| Sumya Anani | |
| Nickname: | Island Girl |
| Height: | 5feet[1] |
| Reach: | 65inches |
| Nationality: | American |
| Birth Date: | 12 February 1972 |
| Birth Place: | Minnesota, U.S. |
| Style: | Orthodox |
| Total: | 29 |
| Wins: | 25 |
| Ko: | 10 |
| Losses: | 3 |
| Draws: | 1 |
| No Contests: | 0 |
| Website: | http://www.sumya.com |
| Show-Medals: | show-medals=no |
Sumya Anani (born February 12, 1972) is a retired American professional female boxer nicknamed "The Island Girl." She was 5'6" and boxed as a junior welterweight.[2] She is best known for a 1996 bout which left her opponent severely injured and may have served as an inspiration for the film Million Dollar Baby.[3] Outside the ring, she is a yoga instructor and holistic healer.
Anani was born in Minnesota and raised in Kansas. She competed as a weightlifter in 1995 and 1996. She took up boxing for self-defense and started boxing professionally because she was "short on cash."[4] She began to box professionally in the summer of 1996.
She began by boxing against relatively unknown opponents. Her fourth professional bout was in St. Joseph, Missouri against Katie Dallam, a novice welterweight who had only gotten her pro boxing license the day before — a pairing described as "an obvious mismatch." In four rounds she landed 119 blows to Dallam's head. Dallam collapsed in her dressing room afterward and required brain surgery. Anani was so upset she considered quitting boxing.
She came to prominence in the boxing world on September 30, 1997, when she defeated former WIBF lightweight champion Stacy Prestage by a knockout. On March 28, 1998 she scored "the sport's biggest upset" with a unanimous six-round decision over veteran Andrea DeShong, considered "the standard bearer for the sport." On December 18, 1998, she fought boxing star Christy Martin and won the match, handing Martin her first defeat since November 1989.
In 2016, Anani was inducted into the Women's International Boxing Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The IWBHF was created and founded by Sue TL Fox.[5]
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Loss | 25–3–1 |  Terri Blair | TKO | 9 (10) | May 27, 2006 | | |
| 28 | Loss | 25–2–1 | Terri Blair | TKO | 10 (10) | Mar 25, 2006 | | |
| 27 | Win | 25–1–1 | Belinda Laracuente | UD | 10 | Jan 22, 2005 | | |
| 26 | Win | 24–1–1 | Stephanie Jaramillo | UD | 10 | Dec 4, 2004 | | |
| 25 | Win | 23–1–1 | Lisa Holewyne | UD | 6 | Apr 24, 2004 | | |
| 24 | Win | 22–1–1 | Fredia Gibbs | RTD | 1 (8) | Apr 18, 2003 | | |
| 23 | Win | 21–1–1 | Lisa Holewyne | KO | 5 (10) | Nov 2, 2002 | | |
| 22 | Win | 20–1–1 |  Jane Couch | TKO | 4 (10) | Jun 21, 2002 | | |
| 21 | Win | 19–1–1 | Britt Van Buskirk | UD | 8 | Feb 1, 2002 | | |
| 20 | Draw | 18–1–1 | Fredia Gibbs | PTS | 10 | Nov 16, 2001 | | |
| 19 | Win | 18–1 | Britt Van Buskirk | UD | 10 | Oct 20, 2001 | | |
| 18 | Win | 17–1 | Elizabeth Mueller | UD | 10 | May 11, 2001 | | |
| 17 | Loss | 16–1 | Britt Van Buskirk | SD | 6 | Sep 17, 2000 | | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Vicki Woods | UD | 8 | Jun 25, 2000 | | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Dora Webber | UD | 10 | Jun 11, 1999 | | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Dora Webber | UD | 8 | Mar 23, 1999 | | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Denise Moraetes | UD | 8 | Mar 12, 1999 | | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Christy Martin | MD | 10 | Dec 18, 1998 | | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Alicia Sparks | TKO | 1 (6) | Sep 18, 1998 | | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Andrea DeShong | UD | 6 | Mar 28, 1998 | | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Loretta James | TKO | 1 (4) | Jan 31, 1998 | | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Charlotte Esparza | KO | 1 (4) | Nov 13, 1997 | | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Stacey Prestage | KO | 4 (6) | Sep 30, 1997 | | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Ashley Needham | UD | 4 | Apr 2, 1997 | | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Shelley Walden | TKO | 4 (4) | Mar 19, 1997 | | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Katherine Dallam | TKO | 4 (4) | Dec 11, 1996 | | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Valerie Almack | TKO | 2 (4) | Oct 16, 1996 | | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Jessica Breitfelder | UD | 4 | Aug 26, 1996 | | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Jessica Breitfelder | UD | 4 | Aug 12, 1996 | | |