Joenette Giselle Ife Salandy ORTT (25 January 1987 – 4 January 2009) was a Trinidadian professional boxer. She was an undefeated unified light middleweight world champion, holding the WBA and WBC, as well as the IWBF, WIBA, WIBF, and GBU female titles, from 2006 until her death in 2009.

Early life and education

Joenette Giselle Ife Salandy was born on 25 January 1987 in Siparia in southern Trinidad. Her mother Maureen died when Giselle was 11 years old. She then resided with Ivy Corian who raised her until she was 14 years old. She attended St. Bridgid's Girls' RC School, Penal Junior Secondary School and then Fyzabad Composite School. She had two siblings, Josanne and Joel.

Athletic career

At the age of eleven years, nursing a broken arm, Giselle visited the White Eagles Gym with her stepbrother Joel Eligon and started punching a punching bag. She was immediately recognized by the trainers in the gym, Kim 'Bone Crusher' Quashie and Fitzroy Richards. Giselle thereafter got involved in the sport. She made her professional debut at 13 years of age, under coach/manager, Fitzroy Richards. She picked up a series of six victory fights throughout Trinidad and Tobago and the islands of Tortola and Anguilla, with opponents such as Johanna Peña-Álvarez and Ria Ramnarine.

In October 2001, Salandy fought and defeated Paola Rojas, becoming the youngest person to win a boxing title, WIBA IBERO Title, at age 14.

After six fights under coach/manager, Fitzroy Richards, Salandy changed manager to her adopted father, Curtis Joseph and trainer to Joseph "Black Mamba" Charles, a former boxer. Thereafter she could not have boxed because the law of Trinidad and Tobago stated a person under the age of 17 cannot obtain a professional boxing license, thus causing her boxing career to come to a temporary halt.

Five days after her 17th birthday, Giselle returned to the ring in Chaguanas and successfully defended her IBERO Title against Paola Rojas on a card co-promoted by Curtis Joseph, Boxu Potts and Cecil Ford. After that fight her manager, Curtis Joseph, failed to secure fights for her causing her boxing career to come to a halt again. Boxu Potts privately contacted her about a show he was promoting. Salandy then pressured Curtis Joseph into allowing her to represent her country by fighting on Potts' T&T vs. US boxing card.

At age 18, on 23 September 2005, on the T&T vs. US boxing card, promoted by Boxu Potts, Salandy fought and defeated Manela Daniels, breaking a second world record by becoming the youngest female in the world to win the NABC World Title. Salandy was also named as an Eternal Champion by the WBC.

Salandy was given a state funeral.

Controversy

Relatives of Salandy questioned why she was allowed to drive herself on Sunday, as she had a driver was assigned to her. Salandy, who held a driver's permit for the last two years, hired a 21-year-old man to be her driver because of her hectic schedule. Boxu Potts dispelled rumours that the driver abandoned his job, and claimed it was Salandy's decision to drive herself, and her cousin stressed that no one was to blame for the accident.

See also

  • List of female boxers
  • List of undefeated world boxing champions

References

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