Caroline Dubois faced a real challenge in the final round but managed to hold onto her WBC lightweight title. She won against Bo Mi Re Shin by majority decision at the Royal Albert Hall.
Dubois, now with 11 wins, 1 draw, and 5 knockouts, had been confident against her South Korean opponent in the lead-up to the fight. For most of the match, she seemed in control. However, Shin was persistent, constantly moving forward and attacking.
Throughout the first half of the fight, Dubois focused on hitting Shin’s body, and she landed many successful punches. Dubois was putting a lot of power into her shots, but Shin was always in front of her, not allowing Dubois to get frustrated. Shin kept the pressure on Dubois, and in the ninth round, she landed a strong straight right hand, possibly her best punch of the entire fight.
In the tenth and final round, Shin continued to push forward, getting closer to Dubois. Dubois started to show signs of tiredness and then surprisingly chose to trade punches with Shin, which seemed risky as the fight was nearing its end. The composed Dubois from earlier in the fight was gone, and she was now fighting purely on instinct and determination to withstand Shin’s attacks. Despite the pressure, she succeeded and kept her world title.
When the judges’ scores were announced, the crowd reacted with surprise to the score of 95-95 from judge Jae Bong Kim. However, the other two judges, Victor Loughlin (98-93) and Peta Rodriguez (98-92), gave scores that more accurately reflected the fight, rightly awarding the victory to Dubois.
Undercard Highlights:
Karriss Artingstall made history at the Royal Albert Hall by becoming the first woman to claim the British featherweight title. She defeated Raven Chapman. Artingstall, with a record of 7 wins and 1 knockout, started strongly, using her left hand effectively. In the second round, Chapman, who has 9 wins and 2 knockouts, was caught by a left hand and received an eight count. Chapman fought hard and remained competitive in many rounds, but Artingstall’s superior accuracy secured her a unanimous decision victory.
Jasimina Zapotoczna captured her first major title, winning the European flyweight belt in a split decision against Chloe Watson. Watson, defending her title for the first time, started and finished strongly, but Zapotoczna dominated the middle rounds. The Polish boxer, based in Yorkshire, won with scores of 96-95 on two scorecards, while Watson received a 97-93 score on the third. Zapotoczna’s record now stands at 9 wins and 1 loss, and Watson’s is 8 wins and 1 loss.
Francesca Hennessy improved her record to 6 wins with 1 knockout after a dominant win against Gemma Ruegg, who has 8 wins, 13 losses, and 1 draw with 1 knockout. Referee Amy Pu scored the fight 80-72 for Hennessy, who controlled the fight with her movement against Ruegg, who deserves credit for taking the fight at very short notice.
