The Queen of Swords

Boyd Burton Jr. was brought up in a conservative household in Toledo, Ohio, the middle of three children in a mixed-race family. By all accounts, he grew up to be an ordinary American male with an interest in animation art, wrestling in high school and fathering a daughter at 19 and marrying his then-girlfriend. To make ends meet, he served four years in the Navy as an operations specialist before enrolling in the University of Toledo. He never followed through with higher education, due to psychological stress; and he began to unravel the tangled webs of his inner self.

At 5 years old, Boyd thought he was just playing around while trying on his sister’s dress. What he didn’t expect was the level of comfortability the dress provided him – how right it felt. He went through adolescence without facing the turmoil he felt, until hearing a word at age 17 that clicked with those feelings inside: transgender. Temporarily living life as a heterosexual male, he knew he couldn’t continue down a path that only confused him. He became a truck driver after his stint in the Navy, which funded the operations needed to transition to the female form. While saving up, he started hormone replacement therapy in preparation for the scheduled surgery in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2006.

Coming out party

Enter Fallon Fox, Boyd Burton’s new female identity in life.  Fallon’s daughter was receptive to the new look of her father, but most others turned their backs on her, and Fallon’s shell of a marriage ended in divorce a year later. In Fox’s new life, she still hadn’t discovered her true calling, but had an interest in jiu-jitsu and was always in the gym. Little did she know what would lay ahead. A video of Megumi Fujii, a female mixed martial artist, captivated Fallon, who had not known women could compete in the sport. She fervently watched videos dedicated to MMA and decided to pursue this new passion.

Fox scoured gyms that specifically trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai styles, ending up in Illinois at Midwest Training Center in 2010. She quickly became one of the hardest workers in her camp, and her skills developed to a professional level.  Soon, the “Queen of Swords” (her moniker inside the octagon) would be fighting out of the featherweight division for Invicta FC. In March 2012, she knocked out Ericka Newsome with a straight knee to the head, pushing her MMA record to 3-0. Fox, however had not disclosed to the fighting commission that she was transgender, and worried her past would reveal her secret before she was able to on her terms. It would.

Trouble brewing

A reporter caught wind, an article came out and TMZ published pictures of Fallon as Boyd Burton. She was caught in a whirlwind of controversy with no way out. The commissions had to review her licensing applications and doctors in the sport requested medical records. Her trainers and gym partners did their best to comfort her, welcoming her to stay regardless of a potential states ban, so she put her best foot forward. She granted interviews with the likes of ESPN and Sports Illustrated, hoping to gain support and understanding while still able to fight under licensing review. Unsurprisingly, defeated opponents like Newsome have said they wished they knew Fox was not born a woman before fighting her, some stating they noticed a substantial difference with her clinch and felt very overpowered.

Fallon has countered the bone structure and muscle mass issues critics have pointed to with her own defense. After her sex reassignment surgery, Fox no longer has the genetics to produce testosterone (and never did have the ability to produce estrogen), which she claims hinders her strength and endurance when compared to her female sparring partner. A side effect of taking estrogen boosters is a higher bone density; however, it’s an advantage not by design, simply out of necessity.

Fallon’s days in the cage may be numbered at this point anyway, as she is fast approaching 40 years old and has only accumulated a couple of fights since coming out as transgender. With a current record of 6-1, it remains to be seen when her next fight will be. Or, better yet, who will take her on?

Advocate Staff