Mia Eteläpelto: In Her Own Words

If there is anything that can take off a boxing fan’s attention from a good boxing match, that would be a fine babe. And fine babes can top a good brawl any time of the day. So perhaps it is a consensus desire for every man that the two and two would fit and mesh.

Enter Mia Eteläpelto.

Miss Eteläpelto parades a fine female physique that boasts of a towering 5’11” frame, a slender body, and a face that could easily land on a beauty magazine’s cover page and put other models to shame. A native of Finland, the 31-year old Mia did not conceive of any plans of scorching the catwalk and get involved in cat fights. But get this, she loves to fight.

Instead of easily dominating the modeling world, Mia opted to dominate a sport that cashes in on brutality, and she is fast becoming very good at it. It is pretty hard to imagine how someone as lovely as Mia got involved in the sport of boxing. After seeing her fight resume, a person would certainly be impressed and more perplexed at the same time.

Mia’s accomplishments, which comprised of amateur championships in 2003, 2004, and 2006, are extraordinary to say the least. But she aims for higher heights and has enlisted the help of Freddie Roach’s prodigy Shane Langford (yes, the one-eyed guy featured in Pacquiao-Hatton 24/7) to train her for the pros.

In June 6, 2009, Mia debuted with flying colors as she easily scored a unanimous decision over fellow pro starter Mia Henderson at the Marriott Hotel in Irvine, California. As for the moment, nobody is filling the position for opponent #2.

Questions in bold. Answers in italics.

Why boxing? You know you could have been in a safer, more glamorous, and less brutal profession.

Well, some of those glamorous professions can be pretty brutal. With boxing at least I see most of the punches coming. Seriously though, I have a degree in civil engineering and I had a great job in Finland, but I listened to my heart and decided to focus on fighting.

What is your biggest motivation every time you step inside the ring?

I’m very hard on myself. My biggest motivation is not letting myself or my trainers down. It’s important to me to do my best and I always want to get better.

You train at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. Do you get starstrucked when you see legends training there as well? Are they nice to you?

Wild Card is a great place to train. We’re like a big family and we get along well. Most of the time  Of course it’s nice to see how legends are training, and get some additional ideas what kind of trainings I should do.

Who inspired you to fight?

Nobody really inspired to fight. I started training kung fu when I was 19 and later I changed to thai boxing (muay thai). After my first fight, I knew this is what I wanted to do and after each fight I began setting my goals higher.

Freddie Roach is a master of your trade. Does he offer you tips on how to become better or does Shane do all the training stuff with you?

Freddie is a master and he’s always helpful. Shane has taught me so much, but Pepper has been in my corner since Day 1 and recently I’ve been training more with Pepper. I’ve also hired Lucia Rijker for more specialized training techniques.

Does Freddie’s brother, Pepper Roach, attempts any hits on you?

No no no. Pepper is like a father to me.

You got long arms and legs, which gives you height and reach advantage. Logically, you are better off as a classic/distance fighter. But do you have any tendencies to become the aggressor and bring the fight to your opponent?

When I started fighting years ago, it was natural to me to be aggressive but since I’ve been training in Wild Card I’ve become much more well-rounded.

You already sparred with Chika Nakamura. If you were to fight Chika in a professional match, who would win and why?
Chika’s my sparring partner and we learn a lot from each other. However, we’ll never fight against each other because we’re in totally different weight classes.

Do you have a dream match against anyone?

Not specifically. It’s important to me to fight the best fighters in my weight class. I know if I continue to train hard and remain disciplined, eventually, I’ll hold the belt.

Are you married? Engaged? Dating?
Yes, I’m engaged and very happy.

Last question, do you have a sister who is as hot as you?

I have a beautiful younger sister… but she’s engaged too. Haha, sorry!

Writer's note: At the time of publication, Mia and Shane are no longer working together.