Unification Battles and Other Female Fight News
By David A. Avila
Unification, the word, lingers in the air like a cloud of cigar smoke. Next up in the unification battle of female world titlists will be Chicago’s Jessica McCaskill and Argentina’s Anahi Sanchez vying for each other’s super lightweight belts in the USA.
And that’s not all.
Down in Mexico way, two super bantamweight legends collide when Argentina’s Marcela Acuna jets to Mexico to fight that country’s legendary Jackie Nava for their respective world titles.
The year of unification is upon us.
It all started this year with Ireland’s Katie Taylor challenging Brazil’s Rose Volante in March; followed by Claressa Shields snatching the last remaining middleweight title from Germany’s Christina Hammer in April. The welterweight division had already been sewn up by Cecilia Braekhus.
McCaskill has never been shy about challenging the best and now finds another Argentine with a world title and wants it too. In her last fight the Chicago prizefighter ripped the WBC super lightweight title away from Argentina’s Erica Farias. Now Sanchez, the WBA titlist, intends to bring back the WBC title to Argentina.
The unification battle will be shown on DAZN on Saturday May 25 from the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Expect a vicious firefight when McCaskill (6-2, 3 KOs) and Sanchez (19-3, 11 KOs) enter the boxing ring. They both have aggressive styles and both went the distance against Ireland’s Taylor.
McCaskill, 34, has only been fighting four years professionally and has rocketed to the top of the professional fight world. She’s a hard-punching tactical fighter who despite a short amateur boxing stint managed to befuddle and batter Farias when they fought last October. It was an eye-opening performance.
Sanchez, 27, has risen from the featherweight division all the way to the super lightweight division and holds the WBA super lightweight title. She’s a fearless no-nonsense fighter who will immediately engage with McCaskill. Blows of the vicious variety will be exchanged.
It’s a unification battle well worth watching.
McCaskill will be a guest on the 2Min Round radio/podcast on Thursday 7:45 p.m. Pacific Time. You can find the link to the show on Facebook.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, another unification clash pits Argentina’s Acuna (49-7-1, 20 KOs) the IBF super bantamweight titlist against WBC super bantamweight titlist Nava (35-4-3, 16 KOs) on Saturday in the beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Azteca television will show the fight.
Acuna, Christy Martin and Lucia Rijker
Acuna, 42, defeated Nava when they first met 10 years ago. But that fight took place in Argentina and the Mexican fighter Nava has improved tremendously since that clash in 2009. But the Argentine fighter has always been a technical fighter though she had to learn the hard way. Her first two pro bouts in 1997 and 1998 were against Christy Martin and Lucia Rijker. Can you imagine anyone fighting their first pro fights against two more gargantuan female legends than Martin and Rijker?
Of course Acuna lost to them both. But she emerged to become one of Argentina’s greatest female prizefighters of all time.
Nava, 39, has only four losses in 18 years as a professional. Two of the losses came against Argentine fighters Alejandra Oliveras and Marcela. But over the years the Tijuana prizefighter has built a resume as one of Mexico’s greatest female fighters. An expected showdown with Mexico’s other great female champion Mariana “Barby” Juarez fell apart. She then chose Acuna as the next choice. It allows her to even the score. Nava is a pressure fighter with technical proficiency and relishes the opportunity to avenge her loss to the Argentine boxer.
Unification fights always bring out the best performances. Just watch and see.
New American titlists
Two former USA Boxing graduates captured pro regional titles over the weekend on opposite coasts of the US.
Tiara “T-Baby” Brown won the IBF Inter-Continental super featherweight title by knockout of Angel Gladney in the sixth round on Saturday May 18, in Washington D.C. It was a homecoming victory for Brown who lives and trains in the area.
Brown, 30, fought for Team USA until 2016 and competed for the country in international competitions. Now she has a title as a professional and looks to fight for a world title this year.
Another former Team USA participant who fought this last weekend was Raquel Miller who won the NABF middleweight title by knockout in the seventh round over Erin Toughill in the L.A. area.
Miller, 34, fought as an Olympic alternate and with her win this past weekend can compete for a world title in the middleweight division. Claressa Shields has all of the middleweight world titles so Miller will be facing an old amateur nemesis soon.
More Female Fight News
Argentina
Katy Nieva (2-0) was the winner by majority decision after four rounds against Rosa Caraballo (0-3) on Friday May 17. The featherweight match took place in Poman.
On Friday May 24, bantamweights Jennifer Rasjido (9-0-1) and Julieta Cardozo (11-3) meet in a 10 round fight for the Argentine title.
Australia
Kylie Hutt (4-1-2) beat Janay Harding (1-4) by unanimous decision after five rounds on Friday May 17. The super welterweight bout took place at Northbridge, Western Australia.
Cherneka Johnson (11-0) beat Kirti (6-2) by unanimous decision after six rounds on Wednesday May 15. The featherweight match took place at Pyrmont, New South Wales.
Canada
Kim Clavel (8-0) defeated Tamara Demarco (8-2) by unanimous decision after eight rounds on Friday May 17. The light flyweight fight took place in Montreal.
China
Zhong Tao (1-0) beat Chan Guan Fu (0-1) by majority decision after four rounds on Sunday May 12. The bantamweight fight took place in Chengdu. Also, Cheng Rao Kun (1-0) beat Mou Tao (0-1) by decision after four rounds in a bantamweight bout.
France
Helene Lascombe (6-1) defeated Marine Tollet (1-4) by unanimous decision after eight rounds on Saturday May 18. The French bantamweight title fight was held at Nievre.
Germany
Prisca Vicot (10-6) was the winner by unanimous decision after 10 rounds versus Pasa Malagic (12-5) on Saturday May 18. The lightweight title fight took place at Karlsruhe.
Italy
On Saturday May 25, super lightweights Silvia Bortot (6-0-1) and Mariam Tatunashvili (3-11-2) meet in an eight round bout at Lombardia. Also, lightweights Elena Ghezzi (2-1) and Galina Gyumliska (11-39-1) meet in a six round fight.
Japan
Mont Blanc Miki (4-2-1) and Natsuki Tarui (3-6-2) fought to a split draw after six rounds on Saturday May 18. The minimum weight fight took place in Tokyo.
Mexico
Anabel Ortiz (29-3) defeated Barbara Martinez Munoz (3-7-1) by decision after eight rounds on Saturday May 18. The light flyweight match was held in Mexico City.
Estrella Valverde (17-5-2) won by split decision after 10 rounds versus Gloria Gallardo (7-2-1) on Saturday May 18. The super flyweight title fight was held at Nezualcoyotl. Also, super bantamweight Irais Vargas (5-1) defeated Maria Elena Villalobos (14-19-2) by decision after a 10 round title fight.
On Saturday May 25, super bantamweights Jackie Nava (35-4-3) and Argentina’s Marcela Acuna (49-7-1) meet in a 10 round unification fight at Puerto Vallarta. Also, light flyweights Kenia Enriquez (21-1) and Leiryn Flores (16-1-1) meet in a 10 round fight for the WBC interim world title.
On Saturday May 25, flyweights Naylea Sanabia (9-0-1) and Iris Miramontes (2-2-2) meet in a six round bout at Mexicali. Also, flyweights Melissa Meraz (3-0) and Heidy Cruz (3-1) meet in a four round match.
New Zealand
On Saturday May 25, lightweights Tania Reid (1-1-1) and Baby Nansen (7-4-1) meet in a four round fight at New Plymouth.
Poland
On Saturday May 25, super featherweights Ewa Brodnicka (16-0) and Mexico’s Janeth Perez (24-4-2) meet in a 10 round WBO world title fight at Jelenia Gora.
South Africa
Kholosa Ndobayini (12-7) defeated Xoliswa Jonas (4-1) by fourth round technical knockout in the fourth round to win the South African lightweight title on Friday May 17.
The match took place at Johannesburg.
Spain
Jennifer Miranda (3-0) won by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Vanessa Caballero (1-5-3) on Monday May 13. The featherweight fight took place in Madrid.
Taiwan
Chin Hsin Wang (1-0) beat Bigita Basumatary (0-1) by decision after four rounds on Saturday May 18. The flyweight match was held in Taipei. Also, Suman Kumari (3-1-1) beat Shr Ting Lin (0-1) by decision in a lightweight four round bout.
United Kingdom
Chantelle Cameron (10-0) won by second round technical knockout over Vaida Masiokaite (1-5-1) on Saturday May 18. The lightweight match took place in Glasgow, Scotland.
Lisa Whiteside (1-0) defeated Dani Hodges (4-2) by decision after four rounds on Saturday May 18. The flyweight fight took place at Stevenage.
Cathy McAleer (3-0) won by technical knockout in round two over Cristina Busuioc (0-2-1) on Saturday May 18. The super bantamweight fight took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Uruguay
On Saturday May 25, featherweights Gabriela Bouvier (13-10-1) and Silvia Zacarias (8-21-5) meet in a four round bout at Montevideo.
USA
Tiara Brown (8-0) won by technical knockout in the sixth round versus Angel Gladney (10-15-1) on Saturday May 18. The super featherweight regional title fight took place in Washington D.C. Gladney could not win the title she weighed three pounds over the 130-pound limit.
Alejandra Ayala (12-4) won by technical knockout in the second round versus Latasha Burton (4-12) on Saturday May 18. The super welterweight match was held in Gary, Indiana.
Raquel Miller (9-0) knocked out Erin Toughill (7-5-1) in the seventh round on Saturday May 18. The NABF middleweight title fight took place in Hawaiian Gardens, Calif. (For more read the story by Felipe Leon on this web site.)
Shanecqua Paisley Davis (1-0) defeated Rebecca Adney (0-1) by unanimous decision after four rounds on Saturday May 18. The bantamweight fight was held in Houston, Texas.
Ava Knight (18-2-5) won by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Crystal Hoy (6-10-4) on Friday May 17. The super flyweight bout took place in Memphis, Tenn.
On Thursday May 23, featherweights Ikram Kerwat (9-1) and Simone Da Silva (15-12) meet in a 10 round bout at Tucson, Arizona.
On Saturday May 25, super lightweights Jessica McCaskill (6-2) and Argentina’s Anahi Sanchez (19-3) meet in a 10 round unification bout for the WBC and WBA world titles at Oxon Hill, Maryland.
On Saturday May 25, featherweights Britain Hart (2-3-1) and Carley Batey (4-5-2) meet in a four round match at Charlotte, North Carolina.