In an exclusive interview with Listín Diario, Mauricio Sulaimán, the son and personal assistant of WBC President José Sulaiman, revealed that Yahaira Hernández [6-0-0 (1 KO)] will be challenging Yvonne Reis for the WBC middleweight title in Santo Domingo on the 24th September. “We believe this is a good opportunity for boxing in the Dominican Republic, which is very active and deserves to stage an event of this magnitude,” he added.
 

Although women from the Dominican Republic have fought for world titles before — in Germany in the case of Yohanna Peña and Marilyn Hernández, in the States in the case of  Mónica Núñez — Yahaira will be the first to have home advantage; not that that would have been much help to Núñez, who challenged Laila Ali for the WIBF super middleweight title and Laetitia Robinson for the WIBA title at middleweight and was kayoed each time (in the ninth and first rounds respectively).
 

At 25, Hernández is also 15 years younger than Reis, who won the title by a split decision on the 1st April in Nairobi. With a record dismissed by Listín’s Yoel Adames as ‘anaemic’ [6-9-1 (0 KOs)], the 5’10” southpaw is seen as a soft target for the local girl.