Belinda Laracuente

Belinda Laracuente
Born (1979-01-29) January 29, 1979 (age 45)
Bridgeport, Connecticut
NationalityPuerto Rican
Statistics
Weight(s)Super-bantamweight
Boxing record
Total fights58
Wins26
Wins by KO9
Losses28
Draws3
No contests1

Belinda Laracuente (born 1980) is a women's boxing competitor from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, where she lived from 1989 to 1998. Her nickname is Brown Sugar.[1][2]

Laracuente debuted as a professional boxer on 12 February 1997 in a match against Karen Nye, which Laracuente won.[3]

On 10 October 1999 she reached a draw in four rounds with Jeanne Martinez. After winning her next fight, she went to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where she was arrested the night before the fight for underage gambling. She spent a night in jail, and then lost a decision in ten rounds to Denise Moraetes.

In her next competition, Laracuente beat future world champion Daniela Somers by a unanimous decision in Miami. After Somers went on to win the world title by beating Leah Melinger, Laracuente asked for a rematch, but she was denied by Somers' management.

After winning three more matches, she faced Zulfia Koutdoussova, who she ultimately lost to on a split decision.

Facing world champion Christy Martin at the Félix Trinidad-David Reid Pay Per View undercard, Laracuente lost a decision in eight rounds, in a bout that HBO Boxing commentator Jim Lampley said that he thought Laracuente should have won by 78 to 74 on his unofficial score.[4]

After losing one more fight, she retired, but in December 2002 she announced plans to return into the ring, with hopes of getting a new world title chance.

On 14 May 2005, she returned, losing a decision to Mary Jo Sanders, in Kinder, Louisiana. She later lost also to Layla McCarter.[5]

On 8 July 2005, she fought Missy Fiorentino on short notice, losing a unanimous decision to the undefeated prospect.[6]

In 2007 Esther Phiri defeated Belinda to become a world champion.[7][8][9]

In 2008 she appeared as a defendant on The People's Court. She was sued by a one-time cornerman who claimed Laracuente never paid him for his services. The cornerman had sued for $2500 of her $7000 purse, plus an additional $2500 for embarrassment and threats, but was awarded only $350 by judge Marilyn Milian.

Laracuente ended her boxing career on 22 June 2012, with a career record of 26-28-3 (9 KO's).

She also appeared in an episode of Made when a teenager was being made into a boxer.

  1. ^ *"Women's Boxing: Belinda Laracuente Biography". Wban.org. Archived from the original on 2010-07-08. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  2. ^ *"Woman Hungry For Title - tribunedigital-sunsentinel". Articles.sun-sentinel.com. 2003-01-17. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  3. ^ "Women's Boxing: Belinda Laracuente Biography". www.womenboxing.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  4. ^ "Trinidad Belts Reid Around - latimes". Los Angeles Times. 2000-03-04. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  5. ^ Malissa Smith (2000-03-03). A History of Women's Boxing. p. 244. ISBN 9781442229952. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  6. ^ J. E. Grant (November 2006). The Ropes Held Him Up - Boxing Essays and Articles. p. 81. ISBN 9781430303350. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  7. ^ Schatz, Joseph J. (2008-08-04). "Boxer Breaks Barriers for Women in Zambia". The Wall Street Journal.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  8. ^ "Zambia : Esther wins but…". Lusakatimes.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  9. ^ "Zambia : Laracuente-Bruce say sorry". Lusakatimes.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.