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Mt. Lebanon High junior ready for her amateur boxing debut

Saturday, September 28, 2002

By Cindi Lash, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Lacing on a pair of boxing gloves for the first time a year ago, Bridget Fenton reasoned that learning the sport would help her to develop the self-defense skills that she would one day need for her dream job as an FBI agent.

	Bridget Fenton, a 16-year-old junior at Mt. Lebanon High School, has the support of family and friends as she enters the boxing ring. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette)

What she didn't expect was to love it so much.

"At first, I wasn't good. But then I started improving and I could feel it," said Fenton, a 16-year-old junior at Mt. Lebanon High School who tonight will step into the ring for her first amateur fight at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown.

"It was such a great feeling. I never had that from any other sport before."

Standing 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 134 pounds, Fenton debuts tonight as a lightweight in a three-round exhibition against Tifney Arthur, 23, of Youngstown, Ohio. Arthur, too, will compete for the first time in tonight's professional-amateur boxing show, sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania Police Athletic League and Iron City Pro Boxing.

The event, which begins at 7 p.m., also will feature Anthony Clark, a welterweight from East Liberty; Mike "Fully Loaded" Carr, a heavyweight from the North Side; Shadina Pennybaker, a top-ranked female welterweight from East Liberty; and a bout between female amateurs Leslie Parella and Tara Gallo.

Fenton fought her way onto tonight's card by convincing her family, trainer and admittedly "old-fashioned, old school" fight promoter Jimmy Cvetic that a year's worth of diligent training had readied her for a sport where women are still a rarity.

"This girl is so young, and I have to admit, it's kind of hard for me to come to terms with [boxing] with women," Cvetic said. "But this young woman is very competitive and she was not afraid to stand her ground. She told me off, she wants to box, and I was impressed."

An honor roll student, student council member and athlete who's competed on Mt. Lebanon's school basketball and track teams, Fenton initially viewed boxing as a means to an end -- attending American University in Washington, D.C., and starting a career with the FBI or in law enforcement.

While writing a school paper on her planned career two years ago, Fenton interviewed a local FBI agent. That helped her to plot a vigorous course of academics, athletics and extracurricular activities to prepare for that job.

By her own admission, Fenton is an aggressive athlete -- so aggressive that she often fouled out in basketball games. As she considered other athletic options to boost her strength and fitness, she crossed off hockey because she didn't skate well enough and other sports that didn't allow contact with other players.

Finally, she asked her father, County Councilman and secretary of Local 85 of the Amalgamated Transit Union Jimmy Fenton, to contact family friend Mark Machi, who runs the Exercise Warehouse. Machi enrolled her in self-defense training, and after a couple of workouts, spotted the coordination and strength that he believed would enable her to excel at boxing.

Machi took Fenton to be evaluated by Philip Ameris, a former amateur kickboxer and nationally recognized martial arts expert, at his gym in Lower Burrell. Ameris, too, believed that Fenton had much potential for martial arts or boxing, Machi said.

Fenton's family and friends have supported her involvement with boxing, although her parents are aware of the potential for injuries. "At least I don't have to worry about her when she goes out on dates," Jimmy Fenton quipped.

"When she first told me she wanted to box, I thought, 'Well, this will blow over.' It didn't," Fenton's mother, Cindy Fenton, said, laughing.

"But she's in an environment where people teach you to grow, to eat right, to get sleep. She's not hanging out at the mall or with kids who drink on the weekends," Cindy Fenton said. "Her self-esteem is good and it's really built her confidence."

Fenton eventually phased out her involvement with the junior varsity basketball team so she could practice four or five nights each week at the gym. She especially appreciates boxing's emphasis on self-reliance.

"My body is the sport. I don't need a ball or a basket," she said. "If I mess up, it's my fault so I have to be mentally and physically prepared."

Over the summer, Fenton gained 15 pounds of muscle while training with weights. Her punch is steady and strong from months of sparring with men at the gym, Machi said. Her college and FBI plans are still intact, but Fenton said she would consider fighting professionally if that option arises.

"There's a shortage of girls in this sport, so she's always at a disadvantage with us because we're taller and have a longer reach," Machi said. "But she goes up against everyone, and then says, 'Anybody else?' She has tenacity and no fear."

For her first public bout of three two-minute rounds, Fenton expects to wear the same kind of 14-ounce gloves that male professionals wear. She'll also wear a padded chest protector but no other equipment that isn't worn by male boxers.

Fenton's parents and brother, Penn State freshman Casey, 18, will be in the audience tonight and her mother plans to bring a towel "to throw in if she gets hurt." Fenton, too, is nervous, but mostly fears being too jittery to focus on quickly assessing and challenging an opponent she's never seen before.

"I'm physically ready and I'm not scared," she said. "You know you have to be confident. Now I have to stop worrying about being too nervous to do my best."

Cindi Lash can be reached at clash@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1973.