Even today, when proponents of the sport talk about its safety, they are quick to say that Ms. Dallam is the only female boxer in America to have suffered anything similar to what happens to Maggie Fitzgerald, the boxer played by Hilary Swank in the film. Why did I keep living? ''I used to sell drugs,'' she says. carry the biggest reputation. But painful as it may be, it is the portrait painted in "Million Dollar Baby" that has given her new strength. Million Dollar Baby, in spite of its wrenching ending, is expected to spur new interest in the sport, which showed signs of entering the big-money mainstream at the end of the Nineties. that the woman she beat for the title, Melinda Robinson (7-7), Subscribe Find Katie Dallam's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading online directory for contact information. and Bob Arum began promoting its biggest stars. Directly to WBAN! Not that Dallam is especially bothered to find out. But her shattered brain held firm. Neither one of them YOU HAVE A TIP?] Payne did not respond to requests for comment. The damage to the left side of her brain also affected her right arm and right leg, causing her to tremble and walk oddly. Stephanie remembers the night well, but Katie does not. In real life, it was different, a mismatched boxing bout with the underdog suffering a blizzard of blows to the head before the fight was belatedly declared over. Her home is a basement apartment near Stephanie's house. ''I can't even She can no longer work, cannot drive for fear she will forget which way to go or where she even is, and is in the constant care of her sister Stephanie, a registered nurse. reports. Doctors told her to be careful not to get her pulse rate too high, so she waited until she was alone and exercised furiously. "Katie lost so much that she used to ask, why am I here, why did I keep living?" Like the boxer in Million Dollar Baby, Katie Dallam was a Missouri girl who grew up in poverty. Kemp says Payne no longer works as a prostitute. After just two months of training, her portalId: "5137717", In the dressing room, Katie collapsed. Avenue that Mezaughn Kemp found Bethany Payne. It was just one day after Dallam received her boxing licence, that she was put up for a bout in a firemen's hall in St Joseph, Missouri, against an opponent who clearly was the better contender. Anani went on to bludgeon The thing about it was this: the story of Maggie Fitzgerald, played by Hillary Swank, and the story of her own life, ruined by boxing, are eerily overlapping. Katie can be reached at (904) 358-0534 (Bellsouth Telecommunications, LLC). '', Mike Scionti, executive director of the Florida Athletic Until this month, the sisters had not done interviews or even talked much about the fight for years. Just one day after receiving her boxing license, on Dec. 11, 1996, Katie got into the ring with Ms. Anani. It took seven minutes to lose a boxing match, to injure her brain beyond repair and to forfeit everything about the life she once "What I'm trying to say is like, um, damn it! All Columnists ''The only reason I threw that fight was because, well, at that began to like it.''. amazed Kemp by going the distance. What happened to her that night would not only inspire her art, but its believed to be the basis for a short story that became the blockbuster, Oscar-winning film, Million Dollar Baby. Who was the fighter in Million Dollar Baby? Rick Kulis, founder in 1998 of the International Female Boxers Association, said that he expected the success of "Million Dollar Baby" to make the sport even more popular, because it depicts the deep desire many women have to box. And indeed Dallam herself has preferred, until now, to stay silent about her hardships, concentrating instead first on rehabilitation and, more recently, on getting through each day, with the help of her sister's care and the consolation of painting. And I saw this one She already enjoyed working out and lifting weights and wondered about boxing. '', McFarland, now training five days a week for her next bout, says As she spoke her first words, she asked for family members who had died long before, including her mother. A lawyer hired by the Dallams told them he counted more than 150 blows to Katie's head. ''I never went so low that I sold my Anyone can read what you share. junior-lightweight champion: ''There are only two types of fighters "I tend to be pretty hard on myself, when I can't remember things or I get lost. Older Americans increasingly struggling to save for retirement The ties between fiction and fact - between Million Dollar Baby and Dallam in Kansas - may be about to become even more eerie. after just two Neither she nor her trainer were seriously hurt but the mandatory physical exam before her bout was so basic it was not even mentioned, her sister, Stephanie says. during the fight. s stevebruin. [DO Both Katie Dallam and Maggie Fitzgerald were born into poverty in Missouri and began boxing in their 30's. The latest. as a defining moment. She won, after a thrilling few rounds. 3225 Liberty Cir, Jacksonville, FL 32206 is the address history of Katie. The big difference, of course, is that Ms Dallam is still alive. Maggie tries to take her own life by biting her tongue several times. Neither she nor her trainer were seriously hurt but the mandatory physical exam before her bout was so basic it was not even mentioned, her sister, Stephanie says. The brouhaha it created landed her on the front page of the next Sports Illustrated. Why did I keep living? OCTOBER 22, 2022. Fifteen victories in 16 fights, the ring announcer said. DISCLAIMER] Her sister remained by her bedside for days as Katie lay in a coma, linked to a ventilator and life support. Few women have been beaten as badly as Dallam. Photos show her with eyes puffed, a ventilation tube in her throat and a shaved head crossed with ghastly Frankenstein stitches. pregnant in high school, and my mother didn't want much to do with Million Dollar Baby and Dallam in Kansas - may be about to become even more eerie. She pounded a fist into her palm. Alicia Sparks is fortunate she's not one of them. What happened to her that night would not only inspire her art, but it's AUX The question of whether the character played by Swank was indeed modelled directly on Dallam may never be answered. In 1993, she pleaded guilty to a Kemp pleaded guilty to corrupting a minor and received a two-year vessel in her brain. Box-pro division: light heavy status: inactive bouts: 1: rounds: 4 KOs: 0% career: 1996-1996 debut: 1996-12-11 ID# 018596 sex: female BoxRec: BoxRec is not under the control of any governing or sanctioning body, data may Without going into detail, Kemp says that back to main. and Sing, at an all-women's card in Boca Raton last year. corrupting a minor. Arts & EntertainmentEthicsHealth & Science. YOUR SITE] Surgery involved taking off the top of her skull to drain blood that had accumulated. says. Looking back, he points to a shotgun wound he suffered at age 21 As the boxing world contemplates the possibilities for elevating Ms Rijker to the bigtime, some have already identified the women she should probably fight first. Four rounds later she was comatose before she reached hospital. She agreed to a bout with Katie, who was quite a bit heavier. But, just like Fitzgerald, she decided in her thirties that she wanted more. She helped give Swank the moves that made her so convincing in the film and who played the role of the growling fighter who lands the illegal punch on Fitzgerald that connects her spine to the stool beside the ropes, Billie the Blue Bear. I was putting all my effort into winner, Williams, 25, sits on a folding chair in the back of the gym They removed the top of her skull to drain the cavity and repair the vein. She no longer fights. Ms. Anani broke her nose early in the first round and continued to pummel her through most of four, two-minute rounds. Tickets, Go Here! whitepages. In the hospital, doctors found her head had filled with blood and fluid because of a torn vein inside her brain. She got a bachelor's degree in art and loved to paint watercolors. Orleans Hotel & Casino. There are now far stricter rules aimed at avoiding the kind of mismatch allowed in the bout between Dallam and Anani. 2019 Induction Ceremony A series of bronzes on a table outside her sister's garage show various beasts, including a human figure, contorted in agony, with the head of a bull. They are quick to add they are not accusing Toole, who died in 2002, of stealing anything from Katie, merely suggesting her life was the starting point of his story. trainer, pulled Payne off Atlanta's streets to make $6,000. Dallam also struggled early in life. Despite lacking offensive skills, Williams (0-3) knows how to I've got fake blood. "She had to learn to walk. We have information about one company that is registered at this address Senior Citizen Village Resident Association, Inc. Almarine Lampkin, Bernard Nugent, and 247 other persons are also associated with this address. He arranged the Christy Martin-Bethany Dallam was 37, not 26 as boxing writers had been told before the The fictional Fitzgerald was a Missourian born into trailer-home poverty who in her early thirties sees a chance for independence in the nascent world of women's boxing. He packed and moved to "Unfortunately, there are some unscrupulous things that happen here and there, too.". '' of those opponents might not exist. "Unfortunately, there are some unscrupulous things that happen here and there, too.". All Time - Ring Magazine - Feb. 2012, Sue decision,'' Scionti said. Million Dollar Baby was fiction, but its real-life inspiration is widely believed to be Columbia, Missouri, native Katie Dallam. ''But I was already kind of disgusted, so I Others are less savvy. motionless. I've been known to pull a lot of things in boxing.''. may change her name again. Dallam was also from Missouri and similarly underprivileged. pay-per-view for Byrd's IFBA world lightweight title. "This is like close to home.". me. SPRING HILL, Kan., March 5 - The night after she and her sister finally saw "Million Dollar Baby," Katie Dallam woke up screaming with her arms flailing, but she quickly went back to sleep and awoke the next morning with the nightmare wiped clean from her memory. Taylor is undefeated as a professional, having won all 20 of her fights, and she enters the ring as the undisputed world lightweight champion and the No 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings. Creative biography. female fighter. I escaped to the streets. Both ended up in the ring against a much younger, stronger opponent. In the same year that Dallam had her ill-fated fight, another woman, Christy Martin, emerged as the big new name in women's boxing when she appeared on an undercard to Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno in Las Vegas. For those curious, there is a video of what happened and it does not make for easy viewing. Eight career fights, seven losses. In the same year that Dallam had her ill-fated fight, another woman, Christy Martin, emerged as the big new name in women's boxing when she appeared on an undercard to Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno in Las Vegas. There will be no legal challenges against the O'Toole estate. Payne When she left the clinic, and realized she would never be able to go back to her job, she decided to kill herself, she said. actor, voiceover, comedy writer. can make anything happen.''. What happened to her that night would not only inspire her art, but it's believed to be the basis for a short story that became the blockbuster, Oscar-winning film, Million Dollar Baby.. Painter, jailed on a theft charge. "Kate lost so much she used to ask, 'Why am I here? Prostitutes. It quickly became clear that much of her memory was wiped clean. Tallahassee. But the release of the film, and its sweep at the Oscars last month - Swank won best actress and Eastwood best director - has jogged some memories. But after the movie, I thought, 'No, I've come a long way. After leaving the hospital, Dallam suffered memory loss and But she was unable to swallow it and then lost consciousness. Stephanie Dallam, a nurse who has been her sister's prime companion and chief caregiver, said her family believed that F.X. Women Cops who Box Like the boxer in million dollar baby, katie dallam was a missouri girl who grew up in poverty. '', Enter Kemp. million budget. "Katie is always in my thoughts," Ms. Anani said in a recent phone interview. ''I've been robbed pounding. ''I'm getting lots of calls on her.''. Maggie turns her back and before she can reach her corner, her opponent moves toward her while the referee isn't looking. On the side, she does a little boxing. But she never succeeded in her quest for death, in part because a human's capacity to lie is located in the part of the brain that had died. "There are just too many similarities," Stephanie said of the story, published four years after Katie's injuries. in Indiana. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. ''The money in boxing is good,'' Broxton says. Fifteen minutes later, after Salamone has been declared the We have information about one company that is registered at this address Senior Citizen Village Resident Katie dallam is located in dixon il according to public information records. How could McFarland throw a fight ending in a decision? month. There was no power whatsoever. WebThe real-life inspiration for the film, based on a short story by boxing writer F.X. Today, Kemp says Payne works as a dancer and fights when she can. She remembers nothing more of the bout. Mr. Toole's son, Gannon Boyd, said he did not know when his father wrote the story, as he had been writing boxing tales for years before any were published in 2000. After a week, she was transferred to a rehabilitation clinic. A 13-year-old fighter he trained Katie dallam - student at johnson county community college. Today, Christy Not that Dallam is especially bothered to find out. WebView the profiles of people named Katie Dallam. After a recent workout, McFarland pulled out a pair of black and "I am a fighter. ''Afterward,'' she says, ''I ''They should win an Oscar for acting. ''I've Bethany Payne fought again the other day. Glenn Sunshine, Pro-Life in 1996, katie began boxing. trained her for 2 1/2 weeks,'' Kemp says proudly. WebHer age is 90. and spars until her fists are sore and then it happens. Subsequent surgery involved taking off the top of her skull to drain blood that had accumulated and repairing a vein that had burst deep in her brain. Frustrated, she slammed her fist and rubbed her head while talking with Brzezinski. Johnson (1-0) knocked out Painter ''It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be,'' says Sparks, of But violent haunting images now dominate the work that has given her life new purpose. I won't lie to Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The thing about it was this: the story of Maggie Fitzgerald, played by Hillary Swank, and the story of her own life, ruined by boxing, are eerily overlapping. . As she spoke her first words, she asked for family members who had died long before, including her mother. Joseph, Missouri against Katie Dallam, a novice welterweight who had only gotten her pro boxing license the day before a pairing described as an obvious mismatch. In four rounds she landed 119 blows to Dallams head. What's the word?" I got I At its end, he is asked by her to unplug life support after the injuries from that last fight leave her paralysed from the neck down. Her early floral watercolors have been replaced by what her sister calls monsters. His third arrest -- the one that ended with a conviction -- Her face virtually pulped, Katie was in a bad way but no one apparently understood at first the extent of her injuries. Sue Fox, a police officer and former boxer who runs the Women's Boxing Archives Network from her home in Washington State, said mismatches happened between women fighters just as they did between men. in fact, control the outcome of most matches by demanding a steady Bethany Payne? We moved her in with me that day.". Years later, his legal problems in Cincinnati prompted another McFarland refuses to identify the man who paid her to throw the Both Katie Dallam and Maggie Fitzgerald were born into poverty in Missouri and began boxing in their 30's. Mitchell ought to know. "When I saw that movie, I didn't know how it was going to end and when it did, I thought, wow. And everything has been harder. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Dallam collapsed in her dressing room afterward and required brain surgery. biography, noting details of 16 fights, and distributed it to Says Kemp, ''We The injuries suffered by Katie have had some of the same impact on her as the paralysis did on Fitzgerald in the film. TL Fox Inducted into the West Coast Hall of Fame Oct. There was another incentive to fight. Forever. misdemeanor charge of prostitution, was fined $300 and placed on 12 The crowd in the smoky hall that night was baying for blood and putting down money on her almost inevitable defeat. She might be the most successful female fighter alive with a 1-7 Just last year, she fought for a world title. FX O'Toole, who died in 2002, wrote dozens of short stories about boxing and none were published until 2000. After losing a leg, Maggie asks Frankie to help her end her life. couldn't believe what I was hearing,'' said McFarland, a divorced Salamone (14-0), ''but she still didn't give me much to work with.''. ", Trending News the fix unfolded like this: Two hours before the fight, the man who formId: "beafdd18-777c-435f-9f78-f221296be982" first sight,'' she says. GO HERE TO Before the Hollywood lawyers start drooling, this is not another case of a director knowingly stealing actual events and mangling them on the screen. Doctors and trainers climb into the ring. MAY 1998, PROBLEMS three times and raped three times.''. Sumya Boxing did not deliver what she hoped. Women carrying the round cards around the boxing ring wear skimpy outfits that reveal cleavage, bare abdomens, and the lower part of bare buttocks. For her, it is all a muddled haze of fists and sweat and spurts of blood and abject humiliation. He did. Miami Beach's Salamone, a strong, formidable fighter, complains Christy Martin, is propped up by a host of Bethany Paynes, opponents Some of my teeth were knocked out. jaw. There are now far stricter rules aimed at avoiding the kind of mismatch allowed in the bout between Dallam and Anani. If you want to challenge yourself as many others have done, sign up below. in 1996, katie began boxing. Years of memories were gone. from all around the world. "Not behind bars. got a call for a girl to fight Christy Martin. The question of whether the character played by Swank was indeed modelled directly on Dallam may never be answered. She already enjoyed working out and lifting weights and wondered about boxing. An up-and-coming Kansas City boxer named Sumya Anani needed an opponent for a fight in St. Joseph, Mo. Please enter valid email address to continue. name in Cincinnati. Mezaughn Kemp once had a golden touch with fighters, a magical WebFor Katie Dallum, the answer was seven minutes. Her days are filled with walks and her art work. The freckled face fits neatly with Mr. Toole's description. #inline-recirc-item--id-a766707e-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-a766707e-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { occasionally sings at clubs. arrested three times for sexual misconduct, once for assaulting a The combined Katie Dallam believes she after just two months of training, her trainer urged her into a professional match and katie stepped into the ring with a far more experienced boxer. After years struggling with alcoholism herself, she finally earned a masters degree in counselling and began working for the state health department. Unlike Hilary Swanks character, though, Dallam overcame her boxing injuries not to return to the ring but to become a prolific artist. The same girl accused him of rape in 1992 but recanted Who is katie dallam? ''Why would anyone pay her $1,000 to [fix a] fight with "The next call I expected to get was a request for her organs.". 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