Three-time, two-division world champion Miyo Yoshida misplaced one other extraordinarily controversial ten-round unanimous resolution to Shurretta “Chiccn” Metcalf on October twenty third (in the principle occasion) regardless of as soon as once more dominating the combat.
“When the ring announcer learn the choice, I used to be very stunned that I misplaced,” a dejected Yoshida stated whereas again in her house nation of Japan by means of her translator, Kenji Shiwaku, who has identified her for the final eight years and has labored together with her for the final two. “I felt that I received the combat. I boxed nicely, outlanded her, and didn’t get hit usually.”
In accordance with CompuBox punch statistics, Yoshida beat Metcalf in nearly each offensive class. She landed extra punches than Metcalf (96 to 64) and had a greater join proportion (22 to 9). Yoshida landed nearly thrice as many jabs (49 to 17) and linked on about twice as many physique punches (30 to 16). She outlanded Metcalf in eight of the ten rounds, with the opposite two being attracts. Metcalf threw extra punches than Yoshida (650 to 418) however missed 91 % of them.
“I felt strongly that Miyo received 97-93 or 96-94, nonetheless, I by no means anticipated seven to 3 or 9 to at least one in opposition to us,” stated Yoshida’s supervisor, New York Metropolis-based legal professional Keith Sullivan, who watched the combat from ringside. “I used to be shocked and damage for Miyo. She remained stoic, congratulated her opponent, and came to visit to me and stated, “How? How?”.
All three judges at ringside awarded Metcalf’s aggressiveness and quantity punching over Yoshida’s accuracy, energy punching, and higher protection. Choose Max DeLuca had it 96-94, Choose Robert Perez scored it 97-93, and Choose Robin Taylor had it 99-91, by which she inexplicitly gave Yoshida just one spherical (the tenth).
In rounds one, six, and eight, Yoshida outlanded Metcalf by greater than double the punches, but she misplaced all three rounds on the judges’ scorecards. If she had received these rounds on judges’ DeLuca and Perez’s scorecards, she would have prevailed by a majority resolution. The group at The Theater at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis, New York, additionally disagreed with the choice as they loudly booed after Metcalf was introduced the winner.
She managed the combat by touchdown tougher and extra correct punches as she successfully darted out and in of Metcalf’s offensive vary regardless of being the smaller fighter by 4 inches. Yoshida dictated the motion with well-timed jabs and a number of punch combos, notably within the final minute of every spherical. Whereas Metcalf threw extra punches, most didn’t land, and plenty of hit nothing however air, primarily attributable to Yoshida’s impenetrable protection.
Yoshida linked on a tough proper hook to Metcalf’s physique and head within the first spherical. She landed a robust proper jab to Metcalf’s head that knocked her off stability in the direction of the top of the second. Metcalf got here again within the third spherical. Yoshida took over the fourth, touchdown many left-right jabs to Metcalf’s head.
Metcalf managed the fifth spherical, however Yoshida took over the sixth, as she linked on a number of exhausting chopping proper jabs and backed Metcalf up all through the spherical. Yoshida landed a number of sturdy left-right jabs and hook combos to Metcalf’s physique and head within the seventh, eighth, and ninth rounds. Yoshida staggered Metcalf from two large proper hooks to the top simply because the tenth spherical ended.
Yoshida dropped to 17-5 and misplaced her IBF bantamweight belt in her first world title protection. She received the title (in her second division) in her earlier outing (final December) in opposition to one-loss Ebanie Bridges, who was making her second world title protection, through a ten-round unanimous resolution. Yoshida, who took that combat on lower than two weeks’ discover, dominated Bridges, as she solely misplaced 5 rounds on the judges’ three scorecards. She fought Bridges a month after dropping to Metcalf of their first bout.
Metcalf defeated Yoshida through a ten-round unanimous resolution for the vacant IBF Inter-Continental bantamweight title a yr in the past. Metcalf received by a barely wider margin on the three judges’ scorecards (99-91, 98-92, and 96-94) than their most up-to-date combat, and once more, one decide, Marcel Varela, gave Yoshida only one spherical, regardless of Yoshida as soon as once more outlanding Metcalf and controlling the motion within the bout.
The forty-year-old orthodox fighter from Dallas, Texas, received her first world title in her first try. Metcalf improved to 14-4-1, 2 KOs. She has received 4 in a row (together with beating Yoshida in back-to-back fights) and is unbeaten in her final 5 bouts and fourteen of her final fifteen fights, relationship again to 2017, when she began her profession 2-3.
“I formally requested the IBF to order a compulsory rematch between Yoshida and Metcalf. I supplied the IBF with the video of the combat, Compubox statistics, and evaluation of the combat as a foundation for supporting that request. They acknowledged the submitting and said that it’s being investigated,” stated Lawyer Sullivan, who has labored with Yoshida for the final yr and manages feminine middleweight prospect Nisa Rodriguez (2-0), up-and-coming heavyweight Pryce Taylor (4-0, 2 KOs), and co-manages world-rated welterweight contender Paddy Donovan (14-0, 11 KOs). “We’re nonetheless ready for the IBF’s resolution. Within the meantime, Yoshida is already asking me to get her again within the ring with somebody, anybody, however ideally Metcalf or one other title holder within the division.”
Yoshida, who has fought professionally for the final ten years, obtained her first world title in 2019 over one-loss Casey Croft for the vacant WBO tremendous flyweight belt. She received all however one spherical on the judges’ three scorecards. The thirty-six-year-old orthodox boxer made one world title protection in opposition to Li Peng Shi earlier than dropping her belt to fellow Japanese fighter Tomoko Okuda. She regained her title of their rematch six months later however misplaced it once more to a different Japanese boxer, Tamao Ozawa, in her subsequent bout. Yoshida obtained the 2023 Most Inspirational Feminine Fighter award from The Ring Journal.
She has spent most of her boxing profession preventing in Tokyo and Kagoshima, Japan, the place she was born and raised. She received the Japanese and Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation bantamweight titles and defended these belts from 2017 to 2019. For the final two years, she has spent a lot of the yr coaching in New York Metropolis (on the famed Gleason’s Fitness center in Brooklyn, New York), the place three of her final 4 bouts have been.
“I’m grateful for the help that I’ve obtained from folks worldwide, and I sit up for their continued help as I try to repeat as a world champion for a fourth time,” stated Yoshida, by means of her translator, Shiwaku, who’s a boxing coach at a gymnasium on a United States navy base in Japan (since 2008), which is the place he met Yoshida at one in all her skilled fights. “Hopefully, I can combat Metcalf once more or one other world champion.”
