(OCT 1) On Saturday, September 28th at the Canon Medical Arena in Sheffield, United Kingdom, Terri “Belter” Harper, of Denaby Main, Yorkshire, UK, became a world champion in three different weight classes after defeating Rhiannon Dixon, of Warrington, Cheshire, United Kingdom by unanimous decision. Dixon was making her first defense of the WBO world lightweight title that she won in April of 2024 when she defeated Karen Elizabeth Carabajal by a unanimous decision for the vacant title. Carabajal is currently rated the No. 8 lightweight contender by the computerized ratings of the International Boxing Organization (IBO). Dixon previously won the vacant European Boxing Union (EBU) lightweight title in 2023 against Katharina Thanderz by a unanimous decision. Thanderz is rated No. 20 by the IBO.

Harper has fought 138 rounds in her pro boxing career which is nearly twice as many as Dixon who fought 74 rounds. Harper has wins, two draws, and only two losses against some of the best female boxers in the world. Harper won the vacant IBO super featherweight title in 2019 and added the WBC super featherweight title in 2020 when she defeated Eva Wahlstrom by unanimous decision. Wahlstrom won the vacant WBC super featherweight title in 2015 and therefore held the title for nearly six years until losing to Harper. Harper retained her titles after getting a draw against Natasha Jonas and a win by TKO over Thanderz in 2020. Jonas is currently the IBF welterweight champion.

Harper lost her two super featherweight titles by TKO to Alycia Baumgardner in 2021. Baumgardner is currently the undisputed super featherweight champion. Harper moved up in weight in 2022 and won the IBO super welterweight title over Hannah Rankin by unanimous decision. Rankin is currently rated No. 10 by the IBO in that division. Harper also won in that weight class in 2023 against Ivana Habazin by unanimous decision. Habazin is currently the WBC welterweight champion.Harper fought to a draw against Cecilia Braekhus in 2023 for the vacant WBO super welterweight title. Braekhus is currently the WBC interim super welterweight champion. In March 2024, Harper lost to WBO welterweight champion Sandy Ryan by stoppage before the fourth round began. Ryan lost her title a few days ago to Mikaela Mayer by a very close majority decision.

Harper had won world titles in the super featherweight and super welterweight divisions. Prior to her fight against Dixon, promoter Eddie Hearn said that the lightweight division was the perfect weight class for her. Even though Harper’s only two losses were to elite boxers Baumgardner and Ryan, it was probably the way in which she lost both of those fights that had some people predicting that Dixon would win. However, Harper fought them in divisions that was best for them and not for her. Prior to winning her first world title in 2019, Harper won the vacant WBC International lightweight title earlier that year.

For this fight against Dixon, Harper was finally back in the lightweight division where she could be at her best.Dixon fights in a southpaw stance whereas Harper was in an orthodox stance. Harper’s strategy in the early rounds was to paw and parry with the left hand and then sometimes throw the straight right. Harper’s left jab was also effective. In round five, blood began coming out of the nose of Dixon. Harper seemed to be winning during the first half of the fight.

Round six is when the fight began to change for Dixon as she landed a right hook to the head and then another one later in the round. One of the commentators said that Dixon had better success in that round than in any previous one. Harper came back in round seven with a straight right to the head and Dixon’s nose continued to bleed. In round eight, Harper landed two consecutive straight rights to the head. Harper had the best punch of the fight later in the round with a big left uppercut to the head as Dixon was coming in. In round nine, Dixon landed a left hook to the head. Later in the round, Harper also landed a left hook to the head. Harper then connected several times with both hands.

In the tenth and final round, Dixon landed two big right hooks to the head of Harper. Dixon likely won the tenth round and the sixth round which would mean that Harper would win by a score of 98-92. The total scores of the judges were 97-93, 97-93, and 96-94 all in favor of Harper by unanimous decision. Harper improved her record to 15-2-2, 6 KOs and is the new WBO world lightweight champion. Dixon is no longer undefeated with a record of 10-1, 1 KO.

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