Former Pro Fighter to Match Both Sports
Orange County, CA; On July 20, 2000 Erin Toughill made her pro boxing debut on a Roy Englebrecht Promotions Battle In The Ballroom show at the Irvine Marriott. Today 23 years later, Roy Englebrecht, CEO of Englebrecht Promotions & Events announced that he has hired Erin Toughill to be the new Vice President of Fighter Relations and Matchmaking for his Southern California based company. Erin will take over for Englebrecht’s boxing matchmaker Chuck Bosecker who is taking some time off, and current Englebrecht Promotions & Event MMA matchmaker Mel Valenzuela who will continue his matchmaking work for BYB Bare Knuckle and A1 Combat.
“Talk about coming full circle,” said Englebrecht. “Erin has been a friend since she debuted for me and she has attended many of our Fight Club OC shows over the years. What makes this hiring unique is that Erin will be the only boxing and mma matchmaker that actually was a pro fighter herself and will be able to speak to fighters on their level. She will bring a skill level to her position that most matchmakers do not have in dealing with fighters and understanding them. I couldn’t be happier for her. This hiring is historic as Erin will be the first matchmaker in combative sports history that was both a pro boxer and pro mma fighter.”
Toughill has been involved in combat sports for nearly 30 years, having competed in three disciplines: boxing, mixed martial arts and bare knuckle boxing. She is the first and only woman to be ranked in the Top Five in both MMA and boxing simultaneously. She fought Laila Ali on national television for the first ever women’s WBC super middleweight belt in 2005. She was the #1 ranked MMA fighter at 155 pounds and was signed by Strikeforce in 2008 but did not compete for the San Jose company because of an injury. Erin knocked out future Bellator champion Marloes Coenon in a war in Japan in 2004. For the last 20 years Toughill has trained both male and female fighters in all combat sports and for the past four years has been mentoring under Hall of Fame boxing coach Buddy McGirt.
“I am honored that Roy Englebrecht has asked me to join his company as Vice President of Fighter Relations & Matchmaking,” said Toughill. “As a former fighter, I am extremely passionate about boxing and MMA as well as the welfare of the combatants. Female athletes have made huge advancements in combat sports over the last decade, and I am thrilled to be given the opportunity where I can continue to provide value to the sport in a different capacity. My goal is to cultivate strong relationships between myself and the fighters and to assist in their growth and visibility.”
“Without a doubt my son Drew and I have been blessed to have had Chuck and Mel handle our matchmaking over the past 10+ years and we have witnessed some of the best fights to date. They are one of the reasons Fight Club OC is considered the premier club fight promotion in the country and “the most fun you can have on a Thursday night in Orange County” and I know with a doubt Erin will continue on with this tradition…Fights Guaranteed,” continued Englebrecht.
The next Fight Club OC show is Thursday, October 26th with tickets and show information at www.socafights.com.