Slick’s one regret
Jamaican International Boxing Hall of Famer wanted to fight on local soil
Published:Thursday | June 22, 2023 | 12:51 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
JAMAICA’S MOST decorated female boxer, Alicia ‘Slick’ Ashley, is on the island for a few days to bask in the glory of her recent International Boxing Hall of Fame induction in Canastota, New York.
Known for her foot movement in the ring and ability to avoid being hit, Ashley ended her fight career with 24 wins, 12 losses, and a draw record.
The talented fighter, who fell in love with the sport by way of kickboxing, says she was surprised by her induction.
“My career lasted almost 20 years, and all the accolades started to come one by one, right after each other. I didn’t expect it (Hall of Fame induction) at all as it’s not something that I went into, looking for. As I’ve told people, I kind of fell into boxing. It wasn’t my first love as I initially went into boxing to get my hands better for kickboxing and found out that I loved the sport,” she said during a visit to the RJRGLEANER Communications Group yesterday.
Despite her illustrious career, which includes being the oldest female boxing champion following her WBC Female Super Bantamweight title victory over Lisa Howarth in 1999, Ashley has one regret.
“When I came to some of the sportswoman and sportsman awards, I would have loved to have the reaction of the people. When you can see it live, it’s a whole different respect. Majority of the fighting career I fought in someone else’s hometown and to have the love and all the energy from the Jamaican people would have been fantastic,” said Ashley.
Like Ashley, Leroy Brown, general secretary and a former president of the Jamaica Boxing Association (JBA), believes not having her fight on local soil is also a big regret.
“Efforts were made, but none of the promoters were able to land it. I remember I even tried to have her on some undercards, but that also never worked. That is one of the biggest regrets that she has and I have also,” Brown reiterated.
Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones, president of the JBA, said despite not fighting at home, Slick has been an inspiration, not just for local boxers, but female boxers worldwide.
“She’s inspirational, not just because of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, but everything that she has done in her career and how she’s shown that if you believe it, you will achieve it. This is everything she has earned and deserved, and I think that she has opened doors, not just for Jamaicans, but also for girls worldwide,” said the president.
Brown spoke more about Slick’s character rather than her impact, saying that the adjective he would use to describe her is “tenacious”.
“Tenacity, I think that is the word that would sum her up overall. She had a never-say-die and an always-wanting-to-move-forward attitude as she always wanted to do the best. I had the pleasure of watching some of her title fights. So that, for me, was a thrill to be in the same arena as her,” said Brown.