Graciela Casillas

Graciela Casillas
Born	1957 (age 56–57) Oxnard, California, United States
Other names	The Goddess
Nationality	American
Height	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight	53 kg (117 lb; 8.3 st)
Division	Bantamweight
Style	American Kenpo Karate, Cabales Serrada Eskrima, Jeet Kune Do, Kickboxing, Kodenkan Jujitsu, Shen Chun Do, Taekwondo
Fighting out of	Santa Monica, California, United States
Team	Olympic Gym
Trainer	Jimmy Montoya
Rank	3rd degree black belt in American Kenpo      3rd degree black belt in Kodenkan Jujitsu      10th degree black belt in Shen Chun Do
Years active	1976-1986
Professional boxing record
Total	6
Wins	5
By knockout	2
Losses	0
Draws	1
Kickboxing record
Total	32
Wins	31
By knockout	18
Losses	0
Draws	1

Graciela Casillas (born 1957) is an American former boxer and kickboxer who competed in the bantamweight division. After training in several traditional martial arts, Casillas began competing as a kickboxer 1976 and in 1979, she became the first fighter to hold world titles in both boxing and kickboxing by taking the World Women's Boxing Association's and the World Kickboxing Association's bantamweight championships.

Noted for her punching power and also as one of the first American fighters to incorporate low kicks into their arsenal, Casillas retired undefeated in 1986. She is considered a pioneer of women's combat sports.^[1]

Early life

Casillas was born as one of eleven children to Mexican parents in Oxnard, California.^[2] She took up taekwondo at the age of fifteen when the church she attended began offering self-defence classes. After the classes were discontinued, she began training in hwa rang do and then American Kenpo karate. It was at her karate school where she was introduced to kickboxing.^[3][4]

Career

After going 6-0 with all of her wins by knockout as an amateur, Casillas turned professional in 1977. On July 13, 1979, she defeated Karen Bennett by unanimous decision at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California to win the WWBA World Bantamweight (-53.525 kg/118 lb) Championship in what was her professional boxing debut.^[2]

Later that year, on December 23, she beat Irene Garcia to take the WKA Women's World Bantamweight (-53.5 kg/117.9 lb) title in Las Vegas, Nevada. This made her the first person to hold world titles in boxing and kickboxing simultaneously.^[5]

In a controversial bout in Chicago, Illinois on October 6, 1981, Casillas went the distance with Cheryl Wheeler. Initially, it was announced that Wheeler won on the judges' scorecards to take the WKA bantamweight title but it was later overturned to a win for Casillas.^[2]

She retired undefeated in 1986 with a record of 31-0, 18 KOs.^[6]

Personal life

Casillas has spent the years following her retirement from competition developing her own eclectic martial art of Shen Chun Do, "the way of the warrior spirit".

Originally a student of taekwondo and full-contact karate she earned a 3rd degree black belt in Kenpo as well as Kodenkan Jujitsu. Casillas trained under Grandmaster Angel Cabales and became the first woman instructor for Cabales Serrada Eskrima. She later studied Jeet Kune Do under Sifu Dan Inosanto and Arnis under Grandmaster Bobby Taboada and her husband Sensei Ernie Boggs.^[7] She has been President of the United States Sport Jujitsu Trade Association and an assistant coach to the USA Jujitsu Team. She was awarded Black Belt Magazine's and Inside Kung-Fu Magazine's "Woman of the Year" in 1989 and inducted into the Martial arts Hall of Fame. She has been credited as the designer of the Boxing Skirt.^[8]

In 1996 Casillas designed a knife known as the Ladyhawk, manufactured by Masters of Defense (MOD) as a collaboration with Microtech Knives and marketed as a self-defense knife designed for women.^[9] Impetus for this design came after Casillas stabbed one of two attempted rapists, using the thug's own knife after disarming him.^[10]

Casillas has appeared in the films Full Impact (1993) and Fire in the Night (1986). ^[11]

Championships and awards

Boxing

• World Women's Boxing Association
  • WWBA World Bantamweight (-53.525 kg/118 lb) Championship

Kickboxing

• World Kickboxing Association
  • WKA Women's World Bantamweight (-53.5 kg/117.9 lb) Championship

Boxing record

Boxing record

5 wins (2 KOs), 0 losses, 1 draw Date Result Opponent Venue Location Method Round Time Record 1986-02-25 Win Tanya McCloud The Forum Inglewood, California, USA Decision (unanimous) 4 2:00 5-0-1 1983-01-27 Win Lanay Browning Las Vegas, Nevada, USA KO 3 4-0-1 1980-09-18 Win Debra Wright Tucson, Arizona, USA KO 3 3-0-1 1980-06-25 Win Anna Pascal Silver Slipper Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Decision (unanimous) 6 2:00 2-0-1 1979-11-23 Draw Karen Bennett San Diego Coliseum San Diego, California, USA Draw 1-0-1 1979-07-13 Win Karen Bennett Grand Olympic Auditorium Los Angeles, California, USA Decision (unanimous) 6 2:00 1-0 Wins the WWBA World Bantamweight (-53.525 kg/118 lb) Championship. Legend:       Win       Loss       Draw/No contest       Notes

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record

31 wins (18 KOs), 0 losses, 1 draw Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time 1981-10-06 Win Cheryl Wheeler Chicago, Illinois, USA Decision 7 2:00 Retains the WKA Women's World Bantamweight (-53.5 kg/117.9 lb) Championship. 1981-04-09 Win Chan Lai Yin Hong Kong TKO 1981-03-10 Win Cookie Melendez Decision 7 2:00 Retains the WKA Women's World Bantamweight (-53.5 kg/117.9 lb) Championship. 1980-10-18 Win Darlina Valdez Decision 7 2:00 Retains the WKA Women's World Bantamweight (-53.5 kg/117.9 lb) Championship. 1980-06-16 Win Darlena Valdez Mexico Decision 7 2:00 Retains the WKA Women's World Bantamweight (-53.5 kg/117.9 lb) Championship. 1980-03-29 Win Rochelle Reggsdale TKO Retains the WKA Women's World Bantamweight (-53.5 kg/117.9 lb) Championship. 1979-12-23 Win Irene Garcia Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Decision 7 2:00 Wins the WKA Women's World Bantamweight (-53.5 kg/117.9 lb) Championship. 1979-11-16 Win Gina Troy Decision 1978-12-29 Win Gina Troy TKO 1978-09-01 Draw Valerie Gardner Draw 1978-07-29 Win Linda Costineda TKO 1978-01-21 Win Jeanie Harris TKO 1977-06-26 Win Cheryl Altmore KO 1977-05-14 Win Ana Maria Garza TKO 1977-02-12 Win Joanna Mitchell TKO 1976-10-23 Win Crystal Lee TKO Legend:       Win       Loss       Draw/No contest       Notes

External links

• Official site
• Professional boxing record for Graciela Casillas from BoxRec

References