(NOV 17) In what should be
another top-quality fight for women´s boxing, European champion
Karine Rinaldo and former world titlist Carolina Marcela
Gutierrez will clash for the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF)
World Super Bantamweight title on Friday November 27 in
Marseille, France.
The 13-1-1 (4) Rinaldo, from
Marseille, turned professional in 2011 and won the French
national Super Bantamweight title in November 2012. After two
defenses, she added the European crown in June 2014 with a first
round stoppage of Hungarian Mariana Gulyas.
Last December she successfully defended the European title with
a unanimous decision over Croatia´s Nevenka Mikulic, and this
year she has stayed busy with two non-title fight victories to
get ready for what will be her first shot at world honors.
A pro since 2004, Argentinean Carolina Marcela Gutierrez brings
a 22-5-1 (13) record to the fight. She won the Argentinean
national Bantamweight title in 2005, and captured the Interim
WBA World Super Flyweight strap in 2008, defeating Brazilian
Rosilete Dos Santos.
In 2009 Gutierrez lost a decision to undefeated German star Susi
Kentikian for the WBA world Flyweight title in Hamburg, but
rebounded well to make three defenses of her Super Flyweight
belt between October 2010 and January 2012.
Moving up a division, she dropped two split decisions in March
and May of 2014 to fellow Argentinean Mayra Alejandra Gomez for
the Interim WBO World Bantamweight title, but proved that she
was still world class at the higher weight.
She got back on track with a tune-up victory in August, before
finishing that year with another competitive decision loss in
November, this time to Mexican Yulihan Alejandra Luna Avila for
the vacant IBF World Super Bantamweight title.
Gutierrez clearly has experience on her side, while Rinaldo will
enjoy a boost from the support of the local fans in Marseille.
Both are among the best in their weigh-class, and it looks like
a real toss-up between one boxer eager to win her first world
championship, and another boxer hungry to get back to the very
top.
On the same night in Khayelitsha, South Africa, former South
African champion Mfundo Gwayana will take on compatriot
Dalisizwe “Matlala” Komani for the vacant WBF Intercontinental
Light Flyweight title on a show promoted by CSUNS Boxing
Promotions.
Southpaw Mfundo has faced the better opposition of the two and
enters the fight with a record of 18-9-3 (9), while Gwayana has
showed excellent form recently with four consecutive victories
and brings a 14-6-1 (8) ledger to the showdown.