This documentary by Katya Bankwosky follows Dutch-born boxer Lucia Rijker’s rise from the 1995 Golden Gloves to her pro bout at the Women’s International Boxing Federation World Title in 1997. Bankowsky enlists plenty of experts, from promoter Bob Arum to Oscar de la Hoya, to explain why she is considered the best female boxer in the world. And as we enter her world, she lends some insight into why the best female boxer in the world might still sleep with a stuffed animal (a black sheep, no less). The film begins with a string of snapshots of other female boxers ñ and points out how female boxing, like the movies about it, has ballooned since the 1995 decision to let women fight in the Golden Gloves. But Rijker is the film’s magnetic center, a remarkable athlete and woman.
This article appears in August 11 • 2000.