Америкалық боксшы және баскетболшы Вонда Уорд

American boxer and basketball player

Vonda Ward (born March 16, 1973) is an American former professional boxer and NCAA basketball player. As a boxer, she competed from 2000 to 2008 and held multiple heavyweight world championships, including the WBC title in 2007. She also challenged Ann Wolfe for the WIBA and IBA female light heavyweight titles in 2004, in which she suffered her only defeat, losing by knockout in the first round.

Ward grew up in a sports oriented family; her father, Larry Ward, is a famous harness racer. Ward played basketball at Trinity High School in Garfield Heights and was twice named Ohio's "Ms. Basketball." She made "Parade All American" teams twice. She was recruited by Division I universities across the United States. In 1991, Ward accepted a basketball scholarship at the University of Tennessee. While a member of Pat Summitt's Lady Vols, Ward played in one NCAA basketball championship game (1995) during her college career at Tennessee, losing to the University of Connecticut. She competed with USA Basketball as a member of the 1993 Jones Cup Team that won the Bronze in Taipei. After her college career ended in 1995, Ward played for a professional basketball club in Germany. She later played for the American Basketball League's Colorado Xplosion. In 2012, she was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.

After a broken leg cut her professional basketball career short, Ward turned her attention to boxing. Ward's boxing debut occurred on January 15, 2000, when she knocked out Faye Steffen in round one at LaPorte, Indiana. Her first four fights all ended in first round knockout wins for Ward. On April 27, 2000, she met Genevia Buckwalter in New York. Buckwalter became the first fighter to make it out of the first round against Ward, but Ward still won on a second round knockout. Ward's next five rivals did not make it past the second round, with two first round knockouts and three second round wins. At this point of her career, she had a streak of twelve knockout wins in a row. On February 2, 2001, she met prospect Kisha Snow as part of the state fair celebrations in Columbus, Ohio. Snow came into the fight undefeated after six bouts, and she and Ward engaged in a four round war, but Ward made Snow her thirteenth straight knockout victim one minute into the fourth and final round. Ward then face Carley Pesente, on June 16, at Kansas City, Missouri. Pesente lasted two rounds. After one more win, Ward challenged for the IBA's world's heavyweight title on August 16, 2002. Ward became the champion, but saw her knockout win streak gone as Monica McGowan lasted ten rounds at Canton, Ohio. Ward defended her title successfully with an eighth round knockout of Kathy Rivers on December 6 at the Gund Arena in Cleveland. On March 1, 2003, she and Martha Salazar made their Las Vegas debut, with Ward taking a four round split decision win in a non title bout. After one more win, Ward unified her IBA world Heavyweight title with the WIBA's by defeating Salazar in a rematch, held on July 11 in Canton. Ward won by decision. On May 8, 2004, Ward fought a nationally televised championship bout with Ann Wolfe in Biloxi, Mississippi. At one minute and one seconds of the first round, Wolfe knocked out Ward with a devastating right to the chin, which was even more devastating by the fact that Ward inadvertently jumped forward into the impact of the punch, leaving Ward unresponsive on the mat for a matter of minutes. This first round knockout defeat caused her to lose her title and her undefeated status. Ward had a neck concussion because she hit the canvas with her neck when she fell, and she was hospitalized after this bout. On December 12, 2004, Ward returned to the boxing ring, knocking out Marsha Valley in four rounds in Cleveland. In February 2010, Ward won the inaugural WBC female heavyweight title, defeating Martha Salazar for the third and final time by unanimous decision. Ward announced her retirement on 2010. Her boxing record stands at 23 wins and 1 loss, with 17 wins by knockout.

No. (Number)ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes24Win23–1 Carlette EwellUD10Feb 23, 200823Win22–1 Martha SalazarUD10Feb 10, 200722Win21–1 Cassandra GigerUD10Jul 15, 2005 21Win20–1 Elizabeth KerinKO2 (10), Apr 29, 200520Win19–1 Marsha ValleyTKO4 (10), Dec 10, 200419Loss18–1 Ann WolfeKO1 (10), May 8, 200418Win18–0 Martha SalazarUD10Jul 11, 200317Win17–0 Jeanine TracyTKO8 (10), Mar 14, 200316Win16–0 Martha SalazarSD (Split decision)4Mar 1, 200315Win15–0 Kathy RiversTKO8 (10), Dec 6, 200214Win14–0 Monica McGowanUD (Unanimous decision)10Jul 16, 200213Win13–0 GiGi JacksonTKO4 (4), Feb 22, 200212Win12–0 Carley PesenteTKO2 (4), May 16, 200111Win11–0 Kisha SnowTKO4 (4), Feb 2, 200110Win10–0 Katie CourtneyTKO1 (4)Dec 28, 20009Win9–0 Marjorie JonesKO1 (4), Oct 19, 20008Win8–0 Sharon ThomasTKO1 (4), Sep 23, 20007Win7–0 Jeanine TracyTKO2 (4)Aug 24, 20006Win6–0 Lisa ReddingTKO1 (4), Jul 17, 20005Win5–0 Genevia BuckhalterTKO2 (4), Apr 27, 20004Win4–0 Lana JockKO1 (4), Mar 24, 20003Win3–0 Nicolyn ArmstrongKO1 (4), Mar 11, 20002Win2–0 Mattie BrumleyTKO (Technical knockout)1 (4), Feb 29, 20001Win1–0 Faye SteffenKO (Knockout)1 (4), Jan 15, 2000