(SEPT 16) Eddie Hearn and
Matchroom Boxing have signed yet another women's world boxing
champion, and are set to schedule a series of unification fights
in the super-featherweight ranks.
Matchroom Boxing have announced
the acquisition of women's IBF super-featherweight champion
Maiva Hamadouche on a multi-fight co-promotional deal with OPI
Since 82.
Hamadouche (21-1, 17 KOs) is currently on a 12-fight winning
streak after suffering the only defeat of her professional
career to Delfine Persoon, who pushed current undisputed
lightweight champion Katie Taylor to the limit on two occasions,
five years ago.
The French fighter found more success after moving to
super-feather, where she won the vacant WBC lightweight
championship with a unanimous decision over Jennifer Salinas of
Bolivia in November 2016.
Since then, she has made five successful defences of the title,
but her last in-ring action was victory over Mexico’s Janeth
Perez last July.
Hamadouche hopes the deal will help secure big unification
fights in a division where the likes of Terri Harper and Ewa
Brodnicka — both of whom are also under the Matchroom umbrella —
hold other versions of the championship.
“Those are the fights that I want, she said. “I am determined to
prove that I am the number one 130lbs fighter on the planet and
in order to do that I must beat Harper and Brodnicka."
Promoter Eddie Hearn added: "I'm delighted to welcome Maiva
Hamadouche to our ever expanding roster of female World
Champions at Matchroom Boxing.
"It's a stacked division with Matchroom now representing three
out of four of the world champions at 130lbs.
“I look forward to making huge unification fights at
super-featherweight to find the undisputed ruler."
Salvatore Cherchi, President of OPI Since 82, said: “We are very
happy to have signed Maiva to our team alongside our friends at
Matchroom Boxing.
“For us, she is the best champion of the division, and we look
forward to her proving us right. With the help of Matchroom,
there are endless big fights waiting for her.”