CAROLINE DUBOIS survived a testing 10th and final round to retain her WBC lightweight title at The Royal Albert Hall by majority decision against Bo Mi Re Shin.
Dubois, 11-0-1 (5 KOs), had dismissed the challenge of the South Korean throughout the week and for the majority of the contest the Brit handled her business but Shin never stopped coming forward and throwing shots.
The champion targeted the body of Shin and landed with frequency during the first half of the contest. Dubois was also putting a lot into her shots and didn’t have a moving target to frustrate her. Shin continued to harass and pressurise Dubois, however, and in the penultimate round landed a straight right which was arguably her punch of the fight.
In the final frame Shin, 18-3-3 (10 KOs), continued to prod and edge closer. Dubois began to tire and then chose to exchange shots with her opponent which looked like a mistake as the seconds counted down. The Dubois of earlier in the fight was gone and was now relying on instinct and grit to survive the Shin onslaught. To her credit she did and moves on still with the world title in her possession.
When the scorecards were read out, however, the crowd inside gasped at the 95-95 card from judge Jae Bong Kim. But the 98-93 (Victor Loughlin) and 98-92 (Peta Rodriguez) verdicts were a fairer reflection and rightfully went the way of the champion.
Elsewhere on the card…
Karriss Artingstall created a piece of history at The Royal Albert Hall tonight by becoming the first woman to win the British featherweight title after beating Raven Chapman. The former world title challenger was industrious early on but it was Artingstall, 7-0 (1 KO), who got a hold of the fight with her left hand proving to be a reliable weapon for the Olympic bronze medallist. And in round two Chapman, 9-2 (2 KOs), walked on to a long left to earn her an eight count. She never stopped working hard, however, and landed enough to keep her competitive in most of the frames. But Artingstall’s accuracy was too much throughout and was a deserving winner by unanimous decision.
Jasimina Zapotoczna earned her first major title winning the European flyweight strap after a split decision win against Chloe Watson. It was a fast start and a strong finish by Watson who was making the first defence of her title but Zapotoczna certainly came on strong in the middle rounds. The Yorkshire-based Polish boxer was awarded a 96-95 score on two of the cards with Watson earning a 97-93 on the other. The new champion moves to 9-1 while Watson, after suffering her first loss, now sits at 8-1.
Francesca Hennessy moved to 6-0 (1 KO) after a shut-out win against Gemma Ruegg, 8-13-1, (1 KO)in the show opener this evening. Referee Amy Pu scored the contest 80-72 to Hennessy who controlled proceedings moving in and out of range against Ruegg who must be commended for taking the fight on at 48 hours’ notice.
