Kaliesha West (born February 11, 1988) is a professional female boxer and the former 3 time WBO Female Bantamweight and IFBA super Bantamweight Boxing World Champion. She was born on February 11, 1988, in South Haven, Michigan. West currently resides in

Moreno Valley Moreno Valley is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and is part of the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Riverside County by population and one of the Inland Empire's po ...

California, a small suburb between

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and

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

. West is a motivational speaker and an advocate for women's right's and women's boxing. On September 18, 2010, West won the WBO title, becoming the first world boxing champion from the

Inland Empire The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the cities o ...

. Her father, Juan West, is her boxing trainer and manager. She was also a contestant on the CW reality show ''

Capture Capture may refer to: *Asteroid capture, a phenomenon in which an asteroid enters a stable orbit around another body *Capture, a software for lighting design, documentation and visualisation *"Capture" a song by Simon Townshend *Capture (band), an ...

'', placing 4th out of 12 teams. Currently, West is delivering her voice through social media networks, campaign, and protests across the United States in hopes to generate a following from those who believe in equal opportunities for women in sports. Some have compared her career to that of

Billie Jean King Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was a member of the victorious United States ...

Multi-cultural heritage

West is an athlete of multi-cultural heritage. Her father, Juan West, is African American and European. Her mother, Melissa, is of Mexican and Korean heritage.

Early years

West was first introduced to boxing while attending her father's boxing fights. However, her father was reluctant to involve her in the sport. Juan West tried to appease his 10-year-old daughter by showing her the proper boxing stance and how to punch. He gave her difficult training exercises to discourage her. When she persisted, Juan took her to a gym to fight a much bigger opponent, and she lost. West refused to give up boxing and continued her training.

High school

She attended Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley, where she started freshmen year as Varsity Cross Country and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. She participated in boxing activities outside of school.

Amateur career

West began her amateur career in 1998 at the age of 10. West fought for 8 years and won numerous tournaments and honors, including 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, Junior Olympic championships, 2003, 2004, 2005 Silver Gloves championships, 2002 125 lb. National Golden Gloves championships. 2004 USA Championships 2005 Blue & Gold Championships 2005 PAL Championships 2006 West furthered her boxing career by turning professional just two weeks after her 18th birthday. West turned professional after being advised that women will not be allowed to compete in the 2008 Olympics. Her overall amateur record was 98–10.

West turns professional

Just after turning eighteen years old, West made her pro debut on February 23, 2006 at San Manuel Indian Casino in

San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish language, Spanish for Bernardino of Siena, "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a ...

, California, after knocking her to the floor in round one, West won a four-round unanimous decision over former World Title holder Suzannah Warner.

West wins the WBO World Title

On September 18, 2010, at the

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California, West won the vacant WBO Bantamweight title with a seventh-round TKO over Angel Gladney of South Carolina at 0:59 in a scheduled ten-rounder. She made boxing history, as she became the first boxing champion from the Inland Empire. West also became the first female to win a world title on a Golden Boy Promotions fight card. West successfully defended her WBO title for three consecutive years traveling the world against Mexico, Argentina, and USA.

West wins the IFBA World Title

On October 6, 2012, at the Finish Line Sports Bar and Grill in

Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polyte ...

, West won the vacant IFBA Junior Featherweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Christina Ruiz of Texas. West successfully moved up to the next weight division to become a two division world champion. West also became the first female to headline for Sugar Shane Mosley Promotions.

Public viewing

In 2013, West participated as a contestant with her boyfriend Matt on the first season of ''

'', an American reality competition television series on

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. West was also featured as an athlete promoting Sony's new waterproof mp3 Walkman.

Championships and accomplishments

*2012 IFBA International Female Boxers Association Super Bantamweight World Title *2011 Moreno Valley Grand Marshall 2010 Proclamation from the city of Moreno Valley. *2010 WBO Female Bantamweight World Title (3 defenses) *2010 First ever world champion between men and women from Inland Empire, CA. *2005 National Golden Gloves Champion *2004 First Female B.C.R. Champion *2004 Silver Gloves Champion *2003 Silver Gloves Champion *2003 Junior Olympic Champion *2002 Junior Olympic Champion

Professional boxing record

References

External links

Kaliesha West Awakening Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Kaliesha People from Moreno Valley, California People from South Haven, Michigan 1982 births Living people American women boxers American boxers of Mexican descent Sportspeople from Michigan Sportspeople from California World boxing champions Super-bantamweight boxers Participants in American reality television series 21st-century American women