. I also have a contract with my management that prohibits me signing something they have not approved. So they were not allowing me to fight.
KOTC was a lot of miscommunication. I met Terry Trebilcock at the last WFA show in Vegas. I told him I was interested in fighting for him. Several months after that, I read on the Internet that I was to be fighting in their March show. I wasn't even aware of it. Apparently my opponent (Nicole Albrecht) wasn't either, because she never agreed to fight me. My manager (Clint Dahl, also Kimo's manager) was extremely busy at the time and I was just trying to help smooth things out so I called them back to talk about the opportunity, though they were supposed to talk
with Clint. They said they were going to call me within one week, but I never spoke with them after that. It was very disheartening and I was over the fact of having such a difficult time finding fights in MMA. When that one week period rolled by, we decided it was time to start looking elsewhere for fights, and we did. We weren't going to just sit around and wait. Weeks after the fact, KOTC ended up finding someone, but by that time, it was too late. I already had other fights I was working on.
Pulling out? I don't think so...This is the first time something like this had ever really happened--I was always on the other end of it--and I'M the one that needs to stop backing out of fights? Give me a break. I'd step up to anyone out there.
Toughill has a few tats.
BP: What is your relationship now with these two organizations?
ET: SmackGirl said they understood. I don't plan on fighting MMA right now, but when I do come back (as a boxing champion), we will work together again. I love Japan and all the fans there. They are the best! I will be back.
The only thing I know is don't try to be your own manager, even for only one fight. I was only trying to make it "easier" when in fact, it made things more difficult. I am the fighter and wasn't really prepared to handle the managerial aspect of it. I would still like to fight for KOTC, but it's just not going to happen right now. My management will contact them and I hope this will shed a little light on the subject. It was just miscommunication.
BP: So you will be putting MMA on the shelf for a while to concentrate on boxing?
ET: Yes. MMA is great and I still plan to fight, but I need to make a career choice. Right now, MMA is not even in the same league as boxing as far as viewers and fans. I am in a weight class that doesn't offer many opportunities as opposed to, let's say, the 135lb. class. You have a ton of girls at that weight and they can all stay busy. All of my fights have been overseas. In the U.S. there is not enough high caliber fighters to keep testing myself against, only one or two but then what? I want to keep fighting and I can do that in boxing. I have already fought five times so it's not as though I am starting from scratch. I got a lot of flack for some stuff people knew nothing about. I am moving toward something that will let me fight every other month as opposed to every 4-6 months.
BP: You told me that you possibly will be fighting Laila Ali in a boxing match. How did this come about and how do you think you will do?
ET: First off, I think Laila is good. She has a good trainer and she works hard...but so do IWe are both the same weight and height and she's supposed to be one of the top fighters so I think it's only a natural progression for me to want to fight her. We are looking to fight Laila later this year and my job will be to knock her out. But I still have some unfinished business with another "big" name. Ms. Jackie Frazier, I'll be coming after you too, so keep training. Everyone in the boxing community thought I would be a tomato can for Frazier because I came from MMA. No one is saying that now. I won that fight right until an accidental headbutt forced a no-contest. That's the only thing that saved her.
BP: So how does it feel to have fans that like you for your looks as much as your fighting skills?
ET: Hey, press is better than no press at all. I am ok with people liking how I look. It definitely doesn't validate me, but it can be fun to play off of. If that can entice people to watch women compete even once, then it doesn't bother me at all. I just want to make the public aware of the fact that there ARE women who can fight regardless of how they look. Sex sells, but for those who have seen me fight (or who get to train with me), looks can be very deceiving. I have the skills to back it up, but I still have a lot to learn and I've only scratched the surface.
BP: Now you promised me that you would share a streetfight story with our readers. So lets hear one.
ET: Oh Lord I did, didn't I? I am not proud of the fact I got in a lot of fights growing up. But somehow that paved the way for the person I am today. 9 out of every 10 fights I got into were with men. I don't know why or how...but theywere. I'll always remember this one...I was 18 or 19 and I was at a bar I wasn't supposed to be in the first place. Some guy hit on me and I turned him down. The next thing I knew, he called me a very bad word, not once, but several times. I grabbed him and we went outside; he probably thought I was joking. The guy ended up in a fetal position with a broken nose. As I tried to make a getaway, his very big friend picked me up and slammed me. He broke my arm and proceeded to try and break my face. All I know is "Thank God" the cops came...
BP: Do you prefer to train with men or with women?
ET: Well, I have never had the chance to really train with any women. I was training with Colin Oyama and some of the "former" Team Punishment guys, and they have an insane regiment. I teach women at my Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy, but that's totally different. What's funny is there are one or two of them around here, but none have stepped up. It's rather pathetic really [laughing] I get a lot of empty promises about coming in and training though. How sad!...if you're too scared to come and just train, then I would suggest finding another pastime. As for now, I like training with men. There's zero lip service. They show up and get the job done. They are not jealous and they don't have "claws." It's funny how the men have a communal sense between them and the women segregate themselves. So, if there are any women at any level who would like to train in a positive
environment, please come in! We need you!
BP: Is there anything you would like to add before we finish?
ET: If anything, I have realized not to take things so seriously. The media and sports are like a roller coaster. One minute you're up and next minute you're down, and there will always be someone who'll try to kick you when you're down. Anytime you are in a number-one position there'll always be people who want to
see you fail, want to see you get beat down...even when you thought the opposite. That only encourages me to keep moving forward. But I am strong and always will be strong. You have to take it with a grain of salt. Jealously makes people do strange things.
Last but not least, Don't hate. Congratulate. Peace.
z sherdog.com
FaceBook
