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Women’s boxing has made great strides in 2022. Athletes who have been competing for years (sometimes more than her decade) have continued to fight for relevance and a chance to put their name and sport in the spotlight.
There have been exciting fights and moments, some of which fans are still talking about months after the fight happened. This comes with a group of current famous names like Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor, and Amanda Serrano going on to battle it out.
But to bring true growth, sustainability and stability to the sport, it needs depth. It takes more than the big names at the top of women’s boxing to connect with fans.
You know Serranos, Taylors, Shieldses and Alycia Baumgardners. Michaela Meyers and Senieza Estradas. This list is about who you might be talking to at the end of 2023, and it wasn’t all that familiar at this point in the year.
A few things to note about this list: If a fighter is in the current ESPN Pound for Pound Top 10, it was not considered in this list. So, his six above are alongside Shantel Cameron, Jessica McCaskill, and Francon Cruz. Dezurn and Natasha Jonas did not qualify.
All in all, these aren’t promising fighters. In many cases, they’ve already won world titles, but they could be on the pound-for-pound list or become bigger stars in the sport by the end of the year.
This is not a ranking. Fighters are listed alphabetically.
Ramla Ali – Junior Featherweight
Record: 7 wins, 0 losses, 2 KOs
Ali’s inspiring story is well-documented, and she’s proven she’s willing to defy history in 2022. Ali became one of the first female fighters in Saudi Arabia to start boxing professionally. In that fight, too, she showed more potential, knocking out Krystal her Garcianova in the first round.
It’s a fast-paced career for the 33-year-old junior featherweight, born in Somalia and raised in London. The combination of her life story, her history-making work for women in Somalia’s sport, modeling for high-fashion brands Dior and Cartier, and the non-profit organization she founded has made her one of the most famous. I became one of her female girlfriends. female boxer.
The level of Ali’s boxing career is starting to match what she’s been doing otherwise. She will fight Avril Massie at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden, New York. Even if she wins that fight, it wouldn’t be surprising if her world title chance presented itself in late 2023. A bigger star turn that could propel the sport forward this year.
Evany Bridges – IBF World Bantamweight Champion
Record: 9 wins, 1 loss, 4 KOs
Last year, Bridges’ boxing career caught up with his social media following (over 700,000 followers on Instagram).
Bridges has come a long way as a fighter in 2022, defeating Maria Cecilia Roman by unanimous decision to win the IBF Bantamweight Title and defending the belt against Shannon O’Connell in one of her most impressive performances to date. . Multiple world title challenger.
The O’Connell fight garnered a lot of attention, showing another layer to Bridges’ skill set beyond the toughness he had already shown in his previous fights. Proving that he’s kept up with all things , combining the way he marketed himself with the way he boxed could set the 36-year-old on a clear path to boxing stardom in 2023.
Kim Clavell – WBC Junior Flyweight Champion
Record: 16 wins, 0 losses, 3 KOs
Editor’s Note: Watch Kim Clavell defend her title against Jessica Nelly Playa on ESPN+ Friday at 7pm.
I suffered an injury before the December 2021 fight, COVID postponed the April 2022 fight, and the flu postponed the junior flyweight unification fight. Jessica Nelly Plata from December to January 13th.
But if she’s in good health, this could be a breakout year for the nurse-turned-fighter, who earned an ESPY for her work as a medical professional in the early days of COVID. If Clavell defeats Plata to unify her two 108-pound world titles, she could be set for her two career-defining fights by the end of 2023. Pound her fighter in the low weight class of boxing.
Clavell has been battling since the mid-2000s, winning his first Canadian title in 2010 and turning professional in 2017. Her final fight in July 2022 was her first title shot and her first world title, defeating Yesenia Gomez by unanimous decision.
Beatriz Ferreira – Junior Lightweight
Record: 2 wins, 0 losses, 1 KO
The lightweight silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has a short professional career, but she has already made headlines because her debut match was a three-minute round (women’s boxing matches are two-minute rounds). Then, in her second professional fight, the 30-year-old knocked out Caris Brown in a dominant performance in the second round.
She could be on the fast track and has an interesting approach. She plans to compete simultaneously as a professional and an amateur this year, as she hopes to represent Brazil again at the 2024 Olympics while still on the road to a professional world title.
Some fighters have a hard time transitioning from amateur to pro style, but that’s not the issue here. She has proven she has what it takes. As an amateur, she also won the 2019 World Championships at lightweight.
It’s a unique approach and something she might be able to handle. Looking at Ferreira’s fights, it’s clear that she has power and skill. It’s been an important year for her, and that’s part of the reason she’s so intriguing.
Gabriela Fundora – flyweight
Record: 9 wins, 0 losses, 4 KOs
She was one of the fighters to watch last year, with the flyweight winning five out of five fights in 2022. The 20-year-old has already fought in three countries and has shown that she is willing to compete at a high level. level competition.
The younger sister of top junior-middleweight contender Sebastian Fundora, Gabriela stands at 5-foot-9, which, combined with her power, makes her a tough matchup in the division. No boxer her age has.
By the end of 2023, it’s no surprise to see Fundora competing for the world title in a division where four different women from three countries hold four belts. She’s young enough to connect with an up-and-coming audience.
Read more about Fighting Fundoras.
Ellie Scottney – Junior Featherweight
Record: 0 wins, 0 losses in 6 fights
Named 2022 ESPN Prospect of the Year, Scottney is one of the fastest risers in the sport. The 24-year-old junior may be just 6-0 in his featherweight division, but he’s faced pretty good competition, including defeating former IBF bantamweight champion Maria Cecilia Roman via unanimous decision in May.
She scored a closer-than-expected victory over Mary Romero in October, but Romero was also a legitimate competitor. It’s no surprise to see him win a world title.
She’s also part of a division with many young talents, including WBC champion Yamirez Mercado, 24, and IBF champion Cherneka Johnson, 27. An interesting battle for 2023.
Yokasta Valle – WBO/IBF Junior Flyweight Champion
Record: 27 wins, 2 losses, 9 KOs
Valle is a top 10 pound-for-pound talent and could be a star in 2023. The 30-year-old from Nicaragua, who lives in Costa Rica, is a two-belt, two-division champion. He has won IBF and his WBO titles at both strawweight and junior flyweight, and has performed strongly in both weight classes throughout his career.
She lost only twice. She is back-to-back with Naoko Fujioka for the WBO Junior Flyweight title in 2017 and Tina Ruprecht for the WBC Interim Strawweight title in 2018. .
Valle also intends to be active, having fought four times in 2022. She defeated Nazarene Bermudez in a strawweight unification fight in September and Evelyn in her flyweight title fight in November.
Valle has some power and aggressive style in her fights. Sitting in a lower weight class could make her bounce between divisions. , as well as Valle against Clavell-Plata winner at junior flyweight, will be one of the most anticipated fights of the year.
Consider that, depending on the outcome, Valle could be the undisputed champion of two divisions at the same time. That’s the definition of making a star.
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