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Friday, October 26, 2012

Duer Decisions Portillo to Defend Title

Carolina Raquel Duer retained the WBO super flyweight title against Marisa Johnna Portillo by unanimous decision at Tecnópolis in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Duer was more aggressive and used combinations, especially to the body, to capture the victory.

Duer's hair was wrapped tightly to prevent it from whipping into her face as happened last fight. Portillo initiated the bout with an overhand right. Duer spent the first minute measuring her Argentine challenger. By the second round, Duer had found her groove, delivering punishing body combinations. The champion also controlled the third round.

Nicknamed "La Turca," Duer began her combinations with rounded left hooks before shifting to the overhand right. She adapted that combo later in the fight, throwing curved left uppercuts, reminiscent of a bolo punch, and following them up with the right.

But Portillo was a game opponent. After failing to match Duer's activity early, Portillo pushed forward in the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds. In those three rounds, the challenger was at her most competitive, but Duer still landed frequently.

In the sixth, Portillo pushed Duer back to the ropes. Duer slid away and continued to back up. Portillo billy goated Duer in the nose. Referee Rudolfo Stella stripped a point away from Portillo for the act. The result was a more passive Portillo. Duer dominated the seventh round with overhand rights. By the ninth round, Duer utilized her customary running combos.

The ring card girls informed the crowd of the upcoming rounds by tip-toeing a high wire in the night's sky. Portillo did not show the same commitment to risk as the ring card girls until the final round. In that tenth, Portillo went for broke. Being the true fighter she is, Duer, comfortably ahead at that point, matched Portillo's intensity throughout the two-minute period, absorbing punishment in the process.

All three of the judges scored the contest 97-92 in favor of the defending champion. Duer, who is an outspoken activist against domestic violence, weighed 114.75 pounds for the bout. She is now 13-3 with 5 KOs after defending the title for the sixth time. Portillo, who weighed 115 pounds, is now 12-6-2 with 2 KOs.

1 comment:

  1. I'm glad to see this blog covers women's boxing. It is of great interest to your vast readership, I'm sure. Keep up the good work!

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