Ramla Ali (8-1) secured redemption in victory over Julissa Guzman (13-2-2) in the Casino de Monte Carlo, Monaco, over ten rounds, overturning her sole defeat as a professional in the process.
Ali and Guzman had previously met in June, where Guzman sensationally halted Ali inside five rounds in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The super-bantamweight pairing met once again with Ali, demonstrating why she is highly thought of by Matchroom Boxing and manger Anthony Joshua.
Ali boxed to her strengths, which were her movement and hand speed, which was far superior in comparison to her Mexican opponent, Guzman.
The opening five rounds of the scheduled ten was a nip and tuck affair, with Ali utilising her jab and tieing up Guzman on regular occasions despite the Mexican superior work-rate.
Rounds four and five saw Ali wobbled and rocked by Guzman with several combinations, particularly with the left hand in round four in the final minute of the round.
The second half of the fight saw Ali circumnavigate around Guzman, who was lunging in with crude hooks which were missing wildly and allowing Ali to counter almost at will before navigating into safer careers of the ring.
On reflection, it was a much-improved performance from Ali, and despite the competitive nature of the contest, Ali’s class shone through, which reflected on the judge’s scorecards.
After ten scheduled rounds, all three judges scored the contest unanimously with three identical scores of 96-94 in favour of the British/Somalian Ali.
Post-fight, promoter Eddie Hearn indicated that he would be pursuing a world title opportunity for Ali leading into the new year.
