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THE MINGO WARRIOR: ANGIE WOOLUM - PRO BOXER
By John Dawson
The Big Sandy Superstore
Arena in Huntington was recently the venue
for a professional boxing show that
was taped by Fox Sports to be aired
on a future edition of Fox’s Friday Night Fights. The
show consisted of 10 professional bouts
with the main event featuring South
Point, Ohio, fighter Nikki Epilon for
the IBA Super-middle weight world title.
Although the main event was filled
with action it was an earlier bout
that brought fight fans to their feet
with excitement. A local fighter returning
to the boxing ring for the first time
in four years for a 4-round bout seem to be the crowds favorite.
This show was intended to be a tune-up match for the ring rusty,
Angie Woolum of Delbarton, West Virginia. As a fighter her resume
is not bad especially for a former homecoming queen. She is a
boxing beauty that truly is a prime example of the old saying
. . . ”You
can’t judge a book by its cover.” At five feet, four
and 125 pounds she is like a small desert-berry
that is deceiving to the eye but to underestimate
it could spell trouble. One taste of
her crunching left hook or her lightening
fast right will quickly convince you
that you have just bitten off more than
you can chew. The International Female
Boxing Association (IFBA) ranked her
number 9 in the world. She is also an
undefeated kick boxer and just last year
in Sao Paulo, Brazil, she became the
first American female to ever win a World Title in Sport Jujitsu.
Woolum has trained with some of the top boxing coaches in the business,
like John Johnson who is best known for training Buster Douglas
to a victory over Mike Tyson. She has trained in world famous gyms
from Columbus, Ohio to Las Vegas, Nevada, diligently honing her
skills as a professional fighter along side boxing greats like Oscar
Delahoya. However, her journey as a female in a male dominated sport
has not been an easy one, especially here in West Virginia.
In the 1970’s and early 80’s boxing was one of West
Virginia’s most popular spectator sports. The Charleston Golden
Gloves was once a huge event for area fight fans, usually lasting
Thursday thru Sunday. Favorites like, Jose Larzo, John Alderson,
Georgie Sams, John Dailey, and Ronnie Mitchell more often than not
displayed their pugilistic skills in front of a sold-out crowd.
These young men like so many others who once participated in WV
boxing found a sense of salvation in local boxing clubs. Boxing
for these young men was more than a sport it was a means of expressing
themselves by displaying their fighting skills in a controlled atmosphere.
Many people are led to believe that boxing gyms are only havens
for thugs and we are all better off without them. On the contrary,
a true boxing gym is a house of discipline in which many troubled
youth have changed their lives for the better. Today, it seems as
if support for events that feature disciplined boxers has been replaced
by the toughguy-toughgal competitions that mostly feature potbelly
brawlers with little or no boxing skills. These types of shows fill
the stands of the Charleston Civic Center. While the Golden Gloves
have been reduced to a Sunday afternoon affair and pro boxing shows
seldom draw enough fan support to break even. Many boxing fans believe
West Virginia still produces world-class fighters but they lack
the recognition that is often needed to advance. They believe the
decline in fan support as well as the lack of opportunity for WV
boxers is not the fault of area fans or athletes. They blame poor
organizational leadership from those currently in charge of boxing
here in our state. Many athletes in our area have been advised and
now believe that the first step to success in the sport of boxing
is to get out of West Virginia.
 
However, Woolum says she refuses to allow anything to interfere
with her goal of becoming among the best of the best. Instead, her
drive to succeed in the sport is fueled by the adversity she faces
as a female fighter. She credits her current trainers; John Dailey
and Ernie Boggs of Nitro for instilling in her a belief system that
has empowered her to relentlessly pursue her dream. As a coach Boggs
has produced champions in boxing, kickboxing and more world champions
in sport jujitsu than any other coach in the world. “He has
not only enhanced my fighting skills he has taught me that the victory
is not found in the ring but the victory is in the journey to the
ring” says Woolum. I understand now that all the trials and
tribulations that I have gone through as a female fighter has made
me evolve as a person as well. So much so that she has even abandoned
her original ring name, “The Assassin.” Woolum says
that ring name doesn’t accurately describe her. “An
assassin is a thief of life, one without honor and I want to be
known as a champion of life,” she adds. I have learned while
training at BCI that being a warrior is an honorable position that
expands far beyond fighting itself. With success comes the responsibility
of remembering where you come from. So in honor of her roots she
has taken a ring name given to her by her training partners. One
day in the gym my coach called me “the Mingo Warrior” sense
then it has come to represent many aspects of my life. I am proud
to be from this state and especially from a county named after a
Native American tribe that was once considered to be among West
Virginia’s most fierce warriors. From Mingo County she has
traveled the world in pursuit of her goal to become a world champion
boxer. Now she continues that quest as she returns to boxing right
here in West Virginia.
Woolum struggled for 17 days to make the weight only to be disappointed
when her opponent withdrew the night before. Rather than disappoint
her fans that had already purchased tickets she accepted an alternate
opponent. Her new opponent was Angel McNamara from Baltimore, Maryland
who appeared to have an 8-inch reach and 10-pound weight advantage.
As the referee brought the boxers to the center of the ring for
final fight instructions anticipation grew from the crowd, as it
was very clear that McNamara towered over Woolum. When the bell
rang for round one to begin it was apparent to everyone that the
smaller Woolum was not intimidated by the size difference as she
brought the fight to McNamara. Round one was a virtual slugfest
with Woolum appearing to narrowly take that round. McNamara who
obviously was an experienced, ring-smart fighter had no problem
finding her opponent because it seemed Woolum was constantly in
her face. Round two McNamara connected with a right hand that sent
Woolum to the canvas. It was a good shot that would have kept a
lesser fighter down for the count. But Woolum displayed the heart
of a lioness as she climbed back to her feet and finished the round
strong. The last two rounds McNamara seemed to be losing steam as
Woolum continued her Mingo Warrior assault. When the smoke had finally
cleared many thought the smaller fighter had at worse earned herself
a draw but a narrow decision gave McNamara the win. It is said that
a true fighter is not judged by the size of the body but by the
size of the heart and Woolum was a living example that night that
this old adage is true.
Although Woolum was visually disappointed in her performance she
humbly accepted the judges’ decision. Even with this loss
she says, I was still successful in delivering a message to the
women who were present that night. The message she says, is that
you can be what ever you want to be in life regardless of gender,
all you have to do is believe. For example, you don’t have
to be the nurse when you can be the doctor, you don’t have
to be the flight attendant when you can be the pilot, and you don’t
have to be the cheerleader if you want to be the player. No matter
how many times you hear “you can’t,” just believe
you can and you will succeed. As for The Mingo Warrior, her attitude
alone has placed her among champions and she is scheduled to fight
again next month in Tampa, Florida.
For more information on Angie Woolum call: (304) 759-1060 or 421-6644
Angie “The
Mingo Warrior” Woolum
Trainers: Ernie Boggs & John Dailey
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