Giselle Salandy

Joenette Giselle Ife Salandy ORTT (25 January 1987 – 4 January 2009), also known as Gizelle Salandy, Jizelle Salandy or Jizelle Joseph, was an unbeaten world-class female boxer from Trinidad and Tobago. She is ranked as the #1 female light middleweight boxer all-time by the Boxrec. She died in a car-accident on 4 January 2009.

Career

Joenette Giselle Ife Salandy was born on 25 January 1987 in Siparia in southern Trinidad. At age 11, her mother Maureen died. She then stayed with Ivy Corian who took care of her till she was fourteen. She attended St. Bridgid's Girls' RC School, Penal Junior Secondary School and then Fyzabad Composite School.

At the age of eleven years, nursing a broken arm, Jizelle visited the White Eagle Gym with her step brother Joel Eligon and started punching a punching bag. She was immediately recognized by the trainers in the gym, Kim Quashie and Fitzroy Richards. Jizelle thereafter got involved in the sport. She made her professional debut at thirteen years, under coach/manager, Fitzroy Richards. She picked up a series of six victory fights throughout Trinidad and Tobago and the islands of Tortola, Anguilla, with opponents such as Johanna Peña-Álvarez and Ria Ramnarine.^[1]

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

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 seventeen cannot obtain a professional boxing license, thus causing her boxing career to come to a halt.

However, five days into her seventeenth birthday Jizelle 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 Forde; 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 the age of eighteen years, on 23 September 2005 on the said 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. However again manager, Curtis Joseph, was unable to secure fights for Jizelle. Salandy became frustrated and it was at that stage she broke off her work relationship with Curtis Joseph. Shortly after, Salandy and Kim Quashie contacted Boxu Potts to take over her career.

Salandy fought Manela Daniels at the Petrotrin Grounds in Fyzabad, a fight she had previously booked, which was promoted by Arthur Sanderson. Salandy then signed a promotional contract with Potts and left her Fyzabad home and went to live with Potts and his family at their Arima home while Miller was in training camp in Ghana.

On 9 December 2006 she became the first person to win six world title belts in one fight. Salandy was awarded Top History Making Fighter of the year 2006 by WBAN; awarded First Citizen Sports Woman of the year 2006 by The First Citizen Sports Foundation in Trinidad and Tobago and was also presented with the Chaconia Gold Medal by the President of Trinidad and Tobago for her achievement in boxing. This award is the highest award in Trinidad and Tobago.

Salandy successfully defended her six world titles against Yvonne Reis on 24 March 2007.

On 15 March 2008 super middleweight Natascha Ragosina broke Salandy's record by winning seven belts in one fight. However, only two weeks later at the Centre of Excellence in Trinidad and Tobago, Salandy fought and defeated the then unbeaten Karolina Lukasik in her mandatory defense, regaining her world record by winning eight title belts in one fight. These title belts were: WBC, WBA, WBE, WIBA, IWBF, WIBF, GBU and UBC.

Again on 26 December 2008, Salandy fought and defeated the fourth ranked Yahaira Hernandez, securing her eight title belts and breaking a Caribbean record by being the first boxer in the history of the Caribbean to successfully defend all her world titles six consecutive times.

On 31 August 2009 Salandy was awarded posthumously Trinidad's highest national award, the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Salandy was the first boxer in the history of the Caribbean to ever receive such an award.^[2]

Death

Salandy died in a vehicular accident on the morning of 4 January 2009, when she crashed into a concrete pillar while driving west into Port of Spain on the Beetham Highway. She succumbed to her injuries at around 8:29 a.m.^[3] She was 21. The other occupant of the vehicle, national footballer Tamar Watson, was admitted to hospital in critical condition, having suffered massive internal injuries and broken limbs. Salandy was given a state funeral.

Controversy

Relatives of Giselle Salandy are questioning why she was allowed to drive herself on Sunday, although a driver was assigned to her.^[4] A 21-year-old man had been given the job to take Salandy to different destinations. Salandy, who held a driver's permit for the last two years, hired a driver because of her hectic schedule. However, her manager Boxu Potts dispelled the 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.

References

External links

• "Giselle Salandy is laid to rest | Video courtesy C News."
• "Giselle Salandy dies tragically in a car accident."
• "World Boxing Champion Giselle Salandy Dies"
• "WBAN Biographies"
• "Do you know Giselle Salandy?"
• "T&T's undefeated world class female boxer Giselle Salandy dead in vehicular accident"

• Professional boxing record for Giselle Salandy from BoxRec