Britain’s Terri Harper successfully defended her WBO lightweight world title on against Natalie Zimmermann in Doncaster on Friday via a unanimous points win.
Harper appeared so dominant from the first round, Zimmermann surprised all including her opponent to stick in there, surviving multiple moments to get through all 10 rounds.
All three judges scored the fight 99-91 in favour of Harper at Doncaster’s Eco-Power Stadium.
Indeed, the German had to get through the final round with a bad cut on her forehead that saw blood dripping into her face.
The result on points was never in question, but the fact Harper failed to produce a knockout proved surprising.
For her part, Harper had to deal with frustration in not finishing her opponent through the 10 rounds but also showed her quality throughout the bout.
Asked bout a potential fight with Caroline Dubois, Harper said after: “Yes. 100 per cent, that gets my fire burning. I said in the press conference she rubs me the wrong way. I think it makes a cracking fight and it makes sense.
“This was a very special night for me, very special training camp. Massive thanks to my opponent for putting on a great show in my hometown.
“She’s tough. She started strong, I thought I needed to stay switched on. Once I let the nerves settles and the occasion settle, I found my way in the fight.
“It’s given me memories I will treasure for a lifetime. Not just in my boxing career, but as a person away from the sport.
“I don’t know what’s next. For me I want to go on to fight the other champions of the division and really step up. I’m going to take some time off and see what happens, see if any contracts get sent over, get back to my team and work out a plan.”
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