Title Fights From Around the World: Ryosuke Nishida and Sara Bailey Shine

Today, boxing world title fights take place around the globe and are more accessible to watch than ever before. Sometimes, championship bouts do not receive as much attention and go underreported. Big Fight Weekend commits to writing about boxing news, previews and recaps. As such, the site now has a recurring segment on championship bouts – from around the world from the past week.

The focus of these pieces will be on clashes ranging from atomweight to heavyweight that had the WBA, WBC, IBF, and/or WBO titles on the line. Last week was a busy one in the world of boxing, particularly with regard to world title fights. As such, this edition of “Title Fights From Around the World” will be a lengthy one.

Title Fights Around the World

Ryosuke Nishida Scores Rare Knockout Over Anuchai Donsua

Ryosuke Nishida (10-0, 2 KOs) remains a bantamweight champion with a rare knockout victory over Anuchai Donsua (16-1, 7 KOs).

The time of stoppage was 1:37 of round seven. With the win, Nishida remains the IBF bantamweight world champion. He won the title in May this year with a unanimous decision over Emmanuel Rodriguez. The clash against Donsua was his first time defending it.

The fight headlined a December 15 Muto Promotions event at the Sumiyoshi Sports Center in Osaka, Japan. Boxing fans in Japan could catch the action live on U-Next. Those outside of the country could also do so with U-Next but needed a VPN to access it.

Nishida used his longer reach to control the action. In the fifth round, he landed a right hook to the side of the head that sent Donsua to the canvas for the first time in the fight. Nishida ended proceedings in the seventh with a left uppercut to the body. Donsua did get up, but had his back to the referee when the count reached 10.

Desley Robinson Wins Vacant Middleweight Title

Desley Robinson (9-3, 3 KOs) became a middleweight world champion with a unanimous decision win over Kaye Scott (4-1, 0 KOs).

Scores were 98-92 and 97-93 (x2). With the victory, Robinson now holds the IBF middleweight title. It had previously been held by Claressa Shields, who last defended it against Maricela Cornejo in June last year and later vacated it. Robinson and Scott had fought each other earlier this year, with the latter winning a majority decision at the time. Their rematch had the IBF belt at stake and Robinson evened the score this time around.

The fight took place on a December 13 No Limit Boxing card at The Star Event Centre in Sydney, Australia. Boxing fans in Australia could catch the action live on Kayo Sports and Fox Sports.

Scott began the bout well, pushing forward against her opponent. As the fight went on, however, Robinson improved and began to outwork the hometown fighter. In round seven, both women accidentally clashed heads with each other. Scott was worse from it, sporting a bump above her right eye for the remainder of the contest. Robinson continued to outwork Scott for the rest of the fight and walked away with a unanimous decision win and the world title.

Irma García Retains Her World Title

Irma García (24-5-1, 4 KOs) won a unanimous decision against Gloria Gallardo (15-3-3, 6 KOs, 1 NC) to retain her super flyweight title.

Scores for the contest were 100-89 and 99-90 (x2). With the victory, García remains the IBF super flyweight champion. She won the title in November last year and was making her first defence of it.

The fight took place on a December 14 MarvNation Promotions event at the Explanada Municipal in Ciudad Nicolás Romero, México. Boxing fans around the world could catch the action live on MarvNation TV.

García was dominant from start to finish in this bout, outworking Gallardo. Her opponent had very little to offer the reigning champion. In round seven, Gallardo was deducted a point for hitting behind the head. In the end, García was awarded with a wide unanimous decision win for her dominance.

Asley Gonzalez Dominates Against Mary Romero

Asley Gonzalez (17-2, 7 KOs) won a unanimous decision over Mary Romero (10-7, 2 KOs) to retain her super flyweight title.

Scores were 98-92 (x2) and 97-93. With the win, Gonzalez remained the WBC super flyweight champion and was making her second defence of it.

The fight headlined a December 12 Universum Boxing card at the Grand Elysée in Hamburg, Germany. Boxing fans around the world could catch the action live on DAZN.

Gonzalez was the aggressor throughout the bout, throwing and landing far more than her opponent. In round five, Romero’s mouthguard fell out and she put up her hand to request a pause in the action. The referee did not pause the fight and Gonzalez used the opportunity to land a barrage of punches, stunning Romero. Despite getting hit with hard shots, Romero managed to remain on her feet for the few seconds that were left in the round. Gonzalez continued to be the aggressor for the remainder of the fight and came away the winner by dominant unanimous decision in the end.

Sarah Bormann Becomes Latest Minimumweight Champion

Sarah Bormann (19-1, 7 KOs) is now a minimumweight champion following her unanimous decision win over Jennifer Meza (9-4, 3 KOs).

Scores were 100-90, 99-91 and 97-93. With the win, Bormann is now the WBO minimumweight champion. The title had previously been held by Seniesa Estrada. It became vacant upon her retirement and was put on the line for Bormann-Meza.

The fight took place on a December 14 KAIF event at the Weihnachtscircus in Karlsruhe, Germany. Boxing fans around the world could catch the action live on DAZN.

Both women spent the majority of the contest in the centre of the ring. Bormann dominated the fight from start to finish. Despite the best efforts of Meza, it was not enough to win rounds against her German opponent. Bormann cruised to a unanimous decision win and became a world champion.

Sara Bailey Remains Light Flyweight Champion

Sara Bailey (5-0, 0 KOs) remains a light flyweight champion after winning a unanimous decision against Anabel Ortiz (34-7, 4 KOs).

Scores were 97-93 and 96-94 (x2). With the victory, Bailey remains the WBA light flyweight champion. Previously, Yesica Nery Plata held the title and Bailey held a secondary version of it. However, the WBA’s website currently lists Bailey as their sole champion in their November rankings update. As such, this was her first-ever defence of the world title as the sole WBA titlist.

The fight took place on a December 12 United Boxing Promotions card at the Toronto Casino Resort in Canada. Boxing fans around the world could catch the action live on this official YouTube livestream.

Throughout the contest, Bailey kept things at range and sought to outbox her opponent from there. Whenever the distance was closed between them, Ortiz attempted to turn things into a brawl. Overall, it was a competitive affair. After 10 rounds of action, the judges preferred Bailey’s work and she walked away as the WBA light flyweight champion.

Lourdes Juárez Crowned Light Flyweight Champion

Note: This fight took place on November 29 but I failed to report on it. As such, it is part of this edition of “Title Fights From Around the World.”

Lourdes Juárez (37-4, 4 KOs, 1 NC) became a light flyweight champion with a unanimous decision win over Yesenia Gomez (21-8-4, 1 NC).

Scores were 99-91 across the board. With the win, Juárez becomes the WBC light flyweight champion. The title was previously held by Nery Plata but it had recently been vacated by her. As such, the vacant WBC title was on the line for Juárez-Gomez. Both women had fought each other in September 2016, but that fight ended in a no-contest.

The fight took place on a Cancun Boxing and Latin KO card at the Arena Quintana Roo in Chetumal, México. Boxing fans in México could catch the action live on TUDN and ViX.

Juárez was dominant throughout the contest. Despite her best efforts, Gomez was almost always second best in the fight. In the end, Juárez walked away with a comfortable unanimous decision win and the WBC light flyweight title.