Mia St. John Defeats Christy Martin in Final Bout for Both Fighters

In a match that signaled the end of an era, Mia St. John defeated Christy Martin in a 10-round unanimous decision at the Table Mountain Casino in Friant, California to claim the WBC female super welterweight title.

St. John (46-11-2, 18 KOs) took more of a brawling approach to this match, and it paid off as she landed a plethora of clean shots that eventually wore down Martin (49-7-3, 31 KOs).

According to Fightnews.com, the official scores were 96-94, 96-94 and 97-93. Martin had previously beaten St. John in a 10-round decision almost a decade ago.

At the end of the fight both ladies confirmed that it was indeed their last match, and both are now retired from the sport.

It comes as no surprise considering St. John is 45 and Martin is 44.

The two paved the way for women fighters like the 17-year-old Claressa Shields, who just returned home from the London Olympics with America's only gold in the sport these Summer Games.

Shields and the rest of the women’s team represent a new generation of fighters, and it’s fitting that the torch would be passed with two events that were roughly a week apart from each other.

St. John came from a martial arts background, and began her boxing career in 1997. She used her good looks to land plenty of modeling opportunities that raised her own profile, as well as the entire sport of women’s boxing. She is a pioneer and will surely be missed.

Martin’s career began back in 1989, and she worked her way up the ranks to become one of the most decorated female fighters of all time. 

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