By SIMON MWALE –
AFTER a few postponements and a flight cancellation en-route to Mexico for the Zambian challenger Catherine Phiri, the World Boxing Council (WBC) female gold bantamweight title fight is finally on today.
Catherine is the WBC silver champion while her opponent Yazmin Rivas, aka “La Rusita,” holds the more prestigious version-the gold belt.
At stake is not just the title and the accompanying prestige, but national pride for both fighters.
This fight could have been staged in Zambia, but after the WBC ordered a purse bid, the Mexican promoter won the bid and Oriental Quarries Boxing Promotions (OQBP), Catherine’s promoters, had to travel to Tijuana, Mexico, venue of today’s clash.
The only other Zambian to challenge for the WBC main title was late legend, Lottie Mwale, a light heavyweight who was WBC International champion and made two unsuccessful attempts.
Catherine becomes the first female boxer in Africa to challenge for the coveted WBC main title.
Rivas has won her last five fights in a row mostly on points except one in which she won on a technical knockout (KO).
According to those who have watched her, Rivas is a good boxer with good movement in the ring, throwing jabs.
From her 22 per cent knock out ratio, it is clear she is not a KO artist like her challenger Catherine who boasts a 45 per cent ratio.
The Mexican has never been knocked out and Catherine will, or should, be going into this fight with the belief she will be the first to do so.
For Rivas to retain her title, she will have to run around the ring and make it hard for her opponent to find the target.
Backed by a home crowd, Rivas will need to assert her authority by trying to dominate the fight, possibly fighting every single minute of each round.
But that will suit Catherine who, apart from being a banger, has an impressive skillset, including speed, movement and bobbing and weaving.
It is hoped that coach Mike ‘Weaver’ Zulu and manager Chris Malunga have given Catherine the same pep talk they gave to their former pupil Charles Manyuchi, the WBC international welterweight champion, who won twice away from Zambia.
Going into today’s fight, Catherine has lost one from her last five fights, one being the controversial loss to Christina McMahon which could prove a blessing in disguise as she wouldn’t stomach the idea of two straight losses.
There, however, can be no doubt that the champion will put up a spirited fight before she can surrender the prestigious belt. It is a high stakes contest in which Rivas will be determined to shake off the serious challenge Catherine offers.
Rivas 28, has won 34 fights, 10 by KO from 46, losing eight and has a 22 per cent knock out ratio.
For her part, Catherine goes into the fight with 10 wins from 11 bouts, five inside the distance and has a higher KO ratio at 45 per cent.
Cathy, 23, will need to try and win every round, though this will not be a walk in the park but will need to take the fight to the champion, push her aggressively and establish early dominance.
She should force Rivas to fight backwards with jabs and crisp combinations in tow.
The best way for Catherine to win will be by knockout as leaving the decision in the hands of the judges sometimes causes controversy especially when the fight is close.
The boxer’s corner and Catherine herself should read the trend of the fight as it progresses.
It is always important to see through an opponent’s mind during the fight so that timely adjustments can be made.
Cathy should not expend all her energy in the earlier rounds, but leave some for the championship rounds, the last three rounds of the fight. Against McMahon, Cathy appeared not to have read the adjustment the Irish fighter had made during the crucial rounds.
Rivas will be to tough and should not be written off, Catherine’s skill set could, however, be enough to produce the desired result. In a word, Rivas has never met anyone like Cathy before.
