Akondaye Fountain doesn't talk like a fighter. Her distinctly feminine voice conceals the fact that, for a woman, she is a true power puncher. Undefeated as a light heavyweight at 4-0 with 2 KO's she's coming off a third-round stoppage of Krystle Davis last month on the Juan Diaz undercard at Reliant Center. She continues to train and plot her rise to prominence in the world of women's boxing.
HBS - How long have you been boxing?
AF - I started training in 2000 as an amateur then I took a year off to have my daughter.
HBS - What first attracted you to the sport?
AF - I used to do fitness and bodybuilding and we kind of did some cross training and some of my peers that I was working out with encouraged me to try boxing. I didn't really take them seriously at first and then once they started to advertise more women's boxing I was like "Okay, let me go check it out". I went down to a couple of local gyms. Main Street was one and I met my first trainer there and I started training and they thought I had potential so I gave it a try.
HBS - What was it like the first time you got into the ring and took a couple of punches?
AF - It was challenging. I was able to take the punches, I guess that was the key. My training and technique went well but the next thing, everyone was like "Well can she take a punch?" When I got in there my first sparring was with a young lady who had like 20 or 30 amateur fights and she just kind of introduced me to boxing but I was able to take the punches and I wasn't intimidate by it so I figured I wanted to keep training so that I can be a great fighter.
HBS - You took time off to have your daughter. What's that like coming back into training? Something most guys don't have to deal with.
AF - That's correct. It actually went well. It took me probably about six months to get back to my average weight and to really get back in there training hard. After I had my daughter I was off for maybe six weeks then I was back in the gym. When I was pregnant also, I still trained. I didn't do any sparring but I still did the traditional boxing training all the way up until my ninth month.
HBS - That's got to throw your balance off a little bit one would think.
AF - Yeah, I went light but I wanted to stay active because I didnt' want to have a long layoff after I had my daughter so I wanted to stay busy, stay active so that the transition could be a little bit easier for me and it was.
HBS - You turned pro when?
AF - March 2004.
HBS - So that's not even a year and you've had four fights with the two knockouts. Tell us what happened in your last fight against Krystle Davis from Midland. She was a pretty big girl and she did tag you with a couple of shots. I remember one left in particular that came down right on the side of your cheek. Tell us about the fight and how it went.
AF - The fight, going in, I felt confident, I trained hard. I'm always confident going into my fights. Confident within myself. I'm not really too concerned about my opponents I'm just focused on what I do in the gym. I knew she was overweight. Prior to even the weigh-in they called and said that she was 184 pounds I think two days before weigh-ins and we asked to bring her down to 175. She made the 175 weight but I knew on fight night that she would probably be back up to 180-something. She was a very tough girl. I think she was probably one of my toughest opponents. She had a kickboxing background. She used some of those techniques. I was able to take her punches though so the third round I was like "Okay let me see if she can take my punches." And she wasn't able to and the ref stopped it.
HBS - You came right after her in the third. The fight was stopped just a little more than 30 seconds into the round. You just kind of charged right after her, then you chased her over to one side of the ring and then you chased her back over and you had her up against the ropes and you just really started going up and down. What was going through your mind at that point?
AF - The first couple of rounds I was a little nervous. I wasn't able to really feel comfortable. I think I was kind of trying to wait and see what she had and once I noticed that I was able to take her power the third round I was like "Okay, let me get on it and do what I've been trained to do". We train for a knockout and I saw that she was hurt when I threw a right and I just stayed on her. I knew the ref, I knew that he wouldn't let it continue on so when I seen him watching I was like "Lets just keep throwing, keep throwing, keep throwing". She didn't respond so I knew that eventually Sam would stop it.
HBS - When you knew that he was starting to get concerned that spurred you to go ahead and try and finish it.
AF - Right, exactly.
HBS - You felt that you probably would have dropped her before too long if it would have continued?
AF - Yes, if she would have threw back punches he probably would have let it keep going but then I was still feeling good, feeling confident. I knew that she couldn't take my power so went and continued to try to stop her.
HBS - What is it about the sport that you enjoy that keeps you in it? It obviously takes a lot of discipline.
AF - The challenge. I'm an athlete. I've been competing since early ages and I just enjoy the challenge, each day getting in the ring, the different sparring partners, the different opponents that I'm competing against and just to challenge myself, see what's next for me, what I can accomplish.
HBS - What is next for you? Any fights lined up?
AF - Tentatively there's a fight scheduled for I believe February 28th at the International Ballroom. Nothing's confirmed yet, no opponent. We just heard that they want me on the card.
HBS - Anything in particular you're working on now?
AF - Pretty much the same thing, going inside to the body. A lot of times I'll lean on the outside and I'll get caught with a right so I have to kind of mix it up. I have a lot to learn and we're still just working on technique and trying to build skill and progress in boxing.

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11-05
Since we first interviewed Akondaye Fountain almost a year ago, she has skyrocketed to contender status in the world of women's boxing. Fountain remains undefeated, and is the number one middleweight contend

HBS - What's been going on with you in the last year?
AF - My record now is 6-0, 3 knockouts. I believe I'm ranked, depending on which web page you look at, I'm ranked at either number one for middleweight, number two or number three. They all have something different. I'm just looking to continue to build my record. I brought in Ronnie Shields to help train me so we just have a lot of work to do.
HBS - Tell us about the fights that you've had in the last year.
AF - In January I fought Krystle Davis and she was making her pro debut. A very tough young lady. I stopped her in the third round. She just really didn't have the experience to know what to do in the ring. I kept throwing punches and she didn't respond so the ref had to stop it but she's a pretty good fighter. In March I fought Shelly Burton in Laughlin, Nevada on Rock 'n Sock Productions. They televised it later. We went eight rounds and I stopped her in the 7th round. And she was pretty tough, probably my toughest opponent so far. She just kept coming, kept coming, didn't matter what I hit her with. She didn't stop so the ref had to pretty much jump in and save her.
HBS - Your fights prior to that had not gone past four rounds so tell us what it's like to suddenly go up and get into the 6th and 7th rounds as a pro.
AF - It was tough, but I trained really hard. I'm always in the gym, six days a week, doing lots of cardio so I didn't really feel it until the 7th round and that's when I stopped her. But it was tough. I just have to learn how to go the rounds.
HBS - Tell us what was going through your mind as that seventh round came in during your fight earlier this year.
AF - Actually the 6th round I thought that she would go down because I kept connecting with my right and she just kept coming. I thought for sure that it would end then. The seventh round, she came out strong. She came out throwing punches and I remember thinking to myself, "She just keeps coming, she needs to fall." I thought I didn't have enough energy or whatever to continue but she got tired and then again I just kept connecting and the ref stepped in but that was a hard round.
HBS - So she have her last final charge. What's going through your mind at that point? You're someone who has a lot of power and to be landing so many shots and to see someone that can finally take your strength to some extent?
AF - It was like, "What else do I have to do to get her out of here?" But a lot of my fights I listen to the ref and I think what encouraged me to continue going was the ref was very involved and he was talking to her, telling her that she needed to show him something so I knew that he was watching. So that just motivated me to kep going no matter how tired I was. I knew that the ref was pretty much on my side because he was watching her.
HBS - Then after that fight what was next?
AF - September 17th I fought in Louisiana with Veronica Rutger and that was also a tough fight. She wasn't a strong opponent but she had a really good jab and that really threw me off. She had an excellent jab and I couldn't get away from the jab. So that was difficult because usually I have a better jab and that sets me up for different punches. So she probably beat me the first round on the scorecards. I had to come back to the corner and get some instructions. They told me to stay inside and just continue to throw punches and I did that and I got a split (four round) decision.
HBS - Your nickname is "Calm Before The Storm". Tell us about that.
AF - One of my co-workers pretty much gave me that name. My whole personality and demeanor is different than what one would expect for a boxer. I'm calm, I'm reserved, kind of to myself but in the ring it's something different. I'm an athlete to the heart and I work hard, train hard and that's the storm right there.
HBS - How do you transform yourself from one person to the other?
AF - I say I'm trained by the bell. Once the bell rings, that other side, that dark side comes out and once the bell rings it's do or die for me. I'm in the ring and I'm in there to get a job done, to come out on top, to be the winner.
HBS - You're now one of the top-rated female middleweights in the world. What's it like to finally obtain that recognition?
AF - It feels really good. Then too, it's hard for me to get fights. I guess everyone's trying to protect their record and protect their fighters and so when I'm looking for opponents it's really hard. But it feels good to be able to be known as a contender, to be able to get onto the different web pages for boxing and to see that I'm ranked pretty high up there. But I have to get more fights so that I can continue to climb and be world champion.
HBS - What do you think of the champion in your weight class and how do you think you'd measure up against her?
AF - Leticia Robinson has one of the belts. I think the other two might be vacant. So Leticia Robinson has a lot of experience. She was a reat amateur boxer. She's undefeated as a professional. I think she has like maybe 14 fights. Very good technique, very good skills. I think I would need a few more fights to gain the experience before I went up against her but once I'm in the ring then I'm sure I'll be ready.
HBS - You are in great physical condition. What have you been working on recently with Ronnie?
AF - Defense. He's been showing me a lot of defense. How to catch punches, slip punches, and balance. Balancing has been the key thing that we're working on.
HBS - What's coming up for you?
AF - Nothing's definite right now but we might try to go back to Coushatta, to Louisiana January 21st but nothing's definite.

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7-07

This is the third interview we've done with Akondaye Fountain, who is clearly one of Houston's premiere female athletes. A gifted natural, nicknamed "The Calm Before The Storm" for her placid demeanor outside the ring. She is however devastating during conflict, piling up a record of 7-0 with 4 KO's. Her last fight was at the Coushatta Casino in Kinder Louisiana, when overwhelmed and smashed Veronica at just 1:34 of the first round. Fountain has returned to pro fighting after giving birth to her son. She fought to a draw against veteran Kathy Rivers (14-5-3) on June 30th in El Paso. We spoke with her recently at the Savannah Boxing Club in southwest Houston.

HBS - So you're back. When did you start working out again?
AF - I had my son December 13th and I came back in January 1st just to kind of get back on my cardio. I didn't start the boxing training until February.
HBS - Most people that box can't relate to coming back from a pregnancy.
AF - Right. It's been hard, it's been real intense but I was determined you know, I feel like I still have much to accomplish such as the world title and so I came back every day, you know, day in, day out, I've got a great team, great support and they pushed me and they continued to encourage me. The believe in me and it makes it that much easier to work day after day.
HBS - What skills or techniques are you working on?
AF - Basically, a lot of balance. Trying to get my balance down so I can move easier and punches continue to flow. Just kind of basic fundamentals that need to be enhanced some. Working on throwing my full punches in combinations, staying busy. I'm usually always the aggressor so I'm always keeping my opponent moving, going backwards and just trying to win the rounds in points.
HBS - So now you've got Kathy Rivers, what do you know about her?
AF - I know that she's a veteran, one of the pioneers of the sport. She's been around for awhile and fought a lot of the ladies out there, Valerie Mahfood, Vonda Ward, Marsha Valle. She's fought a lot of tough women. So she I guess retired in 2005 and now she's coming back also. I just hope to put on a good show and I hope that she comes ready to go because as soon as the bell rings it's all or nothing.
HBS - There are a couple of ways to look at this fight. Someone might say well why wouldn't you take an easier fight your first fight back.
AF - My original opponent was supposed to be Krystle Davis and I fought here once before. Her record is three wins and two losses so we thought that would be a pretty good match me coming back in. But she pulled out and there was another lady they tried to get but the Commissioner wouldn't approve her. He said he would approve Kathy Rivers. I guess that says a lot for me, coming back after pregnancy and there's still certain opponents that the commissioner won't approve for me I guess because he feels my skill level's a little better so for him to approve a veteran in this sport he must think I'm pretty good.
Editor's Note--In speaking with Fountain by phone after the fight, Akondaye said she was the aggressor in the fight but acknowledged that Rivers "did get off some good shots."
HBS - So obviously after this it's all the way.
AF - Yes, as far as I can go. I hope to have a real busy year. I know there's looking to see what I'll be coming back wwith and if I've still got any skill or talent and I hope that once I show that after this fight then there'll be the rest of the year and hopefully, maybe the beginning of next year some time I'll get that shot at a title fight.