Alicia Ashley (born August 23, 1967) is a Jamaican-American professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2018. She held the World Boxing Council (WBC) female super bantamweight title twice between 2011 and 2016. Ashley was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2023.

Personal life Born in Jamaica, Ashley moved to the United States at a young age. She is the younger sister of chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley and former world kickboxing champion Devon Ashley.

Career

Ashley began her professional boxing career on January 29, 1999, defeating Lisa Howarth by a six-round split decision in Atlantic City, New Jersey. On her second professional boxing fight, held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, she suffered her first defeat when she was outpointed over six rounds by Doris Hackl on June 20 of that year.

Ashley rebounded from that defeat with an eight-round decision win over Bonnie Canino June 27 at Tunica, Mississippi.

After her first three fights, she took a seven-month hiatus from boxing, but on February 11, 2000, she returned, losing by an eight-round decision to Mexico's Laura Serrano, also in Tunica. After splitting her two next fights, she met "Downtown Leona Brown": on June 29, she beat Brown on points over eight rounds in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Next, she fought Kelsey Jeffries, who, until that bout, had lost only one of her nine fights. On September 3, Ashley beat Jeffries by a six-round unanimous decision in Nevada.

Ashley had only one fight in 2001, a decision victory, and then, on January 13, 2002, she made her Las Vegas debut, drawing (tying) in six rounds with Layla McCarter.

Her next fight fought on February 23 of that year, was also her first world title try, when she and Jeffries were rematched with the vacant IWBF world Featherweight title on the line. Ashley became a world champion by defeating Jeffries, this time by a ten-round split decision, at New Jersey.

Ashley lost her next fight when she met the experienced Chevelle Hallback for Hallback's WIBA world Junior Lightweight title by a ten-round unanimous decision in Georgia on August 27.

Ashley then went down in weight, returning to the Super Bantamweight division. On November 15, she defeated Marcela Acuña by a ten-round split decision in Córdoba, Argentina, to win the WIBF's vacant world Super Bantamweight title. But this decision win was controversial (the fight was scored 96-94 by two judges for Ashley and 97-95 by the third for Acuña), and the WIBF ordered an immediate rematch between the two women fighters. On June 14, 2003, she and Acuña met again, this time at Buenos Aires. Ashley retained the title the second time around with a ten-round unanimous decision.

On November 15, she lost her title to Esther Schouten by a ten-round split decision in Austria.

Her next was against Shondell Alfred, on March 27, 2004, in Guyana. She defeated Alfred by an eight-round decision.

After a hiatus that lasted almost one year, Ashley returned to boxing on March 3, 2005. when she knocked out Elena Reid in seven rounds at Laughlin, she also fought in the World Combat League.

She lost the fight against Argentina's Marcela Eliana Acuna for the WBC female world super bantamweight title by a majority decision at the Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires on August 20, 2009.

After winning two fights in New York City, Ashley won the vacant WBC female super bantamweight title via a unanimous decision at the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx on July 23, 2011. On 1 October 2016 at Dort Federal Event Center in Flint Michigan, she lost her title to Fatuma Zarika by split decision.

In 2023, Ashley was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes37Loss24–12–1Dina ThorslundUD10 (10)Mar 10, 201836Win24–11–1Liliana MartinezPTS8 (8)Mar 31, 201735Loss23–11–1Fatuma ZarikaSD10 (10)Oct 1, 201634Win23–10–1Christina McMahonUD10 (10)Oct 29, 201533Win22–10–1Grecia Novas MateoTKO7 (8)Nov 8, 201432Loss21–10–1Jackie NavaMD10 (10)Sep 6, 201431Win21–9–1Nohime DennissonTKO6 (6)May 21, 201430Win20–9–1Zenny SotomayorTKO5 (10)Oct 23, 201329Win19–9–1Chantal MartínezUD10 (10)Apr 20, 201328Win18–9–1Maria Elena VillalobosUD10 (10)Mar 17, 201227Win17–9–1Christina RuizUD10 (10)Jul 23, 201126Win16–9–1Crystal HoyUD8 (8)Jan 19, 201125Win15–9–1Jackie TrivilinoUD6 (6)Apr 2, 201024Loss14–9–1Marcela AcuñaMD10 (10)Aug 20, 200923Loss14–8–1Lisa BrownSD10 (10)Jun 12, 200822Win14–7–1Brooke DierdorffUD8 (8)Jan 31, 200821Win13–7–1Delia HoppeUD6 (6)Apr 11, 200720Loss12–7–1Zhang XiyanUD10 (10)Apr 15, 200619Loss12–6–1Ryu Myung-okUD10 (10)Oct 21, 200518Win12–5–1Alesia GrafSD10 (10)May 28, 200517Win11–5–1Elena ReidTKO7 (8)Mar 26, 200516Win10–5–1Shondell AlfredUD8 (8)Mar 27, 200415Loss9–5–1Esther SchoutenSD10 (10)Nov 15, 200314Win9–4–1Marcela AcuñaUD10 (10)Jun 14, 200313Win8–4–1Marcela AcuñaSD10 (10)Nov 15, 200212Loss7–4–1Chevelle HallbackUD10 (10)Aug 27, 200211Win7–3–1Kelsey JeffriesSD10 (10)Feb 23, 200210Draw6–3–1Layla McCarterMD6 (6)Jan 13, 20029Win6–3Claudette AlexanderUD4 (4)Feb 17, 20018Win5–3Kelsey JeffriesUD6 (6)Sep 3, 20007Win4–3Leona BrownSD8 (8)Jun 29, 20006Loss3–3Songul OrucSD4 (4)May 13, 20005Win3–2Heather McVeyUD4 (4)Apr 1, 20004Loss2–2Laura SerranoUD8 (8)Feb 11, 20003Win2–1Bonnie CaninoUD8 (8)May 27, 19992Loss1–1Doris HacklSD6 (6)May 20, 19991Win1–0Lisa HowarthSD6 (6)Jan 29, 1999

See also List of female boxers List of southpaw stance boxers

References

External links

Alicia Ashley - Profile at Women Boxing Archive Network

Biography from the International Boxing Hall of Fame