Terri Harper Beats Eva Wahlstrom By UD!
After ten full rounds of action, IBO super featherweight champion Terri Harper (10-0, 5 KO’s) swiftly defeats Eva Wahlstrom (23-2-2, 3 KO’s) to become the new WBC champion.
Ahead of the bout, it was wondered if Harper was being moved too quickly. It was only her tenth professional fight and she was being thrown in with a veteran 16 years her senior and one who had been a champion for five years.
Once in the ring none of those things meant anything.
It was rapidly apparent that the younger, faster and longer Harper had all that it took to bedevil Walhstrom. Fighting on the outside in the center of the ring, the IBO champion controlled the action fairly easily.
Although, this is not to say that the WBC champion did not have her moments.
Wahlstrom enjoyed her best rounds from the fourth to the sixth. During this time she appeared to put a mild dent in Harper’s confidence while landing a number of heavy shots. However, there was a clear shift in momentum in Harper’s favor during the seventh.
Right at the top of the stanza, Harper was credited with a knockdown that made it a 10-8 round.
Yet, when looking at the replay, it seemed the fighter from Finland was more off balance as no punch of any note landed. Regardless, the damage was done on the scorecards. The incident also invigorated Harper who attacked with a new vigor.
At the end of the eighth round, the UK champ lands a nasty hook that seriously rocked the WBC champion. Even though she lands a few more quality head shots, Harper could not put Wahlstrom down. For the greater portion of the final round the IBO titlist fought on the outside and cruised to a dominant unanimous decision on the scorecards.
With this win, Harper becomes a major title holder at the tender age of 23. While her promoter Eddie Hearn will look to establish her as a legitimate champion, unifications with IBF champ Maiva Hamadouche, WBO champ Ewa Brodnicka or WBA champ Hyun Mi Choi can be explored.
Also bouts with American up and comers Mikaela Mayer and Ronica Jeffery are also feasible selections for the young champion in the future!
