You don't just rack up a 43-9-2 record over a 12-year boxing career without knowing a thing or two about the sweet science.

Likewise, one doesn't dance with Don King or bare all for Hef without an astute sense of where the money is and how to get to it.

For Mia St. John, a pioneering figure in women's boxing and one of the most controversial female athletes of her generation, it's all about picking your spots.

St. John, who briefly lived in Hawai'i as an adolescent, makes her mixed martial arts debut tomorrow against Rhonda Ballegoes in X1's "Champions" card at Blaisdell Arena.

Headlining the event is a four-man tournament for the X1 world middleweight title featuring local favorite Niko Vitale along with Joel Guel, Ricky Shiver and Kenny Ento.

The 17-bout card features four other X1 championship fights: Analu Brash vs. Ron Waterman (heavyweight); Mark Moreno vs. Chad Reiner (welterweight); "Sugar" Shane Nelson vs. Kaleo Kwan (lightweight) and Eddie Yagin vs. "Dirty" Dave Moreno (super lightweight).

St. John, whose model looks and audacious pink ring outfits made her an object of both adoration and disdain in the boxing world, is no stranger to martial arts. A competitive taekwondo fighter for 23 years, she made the switch to boxing primarily to capitalize on what was then a growth sport.

"When Don King asked me to switch to boxing, I said 'sure,' " she said. "You go with the flow and you go where the money is and where the exposure is."

The same logic eventually prompted St. John to pose for Playboy, a move that drew sharp criticism from boxing purists and feminists alike.

"I became the lightning rod of women's boxing," St. John said. "A lot of women didn't like me. The media criticized me. But that's all part of the game. It's entertainment. I had to learn how to accept it and roll with it because the critics didn't really hate me and the fan didn't really love me. They didn't know the real me."

St. John has spent the last five months working on her ground-and-pound skills and re-orienting herself to the joys and agonies of full-body combat.

She says she's not sure how long her MMA career will last. But she knows her time in the ring is drawing to a close. Already her reactions are slower and her memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. She doesn't want to wait until her speech is slurred.

"To say I've never been damaged is BS," she says. "Of course, I've been. Every boxer has."

And so, her prayer for herself is the same as the one she says for her opponent after each bout: "After the fight, I always pray. I hope you're OK and I hope you go home to your family safely."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.