Beautiful But Deadly - Erin Toughill (2 of 2) - 11/25/2003
by Michael DiSanto

No need for a lengthy introduction, here is part 2 of our interview with rising women's star, Erin Toughill.

IF: Who are some of your idols in the fight game?
Erin: A couple of my favorite fighters are.I love Wanderlei Silva. Hes my favorite. Ive been watching him for years. I used to like Sakuraba a lot, but in this past year hes definitely not on my favorite list. Oh, Minotauro [Nogueira] definitely. On the boxing side, I really like Arturo Gatti. I like watching him. [Oscar] De la Hoya hes great. Those are some of the ones I can think of off hand. On the Wanderlei side, hes just so aggressive and wants to throw down. And then on the Minotauro side, hes such a technician. I can really appreciate both.

IF: Thats interesting that you mention polar opposites in both boxing and MMA. In Silva and Gatti, you have aggressive warriors who push the action make the fight. Yet, with Minotauro and Oscar, you have the ultimate technicians. So which style do associate more with your own fighting?
Erin: Well, I guess that could be my point. I think Im half and half. I like to pride myself first and foremost on being a technical fighter. I want to prove that there are girls out there who can fight and we can be technicians just like the males. But I can also be as aggressive as anybody else. Yet, you still need to make sure that you technique behind you. I dont want to run out there blind and wild and be some crazy person throwing windmills, you know? [laughs]. I think my fight this past Friday was probably one of my best fights yet. The people couldnt believe it. They said wow, you can fight! And I was like I told you! [laughs] They said it was our fight and the main event as the best fights. My thing is that I want to do stuff that the normal girls dont do. Ive seen some of the top girls fight like Anne Wolf and Valerie Mahoof. Theyre tough. They can punch. But I wouldnt call them good boxers. You know? Theres no countering. Theres not a lot of movement or anything like that. Thats what me and my coach are trying to do as an athletic fighter. I just want to implement all that stuff and show people what we can do.

IF: Okay, this is something we like to do with everyone we talk to. Lets play name association Ill give you a name and you just respond with whatever first pops into your head, ok?
Erin: Oh no! [laughs]

IF: Trust me, this will be fun
Erin: Okay [still laughing]

IF: Christy Martin:
Erin: Pioneer

IF: Mia St. John
Erin: I think of likefluff. Does that make sense? Im trying to articulate it in one word.

IF: You dont have to limit yourself to one word. You can use a phrase.
Erin: Okay. When I think of her, I think of just a Playboy Bunny. Thats the only thing that pops into my head when I see her fight. She lacks a lot of skills.

IF: Would you fight Mia?
Erin: Oh my God, yes!

IF: Laila Ali
Erin: Shes on my hit list, so when I think of her I think of hit list.

IF: Did you watch the Ali-Martin fight?
Erin: I did.

IF: What did you think?
Erin: It reminded me of a bully taking some poor childs lunch money. [laughs]

IF: No doubt! Laila was just too big and too athletic for Christy Martin.
Erin: Oh yeah! Its not even a matter ofyou know, people dont realize, but thats why we have weight classes. People think its different with women for some reason, but its not.

IF: Lucia Rijker
Erin: Awesome! I think shes one of the first females that I, and a lot of other girls, saw fight. She blew me away when I saw some of her kickboxing. I thought oh my, this girl is unbelievable. Shes bad ass. Shes probably the only girl fighter that I look up to and I think is legitimately great in terms of skill. Shes also a hard worker and a pioneer, but she didnt have some of the breaks that someone like Christy Martin or Laila Ali had.

IF: Yes, shes clearly an exceptional fighter and its too bad that Christy ducked Lucia for so long.
Erin: Seriously.

IF: Okay, lets switch it up a bit.
Erin: Okay.

IF: Phil Baroni
Erin: Oh my God! Phil Baroni. [we both laugh] You know, its funny because I really didnt use to like him. I thought I really dont like this guy until he started doing exactly what he said he was going to do knocking people out and he started living his own hype. He believed his own hype so much and he was doing it. He was knocking people out, so I like him. I like his attitude. I like what he brings. Hes a shit talker and he backs it up. You know, we need people like that in the sport. We need characters. We dont need everyone to be the same way. Do you know what I mean?

IF: Certainly. How about Tito Ortiz
Erin: WowTito. HmmmTito. Titos a good fighter, but I think he probably just needs to step up and do a couple of things. I just dont know whats going on with him and Chuck. I guess thats the biggest thing that everyone is waiting for is that fight.

IF: Tito told me two weeks ago that hes definitely fighting Chuck at UFC 47.
Erin: Right. Thats what I heard. Granted, I see him every now and then at our gym because I teach at Tiki [Ghoosen]s gym over in Hunington [Beach]. I think hell be able to come back from his loss. Randy Couture really beat him down, but everybody has to lose sometime. And I think that will make him a better fighter if he comes back stronger and better like he said he was going to.

IF: Okay, speaking of Randy, who do you like between Vitor Belfort and Randy Couture and why?:
Erin: Oh wowokay[said like shes really pondering the point]

IF: I know, Im really putting you on the spot with that one.
Erin: I know. Look at you! Okay, I think Vitor is kind of strange. If he can beat a fighter like when he came out and beat Marvin Eastman or when he knocked out Wanderlei Silva. Thats the Vitor Belfort that people want to see the one who used to knock everyone out when he first started out in the UFC. If he comes out like that fighter, then this is going to be a good tough fight. But hes also come in to fight very half assed. Like when he fought Chuck Liddell. That was not a good fight. He seemed lackadaisical hes had some lackadaisical fights. But if he comes in like the Vitor that people started recognizing him as when he first started, then its could be a tough fight. They are both superior on the ground and Randy has some really good standup too. I think the better technician might win, and honest to God I really cant say. But I think Im going to go with Randy. Yeah, Im going to go with Randy. You know, Im like the only person who said Randy was going to beat Tito and I was telling everyone that Randy was going to win.

IF: Yes, I got that fight wrong.
Erin: You picked Tito?

IF: Yes.
Erin: Yeah, I was weird because telling everyone that Randy would win, and you know I picked Chuck to beat Randy. I was at that fight and I thought oh my God, I cant ever bet against this guy again. I think he has so much experience and hes such an elite fighter. Its his experience and mental state that brings him to the top. I dont think the Vitor fight will phase him. Hell just come in to do his job and kick ass.

IF: So whats next for Erin Toughill? Whats on the horizon? Any boxing matches or MMA matches lined up?
Erin: We have something tentative lined up for December. There are 1 or 2 things for boxing, but nothing is in stone so I really cant comment on it. But Im looking to fight at least one more time before the end of the year at least, Id like to. You know, Id like to fight no rules again, but I dont know. If I got an offer from a good organization with the right money, I wouldnt turn it down. But at least with the boxing theres light at the end of the tunnel. Im working towards something. There are people to fight good competition whereas in the no rules fighters are more difficult to come by. The womens boxing is more legitimate. Its taken more seriously and is much more mainstream. I have the chance for people to know my name in my own country. That exists in boxing on a bigger scale. My goal next year in boxing is to get more fights, rack up more wins, and Id like to rematch Jackie Frazier[-Lyde]. Id also like to definitely fight Laila Ali. You know, I just want to be a top contender in the super middleweight division and show people that I really can fight. Ive come a long, long way from my first fight three years ago with a kick boxer. I think the people who were at my fight on Friday night saw that and they were really blown away. So if I can keep doing that, keep training and keep progressing, Ill be okay.

IF: What advice do you have for young women seeking to enter the fight game?
Erin: Dont do it for the money because youre not going to be making a living off this. Be prepared to train hard. If you really want to be number 1, you really have to dedicate your life to it. I eat, breathe and sleep fighting. I do go to school and stuff like that, but I cant really do a 9-5 job. All my time and dedication is to fighting. So I believe that in order to be number 1 you really have to dedicate your life to it and be prepared to go through some really hard stuff. You know, Ive always been the only girl on my team. Always! And Ive had some tough times. Sometimes youll break down crying. Sometimes youll get the shit kicked out of you so badly that youre thinking what am I doing with my life? And treasure those good days at practice because they dont come along too often. [laughs] Just know that its not an easy road to take. If it was easy to become a fighter, Im sure everybody would do it.

IF: Last couple of questions, Erin. You say that its very difficult to make a living fighting as a woman, so do you have any business interests outside of fighting or what do you plan to do when your fighting career is over?
Erin: Right now Im about one class away from getting my Associates Degree. My undergraduate is going to be in something like sports medicine or sports therapy. Maybe Ill be a physicians assistant or something. I definitely do not want to be fighting 5, 6 or 7 years down the line. Ive already been fighting for 4 ½ years almost, so I dont want to be 40 and still fighting. Im definitely going to get my undergraduate degree and maybe my masters degree. I think school is the one thing that is very important. Ive put off several years of it to do my fighting, but its the one thing that you never want to leave incomplete. Whatever my field is, its definitely going to be in sports whether its in the therapy or the medicine because its a huge interest of mine. Maybe Ill work for a football team or a baseball team doing therapy or something like that. Eventually, I want to open my own gym and maybe train fighters girls. Id like to have a girls [fight] team some day.

IF: Lastly, is there anything else you want to say to your fans before we go?
Erin: Id like to thank my fans - my fans and also the people who support women fighters in general. We need people like that to believe in us so that we know we belong in the sport and know that we can do it. I think that you can still be a woman fighter and retain your womanly qualities. Theres a stereotype where people seem to think that all women who fight are lesbians or whatever and thats ridiculous. Laila Ali is a perfect example. Shes really opened peoples eyes to womens fighting. Shes a pretty girl. Shes articulate. She can fight. And she just happens to have the right last name to go along with all that. Also, Id like to say hello to my friends and family and thank them for supporting me.

IF: Thank you for your time, Erin, and best of luck going forward.
Erin: No problem. Thank you!

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