Odelia Ben Ephraim to Challenge Tania Alvarez for European Title

A potential fight of the year candidate is on the schedule for November 30 when Odelia "Thunder" Ben Ephraim faces the European junior featherweight champion Tania Alvarez at Casal Cultural i Recreatiu in Castellbisbal, Spain. This is a big opportunity for the former French featherweight champ.

Ben Ephraim won the French featherweight title a year ago. She had the chance to fight Sheila Martinez for the European featherweight title in January, but sustained an injury. She came back in June when she lost her national title by disputed decision. Following that disappointment, Ben Ephraim said, "I think I deserve a strong comeback." She told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "I've been working hard since July, and I feel more ready than ever."

Ben Ephraim will be going down in weight for this title challenge. All eight of her career fights have been at featherweight. She has spent much of this camp in Israel where she's already made the featherweight limit. She admits cutting to 122 will be a little hard, but she'll make it.

The 25 year old from Blagnac, France comes into the fight with a 5-3 record. Her three losses were all close contentious decisions against tough opponents. She faces another tough foe at the end of the month.

Nicknamed "La Violencia," Tania Alvarez is a 22 year old from Barcelona, Spain who began boxing at the age of 14. She fights like a whirlwind, running toward her opponent to get inside. Once there, she repeatedly fires combinations until her arms inevitably tire as the fight progresses. Alvarez keeps her hands low and with her volume punching, she is very open to counters. Tania's chin is tungsten tough, however. She doesn't block or slip punches, at least not intentionally, instead she uses that chin to break the will of the opponent.

Boasting an 11-1 record, Tania's only loss came against the brilliant boxer Skye Nicolson, who exposed Alvarez's crude brawling style. Nicolson stuck-and-moved, but Alvarez's constant pressure wore down Nicolson in the later rounds. One reason Alvarez lost to Nicolson was because the fight took place in Madison Square Garden. Alvarez's other fights have been at home, and she has gotten the benefit of the doubt in several close fights.

Vanesa Caballero had a lot of success in 2022 against Alvarez, but only one judge gave her so much as a round. That same year, the judges gave Alvarez a majority decision victory over Enerolisa de Leon in a very close fight. This past April, Maria Cecchi was incredulous when Alvarez was announced the winner of the vacant European title. All of those bouts took place at Casal Cultural i Recreatiu. The fight against Ben Ephraim will be Tania's tenth at the venue.

Ben Ephraim could try and keep Alvarez at range with her jab and then pivot to find new angles, similar to how Nicolson won her fight. Alvarez runs straight through the door, so angles could help neutralize her offense. Odelia, however, tends to stand in the pocket and throw combinations, just as Alvarez does. The champ's punches are wide, designed to go around the opponents guard in close. Odelia could punch with her, but even if she gets the better of the exchanges, the judges may not agree. If she makes it a firefight, body punches will be essential, because Alvarez's chin is too strong. A blend of boxing and brawling could keep Alvarez off balance.

This will be Ben Ephraim's first ten-rounder. Alvarez has gone the twenty-minute distance twice.