Ringside Report: Terri Harper Beats Rhiannon Dixon To Become A Three-Weight World Champion
Pre-fight Terri Harper talked about experience being the key, and she was proven right at the Canon Medical Arena in Sheffield on Saturday night.
Harper defied the betting odds to comprehensively outpoint Rhiannon Dixon to lift the WBO world lightweight title and create a little slice of history in the process in winning a world title at a third weight.
The start was always going to be crucial, and it was the challenger who hit the ground running. I could only give Dixon one of the opening five rounds, and very quickly, her first defence was running away from her. Harper had the sharper hands, the quicker feet, and looked technically the better fighter. It always looked like a fight where we would see who would win very quickly.
But Dixon didn't let go of her title without one hell of a fight. The Warrington fighter seemed to hurt Harper in the 6th, and there were fleeting signs that the Denaby might just unravel. Dixon also edged the 7th on my card, and she looked capable of turning the tide.
The momentum of the fight turned again in the 8th. This time, definitively. Just when Dixon had found some semblance of hope, Harper stopped the mini-crisis in its tracks. The storm had passed without reward for the defending champion. I thought Harper saw out the final three rounds to leave no doubt at the final bell. The judges saw it 97-93, 97-93, and 96-94 to Harper. This observer saw it 97-93 for Harper.
Harper was in the last chance saloon. Another defeat would have seen her facing an almighty long road back, despite her being only 27. But the win over Dixon has salvaged her career, and all of a sudden, she has big fights ahead of her once again. The doubts about her cutting down to lightweight have now been erased. She looked immensely strong at the weight. Harper can now look forward to more big nights at her new weight.
Dixon suffers her first defeat in eleven fights, and it was probably a case of too much too soon for her. She couldn't find any real rhythm, and it was a struggle from the opening bell. The margins were thin, and with a few adjustments, Dixon will come again. A gentle rebuild is in order before she launches her another assault on the world title. She will learn many lessons from her first career defeat and return a more-rounded fighter.
Photo Credit: Matchroom Boxing
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