Aileen Eaton
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Aileen LeBell Eaton (February 5, 1909 – November 15, 1987) was a boxing and professional wrestling promoter who was influential in the United States' west coast's boxing and wrestling scene for five decades. In 2002, she was the first woman inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Eaton was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She attended Los Angeles High School. Her second husband, Cal Eaton, was a boxing promoter in Los Angeles. She got involved in her husband's business in 1942. During her career as a promoter, Eaton would get involved with big-name promoters and fighters, sometimes traveling to other states in search of business. Eaton is the mother of martial artist and professional wrestler Gene LeBell and professional wrestling promoter Mike LeBell. Cal died in 1966. Nicknamed ''The Redhead'', Eaton took over presidency of her husband's company and went on to stage more than 10,000 boxing bouts and as many wrestling matches at the L.A. Olympic Auditorium, promoting such fighters as Floyd Patterson, Danny Lopez,
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before she retired in 1980. When alongside her husband, she had also helped promote fights of Sugar Ray Robinson and Carmen Basilio, among others. In 1994, she was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Eaton was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2002, the first woman in the hall. In 2011, Eaton, along with her sons Gene and Mike LeBell, was inducted into
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
's
Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
. Eaton appeared as a contestant on the panel game show '' What's My Line?'' on October 22, 1961. A panel of Arlene Francis, Barry Nelson,
Dorothy Kilgallen Dorothy Mae Kilgallen (July 3, 1913 – November 8, 1965) was an American columnist, journalist, and television game show panelist. After spending two semesters at the College of New Rochelle, she started her career shortly before her 18th birth ...
and Bennett Cerf was unable to guess Eaton's occupation as a boxing promoter.What's My Line? – Yves Montand
at theTVdb.com. Retrieved October 23, 2022.


See also

* NWA Hollywood Wrestling


References

1909 births 1987 deaths American boxing promoters Professional wrestling promoters 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen NWA Hollywood Wrestling {{US-boxing-bio-stub