Cathy Davis (born c. 1952) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1976 and 1981. Some of her fights were fixed.
Career Davis sued the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) in 1977 because she was denied a boxing license because she was a woman, and the case was decided in her favor later that year, with the judge invalidating New York State rule number 205.15, which stated, “No woman may be licensed as a boxer or second or licensed to compete in any wrestling exhibition with men.” In his opinion the judge cited the precedent set by Garrett v. New York State Athletic Commission (1975), which “found the regulation invalid under the equal protection clauses of the State and Federal Constitutions”. The NYSAC filed an appeal of the ruling, but later dropped it.
In August 1978 Davis became the first, and, until Ronda Rousey in January 2016, the only woman to be on the cover of The Ring.
On September 19, 1978, Davis received the NYSAC’s first boxing license given to a female boxer.
Cat Davis did not only fight in New York. She fought between 1976 and 1981, in various areas of the country, including Nevada, California, and much of the Northwest. She became popular throughout the country by often fighting on television.
It was eventually revealed that some of her fights had been fixed.
Partial boxing record Officially, her first fight occurred on November 11, 1977, when she knocked out Margie Dunson in the first round, in North Carolina. On June 7, 1978, she and Ernestine Jones fought to a no contest in a bout that was scheduled for four rounds. On July 2, 1979, she knocked out Uschi Doering in the Exposition Building, in Portland, Maine, in 6 rounds.
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes14Win13–0 Lavonne LudianTKO3 (?)10 Apr 1981Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S.13Win12–0 Ursula DoeringTKO6 (12), 2 Jul 1979Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S.12NC11–0 Ernestine Jones4 (?)7 Jun 1978Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.11Win11–0Margie DunsonKO1 (?)11 Nov 1977County Arena, Cumberland, North Carolina, U.S.10Win10–0Mona HayesKO4 (8)14 Jul 1977Holiday Inn West, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.9Win9–0Margie DunsonKO3 (6)23 Mar 1977Wagner Ballroom, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.8Win8–0Margie DunsonKO2 (6)3 Feb 1977Holiday Inn West, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.7Win7–0Joanna LutzKO4 (8)2 Dec 1976Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S.6Win6–0Margie DunsonTKO3 (6)25 Nov 1976Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S.5Win5–0Jean LangKO1 (4)12 Aug 1976Hinchliffe Stadium, Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.4Win4–0Patty Patterson3 (?)3 Aug 1976Arena, North Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.3Win3–0Nickie HansenKO2 (8)29 Jun 1976Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, Washington, U.S.2Win2–0Joanna LuftKO2 (4)16 Jun 1976 Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.1Win1–0Bobbi Shane2 (4)15 Apr 1976Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S.
References
Bibliography A History of Women's Boxing, Malissa Smith, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014, THE GREAT WHITE HYPE By Jack Newfield - Published November 1979 Volume. One - Originally printed in the VOICE Vol. XXIII No. 41 "The Weekly Newspaper of New York, October 16, 1978
External links
Biography from the International Boxing Hall of Fame