positions her cap so a mere nod can hide it should
emotion strike, and starts at the beginning.
St John tells Boxing News that taekwondo was her
original combat sport of choice, and she considered
waiting around to go for gold at Sydney 2000, when
the discipline would be introduced to Olympic
competition. “But by then, I thought I’d
be too old,” she recalls. She switched to
boxing, and while fighting as an amateur
she noticed future rival Christy Martin
appearing on Mike Tyson undercards
and sent Don King a letter hoping to get
signed. And just like that, she claims, the
contract was hers.
Eight wins later she joined up with King’s
rival promoter, Bob Arum, who spotted something
he liked about the voluptuous slugger the
moment he set eyes on her. The skimpy pink
uniforms were his idea, and her early persona,
all boobs and mascara, was created. ➤http://www.boxingnewsonline.net JANUARY 11, 2018 lBOXING NEWSl 35
Mia St John thought trying to be taken seriously in the male-dominated
world of boxing was difficult enough but, as Matt Christie discovers, nothing
could prepare her for the horror of losing a child
ONG before her schizophrenic
son committed suicide, Mia
St John became a boxer. Not
an ordinary one. A pretty one.
A female one. A lipsticked,
powdered and painted
one who would
change the face of
women’s boxing.
She turned professional aged 29
in 1997, shortly after Julian’s seventh
birthday, and retired in 2016, two years
after the voices in his head persuaded him
to die. As feel-good stories go, this is right
at the bottom of the pile, but it’s a tale that St
John feels compelled to tell. Today she is 50 years
old, strong but forever broken, and looking
back is her only way of constructing a future,
at least for now.
The attractive face is still intact but sheL
★MIA★
ST JOHN
SPECIAL INTERVIEWBELOVED SON:
Julian poses for
the camera,
several years
before his death
at the age of 24WHEN I SPOKE TO HIM ON THE PHONE THAT
DAY HE THOUGHT SOMEBODY WAS
TRYING TO MURDER HIM”