Lucia Rijker

Lucia Frederica Rijker (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlysijaː ˈrɛikər]; born December 6, 1967) is a Dutch professional boxer, kickboxer, and actress.

Rijker was sometimes dubbed by the press "The Most Dangerous Woman in the World".

Early career

Rijker was born in Amsterdam to a Surinamese father and a Dutch mother. She speaks four languages and is a Buddhist, dedicating time daily to meditation and chanting.

Rijker started her martial arts career at the early age of six, when she began training in judo. A year later, she was part of the Dutch National Softball Team. At fourteen, after picking up fencing a year earlier, Lucia became the Netherlands Junior Champion of that sport. When she was fifteen she began kickboxing and knocked out the reigning American kickboxing champion, Lily Rodriguez. Rijker eventually amassed a 36-0 (25 KO) record as a kickboxer, and won four different world titles. Her only defeat in a kickboxing ring was in an exhibition match at Sporthallen Zuid in Amsterdam in October 1994, when she fought male Muay Thai fighter Somchai Jaidee, who knocked her out in the second round.

Career change

After winning her first 14 fights, but failing to secure a match with Christy Martin, Rijker stepped away from boxing in 1999 to pursue a career in Hollywood. She appeared as Billie 'The Blue Bear' Osterman in 2004's Oscar-winning, female boxer-based film Million Dollar Baby and was featured in the documentary film Shadow Boxers. She played a minor role in Rollerball and had a brief cameo in the season 2 finale of The L Word as Dana's trainer. She returned to The L Word in Season 5 as Dusty, Helena's cellmate in prison. Rijker played a Romulan communications officer in the film Star Trek.