Doncaster’s Terri Harper remains queen of the ring after Wembley win

terriHARPER successfully defended her WBC and IBO world super featherweight titles with a bruising ninth-round stoppage against Norway’s Katharina Thanderz at the SSE Arena, Wembley.
Champion: 
Terri Harper against Natasha Jonas. Picture: MatchroomChampion: 
Terri Harper against Natasha Jonas. Picture: Matchroom
Champion: Terri Harper against Natasha Jonas. Picture: Matchroom

The 24-year-old fighter from Doncaster endured a similarly entertaining contest in her first defence against fellow Briton Natasha Jonas in August - where the bout was controversially called as a split-decision draw.

With Jonas watching ringside, Harper stepped up against the previously unbeaten Thanderz to win inside the distance and extend her record to 11 wins and one draw from her 12 professional bouts.

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“That has made my year. I knew it was going to be a tough night with Thanderz,” Harper told Sky Sports. “I just felt more mature, I stuck to the gameplan and got the win.

“Now I want to go on and fight all these other champions and fight the best.”

The Yorkshirewoman’s footwork and powerful left jab caused problems to her opponent throughout the contest but Thanderz threatened with occasionally warning shots with her left hook.

Harper, who revealed she injured her right hand midway through the fight, took ownership of the bout in the latter stages as her Norwegian contender searched the knock-out punch as she trailed on the judges’ scorecards.

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However, it was the defending champion who delivered the telling blow as a sickening left hook to the body saw Thanderz wince in pain before Harper unleashed a barrage of punches, with the referee calling an early end to the absorbing contest.

Earlier, Rachel Ball claimed the interim WBC world super-bantamweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Argentina’s Jorgelina Guanini.

The pair were meant to fight for the WBA bantamweight strap but Guanini - who took the fight on 10 days’ notice after Ebanie Bridges suffered a shoulder injury - could not make the weight.

However, the interim WBC world super-bantamweight belt was up for grabs at Wembley and it was hard to separate the two fighters as it reached the halfway mark in the 10-round contest.

Ball used her height advantage and quicker hand-speed to take control in the second half of the fight, with two judges casting scorecards of 99-91 and the other going 99-92 - all in her favour.

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