Pioneering boxer will join Ring 4 US Hall of Fame at Florian Hall

The Ring 4 Veterans Boxers Association will induct its first woman boxer, Wendy Sprowl, 49, into its Hall of Fame on Sunday, April 9 at Florian Hall in Dorchester. Sprowl, who earned the monicker “Queen of Thunder,” will be honored alongside Reverend Edd Bernard, who was an amateur and professional boxer before he became a clergyman.

Sprowl was the first woman from Massachusetts to win a boxing world title—specifically, the Women’s International Boxing Federation World Light Flyweight Title.

She remembers her career fondly, which stretched from amateur to professional fights.

“It was a great ride,” she said, in an interview. “To be nominated is an honor. Being a pioneer in the state means a lot to me, and I was able to have a lot of fun along the way.”

The sport of boxing, Sprowl acknowledges, when taken seriously, is a sacrifice.

While raising two kids as a single mother and working in construction, Sprowl made time to train in both the morning and the evening.

“You have to commit. And you have to humble yourself. There’s always someone better, and you have to be a well-rounded fighter to make it.”

Sprowl credits her trainer— Derrick Barnes— for helping her find her inner fire during the late 1990s and early 2000s, when she had to earn respect when entering the ring.

Sprowl now works at Burgess Pest Management and occasionally trains fighters on the side. If she had the money now, she said, she would open up a gym for young fighters tomorrow. She is originally from New Hampshire, but now lives in Hull, Massachusetts.

Tickets for the awards ceremony— which starts at 2 p.m. are priced at $60 and includes a full course buffet. Tickets must be purchased by April 5, and casual proper dress is required.  Ring 4 Inc. to Ring 4 Inc., c/o Bobby Bower, 111 Arlington St. 2nd floor, Hyde Park, MA 02136.


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