Maureen “The Real Million Dollar Baby” Shea (30-2-1, 13 KOs) returns to the ring for the first time in more than two years on the August 9th (Aug. 10 rain date) “Punch-Out at Polar Park II” card, presented by Shearns Boxing Promotions (SBP) in conjunction with Kendrick Ball’s Camp Get Right Boxing, at Polar Park in Worcester, Massachusetts. Shea faces Beata Dudek (4-2, 4 KOs), who fights out of Hungary by way of her native Slovakia. She competed in the 2022 IBA world championships as an amateur. All of the action will be streamed live on www.bxngtv.com.

 

“Maureen is a friend, and we are very happy to have her fight on our show,” promoter Chuck Shearns commented. “When our fighter, Josniel Castro, relocated to Florida, Maureen was extremely gracious and helpful to us. That’s the kind of person she is.” Shea, 43, has had a solid 17-year pro career. She’s riding an 18-fight unbeaten streak with 17 victories and one draw. Originally from the Bronx (NY), she now trains and is a strength-and-conditioning coach at DS Boxing in Boca Raton, Florida.

 

“I’m better than ever,” Shea spoke about fighting at her age. “I have a balanced life, so why not fight? It’s not about proving myself. I have experience and I’m strong, I love this sport and I’m following the path. I’m going to give it a good run and hopefully I’ll get another world title fight. I’m at peace in my life. I’ve always stayed busy, and boxing has never left me. I started training again in 2022 and I wanted to see what would happen. It’s a challenge boxing in my forties, but there is a lot of BS. I’m doing this now for me. I started at 17 and women couldn’t fight in the amateurs. I got to No. 1 in the world. I learned a lot in the amateurs – I only had 11 fights -- of what not to do in the pros. I was misdiagnosed with bi-polar and was on a lot of medication, It’s the reason I moved to California. I have seasonal affect disorder. It rejuvenated my life and off of medications. And I have a platform and a voice for young women in boxing. I started to box again, but the lapses in years that I had were from deeply emotional struggles.

 

“I also want to prove that life in boxing isn’t over at 40 if you age gracefully and do not lose your spirit. I’m good and getting better. People come up to me and say I must have found the Foundation of Youth. I’ve been through so much boxing that nothing affects me. I’m adaptable.”

 

Shea has always been a huge New York Yankees fan, often wearing the famous pinstripes while boxing, although she probably won’t be doing so fighting in the Triple A home of the Boston Red Sox. “I’ve always loved baseball,” she added. “Mo Vaughn (former Red Sox star) is a friend of mine. I do my strength training at his performance center in Boca Raton. And when I fought in Mexico, I danced with Nomar Garciaparra (another former Red Sox star). I love baseball. When Top Rank had a show at Yankee Stadium, I really wanted to fight on that show, but now I’m fighting at a beautiful ballpark. Boston has always had great fans and I think they will appreciate my style. I have friends driving up from New York City, and others are coming from Boston and even New Hampshire. I’m excited to display my skills there. Chuck (Shearns) is a great guy. He told me he always wanted to have a women’s fight on his (Polar Park) card and I’m honored to be fighting on this show.”

 

Shea has fought outdoors twice, in 2007 on a show held in the parking lot outside of the Eldorado Resort Casino in Reno (NV), in which the temperatures hit 114 to go along with the high altitude. The other time was in 2011, when she defeated Diana Ayala by way of a ten-round majority decision for the WBC interim featherweight title, in Los Mochis, Mexico. She clearly remembers how bitter cold it was on that December night.

 

Based on her past experiences, Shea shouldn’t be concerned about fighting outdoors in Worcester during August, and she also has another reason to be on “Punch-Out at Polar Park II.” “I’m excited to be fighting on the same show with Josniel (Castro),” Maureen explained. “We’ve been stablemates for a few years, and I’ve worked out with him a lot. I don’t need to fight. What more can I achieve? I’m doing this because I still can.”

 

The only returning “Punch-Out” fighter from last year’s pro card, Josniel “TG” Castro (12-1, 8 KOs), will take on Jerry Bradford (9-2, 5 KOs) in an eight-round junior middleweight contest. Castro vs. Bradford was elevated to the main when the original headliner, Denzel “Double Impact” Whitley vs. Anthony “Vicious” Vieira, was postponed... Heavyweight Kevin “Big Gulp” Nagle (8-0, 7 KOs), a popular fighter from Scituate  (MA), clashes with Mexican veteran Jose “Olympico” Humberto Corral (20-33, 12 KOs) in an eight-round match-up... Four-time New England Golden Gloves Champion Keno Luna (2-0, 2 KOs), a promising junior middleweight prospect from Worcester, is back in action in a four-round fight versus Izaiah Vargas (1-10).... Three locally based boxers will be making their pro debuts: Millbury welterweight Justin Laporte, who fought last year on the amateur part of the card, vs. Tymar Miles (0-2), Worcester junior middleweight Jhon “D-Wave” Devers Rodriguez vs. Igor Santos (0-1) and Worcester welterweight “Grafton Hill’s Favorite Son” Daniel Docimo vs. Tracey Coppedge (0-3).