For the past few months good friends Layla McCarter and Friday Ahunanya have been preparing for pivotal bouts in their respective careers. McCarter is the WBA female lightweight champion of the world and will be defending her belt against Christina Tai while the heavyweight Ahunanya will be going up against power punching David Tua. Both contests take place at The Trusts Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand on March 31st.
The two fighters have shared the same trainer, Luis Tapia, for over ten years and there is a very apparent bond that the three share with one another. Working tirelessly towards a common goal at Richard Steele Boxing Club, both McCarter and Ahunanya have went about their business with a relaxed and loose demeanor that beguiles the fact that they are involved in one of the most dangerous sports known to man.
McCarter was born Alameda, California and moved around to such places as Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Kansas before settling in Nevada in February of 2000. At the time she was already six fights into her pro career and was on the lookout for a strong team. She was scheduled to fight on the same card as Ahunanya at the Regent Hotel in April of that year but her opponent fell through. Still, McCarter was able to cross paths with Tapia at the same show and the rest is history.
McCarter sports a 32-13-5 record as is regarded by many as one of the best female fighters to ever grace the sport. She has fought just about every name recognizable near her weight class and is unbeaten in her past nine fights. When asked whether or not it has been hard trying to make a name for herself in a male dominated sport, McCarter seems to focus on the positive.
“As far as the larger boxing public, maybe, but in women’s boxing I am known and people know what I have done,” she says. “I have already established myself as one of the best and my place is pretty secure there. I just want to keep on doing what I am doing for my legacy.”
McCarter got into karate when she was just eight years old and fighting in some form has always been in her blood. As the years progressed she soon found herself making the exact moves that would lead her to where she is today, and in doing so she claims that everything was pre-ordained.
“Now I know I was born to box. Back then it was just a series of choices. I first practiced kempo with my brother. From there I could either have done karate or kickboxing and I chose kickboxing. After that I could either do kickboxing or boxing and I chose boxing. It was a series of choices and I found myself where I was supposed to be. Somehow it appealed to me and it is the sweet science like no other. The art of hitting and not getting hit was always attractive.”
During her career McCarter has seen many ups and downs while pitting herself against the very best in the female landscape. She claims that one of her sweetest moments was when she got revenge against Jelena Mrdjenovich in Canada in March of 2008. In their prior fight McCarter surrendered a decision in which she broke her arm.
For her fight with Tai, McCarter has put in a tremendous amount of work and even sparred on occasion with Super bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero. She has left no stone unturned and speaks with great passion when looking forward to her fight this Thursday night.
“That’s the culmination of all of the hard work,” she says. “We do our work in the gym and we train and when it comes fight time it’s a matter of just getting focused and doing what we are trained to do. When it comes to that time it is just go time and I can’t wait to get it on and over with.”
Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Friday ‘The 13th’ Ahunanya has compiled a 24-5-3 record with 13 knockouts while facing the likes of Alexander Povetkin, Dominick Guinn, Lance Whitaker, and Sergey Lyakhovich. In Tua he will be facing one of the division’s most fearsome punchers on his native soil and it is a fight with much danger surrounding it.
Tapia has been there for nearly all of the ride with his heavyweight charge and still has hope that he has enough left in him for one last run in the division. When looking at the Tua fight and what it represents, Tapia insists that it is the fight that can serve as the springboard to the opportunities that have always eluded Ahunanya.
“It’s the fight for Friday right now,” he says. “I’ve been with Friday for ten years. I’ve spent a lot of time with him and we’ve become friends. He’s always been very dedicated and now it’s time for him to get this fight and start making some money.”
While Tapia’s voice exudes confidence he can’t deny the reality of the situation. At age 38, Ahunanya has been out of the ring for nearly two years and 43 of Tua’s 50 wins have come by knockout. When pressed for whether or not his fighter’s back is up against the wall, Tapia doesn’t shy away.
“Yes I do in a way. He’s been out of the ring for a few years and it almost feels new to him. He has a lot to prove with this fight.”
When Tapia, McCarter, and Ahunanya set foot in the ring on the 31st they will be on foreign territory with the crowd rooting against them. That in itself could be cause for concern and while nothing is for certain in the sport of boxing, McCarter closes out by again staying optimistic.
“We’ve got such a good team between Luis, myself, and Friday. We’ve been the three amigos as long as I’ve been in Las Vegas. It’s family.”
