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East Liverpool’s Gist on rise in pro rankings
TORONTO
East Liverpool native Shianne Gist found her passion for boxing in high school. Her boyfriend at the time came from a family of boxers.
“My boyfriend was the one who really encouraged me to do it,” Gist said. “He was like, ‘You should totally try it,’ and I was like, ‘No way, I can’t do that.’ But the more I thought about it, I was like, ‘Why not?’”
She just needed to find a way to make it happen.
That’s when she met Joe Board, a boxing trainer who’s been in the business for 39 years. Board had trained her boyfriend’s father.
When Gist was a junior at Beaver Local, she asked Board if he would train her.
He told her no.
“I told her I don’t train females, but she kept asking me and asking me,” he said.
Gist responded by showing up at the gym for several weeks in a row.
“I guess my pestering finally got to him, because he finally agreed,” she said.
And that was the beginning of what became a professional career.
Gist has been boxing for eight years while training at Kelly’s Old School Gym in Toronto, just south of East Liverpool.
She started in high school and worked her way up to the amateur level before turning pro.
As an amateur, Gist was ranked third in the United States and compiled a 12-4 record.
“In amateurs, you have head gear and 12-ounce gloves,” Board said. “When you turn pro, you lose the head gear and move to 1-ounce and sometimes 8-ounce gloves. It’s tougher because you’re hitting harder.”
Gist turned pro in June and wasn’t prepared for the difference between amateur and professional fights.
“My adrenaline was going so much,” Gist said. “She punched me and my head flew back and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, Shianne put your hands up you don’t have headgear on.”
Board said Gist has come a long way since.
“She’s moving up in the rankings because there’s not too many boxers to fight in her division,” he said.
Gist fights as a 145-pounder.
“I’m still really new in the professional level,” she said. “To move up, you have to keep fighting more rounds. Yeah, I won my fights, but my goal is to keep fighting longer.”
Gist is 1-0-1 as a pro. Her next fight is Saturday at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington, Pa.
Gist’s success comes from the hours spent in the gym.
“She trains about five to six days a week all year long,” Board said. “She’s constantly in the gym working and getting better.”
Gist’s days consist of 14 three-minute rounds on the bag, 14 three-minute rounds on the speed bag, 150 push-ups, 400-500 sit-ups and about five to six miles of conditioning.
“She’s been 100-percent dedicated for the past eight years,” Board said. “Her life is boxing. She wants to be a world champion and is willing to do whatever it takes to get there.”
While Gist strives to be the best, she also wants to show those in East Liverpool that it’s OK to follow their dreams.
“I get inspiration from the people in my hometown,” she said. “It’s a small town. I sacrificed a lot just to be where I’m at, but it’s worth it. I just want to give people that message.”
Gist’s first boxing match was a high school tournament in which she won and was named most outstanding boxer.
Now, she’s being asked to fight overseas.
“We’ve gotten calls from Germany, Jamaica and others,” Gist said.
Board has taken on two other female boxers since agreeing to train Gist.
“It’s definitely because of her,” he said. “She’s a hard worker. A very nice person. She’s probably the most dedicated boxer I’ve ever trained.”