|
Chamblin to fight for IBA world title
Dan McDonald
Only two women's boxing world title bouts have ever been held in Louisiana, and both involved Lafayette-based fighters.
The first came 10 years ago when Deirdre Gogarty won the International Boxing Federation featherweight crown from Bonnie Canino in New Orleans. The second will come on Nov. 24 when Lafayette's Kasha Chamblin takes on Ada Velez of Hollywood, Fla., for the International Boxing Association junior featherweight title at Paragon Casino and Resort in Marksville.
"I'm more than ready for this," said Chamblin (10-1-0, 5 KOs), who will be making her fifth Paragon appearance as the main event of a five-bout card promoted by Mickey Daigle and KeepPunching Entertainment. "I need really great fighters to bring out the best in me, and I've got one here."
Velez (15-3-2, 6 KOs) has held three world titles, including winning the IBA bantamweight title in 2001.
She also held both the WIBA bantamweight and super bantamweight titles during her career, but "retired" from the sport after a Jan. 17, 2004 loss to Anita Christensen in Denmark in a bout for both the WIBA and WIBF bantamweight belts.
Velez, dubbed "La Nina de Puerto Rico" for her native country, returned to the sport in August and is 1-1 including a decision win over Jackie Chavez in New Mexico on Sept. 21 in her last action.
"I'm a fan of my opponent," said Chamblin, who is coming off an impressive decision win over nationally-ranked Donna Biggers on Aug. 25 in her last bout. "There were some other fighters we could have fought for a title, but she's held this title before. She's earned this shot and I think we've earned it, too."
It was that win over Biggers at Blackham Coliseum that convinced trainer/manager Beau Williford and Daigle - the first female promoter in the Southern U.S. to stage a casino-based female world title fight with a major sanctioning body - that Chamblin was ready to seek a title belt.
Chamblin won every round on the judges' cards against Biggers, her second test against a world-class fighter. The first came last December when she lost by an eighth-round TKO to Ina Menzer in Berlin, Germany, for the WIBF featherweight title.
"My confidence is so much better now," Chamblin said. "My team told me early on in training for the Biggers fight that we had this one, and that was the first time I went into a fight with that kind of confidence in myself. I know Donna was tough, and chopping someone that tough helped my confidence a lot."
Chamblin hasn't taken a break from training since beginning preparations for the Biggers fight, and on Wednesday sparred 10 three-minute rounds (women's bouts have two-minute rounds). She said Thursday she's down to 118 pounds, well under the 122-pound junior featherweight limit.
"This is the best shape I've ever been in this far out from a fight," she said. "I don't have to worry about being in shape. I'm just working on mistakes that I made last time."
Subplots abound for the Nov. 24 fight. Gogarty, the Irish native who came to Lafayette at the start of her pro career, was a mentor for Chamblin and is now on the Louisiana State Boxing Commission. Canino, who lost to Gogarty in the state's only other major women's title bout, is the trainer for Velez, who has been in eight title fights in her career.
|
