Oshae Jones Crowned Champion Following Split Decision Against Femke Hermans

Oshae Jones (8-0, 3 KOs) is now the super welterweight champion with a split decision win against Femke Hermans (18-5, 7 KOs).

While one judge saw it 97-93 for Hermans, the other two had it 97-93 and 96-94 for Jones. With the victory, Jones now holds the IBF super welterweight title. Hermans had won the belt back in November of last year with a majority decision win against Mary Spencer. She now loses the title in her very first defence of it.

The bout took place on the undercard of an Overtime Boxing (OTX) event at the Corey Tower in Atlanta, GA. Fight fans around the world could catch the action live on DAZN. The card was also broadcast on the DAZN YouTube channel after some initial issues.

Oshae Jones Crowned Champion Against Femke Hermans

Fight Recap

The opening round saw Jones gradually press forward while Hermans was content with being on the back foot. There were plenty of simultaneous exchanges between the two in the early rounds, though this occasionally resulted in both fighters smothering their work and clinching. Despite the occasional holding and head clashes, both fighters remained active in throwing their punches.

As the bout progressed, Jones had greater success landing her power shots. Hermans, who constantly switched stances throughout the contest, had her moments of success but the American was simply more accurate. Things took a turn in the sixth as the reigning champion started to come forward and put pressure on her opponent, allowing her to seemingly win rounds on the scorecards. Jones appeared to be fading, but it turned out that she was saving her energy for rounds nine and 10.

Jones sought to finish strong and had plenty of success landing her power shots in the final two rounds. While Hermans was fighting back, she was being outlanded just as she was in the early rounds. In the end, Jones’ work over 10 rounds was enough to convince two of the judges that she had won the fight.

The first championship fight of @overtime‘s OTX was 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/tADnW7XcNK

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 23, 2024

Post-fight Interviews

Oshae Jones

“Yeah,” said Jones when asked if the fight was a lot harder than she anticipated. “I give her credit. She is a tough opponent. The experience in the professionals really do count cause she went the distance fives times as much as I went the distance. I’m always stopping my opponents and she gave me that good push for a good challenge to see if I can bring out the beast in me.”

Femke Hermans

“I knew it was not going to be an easy fight for you [Jones],” said Hermans. “To be honest, I think from the fourth, fifth rounds it was me who was coming [forward]. So, I think I did win the fight. But yeah, she’s coming up. I think she has heart. She’s going for it, but, you’re really a brawler so keep on working. For me, I want to be a champion. I want to show my skills and everything. But it’s really difficult because [I] have to do it with you. But, all of the luck for you and if you want the rematch, with pleasure.”

Other Fights on the Card

In the main event, Andreas Katzourakis (15-0, 10 KOs) won a split decision against Brandon Adams (25-4, 16 KOs). While one judge had it 97-93 for Adams, the other two saw the 10-round super welterweight clash 97-93 and 96-94 for Katzourakis.

Nathan Lugo (3-0, 3 KOs) won via fourth-round technical knockout against Mardoche Ilunga (1-1-1, 1 KO). The time of stoppage for this four-round super middleweight contest was 0:44. In the fourth, Lugo was landing several of his punches with Ilunga on the retreat and not punching back. Referee Thomas Taylor then put an end to proceedings with Ilunga still standing.

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Maliek Montgomery (20-0, 18 KOs) won via fourth-round knockout against Sakaria Lukas (26-3-1, 18 KOs). The time of stoppage for this 10-round lightweight contest was 1:40. Lukas went to the canvas in round two following a barrage of punches (though it did appear that a bit of pushing was involved). Another barrage from Montgomery sent his opponent down again in the third. In round four, a right hook to the head followed by a left uppercut to the body sent Lukas down once more. He stayed down for the entire count, giving Montgomery the knockout win.

David Lopez (7-0, 5 KOs) won via first-round technical knockout against Marlin Sims (8-4, 4 KOs). The official time of stoppage for this six-round super lightweight fight was 3:00. Sims went down from a right hook in the first round. During the break between rounds, Sims’ corner put an end to proceedings.

Opening the broadcast on DAZN, Jonathan Mansour (3-0, 1 KO) won a unanimous decision against Luciano Ramos (2-8, 0 KOs). Scores for the four-round lightweight bout were 40-36 across the board.