Jamillia Lawrence credits her trainer Bill Johnson with helping her succeed in boxing. She said that she was promised a shot at the title, but it never materialized. During that time, it was hard to find someone with whom to fight.
She was the first professional female boxer from Atlantic City. Lawrence was selected for the Hall of Fame because she was walking history. Ultimately, the sport led to a healthy lifestyle.” I walked into a gym one day and fell into the sport. “I didn’t like where my life was heading, so I decided to do something about it. Jamillia Lawrence works out on the speed bag at the Atlantic City Police Atheletic League. I started because I was interested in the discipline of the sport. “When I was a kid, I couldn’t imagine being a boxer because boxing was considered a male sport,” said Lawrence, 53, “I really fell into the sport. Well, Jamilla Lawrence is a woman who earned the impossible, even though it was almost accidental.
It seemed almost impossible for a woman to land in the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame. Thirty years ago, one would be hard pressed to find someone who believed that a woman could have a career in boxing. News Jamillia Lawrence started boxing at a time when women rarely got involved with the sport.