Bermudez walks past Frias to grab vacant WBO bantam belt
By Diego Morilla
In a dazzling display of skill and power against a willing but overmatched opponent, Daniela “La Bonita” Bermudez (22-3-3, 6 KO) simply ran over Soledad Frias through ten relentless rounds to grab the vacant WBO bantamweight crown she once held briefly, on Friday night in the town of Palpalá, province of Jujuy, Argentina.
Bermudez still holds the WBO super flyweight title that she barely defended in a hotly disputed draw against Paola Benavidez back in June in Arroyo Seco, but she made the jump to bantamweight (which was the first division in which Bermudez won a title back in 2012 against Mayerlin Rivas, although it was an interim version) to face Frias (12-10-4, 4 KO) and she definitely brought her A-game into the ring, scoring at will from all angles and with numbing power on the increasingly frustrated Frias, who nevertheless continued to come forward.
Hurt and discouraged, Frias trudged on as the 28-year old Bermudez continued her dominant performance, sometimes switching to a southpaw stance to befuddle her foe even further. Frias sustained a small cut and a severely damaged right eyelid but never gave signs of quitting the fight, even though referee Gustavo Tomas kept a close eye on her as the rounds progressed and seemed ready to halt the carnage at several points during the bout. The scorecards were unanimously drawn in favor of Bermudez by identical scores of 100-90. Bermudez adds the new belt to her still valid WBO super fly trinket, as well as a six-fight run as a WBA interim titlist in that same division between 2012 and 2013.
Carabajal Beats Capriolo
In the co-main event, local hero Brenda “Pumita” Carabajal improved to 13-3-1 (9 KO) and moved towards a potential world title bout with a solid victory against the always tough María Capriolo for a vacant regional IBF-sponsored title in the super featherweight division.
Carabajal, a former member of the national team and a protégé of multiple champion and local female boxing pioneer Marcela Acuña, looked like a female version of Carlos Monzon working behind a demolishing one-two and landing the occasional bomb on a limited but always undeterred Capriolo, who owns a deceptive 7-8-4 record that fails to highlight her toughness and her superb punching rate.
Accuracy was the key throughout the bout, as Capriolo had almost none and Carabajal pretty much monopolized it, landing at will but never putting Capriolo in danger. The Rosario native even managed to win a few rounds (especially a superb third episode in which Capriolo dug in to showcase her best skills) in a couple of scorecards, which were announced as 100-90; 99-91 and 98-92 for the Jujuy native and imminent title challenger.
To comment on this article at The Fight Forum, CLICK HERE.
READ: MEXICAN BATTLES: ZAMORA VS MILLAN & RIVAS VS LARIOS