(NOV 29)  On Saturday night, November 23rd, at the Olympiastuetzpunkt in Heidelberg, Germany, Tina Rupprecht of Germany added the WBA and WBO belts to her WBC belt to become the unified atomweight champion by defeating former unified atomweight champion Eri Matsuda of Japan.

The weight limit of atomweight is 102 pounds which is even lighter than minimumweight which has a weight limit of 105 pounds. The atomweight division is only for women and is not used in pro boxing for men.

Rupprecht was the WBC minimumweight champion for several years from December 2017 until March 2023 when she lost to Seniesa Estrada of the United States by unanimous decision.

In January 2024, Rupprecht became the WBC atomweight champion by defeating Fabiana Bytyqi of the Czech Republic by unanimous decision. Matsuda also became an atomweight champion in January 2024 by defeating Yuko Kuroki of Japan by split decision to win the WBA and WBO titles.

 

Rupprecht vs. Matsuda is currently shown on the website of German broadcaster ARD. 

Rupprecht uses an orthodox stance whereas Matsuda is a southpaw. In round one, Rupprecht landed a right hand to the head which knocked down Matsuda. Matsuda got up before the count of ten by the referee and the fight resumed. There were no other knockdowns in the fight. Atomweights typically fight at a fast pace and this fight exemplified that. The audience periodically chanted “Tina” in support of the German boxer.

In the tenth and final round, Matsuda landed a left hand to the head as the bell rang to end the round and the fight. However, Rupprecht appeared to have landed more punches. Rupprecht was also better at blocking and evading punches.   The judges scores were 97-92, 96-93, and 96-93 all in favor of Rupprecht by unanimous decision. Rupprecht improves her record to 14-1-1, 3 KOs whereas Matsuda is now 7-2-1, 1 KO.

Of course, this is a notable win for Rupprecht. One of Rupprecht’s other notable wins was against Yokasta Valle of Costa Rica by unanimous decision in June 2018when Rupprecht was the WBC interim minimumweight champion. Valle is the current WBC minimumweight champion.

IBF atomweight champion Sumire Yamanaka of Japan was in attendance for this unified atomweight championship.  Yamanaka entered the ring with her IBF belt over her shoulder for a friendly face-off with Rupprecht who was wearing her WBC, WBA, and WBO belts to set the stage for their future fight for the undisputed atomweight championship of the world. The fight will take place next yeareither in Germany or Japan.  Yamanaka is undefeated with a record of 8-0, 3 KOs.

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