All the featured fighters on Saturday’s card in London featuring women’s title fights made weight.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.
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The historic women’s triple-header of world title fights is on for Saturday at the SSE Arena in London, as all four fighters in the card’s top two bouts made weight while Rachel Ball will be eligible for an interim title against her late-replacement opponent.
Katie Taylor (16-0, 6 KOs) defends her lightweight titles against mandatory challenger Miriam Gutierrez (13-0 5 KOs). Taylor weighed 134½ pounds, Gutierrez 134¼. The fight is scheduled to be contested over 10 two-minute rounds.
In chief support, Terri Harper (10-0-1, 5 KOs) defends her junior lightweight titles against Spanish-Norwegian challenger Katharina Thanderz in another battle between undefeated competitors, also over 10 two-minute rounds. Harper weighed 129¼, Thanderz 129¾.
Harper hopes to notch her first win as a titleholder after being held to an draw by London 2012 Olympian Natasha Jonas last time out.
And while Rachel Ball (6-0, 1 KO) will round out the triple-header with her own title challenge, earned by way of her surprising Matchroom Fight Camp victory over highly-rated prospect Shannon Courtenay, the circumstances have changed.
Her initial opponent for the vacant WBA bantamweight title, Australia’s Ebanie Bridges, sustained an arm injury just days ago. Ball will now face Argentina’s Jorgelina Guanini (9-1-2, 1 KO) for the “interim” WBC junior featherweight belt. The full version is held by Guanini’s compatriot Yamileth Mercado.
Ball weighed 121¾, ¼ under the limit. Guanini weighed 125¼. The sides agreed that Guanini could exceed the limit because she stepped in at the last minute but only Ball will be eligible to win the title.
Opening the show will be light-heavyweights Thomas Whittaker-Hart (4-0, 2 KOs) and Jermaine Springer (7-1, 1 KO). Their eight-rounder is on as planned after Springer weighed in at 173lb 4 oz while Whittaker-Hart had to strip down to get a reading of 174lb 9oz after his first attempt came in two ounces over the 175lb limit.
Kash Farooq (13-1, 6 KOs) hopes to finally be back in action after some of the worst luck of any boxer hindered by injuries and/or the COVID-19 pandemic over the last 12 months. He will face a late replacement in Angel Aviles (20-5-1, 6 KOs) in a bantamweight 10-rounder.
Farooq weighed 117lb on the button, while Mexico’s Aviles, who also had the blessing of his opponent’s team to come in over the limit as a late replacement, was two pounds above the traditional 118lb bantamweight ceiling at 120lb.
And in what could be a show-stealer between two super-middleweight prospects who clashed verbally at the final press conference, it’s unbeaten John Docherty against Jack Cullen.
Scotland’s Docherty (8-0, 6 KOs) weighed 166lb 9oz while “Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver” Cullen (18-2, 9 KOs) hit the scales slightly heavier at 167lb 7oz, both inside the 168lb divisional limit.
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