Early career

Rijker speaks four languages and is a Buddhist, dedicating time daily to meditation and chanting. Her mother was born in the Netherlands and her father is from Suriname.

Rijker started her martial arts career at the early age of six, when she began training in judo. A year later, she was part of the Dutch National Softball Team. At fourteen, after picking up fencing a year earlier, Lucia became the Netherlands Junior Champion of that sport. When she was fifteen she began kickboxing and knocked out the reigning American kickboxing champion, Lily Rodriguez. Rijker eventually amassed a 36-0 (25 KO) record as a kickboxer, and won four different world titles. Her only defeat in a kickboxing ring was in a Muay Thai style exhibition match at Sporthalle Zuid in Amsterdam in October 1994, when she fought male Thai boxer Somchai Jaidee, who knocked her out in the second round. After four different world championship titles she changed her focus to boxing in 1996.

Career change

After winning her first 14 fights, but failing to secure a match with Christy Martin, Rijker stepped away from boxing in 1999 to pursue a career in Hollywood. She appeared as Billie 'The Blue Bear' Osterman in 2004's Oscar-winning, female boxer-based film Million Dollar Baby and was featured in the documentary film Shadow Boxers. She played a minor role in Rollerball (2002 film) and had a brief cameo in the season 2 finale of The L Word as Dana's trainer. She returned to The L Word in Season 5 as Dusty, Helena's cellmate in prison. Rijker played a Romulan communications officer in the film Star Trek.

Return to the ring

She returned to the ring in February 2002, beating Jane Couch (20-4 going in; 25-6 as of December 2004) by decision (eight rounds) on June 21, 2003 for her 16th win. Win number 17 was a ten-round decision over "Sunshine" Fettkether on May 20, 2004.

Rijker and Christy Martin were scheduled to fight on July 30, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Major U.S. promoter Bob Arum (Top Rank Boxing's head) had made their match the main event of a card (with otherwise male boxing matches) called "Million Dollar Lady". Each woman was guaranteed $250,000 (U.S.), with the winner receiving an extra $750,000; however, on July 20, it was announced that she had ruptured an Achilles tendon while training for the fight; recovery time was estimated to be 4-7 months. The match was ultimately cancelled.

In 2006 Rijker stated that although not retired as a professional boxer, she would only consider one more fight - a bout with Laila Ali.

Boxing records

As of February 2007, like Rocky Marciano, she was undefeated in the ring; her boxing record is 17-0 (14 K.O.'s).

Rijker has been on the cover of numerous magazines including Inside Kung Fu. As a professional boxer, she has won the WIBF Welterweight Title, and has beaten name fighters such as Marcela Acuña (5th-round K.O.; Acuña was 0-1 going into the fight, and retired with a record of 42-6-1), and Deborah "Sunshine" Fettkether (10th-round decision; Fettkether was 8-4-3 going in).

Current activities

For several years Rijker has been training under the world famous boxing coach Freddie Roach. In 2012 she was hired as a striking coach to former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey.

She remains busy giving lectures and seminars to athletes and people from all walks of life to perform their best, while still maintaining her top physical form and a strict diet.

Rijker once again gained media attention in June 2013, when she worked in the corner of female boxing challenger Diana Prazak in her WBC super featherweight title bout against local champion Frida Wallberg in Stockholm. Wallberg, ahead on all scorecards, had been knocked down twice by Prazak in the eighth round prompting the referee to stop the fight, and after a brief look by ringside doctor, started to collapse in her corner. Rijker immediately realized the seriousness of the situation, and called the doctor back to the ring while herself and Prazak assisted Wallberg. Wallberg had to be carried from the ring on a stretcher to hospital, and underwent surgery with a cerebral hemorrhage. The events sparked controversy about the level of the provided medical attention, and reignited debates about banning boxing in Sweden.

Championships and accomplishments

Kickboxing

• 1988-1989 — IWBA Women's Boxing World Champion
• 1985-1994 — WKA Women's Division World Champion
• 1989-1994 — ISKA Women's Division World Champion

Boxing

• 1997 - WIBF Super Lightweight World Champion
• 1998 - WIBO Junior Welterweight World Champion
• 1997-1998 — European WIBF Boxing Champion

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record

37 wins (25 KOs), 0 losses, 1 draws Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time Record 1994-04-30 Win Sandra Moore K-1 Grand Prix '94 Tokyo, Japan Decision (unanimous) 5 3:00 1993-12-19 Win Yuriko Okamoto K-2 Grand Prix '93 Tokyo, Japan TKO (right low kick) 2 0:38 1993-09-04 Win Kyoko Kamikaze K-1 Illusion Tokyo, Japan TKO 2 0:44 1992-05-17 Win Michele Aboro Hamburg, Germany TKO 1992-00-00 Win Kathy Petereit Amsterdam, Netherlands TKO 1 1991-10-06 Win Sandra Moore Decision 5 3:00 1991-07-03 Win Kickboxer Netherlands Decision 1991-06-00 Win Michele Aboro Oldham, England TKO 1 1990-11-18 Win Maxine Adams KO 1 1988-10-00 Win Ruth O'Hara Japan 1988-02-14 Win Daniëlle Roccard Arnhem, Netherlands TKO 1 0:15 1987-11-08 Win Valérie Henin Amsterdam, Netherlands TKO 4 0000-00-00 Win Bonnie Canino Decision 7 2:00 1987-04-26 Win Anne Holmes Amsterdam, Netherlands TKO 1 0:30 1985-10-06 Win Cheryl Wheeler Amsterdam, Netherlands Decision (unanimous) 7 2:00 1985-05-26 Win Nancy Vesula Amsterdam, Netherlands TKO 2 1985-03-04 Win Ermelinda Fernandez Clermont-Ferrand, France KO 2 1984-01-15 Win Lilly Rodriuez Amsterdam, Netherlands KO (low kick) 1 0:30 6-0-1 1983-09-04 Win Linda Lladossa Amsterdam, Netherlands Decision (unanimous) 1983-06-00 Win Catherine Zanzouri Paris, France KO 3 1983-00-00 Win Nancy Joseph Amsterdam, Netherlands TKO (doctor stoppage) 1 1983-06-29 Draw Linda Lladossa Amsterdam, Netherlands Draw 1982-11-04 Win Sandra Oostendorp Amsterdam, Netherlands Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes

Boxing record

Lucia Rijker boxing record

17 wins (14 (T)KO's), 0 losses Date Result Opponent Location Method Round 2004-05-20 Win Deborah Fettkether Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands Decision (Unanimous) 10 2003-06-21 Win Jane Couch Los Angeles, California, USA Decision (Unanimous) 8 2002-02-16 Win Carla Witherspoon Uncasville, Connecticut, USA TKO 4 1999-08-28 Win Diana Dutra Las Vegas, Nevada, USA TKO 3 1999-04-18 Win Britt van Buskirk Miami, Florida, USA TKO 3 1998-09-25 Win Marcela Eliana Acuña Mashantucket, Connecticut, USA KO 5 1998-06-25 Win Lisa Ested Mashantucket, Connecticut, USA TKO 4 1998-03-23 Win Mary Ann Almager Mashantucket, Connecticut, USA TKO 1 1997-11-20 Win Jeanette Witte Los Angeles, California, USA TKO 3 1997-09-13 Win Andrea DeShong Las Vegas, Nevada, USA TKO 3 1997-06-14 Win Gwen Smith Biloxi, Mississippi, USA TKO 4 1997-05-14 Win Dora Webber Mashantucket, Connecticut, USA PTS 6 1997-03-22 Win Chevelle Hallback Corpus Christi, Texas, USA TKO 5 1997-02-04 Win Irma Verhoef World Trade Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands TKO 4 1996-12-17 Win Zsuzsanna Szuknai World Trade Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands TKO 1 1996-12-06 Win Kelly Jacobs Reno, Nevada, USA TKO 1 1996-03-21 Win Melinda Robinson Los Angeles, California, USA KO 1 Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes

[ Source: Wikipedia ]