Boxing | Tammara Thibeault wins her first professional fight

It’s a small jab for boxing, but a big blow for women’s sports. Tammara Thibeault’s first professional fight, and de facto first victory, was bland. Even boring. Still, this historic clash could contribute to an important change in the future of women’s boxing.

For female boxers, rounds normally last two minutes. Several fighters claim that they are lengthened, and have done so for many years.

Friday evening, Tammara Thibeault became the first boxer to fight three-minute rounds in a first professional fight.

She and her opponent Natasha Spence became the first to fight such long rounds at middleweight.

And that is much more what we will remember than the victory won by unanimous decision (40-36) by Tammara Thibeault.

“Tonight, we made history,” rejoiced the Shawinigan resident, after being declared the winner. You know, it takes courage to stand up, to make a difference. That’s what we did this evening. »

In the big leagues

A dozen hours before his fight, Thibeault took the boxing world by surprise by joining the ranks of MVP, the stable of recognized influencer Jake Paul. She became the first Canadian to join the organization, with whom she had been negotiating secretly for a year.

Jake Paul was quick to congratulate his new protégé in the center of the ring, shortly after the fight took place. The scene would have been science fiction just half a day ago.

To the left of Tammara Thibeault was also Amanda Serrano. The one who turned out to be the real star on the undercard of the gala between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. Long before that, she earned the title of pioneer of her sport.

Serrano is one of those campaigning for female boxers to compete in three-minute rounds, like men.

“She defied the norms,” recalled Thibeault. I want to follow in her footsteps and then pave the way for the female boxers who will follow me. »

“I am so excited to see our sport grow. To see a female fighter fighting for equality with men, it makes me proud to be a woman,” Serrano said.

Serrano, like Thibeault, is part of MVP. Their arrival within these ranks bodes well for women’s boxing. Jake Paul’s promotional skills are well established, unlike his in-ring prowess.

“All I want is fairness and to make women rich,” Logan’s brother commented, in slightly more colorful language.

One way

Beyond the words, there was a fight on the menu. A short fight of four rounds, easily to the advantage of Thibeault.

Her opponent, Ontario’s Natasha Spence, was 12 years her senior. She gave him more than three inches, in addition to having lost her last three duels. And consequently, on Friday, she was never in the game.

With her far superior reach, Thibeault managed to maintain the center of the ring from A to Z, placing her opponent in the cables time and time again. The exchanges were, however, disheveled, as is often the case when a left-handed and a right-handed person face each other.

Towards the end of the second round, Spence showed signs of fatigue. She held on to her opponent to avoid taking too many strikes.

During the last two assaults, Spence tried more aggressive attacks to regain some ground, but it was to no avail.

Quicker, Thibeault managed to keep her at bay, without ever compromising himself. In the end, Spence only managed to hit the target 14 times, compared to 61 for Thibeault.

Although predictable, this victory will reassure the Quebecer. It allowed her to prove that she is capable of winning in three-minute rounds. In this format, at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, Thibeault experienced great disappointment, losing in his first fight. She also concluded the Tokyo Games on 5^e rang.

His domination, however, was total among the amateurs, where the rounds lasted only two minutes. Before losing in Paris, she had accumulated 25 consecutive victories. Among amateurs, in 65 fights, she lost only 14 times.

And we bet that among the pros, Tammara Thibeault will experience victory more often than not.

Read our article “New stage, same dedication”