MARIANA JUAREZ’S VINTAGE VICTORY

Historic three division World Boxing Council champion, Mariana Juárez, successfully defended her WBC female bantamweight crown for the third time by defeating Uruguayan Gabriela Bouvier, at the Arena Coliseum in Mexico City.

Mariana imposed her quality from the first round, using her aesthetic boxing skills, timing her left jab effectively and following up with sharp combinations. Despite Mariana’s dominance, Gabriela Bouvier, who aged twenty seven is eleven years her junior, rallied to fight back in some toe to toe exchanges in the second half of the fight, often using nifty footwork to evade and retreat prior to this late flurry.

It was by far the best of their three encounters, with heavier handed Mariana, landing more often and to greater effect, against a brave challenger who’s persistence demanded vigilance as well as a constant work rate. After the fight, Mariana even commented that she’s aiming and willing to conquer a new division. Her record now stands at 48 wins with 9 losses and 4 draws, while her opponent left the ring with a record of 13 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw. Following that final bell tolling, and in keeping with the wonderful sporting tradition of women’s boxing, the two of them immediately embraced and congratulated each other on a championship very well fought!