By
Craig Silver
Promoter Frank Maloney has told Laura Saperstein to go back to her job as a lawyer and insisted he should never have got involved with women’s boxing.
Saperstein, 34, drew national attention after giving up her job to turn pro. But after winning her first three fights, two of which were under Maloney, she tired of her association.
The two parted company this week, even though she had signed up for a four-fight deal.
Maloney, who had previously managed former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, said: “She gave me more aggravation than a champion would have. I was mad for ever getting involved with her or women’s boxing.
“Female boxers are just too emotional. They can’t take the nature of the business and just run off and cry. No one wanted to watch her and to be honest she was lucky to even get on my bill. She should go back to being a lawyer.”
Following the acrimonious parting, Saperstein flies to Phuket, Thailand, on Sunday, looking to make a fresh start.
She said that every step of fighting under Maloney was a “nightmare” and the time was right to move on.
“I realised that I wasn’t getting anywhere and it was proving so hard, but to me it’s clear that Maloney didn’t want me there in the first place. He said to me right at the start that if I wanted to walk at any point I could. I the end I just got sick of working with him. I can’t stand the guy.
“He made it clear that he didn’t like women’s boxing and he was just in it for the publicity. I couldn’t change that view despite the attention I attracted to his business. Life is just too short to be with someone who doesn’t want you around.”
She began her professional career in November and was signed by Maloney after her debut bout. She went on to have two fights on his card at the York Hall in Bethnal Green. She admitted that being put on at the start of each show frustrated her as she missed out on being shown live on Sky Sports.
“I was only paid for the tickets I sold and wasn’t given a fee or anything,” she said. “I even had to pay for my opponent.”
In Phuket, she will train under a boxing coach at the Tiger Muay Thai gym.
“I intend to get a few fights under my belt and get some experience,” she said. “I didn’t think there’d be too many potential matches but Thailand has such a strong fighting culture and I intend to learn from that. They’ve got almost 40 girls training regularly, so I’m going to give it a go and hopefully come back stronger.”
She runs every day basis and trains in the gym six days a week. By the time she gave up her £75,000-a-year job in law last November, she had a portfolio of 12 properties around London that she lets and manages.
When she returns to London, she plans to fight on an all-female show on Sky in October. As for her personal goals, she said: “I’d love to win a world title and use the publicity to gain more recognition for female boxers.”