NEW ZEALANDER GENTIANE LUPI WINS THE WORLD BOXING ASSOCIATION (WBA) OCEANIA FEMALE SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE AT SFC 4

Changing The Game which took place on 12 November at Singapore Foochow Association saw Singapore’s first professional boxer Nurshahidah ‘The Sniper’ Roslie experience her first loss in her boxing career against New Zealand’s professional boxing champion Gentiane ‘AAA’ Lupi for the WBA Oceania Female Super Featherweight title.
“I am extremely honoured to have had the opportunity to fight someone like Gentiane. She definitely did not make it easy for me in the ring,” commented Nurshahidah Roslie, Singapore’s first female professional boxer. “I put in all the energy I had as well as lessons taught by my head coach and I take this loss as a learning opportunity. Thank you everyone for the encouragement and I hope to bring more pride to Singapore in the fights to come.”
This was the first time in Singapore that the prestigious title was up for grabs, which resulted in an electrifying match that had everyone cheering on their feet as the two powerful boxing champions faced off in the ring. With a record of four wins and only two losses in her professional boxing career, the Kiwi, who is renowned for her powerful punches, proved too much for the Singaporean. The contest ended 46 seconds into the fifth round of the ten-round match with Gentiane landing a devastating blow on her opponent which resulted in a TKO.
“Shahidah continues to grow more and more with each fight and I can’t wait to see where she will go next,” said Arvind Lalwani, President of Singapore Fighting Championship and Head Coach at Juggernaut Fight Club. “This was a test for her and now we know that it is not easy to be a world champion. Even though she may not have the WBA title to her name, she is clearly amongst the top professional boxing talents today. This is just the beginning for her.”
The action-packed night also saw another international title belt win for Malaysian boxer Mirage ‘Miracle’ Khan who left the ring victorious as the UBO Asia Pacific Light Heavyweight Champion against veteran boxer Elly Pangaribuan from Indonesia. The Malaysian boxer was relentless in his fight, unleashing a flurry of blows onto his opponent that resulted in a TKO in the first round.
Always a fan-favourite and crowd-pleaser was Singapore’s very own Muhamad ‘The Chosen Wan’ Ridhwan who went head to head with Indonesian boxer, Ramli Pasaribu. The match saw Ridhwan extend his winning streak once again as he methodically took down his opponent with powerful and precise blows to his face and the mid-section. The match ended in the last two seconds of the first round as the Singaporean fighter’s strength proved too much for the Indonesian and overwhelmed by the Singaporean’s devastating offense, the fight ended in a TKO.
Apart from the high level of professional MMA and boxing fights on the latest SFC instalment’s fight card, there was also an impressive lineup of amateur fights adding some new faces in the mix. With so much talent on display, this is a clear sign that fight sports in Singapore are flourishing, whether it’s boxing, kickboxing or MMA.
From the opening amateur fights it was clear that spectators were in for a rare treat. Kicking things off was an entertaining showdown between amateur light flyweight boxers Tan Xunyuan and Ashley Tang, which went down to the wire with Ashley winning by unanimous decision.
In what was nearly the most spectacular fight of the evening, Xuan Yi and Muhammad Ashiq faced off for three grueling rounds of WAKO amateur kickboxing. This fight too went to the wire with both fighters exchanging flurries of blows. Ultimately it was Xuan Yi who won the decision mainly thanks to his precise and punishing kicks to Muhammad Ashiq’s mid-section.
The most spectacular fight of the evening was undoubtedly the penultimate fight, matching up Joseph Mercado from the Philippines against Emilio ‘Honey Badger’ Urrutia from the USA in a professional MMA SFC championship fight that went the full length of five five-minute rounds. Neither warrior gave an inch in the ring with the tide of the fight constantly changing. Emilio had the upper hand in the first rounds alternating a solid stand-up game with an even stronger game on the floor. Joseph weathered the storm and started taking back control in the later rounds. The action came fast and furious with the two fighters giving it their all from start to finish. By the end the winner and new champion by unanimous decision was Emilio. Both fighters left the ring to a standing ovation, although it might simply have been because the audience had forgotten to sit down after being on their feet for the past 25 minutes.
Another match-up of note was the return to form of Singapore-based Indian fighter Rahul ‘The Kerala Krusher’ Raju who returned to the ring after nursing an injury earlier this year. From the outset it was clear that he meant business and in the first exchanges of the professional MMA lightweight fight he took the upper hand and quickly finished his opponent, Vincent Rudinas of the Philippines, in an emphatic manner that somehow conveyed, not only a return to devastating form, but also a joy and elation at being back in the ring.
“I am elated with all the fighters’ hardwork and dedication in every round. I created this platform to provide an opportunity for amateur and professional fighters to gain recognition and to allow fighters to showcase their capabilities and live their dreams in the ring,” commented Arvind Lalwani.
SFC 4 – CHANGING THE GAME
The SFC franchise keeps growing from strength to strength with each new installment. SFC 4 saw a record attendance of a 700-strong sold out crowd at the Singapore Foochow Association with fans of all fighters given a clear view of all fights in the ring.
“It’s great to see so many supporters and avid fans supporting their favourite fighters. You can clearly see the level of interest in boxing, Muay Thai and MMA increasing,” commented Arvind. “My plans for SFC in 2017 are ambitious and we will continue to bring in more great fights and international title belts to Singapore. Fighters and fan-favourites can look forward to 4 more instalments and two potential collaborations in 2017. You just have to stay tuned to see what we do next!”
For more information, please visit www.singaporefightingchampionships.com or www.facebook.com/singaporefightingchampionships.