# Cathy Davis

Cathy Davis (born c. 1952) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1976 and 1981. Some of her fights were fixed.

## Career

Davis sued the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) in 1977 because she was denied a boxing license because she was a woman, and the case was decided in her favor later that year, with the judge invalidating New York State rule number 205.15, which stated, “No woman may be licensed as a boxer or second or licensed to compete in any wrestling exhibition with men.” In his opinion the judge cited the precedent set by Garrett v. New York State Athletic Commission (1975), which “found the regulation invalid under the equal protection clauses of the State and Federal Constitutions”. The NYSAC filed an appeal of the ruling, but later dropped it.
In August 1978 Davis became the first, and, until Ronda Rousey in January 2016, the only woman to be on the cover of The Ring.
On September 19, 1978, Davis received the NYSAC’s first boxing license given to a female boxer.
Cat Davis did not only fight in New York. She fought between 1976 and 1981, in various areas of the country, including Nevada, California, and much of the Northwest. She became popular throughout the country by often fighting on television.
It was eventually revealed that some of her fights had been fixed.

## Partial boxing record

Officially, her first fight occurred on November 11, 1977, when she knocked out Margie Dunson in the first round, in North Carolina. On June 7, 1978, she and Ernestine Jones fought to a no contest in a bout that was scheduled for four rounds. On July 2, 1979, she knocked out Uschi Doering in the Exposition Building, in Portland, Maine, in 6 rounds.

## Professional boxing record

| 14 fights | 13 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 13 | 0 |
| No contests | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location |
| 14 | Win | 13–0 (1) | Lavonne Ludian | TKO | 3 (?) | 10 Apr 1981 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. |
| 13 | Win | 12–0 (1) | Ursula Doering | TKO | 6 (12), 0:58 | 2 Jul 1979 | Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| 12 | NC | 11–0 (1) | Ernestine Jones | NC | 4 (?) | 7 Jun 1978 | Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Margie Dunson | KO | 1 (?) | 11 Nov 1977 | County Arena, Cumberland, North Carolina, U.S. |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Mona Hayes | KO | 4 (8) | 14 Jul 1977 | Holiday Inn West, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Margie Dunson | KO | 3 (6) | 23 Mar 1977 | Wagner Ballroom, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Margie Dunson | KO | 2 (6) | 3 Feb 1977 | Holiday Inn West, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Joanna Lutz | KO | 4 (8) | 2 Dec 1976 | Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Margie Dunson | TKO | 3 (6) | 25 Nov 1976 | Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Jean Lang | KO | 1 (4) | 12 Aug 1976 | Hinchliffe Stadium, Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Patty Patterson | TKO | 3 (?) | 3 Aug 1976 | Arena, North Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Nickie Hansen | KO | 2 (8) | 29 Jun 1976 | Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Joanna Luft | KO | 2 (4) | 16 Jun 1976 | Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Bobbi Shane | KO | 2 (4) | 15 Apr 1976 | Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S. |