Olympians Mikaela and Claressa and Female Fight News for week of Aug. 7

Female Fight News for week of Aug. 7, 2017 Olympian Week

 

By David A. Avila

Olympian week took hold as former American team mates both made history over the weekend in different parts of the U.S.A. The sleeping giant has awoken

Claressa Shields dominated WBC super middleweight champion Nikki Adler to rip the world title away from the German fighter on Friday. It was never a contest.

The win by Shields in Detroit gave the Michigan prizefighter a world title in only her fourth professional match. It also places her in the middle of three weight divisions with various options.

Shields said she will be concentrating in defending her 168-pound weight division for the meanwhile and has no plans to move down to 154 for the moment. But 160-pound middleweight champion Christina Hammer witnessed the demolition and threw down the gauntlet to Shields.

On Saturday, Mikaela Mayer the 2016 Rio Olympic team mate of Shields made her pro debut at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Mayer, 27, calmly dissected her opponent Widnelly Figueroa with jabs and body shots to end the lightweight confrontation early in the first round. It was a thudding blow that could be heard throughout the arena.

“She has more power than I did,” said her trainer Al Mitchell.

Top Rank’s signing of Mayer broke a long cold streak of the Las Vegas-based organization’s unwillingness to work with female prizefighting. Not since 2009 had a female bout appeared on a Top Rank card and not since Christy Martin signed a brief contract in 2005 to fight Lucia Rijker had they signed a female boxer. Of course the Rijker-Martin fight did not happen due to an injury to Rijker, who coincidentally is being honored by the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame this weekend in Las Vegas.

The emergence of both Olympians on the female pro boxing scene brings stark attention to female prizefighting. Hopefully those already entrenched are not forgotten.

American prizefighters

A long period of dormancy has finally ended in American female prizefighting. When Laila Ali retired both promoters and television networks seemed to think female boxers did not exist outside of the daughter of Muhammed Ali.

Despite this outlook many American female fighters continued and were respected by other countries worldwide.

Ask any Mexican female champion and they know all about Melissa McMorrow, Kaliesha West, Maureen Shea and Ava Knight who all fought south of the border many times and were victorious.

Ask any Japanese champion about Melinda Cooper or Layla McCarter and they know full well of their talent. A popular documentary actually exists in Japan that features the exploits of the two Las Vegas-based female fighters.

When it comes to heroic exploits female fighters around the world bow down to Puerto Rican slugger Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano who has accomplished what no other woman has ever done in winning world titles in five weight divisions. Now she’s gunning for a sixth. It’s an accomplishment only Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya attained in men’s boxing.

And not to be forgotten is Amanda’s older sister Cindy Serrano who currently has the featherweight world title. They are the first sisters to own world titles simultaneously. It’s not an easy feat.

There are many others across the country from all parts of the U.S. who have continued to train and toil in gyms with little recognition. They still exist. Hopefully promoters and television networks realize that American female boxing is one of the best breeding grounds in the world.

Now the powerful American prizefighting scene officially adds its Olympians Shields, Mayer and Marlen Esparza to the world scene. It could mark the beginning of American dominance in all weight divisions.

Speaking of Shields, maybe Southern California’s Maricela Cornejo gets her crack at the title. She was supposed to fight Adler but was bumped in favor of the Olympian. That’s OK, but now its Cornejo’s turn. The Mexican-American prizefighter is eager for her shot at Shields. Now it’s time to bring women’s boxing to the West Coast.

 

Female Fight News

Argentina

Ana Guichapani (5-0) defeated Elizabeth Britos (1-1-1) by unanimous decision on Saturday Aug. 5. The featherweight bout was held in Quilmes, Buenos Aires.

On Friday Aug. 11, super bantamweights Jennifer Rasjido (5-0-1) and Vanesa Calderon (6-13-1) meet in a four round bout in Catamarca.

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina

On Thursday Aug. 10, super featherweights Katarina Vistica (1-7) and Selma Baltic (2-1) meet in a six round clash in Sarajevo.

 

Colombia

Alys Sanchez (15-3-1) took the WBA title away from Liliana Palmera (27-12-3) by split decision on Saturday Aug. 5. The super bantamweight championship fight took place in Barranquilla. It was a rematch. Both fought two years ago with Palmera winning by split decision then. Also, a featherweight bout saw Yolis Franco (20-9-4) and Glenis Cardona (3-12-4) fight to a draw after eight rounds.

 

Germany

On Saturday Aug. 12, lightweights Prisca Vicot (6-4) and Timea Belik (4-3) meet in a 10 round fight in Saarbruecken, Saarland.  The champion Vicot of France is defending the German International title.

 

Hungary

Valentina Keri (2-3) defeated Jasmina Nad (6-19-4) by decision after four rounds on Saturday Aug. 5. The super featherweight match was held in Szeged. Also, Eva Bajic (13-9) beat Klaudia Vigh (2-19-1) in a four round welterweight bout; and a super bantamweight bout saw Eniko Tiringer (3-0) the victor over Martina Horgasz (0-1) after four rounds.

 

Japan

On Friday Aug. 11, minimum weights Fuka Komura (4-0) and Sarasa Ichimura (3-5-1) meet in a six round contest in Hirakata, Osaka.

On Sat. Aug. 12, minimum weights Masae Akitaya (11-6-2) and Akari Arase (5-3) meet in an eight round contest in Toyonaka, Osaka. Also, super flyweights Yui Akai (1-0) and Yumemi Ikemoto (3-0) compete in a four round fight.

 

Mexico

Liliana Borquez (0-1-1) and Gabriela Magana (1-0-1) fought to a draw after four rounds on Tues. Aug. 1. The flyweight match took place in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.

On Saturday Aug. 12, WBC heavyweight champion Alejandra Jimenez (8-0) meets challenger Vanessa Lepage (3-0) in Cancun, Quintana Roo. Another female bout had been scheduled.

On Saturday Aug. 12, featherweights Paola Torres (10-2-1) and Maria Elena Villalobos (14-15-1) meet in a eight round contest in Coahuila de Zaragoza. Also, light flyweights Brenda Ramos (9-5) and Karla Valenzuela (3-15-2) meet in a six round match.

 

Panama

Eva Guzman (9-1-1) stopped Zuseth Hoyte (0-5) in the first round on Friday Aug. 4. The minimum weight fight was set for three-minute rounds in Panama City.

 

Puerto Rico

Teichmarie Lopez (1-0) defeated Kina Delgado (0-1) by decision after four rounds on Saturday Aug. 5. The light flyweight fight took place in Fajardo.

 

USA

Mikaela Mayer (1-0) knocked out Widnelly Figueroa (0-2) in the first round with a body shot on Saturday Aug. 5. The lightweight bout took place in Los Angeles and was part of a Top Rank fight card. Mayer is a native of Los Angeles and a former 2016 Olympian.

Aleksandra Lopes (18-4-2) beat Lisa Garland (15-8) by unanimous decision after eight rounds on Saturday Aug. 5. The welterweight clash took place in Quincy, Mass. The winner Lopes, 37, was born in Poland but fights out of Mass. Garland, 39, fights out of South Carolina.

Claressa Shields (4-0) won by technical knockout in the fifth round versus Nikki Adler (16-1) to wrest the WBC super middleweight world title from the German fighter on Friday Aug. 4. The championship fight took place in Detroit, Michigan.

 

Venezuela

Leiryn Flores (9-0-1) won by technical knockout of Endrimar Pirona (1-6) in the fourth round on Saturday Aug. 5. The light flyweight match was held in Petare, Venezuela.

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