People always said Ann Marie was a born athlete, but when a car accident left her able to move only one arm, that's when she discovered she was a born fighter.
Ann Marie's Story
"They told me I would never walk again."
I'm a natural born athlete. I think I got my first basketball set when I was three years old. On Aug. 5, 1995, I was coming back from competing in the Empire State [high school basketball] games. I was in a teammate's car and the car hydroplaned. We did a 360, and we wrapped a pole. I got ejected half way out of the back window and that's how they found me.
I had multiple fractures, severe nerve damage, a punctured lung, and I was on life support. I was immediately taken in for 14 hours of surgery. And when I woke up, the first words I spoke, in front of the priest and my entire family, were: What about sports?
The doctors told me they didn't know if I would ever walk again and that I'd never play sports again. I had a few choice words for them in return, but basically I said, "Watch me!"
"I went against the grain."
I only had one limb that was mobile. I tied resistance bands to different parts of my hospital bed, and I worked my arm any way that I could. When I got out of the hospital they didn't want me standing up for long periods of time. I tried standing up anyway. I went against the grain. I probably didn't do all the best things, but I wanted something. I'm not advising people to [ignore] doctors. It's just that, in my case, not listening worked to my benefit. Six months after [the accident] I was back to training, competing, and running. I had my body back.
"I thought boxing would be a good tune-up."
I was focused on competing in [martial arts] when I heard about the New York Golden Gloves. I was very naive and very ignorant about boxing, but I started fighting anyway. I had my nose broken in my first amateur fight. The next morning, I was on a flight to compete in a fight in the U.S. Nationals with a broken nose and two black eyes. I could have looked at [the injuries] as a barrier and as an obstacle, but I just barged through and said, "What's next? Let's go!" That's what it was like my entire amateur boxing career. I basically looked like the Tasmanian Devil in a boxing ring. Just pure heart, soul and fire.
"I want to show the world what females can do."
I have fun being a pro boxer. In the ring it's show time. I have so much adrenaline going on. I want to show the world what females can do in the ring, but it's bigger than just being a woman in boxing. It's about women in big corporations. It's about WNBA players, soccer players. It's about getting women's boxing into the Olympics. We're still the only sport that's not allowed into the Olympics. This makes no sense to me.
"I've been told, 'No, this can't happen,' my whole life and I've never believed it."
I've followed my own path, my own route, and it's led me to success. There's a reason I was in that accident. I know that. Today, my life is more intensified. I've become more passionate about my purpose. And my purpose is more than just walking this earth. My purpose is to share with others. And that is what keeps me fighting.
