Hometown champ: Burton wins WIBA title
Shelley Burton lands a right to the face of Laura Ramsey during her title fight Friday night. <br>Burton won the fight, and her first title, to become the WIBA Intercontinental super middleweight champion. Chris Jordan/Daily Inter Lake
What was once just a dream is now very real.
Kalispell's Shelley Burton won a 10-round majority decision over Laura Ramsey Friday night in Edmonton, Alberta, for the WIBA Intercontinental belt.
By the time the fight was over, both fighters were bloody messes.
Ramsey broke Burton's nose, cut her face twice and punched her face black and blue. Burton even bit a hole into the inside of her mouth. Winning the fight came at an enormous physical cost.
Ramsey, now 5-1, didn't fare much better as Burton used her speed and powerful jab to win the title fight.
"She outpowered me, but I outscored her," Burton said. "I stayed busy the whole fight."
Ramsey also caught Burton with a late hit after the bell rang to end the second round.
When the fight was over, Burton wasn't sure if the judges were going to award her the win. Ramsey had landed a number of thundering punches, but Burton's technique earned her more points.
Burton said she was a nervous wreck before the match began. She was plagued with negative thoughts and even had dry heaves. She pulled herself together as she walked out of the tunnel and saw the huge crowd and the ring.
"I thought 'I am not going to lose this fight,'" Burton said.
As she stepped through the ropes, she saw the mat covered in blood from the night's previous fights.
"The mat was pretty bad," she said. "They normally clean that up. I saw it and knew I'd be adding my blood to it."
Burton got a taste of Ramsey's power early in the first round as her opponent connected with massive hits.
"She hit me so hard, I can't believe I'm still standing up," Burton said.
Burton was scheduled to fight Leatitia Robinson, but Robinson canceled two days before the fight citing nose problems. Because Robinson didn't fight, Burton didn't earn the world title she had been training for - the WIBA World Championship.
She also moved up a weight class to Super Middleweight. Burton gave up 15 pounds on Ramsey.
Burton had her own problems before the fight. Her ciatic nerve caused her so much pain she had to ice it down every night while she was training in Las Vegas the week prior to her fight. She also broke a finger while hitting mitts and struggled through a shoulder injury.
Burton is unsure of her future in women's boxing. The committment to training and frequent cancellation of fights brings a lot of discouragment, especially for the tiny purses offered at women's fights.
She plans on healing up and reporting back to work Monday morning at Penco.
"I feel like I just made my dream come true," Burton said. "Now what?"