By Ron Scarfone – Stacey “stayLo” Reile (8-1, 3 KOs) and Crystal “Choo Choo” Delgado (8-0, 1 KO) are two female contenders from different weight classes. Both are ranked by the computerized ratings on BoxRec.com: Reile at No. 7 in the featherweight division and Delgado at No. 14 in the junior lightweight division. On March 26, 2009, they will meet in the boxing ring at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Houston, Texas. The bout will be at a catch weight of 128 pounds which is in the middle of the featherweight limit of 126 pounds and the junior lightweight limit of 130 pounds. Reile has campaigned as a junior featherweight for most of her career, but moved to the featherweight division last year..
Reile is not only returning to the ring, but she is also returning to her former trainer. Reile had been training with Eric “El Tigre” Castanos for a few months. However, Castanos was not able to devote as much time to train Reile due to training other boxers. As a result, Reile recently decided to have trainer Jorge Rubio back in her corner. Reile believes that Rubio is the best trainer she has ever had. Reile has been sparring male professional boxers at Rubio’s boxing gym in preparation for her upcoming fight against Delgado.
Reile’s previous fight was in May 2008 against WBC and WIBF featherweight champion Ina Menzer of Germany. The fight ended in the fourth round by a controversial stoppage. Menzer was credited with the win, but Reile welcomes a rematch against Menzer if she is permitted to have her trainer Jorge Rubio accompany her. Reile had to settle for a substitute trainer in the featherweight championship fight because the promotional company Universum did not send a letter of invitation to Rubio. This prevented Rubio from obtaining a visa to enter Germany and work in Reile’s corner for the title fight.
Delgado last fought in January 2009 against Michele Nielsen in which Delgado won by unanimous decision. Nielsen was inactive as a boxer for five years from 2004 to 2008 prior to her bout against Delgado. Nielsen may have had some ring rust due to her lengthy inactivity, but was competitive against Delgado. Two judges had Delgado winning by a comfortable margin, but one judge had Delgado winning by only one point.
All of Delgado’s pro fights have taken place in her home state of Texas. Reile resides in South Florida and the majority of her fights have occurred there, but Reile has experience fighting in the homeland of her opponents such as in Japan and Germany. Reile’s fights can be viewed on YouTube.com as well as sparring and training videos. Delgado’s fight against Nielsen can also be viewed on YouTube.com.
Delgado describes herself as a brawler who comes toward her opponent like a train. Her nickname “Choo Choo” is a reference to the sound that a steam locomotive makes. Reile’s nickname “stayLo” is derived from her first and middle name, but she also has been called Supergirl because she dressed like the female superhero for one of her fights. You can see more super photos of Reile on her myspace page at www.myspace.com/staylo4real. We all know that Superman can stop a train, but can a Supergirl do the same? We will find out on March 26.