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PROFILE
Profile: Alicia Ashley World-champion paralegal says dedication key to success [by Regan Morris] Alicia “Slick” Ashley is a world-champion paralegal. By day, she works on corporate litigation cases at Sullivan & Cromwell in Manhattan. Last month, she knocked out Elena “Baby Doll” Reid in front of more than 1,000 people at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, NV. LawCrossing talks with the pugilist paralegal about juggling her two careers. It was her first professional boxing career
not going to put my all in my job, then there’s
dancing career, her brother suggested she
knockout, and they were the headliners on
no way I’m going to put my all in boxing.
take up kickboxing to stay fit. While boxing
an all-women boxing card. But Ashley was
So in that aspect, I would say it’s more of
and kickboxing seem equally damaging to
back at work Monday morning after an early-
personality than to the similarities of the job.
your knees, Ashley said as a professional
morning workout with her famous trainer,
Because the kind of dedication I put into box-
dancer, she was dancing 8 hours a day at
Hector Roca (recently in the news for training
ing I used when I was a computer technician,
least. As a boxer, she only trains for a few
Hilary Swank for Million Dollar Baby).
I used when I was a dancer, so I think it’s
hours each day.
more personality and the work ethic.” The knockout upset over Elena Reid was
A former professional dancer—Ashley, 37—had worked in law departments through-
The work ethic has paid off. Ashley’s boss at
Ashley’s 17th professional fight, and she’s
out her career, and she became a paralegal
Simon & Cromwell was supportive when she
now 11-5-1 (1 KO). After a year of training,
around 2001. With a degree in computer
asked for flexible hours so she could train for
she won the world championship. But she
systems, Ashley had been working in techni-
the Laughlin fight. She needed extra training
was broke and wanted a new, more flexible
cal support in law departments. Her first job
to prepare and started work at 11:00 a.m.
career. She started temping. Her experience
in high school had been with a law firm, and
instead of 9:30 a.m.
in law firms helped her learn the paralegal trade. She learned on the job, boxing before
it started a trend. “They knew what kind of worker I was, so
and after work.
When she was laid off by Prudential in 2000
they were actually willing to let me” work
during large cutbacks, she decided it was
flexible hours, she said, adding that she
“When I first entered [boxing], especially as
time for a major change. She decided to start
always worked at least an 8-hour day, she
an amateur, I fought like once every year,”
taking her boxing hobby more seriously and
just stayed later.
she said. “By the time I turned professional, they started to add a lot more amateur
turn pro. Ashley, who moved to the United States from
competitions. There’re quite a few amateur
Women boxers have come a long way since
Jamaica when she was 11, lives in Long Is-
competitions now.”
Ashley started boxing 10 years ago. While
land and trains at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn.
still an amateur, she said it was hard to find
She leaves her house each morning around
Ashley said she tries to keep her law firm
other women to fight. Now the sport—ama-
6:00 to get to Gleason’s by 7:00.
and boxing lives separate, but they inevitably intersect. Her colleagues surprised her with
teur and pro—is being revitalized, largely It was her brother who got her interested
a party after her most recent victory and
in boxing, one of many sports practiced in
like to go see her fight. She says she never
Do boxing and corporate litigation have any-
her competitive family. Her father was a
comes to work with black eyes on Monday
thing in common? Ashley laughs and says,
choreographer; her brother, a champion
mornings.
“No. Yes. No. Yes.”
kickboxer. Another brother is a chess grand-
because of women boxers.
master. When asked if she and her kickbox-
“My nickname is Slick, I don’t get hit,” she
“Well, you can always find comparisons,”
ing brother ever beat up on the chess-playing
said.
she said. “Because the one thing is how I
brother, Ashley laughs and says, “No.” Unlike many women boxers, Ashley said she
train, I would say how dedicated I am to doing things, you would see that also when I work.
Ashley has also competed in kickboxing.
never had a problem with chauvinism at the
It’s discipline,” she said. “If I work and I’m
When a knee injury ended her professional
gym.
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PROFILE
“The one thing I do remember—and this still happens—is that guys go, ‘Oh, you’re so pretty. Why would you want to do that, get your pretty face busted up?’” she said. TV networks used to show women “foxy boxing” as a sideshow to the main event, she said. But women are increasingly becoming the main event. Ashley’s boxing has lead to stunt work and boxing parts in movies. Aside from Hilary Swank, she has sparred with Michelle Rodriguez, the star of 2000 film Girlfight. When they needed an extra boxer in the movie, they called Ashley. Next, she will fight on-screen in Strangers with Candy, a Comedy Central show being turned into a feature film. “I got to spar with Michelle Rodriguez a lot, and when they needed someone to fight, she suggested me, and I ended up being in the movie,” she said. “That actually parlayed into a lot of stunt roles for me. I love doing stunt work. It’s a lot of fun. It’s fighting.” Ashley says she plans to stick with both her paralegal and boxing careers for as long as possible. “But boxing is a young person’s sport,” she said. “A lot of people are shocked by my age, because I don’t look it, I look like I’m in my 20s. But it’s not about looks. It’s about how much your body can hold up, and I’m hoping for at least five more years of this sport.”
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