Terri Harper Wins Third World Title with Dominant Victory

Terri Harper revived her career by outpointing fellow Briton Rhiannon Dixon in Sheffield to become a three-weight world champion. The 27-year-old dominated the WBO lightweight title fight at the Canon Medical Arena using her experience and accurate counter-punching to secure a unanimous decision victory with scores of 97-93, 97-93 and 96-94.

Harper controlled the distance early in the fight, frustrating Dixon, whose jab consistently fell short. Dixon’s coach, former world champion Anthony Crolla, urged her to take more risks and in the sixth round, she momentarily rocked Harper with an uppercut and heavy right hand. However, Harper, who has faced elite opponents like Natasha Jonas and Alycia Baumgardner relied on her experience to regain control.

She landed heavy shots in the later rounds, leaving Dixon bloodied by the final bell. Dixon, 29, who won the title in April, suffered her first defeat in this fight. Despite the loss, Dixon’s rapid rise from the white-collar boxing scene to world champion has been remarkable especially as she only recently left her day job as a pharmacist. The fight attracted fewer than 2,000 fans, underscoring the difficulties in promoting women’s boxing.

This contrasts with the massive crowds drawn by male fighters like Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua. Promoter Eddie Hearn acknowledged these difficulties but praised Harper’s historic achievement. He hinted that a unification bout against Argentina’s IBF champion Beatriz Ferreira could be next for Harper.

While Dixon’s reign was brief, she can be proud of her journey to the top level of the sport and Terri Harper continues to impress, now holding world titles in three weight classes.