Pride Month is off to a good start for boxer Stacia “The Natural” Suttles, originally from the Bronx. Her team, the Philadelphia Smoke, leads Team Boxing League standings. She also recently married long-time girlfriend Morgan Flores.
“We kind of planned, but didn’t really,” said Suttles. “We knew we wanted something small. At first, we were just going to go to the courthouse and have four friends. Then, we wanted to do something a little bit bigger and have our family there. We went to this walk-up marriage thing, and they were able to sign our certificates. Then we went to brunch afterward with our family.”
Flores is from Pennsylvania, but has distinct New York City ties, having attended Fordham University in the Bronx and worked at The Black Institute, a Brooklyn-based organization. She stays relatively calm when Suttles is in the ring. “She’s excited for me,” Suttles said. “Seeing me do what I’m so passionate about warms her heart.”
The Team Boxing League season runs from March to August. These are typically one-round fights in which each team member earns points. The Smoke are currently 6–0 with their next fight scheduled for June 13 against the Boston Butchers. Suttles is pleased that the level of competition in her weight class has improved.
“I’ve had tough fights almost every single fight,” Suttles said. “It’s helping me to improve in and out of the ring. You don’t really learn if you’re only winning the whole time. I lost one a few weeks ago. I was fighting someone whose…skill level is pretty much the same as mine, so it was very much 50/50, and I learned so much from that match-up.”
In between bouts, Suttles works at an ESF Summer Camp in the Philadelphia area, where she now lives, teaching martial arts. “I have my own curriculum that I bring to the program, and they give me the space and the opportunity to bring it,” said Suttles, who teaches in after-school programs and does private coaching during the school year.
In the fall, she will look to schedule individual bouts. Having a supportive spouse helps Suttles be her best. “Morgan standing 10 toes down with me and saying, ‘Whatever you need to make this possible, let’s do it,’ makes me feel I can do this,” Suttles said.
