Melissa St. Vil Uses Her Jab and Ring Intelligence to Cruise to Victory
Melissa St. Vil is one of boxing’s true journey-women. Having fought the likes of former WBC Women’s Junior Lightweight champions Eva Wahlstrom and Delfine Persoon, the 37-year-old from Brooklyn, New York is the definition of a seasoned vet. Because of her exuberant and perky personality outside of the ring and her toughness in the ring, St. Vil is one of the more popular fighters in women’s boxing. After a 13-month layoff, the fighter nicknamed “Little Miss Tyson” returns to the ring to face two-time world title challenger Olivia Gerula.
The 42-year-old from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is no slouch when it comes to competition. She has been in the ring against the likes of former WBA Women’s World Featherweight champ Jelena Mrdjenovich and current WBC/WBO Women’s World Featherweight titleholder Amanda Serrano. Fighting at the Embassy Suites in Nashville, Tennessee, St.Vil v Gerula is a battle of ladies who more than know their way around the ring.
FROM BEGINNING TO END
Olivia Gerula’s (18-19-2, 3 KOs) best punch is her overhand right. Melissa St. Vil (14-4-4, 1 KO) was wary of it from the opening bell. The fighting product of Brooklyn smartly established the jab and boxed. St. Vil stayed in boxing mode throughout the contest. She did an excellent job of spinning and turning Gerula whenever the Canadian got close. The jab, foot movement, and combination punching were integral to her strategy throughout the fight.
The only distress from St. Vil came from swelling around her left eye and on her forehead from an unintentional headbutt. Other than that, she cruised to victory. Overall, it was an excellent performance from the ebullient New Yorker as won the eight-round contest by a comfortable unanimous decision (80-72, 78-74, 78-74).
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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