Women’s Ratings Update: Bermudez is back at 122, Juarez at 118

Dec

With the end of the year in sight, the level of activity in boxing has slowly reached a more intense pace. A solid amount of worldwide televised action provided a good platform for several great women’s fights during the weekend, but only a limited number of them provided reasons to force changes in The Ring’s ratings.

The most notable one saw Daniela Bermudez, our No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter, jumping up one division to claim a junior featherweight title. Even though her opponent, Cintia Castillo, was no match for her (and probably had very little reason to be in a title fight), the fact that the extraordinarily talented Bermudez made the jump back to 122 (she had already held a title belt in that division) was reason enough to promote her to the No. 3 spot in her new division.

The vote was close, and the decision was reached by the slimmest of margins, with many voices asking for Bermudez to be placed at No. 4 instead. In either case, Yamileth Mercado had to be dropped from the Top 5 to make room for Bermudez, who can now aspire to fight for the Ring belt at junior featherweight if she manages to arrange a rematch with her compatriot and old nemesis Marcela “La Tigresa” Acuña. Bermudez already narrowly defeated Acuña back in 2018, but now Acuña is a free agent, which could make the negotiation a bit more difficult.

If the fight is made, however, it will be a dream bout between two pound-for-pound entrants that could easily be one of the most outstanding bouts of 2021.

The decision to move Bermudez in at 122 also created a vacant spot at 118 that was occupied by another decorated veteran of the female fight game: Mariana Juarez, who now occupies the No. 5 spot behind her recent conqueror, Yulihan Luna Avila, in the bantamweight division. A grudge rematch is already brewing between these ladies for 2021, and it will surely be another barnburner.

Last night at the Koraquen Hall in Tokyo, Etsuko Tada 多田悦子 won the vacant WBO World Minimum title by 9th round TKO over Ayaka Miyao
🎥 pic.twitter.com/tNUwDyYB3b

— Boxing Meets Beauty (@bizzybee0929) December 4, 2020

A few divisions below in the strawweight class, a demolishing stoppage win by No. 4 Etsuko Tada over No. 5 Ayaka Miyao was instantly hailed as one of the most spectacular finishes of the year, and although Tada has no place to go in a star-studded division with an ironclad top three (Rupprecht, Ortiz, Valle) already in place, it became imperative to demote Miyao after such a heartbreaking loss. Mexico’s Katia Gutierrez was picked by the panel to occupy her place as our new No. 5 in the 105-pound division.

122 pounds (junior featherweight)

The Ring Champion: VACANT

1 – Marcela Acuña

2 – Jackie Nava

3 – Daniela Bermudez

4 – Mayerlin Rivas

5 – Dina Thorslund

118 pounds (bantamweight)

The Ring Champion: VACANT

1 – Zulina Muñoz

2 – Maria Cecilia Roman

3 – Debora Dionicius