(NOV 30) Former IBF world
featherweight champion Sarah Mahfoud of Denmark, originally from
the Faroe Islands, returned to the ring and improved her record
to 15-2 after earning a hard-fought majority decision victory
over seasoned Brazilian contender Danila Ramos (now 13-4) on
Friday night at Frederiksberg Hallerne in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The bout, a high-stakes clash
between the WBO’s top two-ranked featherweight contenders, was
for the WBO International title, with both fighters aiming to
secure the top contender spot and a shot at the WBO world
championship.
Danila Ramos pressed the action with forward movement and a
strong right hand, winning her rounds through aggression.
Meanwhile, Sarah Mahfoud countered effectively, using sharp
dodges and more precise counter-punching whenever Ramos missed.
After 10 closely contested rounds, the fight went to the
scorecards. The three neutral judges—Matteo Montella (Italy),
Jose Ignacio Martinez Antunez (Spain), and Leszek Jankowic
(Poland)—rendered the following scores: 96-94, 96-94 for Mahfoud,
and 95-95, resulting in a majority decision victory for the
Danish fighter.
"I feel good, and I am very happy. I’ve been waiting for this
fight for months because it was postponed initially, but now I’m
here with the victory, and this journey continues toward another
world champion attempt. I knew she would come charging forward,
so I prepared to use counter-attacks, and that’s what I did. She
kept moving forward, so it was about maintaining the pace and
reading her punches throughout the fight," said Sarah Mahfoud.
Ramos, who entered the fight with 13 wins from 16 professional
bouts, fought valiantly, making it a tough and competitive
contest. Despite many of her attacks being deflected, she
managed to land some punches, putting Mahfoud under pressure at
times.
“There were some rounds where I got hit a little too much, and
then I had to pull myself together. That’s how boxing is: You
have 10 rounds where things can go a little up and down. The
most important thing is that you win most of the rounds in the
end, and that’s what I did,” said Mahfoud, reflecting on her
performance. She now looks forward to pursuing another world
title shot in the coming year.
Promoter Bettina Palle, who organized the boxing event,
expressed her satisfaction with the outcome and is now
anticipating the prospect of a world championship fight
featuring Danish participation in 2025.
“It was a big gamble to take this fight, as it was a showdown
between the number one and number two in the WBO world rankings.
I was even more concerned when Sarah Mahfoud came down with a
snotty nose leading up to the fight. But she fought hard and did
what was necessary under challenging conditions. Now we’re
exploring the possibilities, which largely depend on Amanda
Serrano’s plans for the future,” said Bettina Palle after the
fight.
Amanda Serrano recently moved up three weight classes and
narrowly lost a world championship bout to Katie Taylor at the
Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson event in Arlington, Texas.
In 2022, Sarah Mahfoud accepted a world championship title fight
against Amanda Serrano in Manchester, England, on just five
weeks' notice. While she lost by unanimous decision, the judges'
scorecards credited her with winning three rounds. She won three
fights after that before she lost a WBC world title fight on
points to Skye Nicolson in Las Vegas.
In other action Friday night, undefeated 25-year-old Danish
super middleweight Oliver Zarenstopped Mexico’s Carlos Gallego
Montijo (14-8, 9 KOs) in the 6th round. The fight was largely
one-sided, with Zaren dominating throughout, and he now improves
to 15-0 (6 KOs).
Cruiserweight prospect Hamza Hussein (now 8-0) impressed with
sharp uppercuts and fluid boxing from the distance, forcing his
opponent, Argentine Camilo Castagno, to be stopped in the 4th
round when Castagno’s corner threw in the towel.
The 10-fight card with new talents from the Danish and Swedish
boxing scene aired on Pluto TV across Scandinavia and was
promoted by Bettina Palle, who celebrated her 25 years as a
boxing promoter with this event. Her career in boxing began in
1999 working with the event where future WBA world champion
Johnny Bredahl knocked out Paul Lloyd to claim the European
bantamweight title.
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