Sunday 9 February 2020 12:10, UK
Terri Harper sealed world title glory by battering Eva Wahlstrom in Sheffield on Saturday to rip away her belt.
The 23-year-old from Doncaster became WBC super-featherweight champion in just her 10th professional fight by winning a unanimous decision against a vastly more experienced opponent in Wahlstrom, whose only previous defeat came against Katie Taylor.
Harper has now guaranteed her place in boxing history - she is the first English female to win a WBC title (Jane Couch won titles belonging to governing bodies that are now defunct, while Nicola Adams was upgraded to WBO championship status without fighting then drew in her only defence).
Women's boxing now has another potential superstar. Doncaster's Harper first watched boxing aged 10 on a reality TV show and became a pro in November 2017 but, on Saturday, she widely beat a champion 16 years older than her and with 17 more fights under her belt.
"I had a lot of pressure on me, I'm 23-years old and I've just done this, I've made history," she said.
"I got the win, it was a hard fight against a tough girl."
Harper's speed and jab gave her the edge from the very first exchange - Wahlstrom was caught cold by her nimbleness but landed her own left hook in the third round.
Wahlstrom's intentions soon became clear to get inside, rough up her younger opponent, and land clubbing blows from close-range.
Harper's nose was bloody and her eyes reddened by the fifth round.
Wahlstrom was also showing damage to her face by the sixth, as Harper continued to have success from range.
The decisive moment in the seventh came when Harper's straight right hand landed on Wahlstrom's temple - the defending champion fell backwards and the referee counted it as a knock-down, although she protested by claiming it was merely a slip.
Harper had Wahlstrom in a world of trouble in the next round by clubbing home a series of hooks. Wahlstrom wobbled but stayed upright.
"You'll be WBC champion of the world tonight, baby," Harper's trainer Stefy Bull told her after the eighth.
She controlled the final two rounds and took the judges' scores 98-91 and 99-90 twice.
Promoter Eddie Hearn said: "Boxing changes lives, we have a rough diamond here in Terri Harper. She will go on to unify the division."
