Stephanie Simon: “Boxing is hard, and it can be dangerous, but when you’ve had responsibility for the lives of others, well, that’s totally different.”
The world of boxing media can be a wonderful thing at times. Being able to speak with professional athletes who pour their heart and soul into the sport we love, and to connect with them on a more personal level, never fails to inspire me, no matter how long the conversation or how open the individual is about their journey, good or bad.
This past week, I spent an hour chatting with one of the most intriguing individuals that I’ve spoken to since I took my first tentative steps into this world, little under three years ago. Stephanie Simon may not be a name that immediately resonates with you, but she has a fascinating story to tell, and from the short conversation we had, I am confident that, given the platform, she will have a big future in the sport.
Simon turned professional last year, following an amateur career in which she became a five-time Elite National champion, three-time National Collegiate champion, and won the 2024 Olympic trials. Alongside this, she carved out a successful military career, in which she became a Marine Corps captain with responsibility for a team of sixty men at just 23 years old. It’s quite the journey, but boxing didn’t start as her sport of choice, as she explained.
“I did a lot of sports at a much younger age and fell in love with wrestling at 11 years old, and that’s also when I started throwing the shot put, discus, and the javelin. By the time I was in high school, I was a state champion and All-American wrestler. I was looking at colleges, but there weren’t many opportunities for women’s wrestling in 2012, and I didn’t feel like going to a regular state school was going to be the best decision for me in terms of being an athlete, so I went down the military college route and joined the United States Naval Academy. There, you had to do a semester of wrestling and boxing. I was given a pass for the wrestling because I’d competed for so many years, but I had to do the boxing, and that’s where, at 19 years old, I accidentally found the sport.”
During her time at the Naval Academy, Simon competed in collegiate boxing for four years, winning three National titles and gradually becoming obsessed, but once her college years were over, and she moved into the real military, her priorities changed. With the responsibilities she carried, 100% of her focus had to be on the day job, so boxing was put on hold. That was until 2019, when she decided to compete in the Elite Nationals for the first time. She recalls being blown away by the quality of competition that she faced.
“2019 was the first time I was interested in competing at national level outside of the college division, so I decided to give it a try. I’d never done the nationals before, and I was nervous because this was where the big dogs were. I remember looking at my bracket, and all the girls had so much experience. I remember specifically seeing Mary Spencer’s name, and I think she’d had 80-odd fights at the time, and I’d probably had 13, so this was next level. I did ok at that first tournament, the Eastern qualifier. I was trying to see if I could make it to the Olympic trials, and while I didn’t qualify, I decided to stick with it.”
They say to be successful in life, you need a bit of luck, and having decided to keep competing, Simon’s fortune came in the form of the Marine Corps Boxing Team. Previously disbanded, she received a call to say the team was being revived and would she like to try out. She did and ended up becoming the team captain, enabling her to train three times a day while still in the military. From there, she had success, winning the Golden Gloves in 2021 and 2023, the Elite Nationals in 2021 and 2022 and earning a place on Team USA, which enabled her to spend time at the Olympic training centre, sparring with men and women from all over the world. All of that led to December 2023 and the trials for the 2024 Olympic Games. Having carried with her a lifetime ambition to become an Olympian, Simon believed that by winning the trials, she was in prime position to achieve that dream, only for politics to snatch it away.
“At the time, it was policy to allow the national team not to partake in the trials. So, when I competed, the number ones were excluded. A month later, those of us who had won in our weight categories came into camp and were assessed behind closed doors, in a subjective manner, against the number ones. You’re told you didn’t score enough points in a certain area, yet you haven’t fought the number one. Surely that’s the only way to settle who the best fighter is now, not going off past achievements.
So, I didn’t make the team, and neither did any of the other trial winners. Team USA brought home one bronze medal from Paris, so you can draw your own conclusions from that. The best training facilities, the best of everything, and we come back with one medal. I get that there’s favouritism, and I’ve spoken out against it. I’ve tried my best to get investigations started to see if the politics can be changed, but none of it has worked. I no longer had the energy or time to keep repeating myself. I did my part; I tried my best to make a change.”
After that disappointment, Simon made the decision to turn professional. She remains part of the military reserves, but boxing is now her primary focus. The decision came a few years later than originally envisaged, during which time she flirted, momentarily, with a career in MMA, recognising that her background in wrestling, taekwondo and boxing might be more suited to that discipline. In the end, those extra years on the amateur scene only strengthened her love for boxing, and physically and mentally, she feels this was the perfect time to transition.
“Physically, I’m in my prime, and my boxing IQ is higher as well. In the amateurs, I would punch a lot as I tried to score points; there was no real strategy. Now, I’m learning how to put shots together and throw combinations, and it’s been awesome to develop as I have. My coach is heavy on the defensive side as well. That’s what gives you longevity in the sport. Everyone wants to put on an exciting fight, and that’s okay, but if you have a war each time you enter the ring, you’re not going to last long. You need to be able to defend yourself and limit the damage you take so that when you get to the bigger fights, you still have something left in the tank.”
Upon turning pro, Simon relocated back to the West Coast of America and now resides in Southern California, which is where she fights this weekend, her fourth professional contest. The calibre of the boxing gyms and proximity to Las Vegas, coupled with moving closer to her family who live around a two-hour flight away in Washington State, were some of the key reasons for the move. She is training out of Pullman’s Gym in Northridge and is currently 3-0, having debuted last September. On Saturday, she faces Argentinian Marisa Joana Portillo, but Simon admits the buildup has been less than ideal.
“For this next fight, I’ve had to come up with around $8.5k. We couldn’t find anyone willing to fight from the U.S., so we had to start looking at other countries and when you do that in many situations, and certainly in mine, you have to pay for their flights, hotels, expenses, purses, medicals, and California has the most expensive medicals in the country, and on top of that sell tickets. So, it’s a lot of work, but in about four days, I was able to find sponsors and get $4-5k to help towards the costs. At one point, I was close to thinking screw it. It’s been this way for most of my fights, where I’m having to find sponsors and struggling to find opponents, and I accept that’s the way it is when you’re not signed to a promoter. I know, though, that if you’re willing to put in the work, it will pay off. One piece of advice I’d give is you’ve got to have initiative in this sport, don’t wait for others, because everyone’s busy. If you don’t have initiative, you won’t get to where you want to be.”
One thing that is a constant throughout our conversation is Simon’s strong mindset, which, given her military background, shouldn’t come as a surprise. Does she find herself drawing on some of those professional experiences as she navigates her way through the challenges of being a boxer?
“In boxing, you’re responsible for yourself. Training, strength and conditioning, diet, rest, and showing up to the gym. It’s all on you. As a Marine officer, at 23 years old, I’m managing sixty men, and their lives and well-being are in my hands. In combat arms, you’re dealing with guns, amphibious tanks, and preparing to fight the bad guys, and you’re leading people into the most dangerous situations possible, where the reality is, people could die. So, it’s a lot of stress and responsibility, and it takes a toll on you and will crush you if you don’t handle it in the right way. No fight in the world will feel as scary as that. Boxing is hard, and it can be dangerous, but when you’ve had responsibility for the lives of others, well, that’s totally different.”
Looking to the future, after a meteoric rise for women’s boxing, the last couple of years have seen a plateau. The emergence of new markets has impacted its growth, but we are starting to see some green shoots, primarily thanks to Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, who have signed an array of talent over recent weeks. Simon believes that opportunities will come, but if they don’t, she is adamant that she won’t wait around forever.
“With my amateur experience and winning the Olympic trials, people told me I’d get signed, and then I turned over, and there was silence. People know who I am, and I believe I’m one of the most marketable women in boxing. There’s my military background, but I also sing, dance, play five instruments, and do impersonations. More than that, though, I’m a good fighter. The promoters know who I am, but I’m currently in a transitional period, and if opportunities don’t come, I’m out of here. You can stick around and wait and work hard to change people’s minds, but there’s also a point where it’s okay to move on.
“I’m in LA right now, so there are other ways I can succeed and make money, using my experiences from outside of boxing in public speaking or putting together leadership courses. Right now, I’m choosing to box because I love the sport, and I want to do great things and become an undisputed champion. I want to inspire people and be the best in the world, but at the end of the day, if it comes down to it and the opportunities aren’t there, I’m not going to wait around.”
