Wanna Play? Marlen Esparza Reverses the Curse of Chucky, Squeaks Past Celeste Alaniz to Further Unify Flyweight Titles

 

Celeste Alaniz, nicknamed ‘Chucky’ after the red-headed killer doll from the Child’s Play horror movie and TV franchise, drew her thumb across her throat while glaring menacingly into the cameras after the face-off at Friday’s weigh-in while Marlen Esparza looked on bemused, holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers with lips pursed and eyes wide in mock fear. 

“I’ve never been afraid of Chucky. It’s just a doll,” Esparza said dismissively. She showed no fear of the WBO champion who refers to herself as ‘Chucky’ last night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio either, charging out of her corner to unleash a right-hand haymaker followed by two quick left hooks as she came head to head with Alaniz at the opening bell of their flyweight unification fight. 

Esparza has been known to confuse ruthless aggression with reckless aggression in the past, as she did in a costly manner against Ibeth Zamora from which she thankfully recovered, and could ill-afford to make the same mistake with the power-punching Argentinian.  

Alaniz, who was making her US debut, is very comfortable with the fast pace that was established in the first five seconds and let up only rarely throughout the remainder of the fight. With six stoppages in fourteen outings, a high-volume output would play into Celeste’s hands while lingering doubts about Esparza’s conditioning left the inquiring spectator to wonder whether Marlen could maintain or indeed withstand the pressure. 

With this in mind, Esparza was wisely cautioned by her corner after the frantic round one to settle down and box behind her jab. This she did quite successfully, fighting off the back foot and using expert head movement to slip and slide away from the herky-jerky Alaniz, whose punch count exceeded Marlen’s with the reverse holding true for the boxers’ individual connect rates throughout the fight.

Like her Child’s Play namesake, ‘Chucky’ Alaniz could be held at arm’s length and kept from drawing blood for only so long, closing the distance with her swarming onslaught and opening a cut over Esparza’s left eye in round four.  

Every round commenced the same way, with a Texas-style showdown at knuckle junction. Alaniz tried her best to drag Esparza into a back alley brawl while Marlen, something of a banger herself even if her KO ratio says otherwise, was out to prove that she could go toe to toe with the tough Argentine.

Maybe not the most advantageous strategy for Esparza to adopt, although she can’t seem to help herself and Alaniz was leaving few options but to stand in place, bite down, and trade blow for blow when jabbing, punching in quick, crisp combinations, attacking the body, and getting out of Dodge before having hellfire rained down upon her was a far more effective tactic, and one which ultimately won Marlen the fight.

It was clear from the outset even to the untrained eye that, barring knockdowns or a drastic momentum shift one way or the other, determining a clear cut winner of this fight would be a difficult and unenviable task. Nevertheless, that is precisely what the ringside judges are paid to do.

Lisa Giampa had the contest dead even at 95 apiece, while Esther Lopez scored the bout for Esparza by a reasonable enough 96-93 margin. A resident Texan and no stranger to questionable decision making, Javier Alvarez should be ashamed of, and investigated for, the egregious show of generosity he displayed toward the hometown boxer with the 99-91 tally he somehow arrived at in favor of Esparza. Setting Alvarez’s incompetence aside, Marlen successfully defended her WBC, WBA, and Ring magazine belts while adding Alaniz’s WBO strap to her collection. 

Now 14-1 and possessing all but one of the world flyweight titles (Arely Mucino’s IBF belt) necessary to claim undisputed status, Esparza keeps racking up victories and championship belts if not the proper respect typically accorded with doing so. 

She certainly gets none from Seniesa Estrada. There is no love lost between the two for the sheer fact that there was never any there to begin with. Estrada, who puts her WBC and WBA 105-pound titles on the line against Leonela Paola Yudica in less than three weeks and handed Marlen her only loss to date by way of a blood-drenched technical decision four years ago, had this to say after her sworn enemy’s victory via Twitter: “Tell her that my scrawny ass will move up in weight again to beat her fat ass again.”

With Marlen Esparza and Arely Mucino both fighting under the Golden Boy promotional banner, you would have to imagine that the undisputed match between the two stablemates would be the top priority, not to mention easy enough, for Oscar De La Hoya to put together. Once that feat is accomplished, there’s no doubt that Estrada vs. Esparza 2 is easily one of women’s boxing’s biggest money-makers on the horizon.

Will the Flyweight Title Unification Fight Between Celeste ‘Chucky’ Alaniz and Marlen Esparza Be Child’s Play?

 

Known for her relentless, scrappy aggression and killer instinct inside the ring, WBO flyweight champion Gabriela Celeste Alaniz borrows her boxing nickname ‘Chucky’ from the foul-mouthed Good Guys doll with the red hair and blue overalls who debuted in the 1988 slasher flick Child’s Play which spawned six sequels, an obligatory remake, and the current television series. The first three Child’s Play movies had already been released, with Bride of Chucky to follow two years later, when the 27-year-old Alaniz was born in 1996.      

The Chucky doll lures his victims with the innocent-sounding invitation, “Wanna play?”  This is precisely what Celeste ‘Chucky’ Alaniz will beckon to Marlen Esparza in San Antonio on Saturday night. Celeste’s first time fighting outside her native Argentina, this unification fight versus Esparza was supposed to have happened back in April, but visa complications prevented Alaniz from traveling to the US.  

Her last outing was September 24 when she TKO’d Deborah Rengifo in the first defense of her WBO world flyweight title, taken by force from fellow Argentinian Tamara Demarco three months prior when the defending champion’s corner threw in the towel in round seven after Demarco had been floored twice in the first. 

This has been a recurring trend throughout Celeste’s seven-year career. Anyelen Loreley Espinosa and Roxana Ayelen Bermudez were halted in back to back bouts with Alaniz when their respective seconds waved the white flag of surrender on behalf of their fighters. She comes into San Antonio with three consecutive stoppages, boasting six overall among her fourteen wins without a defeat. 

Esparza likewise has fourteen pro bouts on her resume, losing only once–a technical decision to her arch rival Seniesa Estrada in a 2019 bloodbath that would fit right in with the Child’s Play franchise. Soon enough we will find out if the female prizefighting ‘Chucky’ can leave behind a trail of carnage in this flyweight unification that would make the wisecracking killer children’s toy sneer with evil delight.

Not if the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and reigning, defending WBC/WBA/Ring magazine champion has her way. Marlen not only has three belts around her waist but a sizable chip on her shoulder, being of the opinion that she is overlooked and underappreciated among the women’s superstars of today. With a win over Alaniz, the next step toward respectability and mainstream acknowledgement would be collecting the last piece of the 112-pound puzzle by taking out IBF title holder Arely Mucino.

Becoming undisputed at flyweight would allow Esparza–or Alaniz, or Mucino–to breathe the same rarefied air as Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor, Chantelle Cameron, Amanda Serrano, Alycia Baumgardner, and now Savannah Marshall.      

Another of the Chucky doll’s misleadingly cute catchphrases is “I’m your friend till the end.” While it’s doubtful that this sentiment will be spoken by Alaniz to Esparza, or vice versa–and we all know how things turn out for Chucky’s supposed “friends” in the movies and TV series–both women will undoubtedly leave it all in the San Antonio ring in pursuit of one another’s title belts and the pound for pound recognition that comes with consolidating them. 

Marshall Law Declared in Manchester: The Silent Assassin Dethrones Franchon Crews-Dezurn

 

Last night in Manchester, Savannah Marshall personified the age old warning that sometimes it’s the quiet ones you’ve got to watch out for.

Though she is always pleasant, you still get the distinct impression from Marshall that, if at all possible, she could do without the endless barrage of media interviews wherein she is asked the same questions countless times. And more often than not having to comment over and over again on the same subject: Claressa Shields.

Speaking of which, trash talk is a pre-fight component that seems to make Savannah uncomfortable and something she is not terribly good at. But she can only get backed into a corner by belligerently artful linguists like Claressa or Franchon Crews-Dezurn so many times before the risk of appearing like a weak-willed pushover compels her to return fire when she’d much rather let her fists speak for themselves.

Which Marshall did, under especially trying circumstances, to bring an end to Crews-Dezurn’s brief reign as undisputed super-middleweight champion.  She then had to trade verbal jabs yet again with a riled-up Shields at the post-fight press conference. But, first thing’s first.

It’s not often that you see a boxer sing the National Anthem before their own fight. In fact, if that’s ever happened before, I’m not aware of it. Regardless, that is precisely how the multi-talented Franchon got yesterday’s main event in Manchester underway. Savannah had her work cut out for her in stopping this from becoming the ‘Heavy Hitting Diva’ show.

In the early going, Crews-Dezurn established a pattern she would repeat all night of mauling, smothering, and outmuscling the taller, leaner Marshall. It took a few rounds for Savannah, who herself admits to being a slow starter, to get out of first gear and begin to connect with the cleaner, more impactful punches. She even returned the favor by chucking Franchon to the canvas after having the same done to her on two previous occasions. 

Both women are equipped with a high ring IQ. You simply don’t get to world championship level without it. Marshall, however, may be a bit too cerebral for her own good, perhaps spending a little more time in a contemplative mindset when a proactive approach would better suit the situation. Like last night.

With the lengthier limbs to her advantage, it was surprising that Savannah didn’t make more consistent and effective use of her left jab to open up opportunities to detonate her explosive right hand with quick, one-two combinations. Easier said than done, of course, with the physically imposing Crews-Dezurn leaning her weight on Marshall as often as she could. 

Savannah would have also benefited from using Franchon’s reckless forward momentum against her by stepping back and to the side, creating angles to counter the already off-balance champion or letting her hands go with multi-punch onslaughts instead of single power shots. Nevertheless, Marshall turned the tide throughout the remainder of the fight, bloodying Crews-Dezurn’s nose as tangible proof that she was more than capable of bullying the bully. 

Judge Paul Wallace was generous where Franchon was concerned in scoring the bout a draw, but so too was John Llona Fernandez, who turned in a 99-92 verdict in favor of Marshall, who was awarded the 168-pound undisputed championship by majority decision. Franchon wasn’t quite ready to relinquish the spotlight just yet, as she photobombed Savannah’s post-fight celebration to everyone’s amusement. 

Sitting ringside at Manchester Arena as Franchon’s main cheerleader, Claressa Shields, the only boxer to have beaten both Crews-Dezurn and Marshall prior to last evening, was clearly not amused. Not by Savannah’s victory, that is. Or by the Brit’s attempt to set the terms straightaway for a rematch with Shields. Saying that she would be more than happy to “beat her ass again,” Claressa was adamant that a return bout would have to take place in the US, and called Marshall “lazy” for wanting the undisputed vs. undisputed fight to happen at super-middleweight rather than her going back down to meet Shields at 160. 

To her credit, Savannah was enjoying dishing out some trash talk of her own when Claressa got a little too loud for her liking at the post-fight press conference, even if I did have to look up the meaning of "divvy." Marshall also mentioned the potential of facing mandatory challenger Shadasia Green next, having chided Crews-Dezurn during the fight week press conference for ducking the undefeated slugger from New Jersey. A second go-round with Franchon is also not outside the realm of possibility. It must feel exhilarating for Marshall to have a crown upon her head and multiple options from which to choose. 

Natasha Jonas became a two-division world champion with a one-sided victory over Kandi Wyatt. The eighth-round stoppage earned Tasha the vacant IBF welterweight title and the chance to become undisputed at 147 by waiting for the winner of the upcoming unification fight between Jessica McCaskill and Sandy Ryan. To do so, she would have to commit to the welterweight division and surrender her belts at 154 since resuming hostilities with current WBA/IBO champion Terri Harper doesn't seem to be on Jonas’ agenda. 

On the topic of super-welterweights, April Hunter improved to 7-1 on yesterday’s undercard by decking Kirstie Bavington in the penultimate stanza of her eight-round revenge win over her rival, with whom she locked horns onstage at last Thursday’s presser before security intervened. The knockdown proved to be the deciding factor for Hunter in a razor thin 76-75 verdict. April later joined Savannah Marshall in the ring after her friend and stablemate’s victory.

New York's Bravest Lace Up the Gloves to Take on the Irish Garda at Rockaway Beach's Thrilla in Camilla

 

Founded in 1982, the New York Fire Department's Bravest Boxing Team has been involved since its inception in staging charitable fundraisers, the most popular of which have been their annual 'Battle of the Badges' slugfests against the New York Police Department's Fighting Finest. Last night in Rockaway Beach, the FDNY presented the seventh in a series of showdowns opposite the Irish Garda National Police Team called the 'Thrilla in Camilla.' 

Named for the St. Camillus Church on 99th Street in back of which the outdoor ring is erected every July, this event benefits the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which was begun in honor of Stephen Siller. A firefighter for Brooklyn's Squad 1, Siller ran in full gear through the closed-off Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the World Trade Center on 9/11 and perished while rescuing civilians that fateful day.

As the sun accelerated its descent near 7:30 in the smoky sky, the evening got under way with both squads filling the ring for a ceremonial ten-count in tribute to their fallen comrades. The action commenced shortly afterwards with a heavyweight grudge match won by Issa Abed of the MTA over Lee Wong representing the FDNY's Engine Co. 152. Each bout on the card was three rounds in duration. 

Female flyweights were up next, with the Irish Garda's Eva Byrne forced to take a pair of standing eight counts in the third round at the hands of the winner by unanimous decision, repeat New York Ringmasters champion Zinnat Fersous. 

The remaining fights preceding intermission all ended in split decisions, with Irish Garda light-heavyweights coming out on top in two of the three verdicts. Eoin O'Connor took a highly questionable decision from Engine 257's Adrian Maldonado and Jack McHugh had his hand raised despite a late rally from James Gennari of Ladder Co. 124. FDNY middleweight Fabian Zaval from Ladder Co. 6 defeated Senan Morris, thanks in part to a standing-eight count administered to the Irishman in the bout's closing moments. 

Among the celebrity guests introduced to the standing-room only crowd were former middleweight contender Ireland's John Duddy, whose action-packed 2006 scrap with Yory Boy Campas was one huge reason for making him the fan-friendly fighter he will always be remembered as, and three-division world champion Iran 'The Blade' Barkley, the only boxer to earn two victories over the great Thomas Hearns. Four-time Golden Gloves champion and former women's heavyweight world champion Sonya Lamonakis was sitting ringside in an official capacity, overseeing the event for USA Boxing Metro.    

Irish Garda's Dan Hoolahan won a unanimous decision over unaffiliated George Kantzian to kick off the second half, but the FDNY would close the main portion of the show with three straight wins. In a pair of light-heavyweight bouts, crowd favorite Danny Quinn scored the night's only stoppage with a first-round technical knockout of Hugh O'Connor at the 1:19 mark, and Engine Co. 283's Sean Dillon outworked Paul Corcoran to get the unanimous nod on the judges' scorecards.

In between these male bouts, Staten Island welterweight Nicole Malpeso of FDNY Engine 76 lived up to the description given to me by her coach Susan Reno as "fun to watch in the ring and a blast outside the ring" by showing up for fight night with her hair dyed blue and toughing out a unanimous decision over Kaci Rock, who has trained with fellow Bray native Katie Taylor. Reno, a New York Golden Gloves champion who went on to a pro career as a flyweight, worked Malpeso's corner, as she did for roughly half the fighters Friday night, with her husband Mike, head trainer for the FDNY's Bravest Boxing Team. 

Kudos to everyone involved in putting on a fun night of boxing on Rockaway Beach which raised a good deal of money for an excellent cause. The FDNY squad will travel to Ireland in August to take on the Garda Siochana Boxing Club at the 'Donnybrook in Dublin.' 

All or Nothing in Manchester as Franchon Crews-Dezurn Defends Undisputed Super-Middleweight Title Against Savannah Marshall

 

Saturday’s undisputed super-middleweight title fight in Manchester is billed as All or Nothing and, although Savannah Marshall is playing host, it’s Franchon Crews-Dezurn who is bringing everything to the table. Her five championship belts are the appetizers, main course, and dessert on this weekend’s menu.  

“I’m going to have plenty to feed you, I promise you,” boasted the blinged-out queen of the 168-pound division while seated across from the soft-spoken Marshall during a Sky Sports promotional segment called The Gloves Are Off. “They call me ‘Big Mama’ for a reason. Because when I come through, they shut everything down.”

Britain’s ‘Silent Assassin’ claimed “I’m even hungrier than the last time” with regard to receiving her second consecutive opportunity to become an undisputed champion, to which Crews-Dezurn retorted, “Hungry for an ass whooping.” 

A natural born entertainer, Franchon undeniably enjoys performing for the camera, her thousand-watt smile outshining the spotlights lavished upon her. But don’t let the hair weave, flashy outfits, and designer sunglasses fool you into committing the fatal flaw of believing that Crews-Dezurn is all style and no substance. Not unlike the nickname ‘Big Mama,’ she didn’t come by her ring moniker ‘The Heavy-Hitting Diva’ by accident either.        

More than just an elite-level boxer, Crews-Dezurn describes herself as a “freedom fighter” and a “new age pioneer” who owes everything she has attained to her Mom. Already juggling her amateur boxing career with three jobs and the pursuit of a college degree, a young Franchon added the role of caretaker to her long list of responsibilities when her mother Sarah was attacked and hospitalized by an assailant attempting a home invasion. 

Growing up the only girl among four Crews siblings, fighting just to be seen and heard became second nature. Singing songs she had composed herself was not merely a hobby but a creative endeavor which led the seventeen-year-old Franchon to an American Idol audition, only to receive a typical Simon Cowell blowoff. Initially, she began boxing as a way to lose weight to benefit her singing career, but watching her Mom defy the odds for survival without self-pity or resentment served as the inspiration for a reversal in Franchon’s priorities. “When she fought to live,” says Crews-Dezurn, “I fought to win.”     

With her mother still in the hospital, Franchon competed in her first major tournament, knocking out two of her three opponents en route to emerging on top of the 2005 USA National Championships at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs with four more titles to come in subsequent years. Three months later, Crews-Dezurn would win the first of three consecutive National Golden Gloves tournaments and would add a Pan Am gold medal to her trophy case in 2006.     

Franchon’s first stumbling block preventing her from representing Team USA in the 2012 Olympics arrived in the form of none other than Savannah Marshall. The two first squared off opposite one another in November 2011, in London naturally, for the semifinals of the Olympic test event. The way Crews-Dezurn recalls it, she went into the last of four rounds ahead by two, only for the hometown favorite to be awarded the decision by two rounds. She would lose to Claressa Shields and Raquel Miller during the Olympic Trials, and a loss to China’s Meiqing Yuan at the 2012 World Championships sealed her fate as far as the London Summer Games were concerned.  

After failing to qualify again in 2016, Crews-Dezurn intended to remain in the novice ranks and wait around for the next Olympic cycle, but was offered to turn pro and fight her amateur teammate and close friend Claressa Shields in what would be the pro debut for both women on the undercard of the first Andre Ward/Sergey Kovalev showdown. With less than two weeks to go until fight night, an immediate decision had to be made. Franchon jumped at the chance and headed to Las Vegas. In hindsight, losing a four-round decision to Claressa Shields would be nothing compared to losing her Mom, who died two weeks later. 

Franchon has not tasted defeat since. Four fights after the fact, Crews-Dezurn would collect her first world title by winning a majority decision over Maricela Cornejo. Defeating Cornejo in more decisive fashion one year later, Franchon would additionally pick up the vacant WBO belt and eventually unify all the super-middleweight titles in a Madison Square Garden slugfest with WBA/IBF champion Elin Cederroos on the Taylor/Serrano card.  

“This is a pit stop on the road to my final destination,” Franchon audaciously said to Savannah Marshall’ face. “I’ve already made history. I’ve already helped push women’s boxing. Now it’s about legacy and respect.” Asked by The Gloves Are Off presenter and former cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson whether she thinks Savannah holds her in proper regard, Crews-Dezurn replied, “I feel like she respects me, but she’s gonna love me when we’re done.”

Franchon was sitting ringside for the Shields/Marshall fight last October, beckoning Savannah over just after the decision had been read aloud to challenge her to move up to 168 and see if she could fare any better trying to take her belts. Challenge accepted, Crews-Dezurn spent a portion of her training camp with Claressa Shields, not just for the benefit of getting in solid rounds for sparring but to talk strategy even if Shields affirmed afterwards, “I already feel like Franchon has enough, without my help, to beat Savannah Marshall, if I’m being honest.” The keys to success for Crews-Dezurn, according to Claressa, are to be in her best shape, keep her head in the game, and not be intimidated by the hostile crowd.  

“It’s going to be a long night for you,” Franchon said to Marshall through a Cheshire cat grin. “We fight for two different things. Because for me, even when I win I lose. When you lose, you get babysat.” 

The stakes are incredibly high for Marshall this Saturday. A second straight defeat on her home soil with an undisputed crown on the line likely relegates her to a perennial fringe contender or the even more lowly status of gatekeeper. Also hanging in the balance in Manchester is a sweepstakes ticket with Claressa Shields’ name on it for either Franchon or Savannah to cash, with the undisputed middleweight champion herself expressing a desire to fight the winner. 

The question is, where does that leave Shadasia Green? Boasting a perfect 12-0 record with only one of those fights–a six-round shutout of Irais Hernandez in 2019–lasting the full distance, Shadasia is shaping up to be this generation’s Ann Wolfe. It would not be impertinent to ask whether Green is being avoided the same way Wolfe was. All signs thus far point to “yes.” 

The New Jersey knockout artist and WBC Silver belt holder became Crews-Dezurn’s mandatory challenger by doing what Franchon couldn’t do–stop Elin Cederroos, which Shadasia did inside of six rounds on the Amanda Serrano/Erika Cruz undercard back in February. Despite the WBC ordering the Crews-Dezurn/Shadasia Green fight, Franchon was permitted to sidestep that mandate to take on Savannah Marshall instead. 

It all boils down to risk and reward, and there’s no arguing that Shadasia Green is the kind of risky proposition that could make Franchon flip her wig. Legacy building is an admirable endeavor, but only when you put yourself to the test against every known threat who can realistically strip that prestige down to the studs. First, Crews-Dezurn and Marshall have one another to contend with. An undisputed vs. undisputed super fight against Claressa Shields notwithstanding, Shadasia Green cannot be kept much longer from entering the equation she has already forced her way into. 

Saturday’s co-feature is a bit of a tangled web. Unified super-welterweight champion Natasha Jonas drops to 147 to compete for the vacant IBF welterweight title which the sanctioning body stripped from former undisputed titleholder Jessica McCaskill when she challenged for all the belts at 140 against Chantelle Cameron. Turnabout being fair play, Jonas was notified by the IBF that she too has been relieved of her 154-pound title for deciding to challenge for the welterweight belt, leaving her still in possession of the WBC and WBO straps. Unless she chooses to remain at 147, which she has hinted at being a viable option. This will be the second attempt to win the IBF welterweight title for Tasha’s opponent, Kandi ‘Krush’ Wyatt, who was stopped by McCaskill in 2021 with her then-complete collection of belts up for grabs. 

A late but welcome addition to the card will see super-welter prospect April Hunter run it back against Kirstie Bavington (7-4-2), who handed the 6-1 Hunter her only loss in October 2021. Bavington was most recently shut out by Lauren Price in a bid to become the first to wear the female version of the time-honored Lonsdale belt by virtue of winning the BBBofC British women’s welterweight championship. 

One-Punch KO Courtesy of Julissa Guzman Puts Ramla Ali Down for the Count in New Orleans

 

Prior to this past weekend, everything was looking up for Ramla Ali in 2023.  

In May, Ramla divulged the exciting news that Letitia Wright, best known for assuming the role of Shuri in the two Black Panther movies, would play her in a biographical film titled In the Shadows to be directed by BAFTA award winner Anthony Wonke (Fire in the Night and Unmasking Jihadi John).  

Before that, she unknowingly and inconceivably fought with a collapsed lung on the Serrano/Cruz undercard back in February, somehow summoning the stamina to outpoint previously undefeated Avril Mathie and capture her first professional championship. This led to an agreement in principle with Yamileth Mercado to challenge for her WBC super-bantamweight title by the end of this year.

Ali’s immediate hopes of world title contention came crashing down 33 seconds into the eighth round in New Orleans Saturday night, along with Ramla herself, courtesy of a left hook thrown by Julissa Alejandra Guzman that would have made Joe Frazier proud.

She had been preparing to contend with Guzman’s textbook Mexican walk-forward battle strategy by utilizing Sulem Urbina as her chief sparring partner throughout a particularly rigorous training camp. It also seemed to work to Ramla’s advantage that she is coached by Manny Robles who knows the Mexican boxing textbook backwards and forwards. Practicing for difficulties and dealing with them in real time during the heat of battle are two very different things, as Guzman made Ali learn the hard way.

A world title challenger who went into Saturday’s bout with a 12-2-2 (6 KOs) record, Guzman was a considerable step up in competition for Ali. Necessarily so, as she progresses in her climb toward the professional ranks’ elite level. For many, there will be setbacks on this sometimes slippery slope fraught with perilous obstacles. Julissa Guzman proved to be one such stumbling block for Ramla Ali. 

Guzman rebounded from a loss to Yolanda Vega in her 2015 pro debut to embark on a 13-fight unbeaten streak, which included a pair of draws and was halted by the aforementioned Yamileth Mercado in February 2021 to account for her only other defeat. 

Defending her IBF Intercontinental super-bantamweight title against Guzman in the second co-feature beneath the Regis Prograis/Danielito Zorrilla main event, Ramla started off well Saturday night by boxing behind her jab and sitting down on her power punches, a technique Manny Robles has been working with her diligently on. 

It was initially Guzman’s overhand right that was giving Ali problems. Julissa rocked Ali with it in round four and used her right again to force the Somali warrior down to the seat of her pants in her own corner with less than ten seconds left of the fifth, the first time to that point Ramla had been decked in her pro career. It wouldn’t be the last. 

Ali shook off the knockdown and recovered nicely, although Guzman made what would turn out to be a game-changing adjustment in rounds six and seven by making more liberal use of her left hook. Right after Ramla popped Guzman with a quick left/right combination at the 30 second mark of the eighth, the Mexican they call ‘La Roquera’ unleashed a left hook that deposited Ali flat on her back. Sitting up unsteadily and glassy-eyed, Ramla was unable to beat the ten count administered in what some have complained was rapid fashion by referee Keith Hughes. 

The victorious Guzman will look to leverage this victory over Ali into a potential rematch with Yamileth Mercado now that she has spoiled for Ramla the world title opportunity a win for her last weekend would have all but guaranteed.

Naturally, there will be critics and skeptics who will be happy to laugh Ramla Ali off as merely another Matchroom hype job. They will be quick to marginalize Ali by quipping that she is better off sticking to strutting down the runway of a fashion show in a Christian Dior dress rather than lacing up a pair of gloves and stepping between the ropes of a boxing ring.

First, why can she not do both? Secondly, I would remind these gloating naysayers that surviving through great adversity, and thriving not despite it but because of it, is what defines Ramla as a human being. Just as she persevered through the Somali civil war and endured the unbelievable hardships of her family’s escape from the bloodshed and butchery in overcrowded boats and refugee camps, so too will she overcome this stunning but in no way career-defining loss to learn, recalculate, and resume her pugilistic journey.

Earlier in the evening, 2020 Olympian and Team USA captain Ginny Fuchs improved her pro record to 3-0 by turning away the spirited challenge of Indeya 'Zucar' Rodriguez. The five-foot-tall New Orleans native brought the fight to Fuchs all night in this entertaining eight-rounder in the flyweight division but Ginny ultimately prevailed by scores of 80-72 (x2) and 79-73.   

It's the Same Old Song: Claressa Shields Makes Maricela Cornejo Dance to Her Tune in Motown to Retain Undisputed Title

 

As she proved once again in Detroit last night, when it comes to skill levels in the women’s 160-pound division, there’s Claressa Shields and then there’s everyone else. The Flint native is simply leagues above the rest and can make very good boxers look very average by comparison, just as she did against her latest challenger, Maricela Cornejo. 

Credit should be given to Cornejo for taking the fight on less than two weeks’ notice, and it must be pointed out that she was no idle contender coming off the couch but had been training for another upcoming bout and, therefore, ready to rise to the occasion.

Claressa nevertheless made retaining her undisputed middleweight title by scores of 100-90 (x2) and 100-89 look easy. It’s just unfortunate that a reported crowd of 11,784–a little more than half of Little Caesars Arena’s seating capacity–was on hand to witness the event.

Putting forth an extraordinary effort gives the illusion that Shields is having an ordinary day at the office, no cheap tricks required. Natural ability, a dedicated work ethic, and an unshakable belief in herself are the components that make Shields the complete fighter she is. The carnival barker-type ballyhoo she throws in free of charge. 

She couldn’t care less whether you like it or not. Or, for that matter, whether you like her or not. You might watch her fights to cheer her on to victory. You might tune in hoping to see her get her ass kicked. Either way, she’s got your attention locked in. That’s entertainment. 

Taking a cue from Motown legends The Four Tops, who serenaded the reigning and defending undisputed middleweight champion at the press conference and performed the National Anthem on fight night, Claressa dropped the needle on her own greatest hits record last night. Pumping her left jab at Cornejo in ones, twos, and threes, Shields not only established the rhythm they would dance to all night long but created openings for right hands that split her challenger’s guard or combinations in lightning-fast flurries. 

With Maricela fighting off the backfoot for almost the entire evening, Shields exhibited an expertise in cutting off the ring and keeping Cornejo within striking distance. A sharp lead left halfway through round two forced Cornejo to look up at the overhead lights, as did a straight right down the pike about fifteen seconds later.     

Maricela had limited success when taking the initiative to venture forward and force the action, paying a steep price for landing the occasional right hand by eating a succession of counterpunches on the way in. Shields played to the hometown crowd late in the fourth round, backing against the ropes and dropping her hands to clown Cornejo. Wise enough not to take the bait, Maricela backed up to center ring but was caught with another hard straight right regardless. 

Claressa was clearly in her groove and enjoying the moment for everything it was worth. It goes without saying that, to her, it was a lot. If any critique could be made in Shields’ performance, it would be her tendency to get over anxious in anticipation of a hopeful stoppage and load up on wildly looping overhand rights, the unwieldy momentum of which cause her to miss the mark more often than not. Taking the care to put a higher investment into body punches would present opportunities to land more meaningful, potentially evening-ending, shots upstairs.

John David Jackson gave Claressa this exact advice in her corner and she did slightly up the ante on her body attack in the later rounds, battering Cornejo from pillar to post in the closing moments of round eight and coming as close as she would get to putting her challenger on the deck.

Despite somewhat wobbly legs, Cornejo finished the fight on her feet and was grateful for the chance to share the ring with the female boxer she considers to be the greatest of all time. This is an opinion naturally shared by Claressa herself, who commended Maricela for being “smart and tough.” After all, they are both fighting for a common cause that goes beyond title belts.

It’s kind of like what The Four Tops sing in their 1988 hit, Indestructible: “There’s a power deep inside us. Ain’t no one that could ever divide us. We won’t fall, we’ll show ‘em all just what we’re made of.”