2022 Is Not Over But Here Are Some Of The Best Moments For Women’s Boxing So Far!
Interest in women’s sport has never been greater, with increased television coverage and better prize money to go along with it. The sport has seen impressive growth in recent times, and so far 2022 has been another breakthrough year, with the staging of some mouth-watering fights that generated massive attention and scheduled bouts that are expected to provide loads of excitement!
It’s no surprise that this greater interest in women’s boxing has generated more betting action, and this is reflected in the boxing odds set by the sportsbooks. There have been several enticing events this year and more to come that will attract some new fans as well as new punters. Here are just a few that spring to mind.
Indian domination at the Commonwealth Games
India produced one of the greatest ever female boxers in Mary Kom, who has no doubt inspired a new generation of women from her nation to take up the sport. This year’s Commonwealth Games, held in Birmingham, provided a great opportunity to check out some of the top Indian talent coming through in women’s boxing.
In the light flyweight division, 26-year-old world champion Nikhat Zareen continued to impress, beating Northern Ireland’s Carly McNaul in the gold medal match, and winning three of her bouts 5-0. Nikhat said of the games:
“It feels great to be a Commonwealth champion, especially after becoming a world champion earlier this year. It feels good to win another gold medal for my country.”
Nikhat Zareen – IBA World Boxing Championships Flyweight Gold Medalist
She wasn’t the only Indian to have success at the Games. Nitu Ghanghas, who is just 21 years old, won the gold medal in the women’s minimumweight category after she beat England’s Demie-Jade Resztan 5-0. Nitu said about the fight:
“I have won the gold medal against a really good opponent. She was strong and I have to compliment her. She was a very worthy opponent and she told me afterwards that I deserved to win the gold medal, and that means a lot to me.”
Nitu Ghanghas – IBA World Boxing Championships Minimumweight Gold Medalist
Katie Taylor wins thrilling fight by split decision over Amanda Serrano
When Katie Taylor took on Amanda Serrano on April 30, the fight was billed as “For History”, and it definitely lived up to expectations. It was the first time that a women’s boxing match headlined a card at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York, and it was a sellout. The fight also attracted a huge TV audience.
Experts have listed the fight as a candidate for fight of the year. It was an extremely close slugfest, with the two women trading blows all the way to the end. Eventually Taylor edged it by split decision, with the judges scoring it 96-94 Serrano, 97-93 Taylor, and 96-93 Taylor to ensure Katie kept her WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO lightweight world titles.
Promoter Eddie Hearn spoke about the fight in glowing terms when he said:
“You just saw one of the greatest fights in the history of Madison Square Garden.”
Eddie Hearn – Matchroom Boxing Chairman & Promoter For Katie Taylor
Serrano has wasted no time in booking more fights. The seven-division champion went on to take the IBF featherweight title from undefeated champ Sarah Mahfoud in her UK debut on 24 September.
Turkey dominates IBA World Boxing Championships
The 2022 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships were held in Turkey, and the home fighters put up an incredible showing by dominating the medals table. Sennur Demir, Busenaz Surmeneli, Buse Naz Cakiroglu, Hatice Akbas and Ayse Cagirir all did their country proud by taking home gold medals.
The fact that six countries won their first ever World Championship medals just shows how women’s boxing is growing all over the world.
Claressa Shields’ victory over Ema Kozin sets up Savannah Marshall mega-fight
Claressa Shields is a history-maker in women’s boxing, and is still the only fighter in the
women’s sport to become an undisputed champion in two weight divisions!
Her fight against Ema Kozin in February went the full ten rounds, but Shields put in a dominant performance and won via a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 100-90 for Shields, who hadn’t actually fought at this weight since 2019 when she unified the division.
The significance behind this win was it setup a highly anticipated bout with WBO middleweight champion and amateur rival Savannah Marshall. The latter is the only fighter to defeat Shields in her amateur and professional career combined!
Shields took her record to 12-0 (2 KO) and continues to be the face of women’s boxing today.
Summary
It’s been another exciting year for women’s boxing as the sport continues to grow in popularity. Huge names from the men’s sport are throwing their support behind the women and it seems inevitable that there will be even more huge fights next year. It’s an exciting time to be a boxing fan, as 2022 has once again proven.
More major fights are scheduled that will catapult the popularity of women’s boxing even more before the year ends. As mentioned, Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall will fight for all the belts on 15 October. On the undercard, unified junior lightweight champion Mikaela Mayer will look to settle her rivalry and become a three-belt champion when she takes on WBC champ Alycia Baumgardner.
Also on 5 November, undisputed welterweight champion Jessica McCaskill will move down to junior welterweight to take on undefeated unified champion Chantelle Cameron for all the belts in the division!
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