Two-Day International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame April 4-5, 2025 - Las Vegas, Nevada

On April 4-5, 2025, the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame (IWBHF) is back in Las Vegas at the Orleans Hotel & Casino for a “Night of the Stars II”. The two-day celebration will put the spotlight on everyone who has worked hard to shine a light on women’s boxing in the last year. 

The awards and inductee’s gala will cap off a great week that will include the WBC’s Women’s Summit that will take place from April 2nd to 3rd.

As Jill Diamonnd Chastain, from the WBC Women’s Summit said, “The summit will address that fan interest in Boxing is rising. We’ll look at how does this affect our women athletes? What can we learn from each other and our experts to strengthen our sport and each other? The open summit will feature great speakers, awards and as always, some laughter”, she said. “A time for sharing and celebrating the sport that we love so much”.

This is the 12th anniversary of the hall, and there is a lot of excitement for the event that will honor the 2025 inductees and Special Award Recipients. Like any Hall of Fame weekend, the highlight will be the induction ceremony, where this year’s honorees will take centre stage. This year’s list of those to be honored is an impressive one to say the least. 

The inductees include, lightweight Yvonne Barkley, flyweights Jolene Blackshear, and Yvonne Caples, Mexican junior bantamweight Yessica Chavez, cruiserweight Carlette Ewell, Promoter Diane Fischer, Texas junior lightweight Jennifer Han, New Mexico’s Stephanie Jaramillo, promotional legend Don King, Peru’s Kina Malpartida, New York flyweight Jill Matthews, 48-fight Mexican Jackie Nava, photographer Linda Platt, Australian Diana Prazak, Norway’s Helga Risoy, career-undefeated Canadian Kara Ro, Connecticut’s Shelly Vincent, former world champion Frida Wallberg and Canadian junior featherweights Kathy Williams and Vaia Zaganas.

MaxBoxing caught up with author Malissa Smith, who last year released the outstanding “The Promise of Women’s Boxing - A Momentous New Era for the Sweet Science”. The New York based writer has long been a flag bearer for the support and growing respect for female fighters. 

MaxBoxing asked her to comment on this year’s event. 

“I am particularly excited about this year’s celebration. We are calling the Night of the Stars II Event, which also marks our 12th anniversary - a milestone to be proud of”, she said. “We will be honoring special award recipients and our class of 2025 inductees across the two days. We are particularly excited to honor "Cops Who Box," celebrating current and retired women’s boxing members of law enforcement. We will also be celebrating our women’s boxing pioneers”, she continued.

“Our main event will be at the Mardi Gras Ballroom. Famed boxing announcer Jake Guttierez will introduce our special award recipients and I will have the honor of introducing our amazing class 2025 inductees to close out the evening”, she said.

While there is certainly a lot of outstanding festivities going on throughout the gala week, MaxBoxing asked what she was most excited about.

“As with every year, I am most excited to be among and surrounded by the sisterhood of women’s boxing and their supporters. Old friends, and new, can embrace each other and celebrate the remarkable careers of women in boxing, whether as fighters, referees, photographers, managers, and the like”, she said. “It is also a special environment of celebration and support not only for the boxers of the past, but to encourage the fighters of today and tomorrow. The sport has seen enormous change in the 12 years since the first induction class, but we also recognize that challenges remain. In celebrating the women who fight, we are setting down a legacy of achievement for all time that all women and men can be proud of”, she said. “As a chronicler and historian of the sport, I am particularly moved by the stories of women who box. My participation, year after year, remains a labor of love, as is my continued commitment to working for equity in the sport”.

Smith will also be doing a book signing at the event.

The International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame has worked tirelessly to celebrate the many people, year after year, who devote themselves to honoring the best in the sport. This year’s 2-day celebration at the Orleans Hotel in Vegas looks to be another great event.