Draft:Emma Brammer vs. Andrea Prime

{{Draft}}
{{Short description|First women's boxing match in England}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2026}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox boxing match
| fight date = 17 March 1998
| location = [[Leicester]], England
| fighter1 = Emma Brammer
| age1 = 14
| fighter2 = Andrea Prime
| age2 = 13
| result = '''Brammer''' wins
}}

'''Emma Brammer vs. Andrea Prime''' was an women's [[amateur boxing]] match held on 17 March 1998 in [[Leicester]], England.{{cite news |title=Schoolgirl boxing match goes ahead |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/66795.stm |access-date=22 April 2026 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=18 March 1998}} It was scheduled to be the first women's boxing match to take place after a ban on women's amateur boxing was lifted in October of the previous year, however the match was postponed twice, during which another pair of teenagers became the first women to officially box.{{cite news |title=Women box their way into history |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/19691.stm |access-date=22 April 2026 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=1 November 1997}}

The fight was originally planned to take place on 2 October 1997, officially endorsed by the UK [[Amateur Boxing Association]]. It received wide media attention after being announced, being criticised by several professional boxers, commentators, and doctors, with the [[British Medical Association]] calling the lifted ban "demented".{{cite news |last1=Corrigan |first1=Peter |title=Boxing: A jab in the unmentionables from the girls |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/boxing-a-jab-in-the-unmentionables-from-the-girls-1234099.html |access-date=22 April 2026 |work=[[The Independent]] |date=5 October 1997}} Brammer subsequently pulled out of the fight, which her father said was due to the negative publicity of the match.{{cite news |last1=Boggan |first1=Steven |title=Girl boxer pulls out of fight |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/girl-boxer-pulls-out-of-fight-1233584.html |access-date=22 April 2026 |work=[[The Independent]] |date=3 October 1998}}

The fight was later rescheduled to 3 March 1998, but was once again called off, this time by the fight promoter, citing negative publicity as the reason,{{cite news |title=Girls' boxing called off again |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/61475.stm |access-date=22 April 2026 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=3 March 1998}} after the manager of heavyweight champion [[Lennox Lewis]] described the fight as a "freak show",{{cite news |last1=Ingle |first1=Sean |title=Nicola Adams: Women's boxing is about skills rather than power |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/17/london-2012-nicola-adams-olympic-stars |access-date=22 April 2026 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=17 July 2012}} and the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' called it a "bout of madness".{{cite news |last1=Topping |first1=Alexandra |title=Women boxers take on 'bastion of masculinity' in first ever Olympic bouts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/aug/03/women-boxers-first-olympic-bouts |access-date=22 April 2026 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=3 August 2012}} The match eventually took place two weeks later on 17 March, with Brammer winning the bout. The news of the match inspired [[Amanda Coulson]] to begin boxing.{{cite news |date=7 January 2022 |title=Amanda Coulson: how one article inspired a victorious boxing career |url=https://www.iba.sport/news/amanda-coulson-how-one-article-inspired-a-victorious-boxing-career/ |access-date=21 April 2026 |publisher=[[International Boxing Association]]}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Draft categories|
[[Category:1998 in boxing]]
[[Category:Boxing matches in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Women's boxing matches]]
}}