Natasha Jonas and More Female Fight News Feb. 21, 2022

 

By David A. Avila

Watching Natasha Jonas dismantle Chris Namus despite jumping up several weight divisions was proof once again that a skilled fighter can defeat a bigger foe despite a size difference.

Jonas had proven her skills as an amateur star who was also capable of winning rounds as a professional against the great Katie Taylor in a loss and fight to a draw against super featherweight titlist Terry Harper.

Now, Jonas has the WBO super welterweight world title, her first as a professional and maybe just the first of many. The southpaw stylist has always shown outstanding boxing skills but just seemed to lack the punch output necessary to beat the elite. As a super welterweight Jonas fits right in.

Though Namus accepted the fight with little time to replace Poland’s Ewa Piatkowska who was unable to travel to England due to Covid-19, it may not have mattered. Jonas has superior quickness and a punch that enabled her to floor the Uruguayan fighter twice in getting a stoppage.

It should be no surprise that the smaller Jonas was able to win easily, other female fighters have accomplished the same feat too. Perhaps the most notable fighter is Amanda Serrano who has world titles from flyweight to super lightweight. Size has not matter for the Boricua. Nor has it mattered for Japan’s Naoko Fujioka who in her 40s has won five weight division world titles.

Another who continues to beat bigger foes has been Layla McCarter who has not lost a fight in nearly 15 years. That’s longer than almost 90 percent of any other fighter’s entire career. McCarter recently knocked out a light heavyweight last year in Dubai.

The emergence of highly skilled female fighters all across the weight divisions also makes it necessary for three-minute rounds. Two minutes is simply not enough to showcase fighting skills in boxing. It’s not designed to be a sprint.

WBC

The World Boxing Council has made it clear it feels it is the most important organization of all the sanctioning groups. They refuse to allow women to compete in three-minute rounds based on a UCLA doctor who claims women have thinner skulls.

Bringing in doctor’s assessments to determine how many rounds a woman can fight is ridiculous. Any doctor will tell you boxing is too dangerous and that no woman or man should partake in the sport. So please don’t bring doctors into the conversation.

Last year a female fighter passed away after a fight that took place in the two-minute round rule. Does that mean all fights should be reduced to one minute?

A few weeks ago, a WBA world title fight between champion Jaime Mitchell and Carly Skelly saw the challenger floored from a blow in the last seconds of the first round. She beat the count. But had the fight been under three-minute rounds its highly likely she would have been knocked out in the first round. Instead, she lasted four rounds sustaining punishment in every round under the two-minute round format.

Women truly need to fight under three-minute rounds to showcase their skills and to provide equal footing for men who have fought under the three-minute format for the last 150 years.

It’s time the WBC adheres to the will of the women.

 

More Female Fight News

Argentina

Juliana Basualdo (7-2) knocked out Liliana Silva (4-12-1) in the fourth round on Saturday Feb. 19. The super bantamweight fight took place at Buenos Aires. Also, Gisela Quintanilla (1-1-1) won by technical decision in the third round against Carolina Ferrari (2-1-2). A clash of heads caused the stoppage of the flyweight bout. In a lightweight bout, Maria Gomez (1-0-1) beat Elizabeth Britos (1-12-1).

Lorena Agoutborde (2-0-2) knocked out Adriana Maldonado (1-14-2) in the second round on Friday Feb. 18. The super featherweight bout took place in Buenos Aires.

Eliana Orecchia (1-3) won by split decision after four round against Carmen Bratschi (0-2) on Friday Feb. 18. The super bantamweight fight was held at Santa Fe.

On Saturday Feb. 26, lightweights Maira Moneo (8-1) and Estefania Alaniz (5-5-1) meet 10 rounds for a regional title at Santa Fe.

 

Canada

Leila Beaudoin (4-0) defeated Monica Alcala (5-2) by decision after six rounds on Saturday Feb. 19. The lightweight fight was held at Montreal.

On Thursday Feb. 24, welterweights Marie Pier Houle (5-0-1) and Yamila Reynoso (12-10-3) meet six rounds at Montreal.

 

France

Rima Ayadi (7-0) won by unanimous decision after 10 rounds versus Olena Medvedenko (11-9) on Saturday Feb. 19. The lightweight bout was held at Yvelines.

On Saturday Feb. 26, super bantamweights Romane Geffray (2-3-1) and Odelia Ben Ephraim (1-1) meet six rounds at Nantes.

 

Japan

Mika Yagio (2-1) defeated Kei Sugimoto (2-3) by unanimous decision after four rounds on Friday Feb. 18. The super bantamweight fight was held in Tokyo.

Kimika Miyoshi (16-13-1) defeated Yoshie Wakasa (7-3) by decision after six rounds on Monday Feb. 14. The Japanese featherweight title fight took place at Tokyo.

On Friday Feb. 25, atomweights Eri Matsuda (4-0-1) and Ayaka Miyao (24-9-2) meet 10 rounds for the IBF world title at Tokyo. Also, atomweights Mika Iwakawa (10-5-1) and Nanae Suzuki (10-4-1) meet 10 rounds for the WBO world title. Plus, flyweights Hanako Adams (0-0) and Moeko Okada (0-0) meet four rounds; atomweights Sawako Fukuhara (0-2) and Reiko Mori (0-1) meet four rounds; Kagishippo Sachi (1-0) and Mana Kawaguchi (1-0) meet four rounds.

 

Mexico

Arely Mucino (31-3-2) knocked out Marisol Sanchez (12-5) in the second round on Saturday Feb. 19. The flyweight match was held in Tijuana.

On Saturday Feb. 26, minimumweights Yanali Ayon (7-1) and Katia Correa (0-3) meet four rounds at Rosarito Beach.

On Saturday Feb. 26, super welterweights Kenia Enriquez Zepeda (4-0-3) and Adriana Brambila (0-1) meet four rounds in Tijuana.

 

Poland

On Friday Feb. 25, bantamweights Ewelina Pekalska (5-0) and Egine Kayange (5-1) meet 10 rounds at Zyrardow.

 

Russia

On Tuesday Feb. 22, lightweights Sofya Ochigava (5-0) and Alesia Fedarystava (0-0) meet six rounds in Moscow.

On Friday Feb. 25, super bantamweights Lyubov Luzgina (1-0) and Oksana Marakhovskaya (0-1-1) meet six rounds in Moscow.

 

South Africa

On Thursday Feb. 24, flyweights Simangele Hadebe (10-3-2) and Halima Vunjabei (10-7-1) meet 10 rounds for the African flyweight title at Johannesburg.

On Sunday Feb. 27, lightweights Kholosa Ndobayini (14-10) and Cicilia Pitiseni (2-4-1) meet eight rounds at Gauteng.

 

South Korea

Bo Mi Re Shin (11-1-3) won by technical knockout in the eighth round over India’s Chandni Mehra (8-3) on Saturday Feb. 19. The super featherweight fight took place at Hongcheon.

 

United Kingdom

Natasha Jonas (11-2-1) knocked out Uruguay’s Chris Namus (25-7) in the second round on Saturday Feb. 19. The WBO super welterweight world title fight took place at Manchester, England.

Beth Arthur (2-0) defeated Ester Konecna (1-13-1) by decision after six rounds on Saturday Feb. 19. The welterweight match took place at Turnberry, Scotland.

Kate Radomska (2-0) defeated Claudia Ferenczi (20-88-8) by decision after six rounds on Friday Feb. 18. The light flyweight bout took place at Turnberry. Scotland.

Vicky Wilkinson (2-0) beat Bojana Libiszewska (7-42) by decision after four rounds on Friday Feb. 18. The lightweight fight took place at Wolverhampton, England.

On Saturday Feb. 26, super lightweights Nicola Barke (1-0) and Bojana Libiszewska (7-42) meet six rounds at Essex, England.

On Saturday Feb. 26, featherweights Jordan Barker (1-1) and Karina Szmalenberg (14-47-4) meet six rounds at Newcastle, England. Also, super welterweights Kerry Haley (0-0) and Klaudia Vigh (3-35-1) meet six rounds.

 

USA

Jaime Clampitt (23-5-2) won by unanimous decision after six rounds versus Kim Wabik (4-2-2) on Saturday Feb. 19. The lightweight match was held at Warwick, Rhode Island.

On Thursday Feb. 24, featherweights Carmen Vargas (2-0) and Jasmine Clarkson (4-14) meet four rounds at Pasadena, Texas.

On Saturday Feb. 26, middleweights Pasene Asuega (1-0) and Elia Carranza (0-0) meet four rounds at Rock Hill, South Carolina.

On Saturday Feb. 26, lightweights Kalliopi Kourouni (11-3) and Simone Aparecida (17-18) meet eight rounds at San Antonio, Texas.

 

Zambia

On Saturday Feb. 26, super bantamweights Catherine Phiri (16-4) and Kudakwashe Chiwandire (4-2-1) meet 10 rounds for a regional title at Lusaka. Also, bantamweights Lina Kasweka (5-0) and Chimwemwe Banda (3-2) meet eight three-minute rounds.

 

(Photo by Sky Sports)