Saturday night in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, long reigning WBA and WBO light flyweight champion Yesica Yolanda Bopp (27-1, 12 KO’s) made a successful move to the flyweight division, defeating WBO super flyweight title holder Daniela Romina Bermudez (16-3-2, 5 KO’s) in the nights headlining contest to win the vacant WBO flyweight championship.
With the disadvantage in height and reach, Bopp used her superior hand speed and footwork to get in close and land scoring shots, and then move out of range before Bermudez could retaliate. A comfortable unanimous decision with scores of 98-92, and 97-93 twice gave the new champ her second win over Bermudez, who she defeated in 2011, also by decision.
Bopp has held at least one version of the world light flyweight championship since her seventh pro bout in 2008 when she won the interim WBA title. The following year, she would win the full version that title and add the WBO strap as well, remaining undefeated in world title contests over 20 bouts with this weekend’s contest included. Her lone loss came against Jessica Chavez in a bout contested for Chavez’s WBC Silver title; she had beaten Chavez four years earlier.
The loss for Bermudez was her first after running up an 11 bout winning streak that includes eight world title contests and the possession of the interim WBA bantamweight and super flyweight titles as well as the WBO bantamweight and super flyweight belts. She remains the WBO super flyweight champion.
In France, the undefeated WBF minimum-weight champion Anne Sophie Da Costa (18-0, 7 KO’s) kept busy with a non-title contest, her second bout in two weeks, winning in eight rounds over Fleis Djendji (16-23-1, 10 KO’s). Da Costa won the vacant title in 2012 and made one defense late last year. The loss puts Djendji on a four bout losing streak, having lost six of last seven outings.
In Mexico City, WBC Silver light flyweight champion Jessica Chavez (20-3-3, 4 KO’s) scored a 10 round decision over Tenkai Tsunami (20-10, 9 KO’s). It was a non-title bout for Chavez, who was coming off a draw with Arely Mucino in November. Tsunami is a former WBA super flyweight champion and currently holds the OPBF bantamweight title, but has had a rough road in recent years, winning just twice in her last nine bouts.
Headlining a card in Kielce, Poland, pro rookie Ewa Brodnicka (4-0, 1 KO) claimed the vacant WBF Intercontinental light welterweight title with a wide 10 round decision over Kremena Petkova (10-10-1, 1 KO).
EBU lightweight champ Nicole Boss (12-4-2, 7 KO’s) successfully defended the title for the first time, stopping Sopio Putkaradze (10-2-2, 2 KO’s) in three rounds.
IWBHF announces 2014 inductees
The newly formed International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame has announced its inductees for 2014; seven total. The soon-to-be Hall of Famers are Barbara Buttrick, Bonnie Canino, Christy Martin, Regina Halmich, Christy Halbert, Lucia Rijker, and Jo-Ann Hagen. According to the IWBHF website, the inductees “were selected based on their contributions to the emergence and growth of the sport of Women’s boxing over the past several decades”.
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