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While winning the World Boxing
Federation (WBF) International
title in August 2015 was the
first significant victory for
Isabel Millan, 17-2-1 (8), it
was when she traveled to France
this past April to win the WBF
World Flyweight title by
dethroning reigning champion
Amira Hamzaoui that her
popularity among fellow Mexicans
started to take off.
An achievement such as that
doesn’t go unnoticed, or
uncelebrated, in a country where
boxing is the second most
popular sport of all, only
behind football, so when “La
Estrella” defends her world
championship for the first time
on Friday December 9 at the
Gimnasio Nuevo Leon in
Monterrey, she can expect big
support from local fans.
And when the challenger is also
Mexican, it adds some extra
spice to the event. Sonia Osorio
brings a record of 8-2-1 (1) to
the party, and while this is her
first major fight she is
reportedly extremely focused on
not only becoming world
champion, but also winning
bragging rights.
There is no doubt that the
defending champion is a healthy
favorite to retain her crown,
but you can never write off a
hungry challenger such as
Osorio. Undefeated in over two
years, she knows this is a big
opportunity she has worked very
hard to get, and she may never
get a second chance.
Another thing that speaks well
for her is the fact that she is
trained by one of the most
accomplished trainers in boxing,
the legendary Ignacio “Nacho”
Beristain, the man behind
Hall-of-Famers such as Juan
Manuel Marquez, Ricardo Lopez
and Humberto “Chiquita”
Gonzalez.
In that, there is an obvious
element of danger for Millan.
She has had one fight since
winning the title, a stay-busy
eight-round victory in August,
but this is really her true
homecoming fight as world
champion, and if she is
expecting an easy nights work
she could be in for a rude
awakening.
Isabel “La Estrella” Millan´s
WBF Womens World Flyweight
title-defense against Sonia
Osorio on December 9 is the main
event of a show promoted by Ana
Maria Gonzalez. The undercard
will consist of six well-matched
bouts featuring local talent.
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