Layla McCarter to Fight on Deontay Wilder Fight Card and other Fight Chatter

The “Amazing” Layla McCarter has been tabbed by the male WBC heavyweight titlist to show off her fighting skills next month.

Long considered the top female fighter in the world pound for pound, McCarter (37-13-5, 9 Kos) faces Melissa Hernandez (22-6-3, 7 KOs) in a super lightweight clash on Saturday July 16, in Birmingham, Alabama. It will support the heavyweight title clash between champion Deontay Wilder and Chris Arreola. Fox will televise.

“Deontay Wilder wants to help Layla and is putting her on his fight card,” said Luis Tapia, who trains and manages McCarter. “They say it’s going to be televised.”

After seven years of being shut out on major network television, an elite female prizefight will be shown. Plus it’s a marquee fight card that features the WBC heavyweight champion Wilder making his fourth world title defense.

“Layla works at the same gym and Deontay called and said he is putting her on the card,” said Tapia. “He’s a very classy guy.”

McCarter was scheduled to fight next month in Florida but when she received the call several days ago from Wilder she immediately accepted. Her previous fight was in Mexico City where she knocked out Yolanda Segura in 16 seconds in April.

For several years McCarter has chased any and all other female fighters considered top pound for pound fighters. First there was Holly Holm and now it’s Belgium’s Delfine Persoon and Norway’s Cecilia Braekhus. Regardless of the weight class McCarter is willing to move down or up.

“My place is anywhere I fight,” says McCarter who has fought multiple times in other countries including Japan, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. “You know me.”

Based in Las Vegas, the 37-year-old has racked up three knockout wins in four fights. She has not lost a fight since 2007 when Melissa Hernandez got a decision win. Since that loss, she avenged it with two wins over the very capable Hernandez and won every fight decisively including a world title win by knockout in the super welterweight class against Noni Tenge.

Many including this publication consider McCarter the best female prizefighter pound for pound. In her career she has captured world titles in the featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight and super welterweight divisions.

“Layla has been a very great fighter for a very long time,” said Tapia. “She deserves this.”

Argentina

In Buenos Aires, a super lightweight fight saw Rocio Perez (2-1) defeat Brenda Caparelli (0-3) after four three-minute rounds on Sunday June 26. Perez is 25 and fights out of Buenos Aires. Caparelli is 20 and lost her second consecutive fight to Perez.

In Florencio Varela, a super flyweight battle saw Maria Rivera (9-4-3) beat Soledad Macedo (13-13-1) by knockout in the fourth round on Saturday June 25. Rivera, 35, fights out of Ramos Mejia, Argentina.

In Rufino, a battle for the WBO super flyweight world title saw Daniela Bermudez (20-3-2) defeat Marisa Portillo (16-12-3) by unanimous decision after 10 rounds on Friday June 24. Bermudez, 26, was making her second defense of the title she won in November 2015 in Japan.

Laura Griffa (11-0) faces Guadalupe Maldonado (8-4) for the Argentine super bantamweight title on Saturday July 2, in Lujan, Argentina. It’s scheduled for 10 rounds. Griffa, 30, is making the first defense of the title. Maldonado, 25, fights out of San Miguel, Argentina.

 

Australia

In Malvern, a welterweight battle saw hometown girl Pania Marshall (2-0) knock down Thailand’s 18-year-old Kewarin Boonmee (0-3) and win on points after three rounds on Friday June 24.

Gretchen Abaniel (16-8) meets Petcharas Superchamp (6-0) for the vacant WIBA and GBU minimum weight world titles on Saturday July 2. The 10-round bout takes place in Punchbowl, Australia. Abaniel, 30, fights out of the Philippines. Superchamp fights out of Thailand.

 

Belgium

In Oost-Vlaanderen, a clash between super lightweights resulted in Elfi Philips (8-3-3) stopping Marija Fedotenkova (1-1) in the first round on Saturday June 25. Philips, 20, was fighting in front of her hometown. Fedotenkova, 18, lives in Riga, Latvia. Also, Femke Hermans (2-0) knocked out Vladislava Lopuhova (0-1) in the first round of a middleweight contest.

 

China

In Beijing, a bantamweight contest saw Germany’s Alesia Graf (28-5) defeat American Noemi Bosques (10-7-2) after 10 rounds on Friday June 24. Graf, 35, is a former super flyweight and super bantamweight world champion from Stuttgart, Germany. Bosques, 33, has fought 14 times in two years and lives in Florida.

 

Czech Republic

In Usti nad Labem, a minimum weight battle for the WBC Youth title saw Fabiana Bytygi (8-0) win by knockout at the end of the seventh round when Teodora Bacheva (4-5) did not get off her stool on Saturday June 25. Bytygi, 20, fought in front of her hometown. Bacheva, 24, lives in Hungary and had a five-inch height disadvantage to Bytygi who is 5’4”. It was the third time they had fought each other. Also, a featherweight fight ended in a technical knockout win for Lucie Sedlackova (7-0-1) when Sopio Putkaradze (13-7-3) twisted her ankle in the first round. She was unable to continue.

 

Italy

In Catania, a lightweight battle saw Anita Torti (10-5-1) emerge the winner by decision over Lela Terashvili (6-2-1) after six rounds on Sunday June 26. Torti is 40 years old and fights out of Milan, Italy. Losing fighter Terashvili fights out of Georgia and has nine pro fights in just over a year’s span.

In Brescia, a light flyweight battle for the vacant EBU title saw Valeria Imbrogno (8-0) knock out Kleopatra Tolnai (6-7) in the sixth round on Friday June 24. It was the first knockout win for 35-year-old Imbrogno who lives in Milan, Italy. Tolnai, 19, fights out of Hungary.

 

Japan

Chisa Tanaka (1-3) faces Miyo Yoshida (3-0) in a bantamweight contest on Saturday July 2, in Zama, Japan. Yoshida, 28, fights out of Tokyo, Japan. Tanaka also fights out of Japan and is looking to snap a two-fight losing streak.

 

Mexico

Costa Rica’s Carolina Arias (11-1) faces Estefania Franco (0-3) in a bantamweight contest set for eight rounds in Monterrey, Mexico on Tuesday June 28. Arias, 29, has not fought since last October. A year ago, she was scheduled to fight for the vacant WBO bantamweight title against Las Vegas fighter Melinda Cooper but could not obtain a visa in time. Franco lost by split decision in her last effort three years ago. Also, Linda Vazquez (2-2) meets Carolina Garcia (0-3) in a six round light flyweight bout.

WBC super flyweight titlist Zulina “La Loba” Munoz (46-1-2) defends her title against Argentina’s Vanesa Taborda (8-6-3) on Saturday July 2. The 10-round bout takes place in Juarez, Mexico. Munoz, 28, has not lost a fight since 2007 and fights out of Mexico City. Taborda, 31, fights out of Cordoba, Argentina and has given every opponent the fight of their life including two clashes with the Mariana “Barbie” Juarez, Yesica Bopp and Jessica Chavez. On the same fight card, Jessica Arreguin (10-1) fights Jessica Martinez (1-2) in a six round bantamweight match.

 

Panama

Luiciel Quiel (7-2) meets Yaditza Perez (8-10-1) in a flyweight bout on Saturday July 2. The eight-round bout takes place in Boquete, Panama. Quiel is 24 and fights out of Panama City, Panama. Perez, 40, lives in David, Panama.

 

Slovakia

In Sturovo, a battle between welterweights saw Melinda Lazar (5-3) win by technical knockout of Tunde Berki (3-5) in the fifth round of their scheduled eight round fight on Sunday June 26. Lazar, 42, fights out of Budapest, Hungary. Also, Timea Alfoldi (2-0) defeated Timea Grof (2-7) by decision after six rounds in a bantamweight clash.

 

South Africa

In Soweto, a welterweight contest resulted in a knockout win for Hedda Wolmarans (2-0) over Maria Martin (1-1) in the second round on Friday June 24. Wolmarans has two knockouts in two fights and lives in Gauteng, South Africa. Martin also lives in South Africa.

 

Spain

In Madrid, a flyweight contest saw Joana Pastrana (7-0) remain undefeated after six rounds against Katherine Quintana (0-8-1) on Saturday June 25. Pastrana is 25 and lives in Madrid, Spain and usually fights at mini-flyweight. Quintana fights out of Valencia, Spain and usually fights at bantamweight.

 

 

Thailand

In Bangkok, a flyweight contest saw Laetizia Campana (2-4) defeat Nongfang Sor Praithong (0-1) by decision after six rounds on Thursday June 23. Campana was born in France but lives in Thailand.

 

USA

In Brooklyn, a super bantamweight contest at Barclays Center saw undefeated Heather Hardy (17-0) beat Kirstie Simmons (8-2) by unanimous decision after eight rounds on Saturday June 25. It was on the undercard of Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter. Hardy, 34, continues to be a tremendous draw in New York City where fans are very knowledgeable.

In Monroe, Louisiana, a contest between lightweights saw Ebony Jones (1-0) win her pro debut by unanimous decision over Kim Colbert (3-19) after four three-minute rounds on Saturday June 25.

Super featherweight champion Jennifer “Bolivian Queen” Salinas (18-3) faces Gina Chamie (14-6) in an eight round match on Thursday June 30 at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. Salinas, 33, is not making a defense of the title she won last November in this fight. Chamie, 26, fights out of Budapest, Hungary.

By The Prizefighters.com staff