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Nadya Hokmi captured her second
World Boxing Federation (WBF)
world title on Thursday night in
Sarcelles, France, when she won
a well-fought ten-round majority
decision over Mexico’s Linda
Soto to capture the vacant
Bantamweight crown.
Hokmi, who previously held the
WBF World Super Flyweight title
and never lost it in the ring,
was in with a determined
challenger in Soto who clearly
came to win and got off to a
good start.
The visitor fought aggressively
and landed well to body and
head, but in the third round
Hokmi seemed to find her rhythm
and after four stanzas the
scores were dead even.
Soto, the reigning WBF
Intercontinental Super Flyweight
ruler, remained dangerous and
determined, and clearly had her
share of success in the
remainder of the bout as Hokmi’s
right eye started to swell in
round five.
But it was the local favorite
who finished the fight best and
won most of the rounds on two of
the scorecards.
After ten entertaining rounds
that were a credit to women’s
boxing, judges Brahim Ait Aaid
and Christophe Hembert both
scored in favor of Hokmi by
97-93, while Sergio Sotelo had
it even at 95-95.
The new WBF Women’s World
Bantamweight Champion improved
her record to 20-6-1 (9), while
Soto, ten years the younger at
26, fell to 6-4 (3).
Also on the card, late
substitute Fabriece Aurieng won
the vacant WBF International
Heavyweight title with a wide
unanimous decision over seasoned
Brazilian Raphael Zumbano.
Aurieng, fighting from his
tricky southpaw stance, was
throughout the busier and
hungrier fighter of the two, and
outlanded the more experienced
Zumbano in practically every
round.
Brahim Ait Aaid scored the fight
120-108, Sergio Sotelo had it
119-109 and Toni Tiberi 118-111.
Nicknamed “Big Boy”, Aurieng is
an accomplished Kickboxer too,
and improved his professional
boxing record to a deceiving 8-6
(2). Zumbano travels back to
Brazil at 33-7-1 (26).
The World Boxing Federation
doubleheader was promoted by
Etoile Production.
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