Mizuki Hiruta vs Mai Soliman

In reality, women’s boxing is still in its early stages of development. It seems a long time since 2012, when Katie Taylor and Claressa Shields in 2016 put women’s boxing on the map by winning Olympic gold medals. And so it was that Mizuki Hiruta was able to win a world title in her fourth professional bout. The fact that she is just about to make the seventh defence of that title against Australian-based Egyptian-born Mai Soliman is quite remarkable in itself. Of course, the Australian may prove to be more than a live underdog. With a 60% knockout percentage, the Sydney-based 28-year-old packs a punch that not many female boxers are capable of. But the southpaw skills and the super fitness levels of the Japanese boxer give her a big advantage, along with the experience of those six defences that have seen her dominant in the super flyweight category. Having been born in Cairo, I hope Solomon gets to enjoy the reception of her people, but ultimately I see her going down to a wide points decision defeat.