WBC/IBF/WIBA Ranked no. 4 Welterweight Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes Returns to Mohegan Sun on the 31st By Christopher Annino

Born and raised in Gliwice, Poland, Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes (http://www.lopesboxing.com;  www.facebook.com/teamlopes)/ got involved in athletics early in life. Aleksandra would train five days a week and would compete on the weekends in tennis. When she moved to the United States of America she was introduced to wrestling in high school. “It was my first experience with combat sports and I enjoyed it from day one,” said Aleksandra.

After high school she graduated from college with B.S degree in Management Science. Despite earning a degree Aleksandra’s inner athlete was still hungry to compete. Already having a zest for combat sports Aleksandra pursued boxing.

Aleksandra stands at 5’7 with a 70 inch long lean and mean reach; she has the perfect genetics for her sport. As an amateur she won the 140lb Rocky Marciano Tournament in the Novice Division and in 2008 she won the Southern New England Golden Gloves. The next year she had made her pro debut and lost to Kali Reis. She has continued in being a success in her sport with a 10 win(KO 1) + 2 loss (KO 0) + 1 draw record. She attributes most of her successes to her husband/trainer Wayne Lopes.

Aleksandra Magdziak trains six days a week; however by day she is an attorney at the Brockton law firm, Babanikas, Ziedman &and King. Several years ago she graduated Cum Laude from New England School of Law. Inside and outside of the ring Aleksandra is very graceful and humble. Aleksandra as an athlete remains true to her Polish heritage she is both extremely hard working and humble. Despite she and her husband’s busy schedules, they still make time to give back. They volunteer weekly to teach boxing at a local Police Boys Club. I had the distinct pleasure and honor of interviewing this great human being and athlete.

Q: How would you explain your style?

Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes: “I started off as a pure boxer. I value defense and I always use a lot of movement in the ring. My footwork and jab are probably my biggest advantages. I am working now on becoming more of a boxer-puncher, working more in the pocket and committing to body work.”

Q: What is your psychology when you’re in the ring?

Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes: “Being the best has always been my biggest motivator – whether it involved winning in sports, placing on the top of my class in academics or any other form of competition. It matters to me when I can add another win to my record or see my name on various ranking lists. It motivates me to work really hard to be 100% prepared and be better than my opponent.”

Q:What is one of the most important things you have learned during your boxing career?

Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes : “For the longest time I tried to create so-called perfect performance in the ring, to have total control over what was happening and be able to land all my punches in perfect combinations. Consequently, I was always very disappointed. With experience I realized that there is no such thing as a perfect fight. It’s all relative. Every fight is going to be different, the opponent will not cooperate and there will be better and worse evenings in the ring. I learned to trust my ability and skill and work with what I got in front of me. It sounds counter intuitive in boxing but I think the best way to perform well is to relax a little.”

Q: How do you feel women’s pro boxing can be improved?

Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes: “I mostly get a feeling that the major boxing promoters and TV stations still think that the public still isn’t quite ready to see women fight and get hit. The reality is that women’s MMA really took off because women’s fights have been televised for a while now. The MMA promoters don’t seem to be as concerned about public perception of female fights. Dana White took it to a whole different level by creating a star in Rousey and in the same time providing a platform for the women’s division to get the equal coverage as male fighters. As it turned out, the female fights are as aggressive, as skilled and as fun to watch as the male fights. I think there are women out there who have the story line, the boxing skills and the personality to be promoted like Ronda. It will take a promoter willing to put the time and effort in to expand on that story line and start televising the best female fights. By having them on the TV consistently, they will become a regular part of the sport and not just a subculture.”

Aleksandra will be fighting at the Mohegan Sun at “Hammer Time” on the 31st tickets are on sale now http://mohegansun.com/events-and-promotions/schedule-of-events/ces-boxing.html also on that card is Shelly Vincent, and Hammerin "Hank" Lundy. The event is being promoted by CES Boxing http://www.cesboxing.com/