Less than 24 hours remain before Churetta. Metcalf will have to dodge the ropes on stage at the theater at Madison Square Garden in the biggest fight of her career to date. And she was puttering around. her hotel room in New York City in hopes of making more money. Empty space in her stomach after a post-weigh-in meal of shrimp, chicken and rice.
“I’m full,” she said. “I’m trying to get out a little so I can eat more.”
I’m still hungry.
On Wednesday, Metcalf, 13-4-1 (2 KOs), will challenge Miyo Yoshida for the IBF bantamweight belt. This will be Metcalf’s first title fight. But it’s her second round with Yoshida. At 39 years old, Metcalf isn’t likely to get many more bites at the apple.
“Do you know what’s so crazy about this?” Metcalfe rhetorically asked. “I didn’t know I was 116.4 pounds, so I was actually lower than I was trying. I didn’t overwork myself or anything like that – overexercise. It’s just that I’m a naturally petite girl. But I gained weight just because I got older.”
Time is ticking.
Nothing comes easily. For Metcalfe Not that you’ll hear her tell it. She was too busy to move forward. Looking for the next thing, working, hustling, waiting for the opportunity to come close enough for her to cling to and wrangle into submission.
Metcalfe is from Oak Cliff, Texas, where Dallas replaced him. But Metcalf clearly stands out. She didn’t grow up much. (“We are not rich,” she says.) But enough is enough: “We may not get everything we want. But we got everything we wanted.”
Angela Metcalf takes full credit for providing Shurretta with her daughter and her sister and brother. Not just material things, Shurretta’s drive, courage, and determination? That came from my mother too.
“Oh, you know, my mother is just like any other mother. A lot in this family,” said Churetta. “’Hey, you’d better fight back. If your sisters fight with each other you
You’d better fight.’ You’ve got to have each other’s backs. We don’t take things that scary.”
It was the foundation that gave Metcalf the courage to start fighting in the first place. Of course, she had been in a state of shock since she was a child. But she was never interested in boxing as a career. Until that opportunity slipped away. And an acquaintance asked her about participating in a local fight night.
“They said, ‘Hey, you want to fight? You can win money,”” Metcalfe said. “And I was like, ‘Right.’ We fought all of this. But we never received any money. It is my way of supporting my children.”
And just like that, Metcalfe reached out. underground battle at clubs and oddball venues Quickly learned to box and raised her sons Danarius and Daquan, now 19 and 17 years old.
It also helped prepare her for starting her other businesses, including a boutique and salon (The Headquarters Deluxe Studios), a mobile bartending outfit. and personal training And it had led her to this moment: a few hours from her night at the garden. Still hungry for more With only a short time, a world of opportunities is waiting for you to grab with both hands.
The kicker is that the IBF belt should have been hers, Metcalf said.
After deciding Yoshida of Japan last November by straightforward unanimous decision. Metcalf could only watch as Yoshida, now 17-4 (0 knockouts), earned his shot at the championship. from losing to Ebani Bridges a month later.
It’s been a year since Yoshida wore the belt without defending it or showing much interest in a match with Metcalf. For a year, Metcalf had called for a fight, hissing, pushing and stomping, waiting patiently but with impatience. so that the belt was within arm’s reach
Considering the five-week training camp And according to her estimation She got a slight promotion behind the scenes fighting. Metcalf says she’s ready to take what’s hers.
“She would say a few things,” Metcalfe said of Yoshida. “But it was like, ‘Hey, the IBF isn’t giving orders for fights. So I don’t have to worry about you’ or ‘I don’t plan on fighting Metcalf unless she gets the belt’ and I’m like ‘but you’. receive My belt’”
What Metcalfe already has is all of Oak Cliff firmly behind her. She said she launched her own grassroots publicity tour, on radio, social media and more, and sparked local interest back home. She is on the verge of becoming Dallas’ first female boxing champion. “My city is shining bright for me now,” she said. “I have received so much love. It’s crazy.”
As the night of battle approaches Metcalf was also joined in New York by Danarius and Da’Quan. which came with Angela, Shurretta’s mother, having never been to New York. Never even been on a plane, as far as Shurretta knew.
It’s a big deal. “She definitely won’t take time off,” Churretta said of her mother. So she was enjoying this moment. She now lives with her family. Her rivalry with Yoshida and her The belt was so close she could almost reach out and grab it. Metcalfe realizes her time has come.
“I know for sure. Even though I don’t feel my age and I don’t watch,” she said, “but you never know in this day and age. Look, anything can happen. But I definitely feel like I have a sense of urgency. I want a big fight. I want money to fight. That’s what I want.”
Jason Langendorf is the former boxing editor for ESPN.com, has contributed to Ringside Seat and Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. Members of the Boxing Writers Association of America can follow him. X and Linkedinand send it to dorf2112@hotmail.com
