PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN Tiara Brown practices prior to traveling to China to compete in the World Boxing Championship.

A 24-year-old Lehigh Acres woman has put her community on the map by becoming the world’s number one boxing champ. The hard-won victory took place in China when in May and Tiara Brown returned home last week to a cheering crowd of friends and family members.

For winning the coveted title, Brown received a gold medallion declaring her the winner of the world-wide event.

“I haven’t put it down hardly one minute,” she laughed. “I’ve even romped around with it around my dog’s neck. He loves it and seems happy that I have come home,” she said.

Brown has been gone a long time, several months, on the boxing circuit that saw her work her way up the scale to face a Chinese opponent. She has become at 125 pounds, the third American woman to ever win a world boxing title.

She called it the best moment ever following her U.S. Olympic trials defeat earlier in February. She was a top contender in the Olympic competition, one of three weight classes play for women’s boxing entrance into the Olympics this summer in England.

MEL TOADVINE Tiara Brown with her gold medal she earned in China making her the number one champ in the world in her class.

Following her championship win in China, Brown said she spent the week before at her boxing club in Washington, D.C.

She learned to enjoy boxing watching her two older cousins who lived in Fort Myers and loved the sport.

“They got me interested in what was really a man’s sport,” she said. “I became involved in the PAL, Police Athlete League program in Fort Myers and learned to box with men. She graduated from Fort Myers High School in 2006 and graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga.

When her boxing career ends eventually, she said she wants to become a U.S. marshal.

“I want to solve major crimes in the county,” she said. “I always did even as a kid wanted to do that.”

MEL TOADVINE Playing with her dog upon arrival last week from China, Tiara Brown says she often puts her gold medal around her dog’s neck.

Learning how to handle herself certainly will be an asset when she achieves her U.S. marshal goal, her friends say.

The final competition to win the world’s title in her 125-pound class, Brown said the competition was held in Qinhuangdao, about four hours from Beijing.

The results for Brown in the 125-pound class included defeating Mandakini Kangabam of India, 21-16; beating Jian Qin of China, 23-22 in quarterfinals, beating Svetlana Staneva of Russia, 22-14 in semifinals, and defeating Sandra Kruk of Poland, 24-21 in finals. Sarah Deming, an Internet post blogger said she knew Brown could do it, and wished featherweight was an Olympic class.

“The gap between 112 and 132 pounds encompasses some of the richest talent in women’s boxing, and it’s crazy that it’s not represented in London,” Deming wrote in her blog.

Deming said that she deserved Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament because “she knows every trick in the book”

“Apart from her first match, all Brown’s fights were wars, and she won them with body punching. I was glad the judges rewarded Brown’s tight defense on the inside; she’s great at partially blocking, rolling, and slipping.

Deming even jokingly suggested that Brown should emigrate to England.

“USA Boxing does not even give our non-Olympic weight women a stipend. Perhaps they could make an exception for Brown, who becomes only the third U.S. woman boxer to ever win gold at Worlds after Devonne Canady (heavyweight in 2001 and Andrecia Wasson, welterweight in 2009,” she said.

Brown noted how friendly all the boxers were and several have exchanged emails and want to continue to be friends. Brown said that most of the women spoke English, which she thought was amazing.

“Some was in broken English, but I understood them,” she said.

She wants to turn pro in August or in the early fall. While at the China competition, all expenses were paid for but for her next endeavor, she says she is asking for sponsors to help her pay expenses in Washington.

“I want to spend much of the summer over at the Cape at Sun Splash. I love that place. They should let me in for free all summer,” she laughed.

Those who want to help Brown with funds that are much needed can go onto her Internet website which is interactive and make donations. The site is at: takeemdownbrown.com. On it, she boasts a record of boxing with 39 wins and 10 losses.

“Right now I’d like to box at the Women’s Nationals Golden Gloves Weekend in Fort Lauderdale, but I need help with finances to go,” she said.

Of her fight with the Chinese woman competitor, Brown said “she was tough like a John Deer tractor.”

“But I was more accurate striking and faster than she was. “When it was over, we exchanged hugs. It was the largest crowd on that May 19 champion event that I had ever seen,” Brown said.

Although she won’t be in the London Olympics, Brown says she hopes for strong showings from those who will be in London.

“A lot of people don’t think we women can box,” she said. “But after the upcoming Olympics, they will change their minds.”

As for the rest of the summer, I’m going to hang out and go to Sun Splash and hopefully do some fishing. I love fishing. I wish someone would take me out on a boat to fish. I would love that,” she said with a smile.

“One thing I will always remember and that is when I was in boxing after the referee questionably deducted four points from me for a defensive move in my third-round defeat of Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva, the crowd started booing but by the time of the title fight, there were cheers of ‘USA, USA’ were being screamed. Everyone was cheering for America and that really made me feel good.”