Shurretta Metcalf (left) stares down IBF bantamweight titlist Miyo Yoshida forward of theor Oct. 23 rematch in New York Metropolis. Photograph credit score: Ed Diller, DiBella Leisure
Shurretta Metcalf proved Wednesday night time that she nonetheless has Miyo Yoshida’s quantity, profitable a unanimous choice at The Theater at Madison Sq. Backyard to carry the IBF bantamweight title.
All three judges had the struggle in favor of the 39-year-old from Dallas, Texas by the scores of 99-91, 96-94 and 97-93.
Not like of their first bout final November, the place Metcalf simply outboxed Yoshida, additionally in New York Metropolis, this struggle was a give-and-take affair with each feeling that they had accomplished sufficient to win on the closing bell. In the long run, it was the constant jab and counterpunching of the taller Metcalf (14-4-1, 2 knockouts) that the judges most popular, incomes her her first world title.
Yoshida (17-5), a New York resident who’s initially from Kagoshima, Japan, sees her third world title reign finish in her first protection.
“Man I’ve been ready to listen to that for years,” stated an overwhelmed Metcalf, who turns 40 subsequent Monday.
“That is positively my birthday present. That is my present to my metropolis Dallas.”
Metcalf appeared to hold over loads of confidence from their first bout as she jabbed from distance and landed overhand rights as Yoshida pressed ahead. Regardless of their four-inch top disparity, the 5’3″ 1/2 Yoshida landed greatest together with her counter jabs, as Metcalf had a behavior of retaining her head on the middle line and pulling her chin up at any time when she jabbed.
A sample started to appear whereby Metcalf would begin the rounds strongly and Yoshida would end them stronger, normally because of her overhand rights.
Metcalf turned up the warmth within the eighth and ninth rounds, attempting to stop a late spherical rally from the incumbent champion. Yoshida landed her greatest punch of the struggle with simply ten seconds left within the struggle, as a pair of proper palms appeared to harm Metcalf and push her into the ropes.
“I knew the primary struggle I moved lots and that’s how I used to be preventing her, I wasn’t placing that a lot energy. This time I wished to take a seat down on my punches. I wished her to really feel me this time, I wished to return and make a press release,” stated Metcalf.
The struggle was simply one among two ladies’s bantamweight title fights set for this week, as Dina Thorslund is about to defend her WBC/WBO titles this Friday in Denmark in opposition to Terumi Nuki.
Requested whom she would wish to struggle subsequent, Metcalf acknowledged {that a} third struggle with Yoshida might probably be within the playing cards if the cash was there for it.
The struggle headlined a DiBella Leisure card which aired stay on ProBox TV.
Mykquan Williams KOs Lavisas Williams in 8
Mykquan Williams (22-0-2, 11 KOs) made essentially the most of his ProBox publicity, knocking out Lavisas Williams (10-2-1, 3 KOs) halfway by the eighth and closing spherical of their junior welterweight bout.
Mykquan Williams, 26, of East Hartford, Conn. dominated all through, scoring two knockdowns within the opening spherical earlier than ending Lavisas Williams with a brief proper hand on the 1:32 mark, with referee Harvey Dock waving off the struggle with no rely.
From the outset, Mykquan Williams appeared the sharper of the 2, touchdown proper palms at will in opposition to the 33-year-old from Rochester, N.Y. Mykquan Williams scored the primary knockdown shortly earlier than the top of the spherical as a straight proper hand adopted by a clumsy looping proper hand landed on the temple, placing Lavisas Williams down. Mykquan Williams dropped his opponent as soon as extra without any consideration hand only a second earlier than the bell put him down as soon as once more.
The win continued the momentum for Mykquan Williams, who has now received three straight since his majority draw in opposition to Paulo Cesar Galdino in June of 2023. Lavisas Williams loses for the primary time since his 2016 stoppage to O’Shaquie Foster, however was preventing for simply the third time in eight 12 months.
Mykquan Williams, who’s rated within the prime 15 by the WBO and WBA at 140 kilos, declined to name out any future opponents, deferring as a substitute to his promoter Lou DiBella.
“Hey Lou, set them up. I’ll go away that as much as my group and my promoter,” stated Williams.
Different outcomes
Jerry Forrest (28-6-2, 20 KOs) received an eight spherical unanimous choice over Earl Newman (10-4-1, 7 KOs) by the scores of 78-74 on two playing cards and 79-73 on the third. The loss is the fourth in a row for Newman whereas the win is the second straight for Forrest following his losses to Kubrat Pulev and Jared Anderson in 2022.
Konrad Kaczmarkiewicz (8-1-1, 3 KOs) of Szczecin, Poland defeated Khainell Wheeler (7-6, 6 KOs) by cut up choice, with two judges seeing it his means, 59-55, and a 3rd having it 58-56 for the Pennsylvania based mostly Wheeler. Kaczmarkiewicz, who was preventing for the second straight time in New York, harm Wheeler within the second spherical with a proper hand-left hook combo, however discovered himself bleeding closely from the nostril because of an uppercut within the sixth and closing spherical.
Edward Vazquez (17-2, 4 KOs) of Fort Price, Texas scored his second straight win after Kenneth Taylor (14-4-2, 6 KOs) declined to proceed after the fourth spherical of their ten spherical scheduled junior light-weight bout. Vazquez, 29, appeared able to step again as much as the world stage after coming simply in need of profitable a world title final November, when he misplaced a majority choice to then IBF junior light-weight titleholder Joe Cordina.
