Burton gets home title fight with Stone

The Daily Inter Lake

Kalispell's Shelley Burton will meet Seattle's Dakota Stone in a world middleweight title bout at Majestic Valley Arena on June 10.

Burton currently owns the WIBA super-middleweight belt and will most likely relinquish that title.

The fight will be sanctioned by the Montana Board of Athletics and the North American Boxing Federation (NABF). The NABF will have the authority in appointing the judges and referee. The NABF is an arm of the WBC, which is the largest boxing organization in the world.

According to promoter Bob LeCoure, boxing analysts are considering the fight to be "you pick 'em," odds.

This will be the first women's world title fight in Montana's history, according to LeCoure.

Stone is known as a top-conditioned fighter who recently lost the WIBA super middleweight title to Natascha Ragosina in Strassfurt, Germany. Burton has a current record of eight wins and two losses; Stone is currently 7-4-3.

Burton will start an intensified training program immediately and Stone returned to the gym last week. Stone had to pull out of a scheduled match with Burton in Kalispell last February due to a muscle injury. The injury is completely healed and she is running three miles per day with no lingering effects from the injury.

Burton will join the ranks of Great Falls' Todd Foster, who fought for the welterweight title; Roger Rouse (light heavyweight title); Stanley Ketchel (middleweight title); and Marvin Camel, who won the world cruiserweight championship. Camel, who now resides in Florida, is being invited as a guest, as is Foster.

There will also be six under-card bouts. Tickets are on sale at the Majestic Valley Arena: $20 general admission, $30 ringside, and ringside tables for six are $240. Tickets may be purchased by calling 755-5366.