[ad_1]
KEEPING THE BELTS: Terri Harper is named the winner of the TKO by ring judge Victor Loughlin. Katharina Engene Thanderz (right) believes that she should be allowed to finish the match. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom
Katharina Engene Thanderz (32) believes that the referee should have allowed her to continue the last round and a half against Terri Harper (24) in the World Cup match, which ended in a loss by technical knockout.
– It is a scandal that the referee stopped the game. It’s really amazing, but that’s what boxing is like away from home, Thanderz tells VG.
It was in the ninth round that the drama emerged at Wembley Arena. Terri Harper was most likely way ahead in points, and Thanderz’s only chance to win the WBC and IBO super featherweight belts was to win by knockout.
But first there was an involuntary bark between the two boxers, and Thanderz received a real blow to the nose. As the blood flowed, he was given a few seconds of rest before the match continued.
– I went out of focus when I was bald. It’s 100 percent my fault and she hit me on the body because I focused on baldness, says Engene Thanderz.
also read
Engene Thanderz lost the World Cup match by technical knockout
THE BEGINNING OF THE END: Terri Harper hits with a heavy body shot that creates big problems for Katharina Engene Thanderz. Photo: Mark Robinson / Mark Robinson
Harper, who incidentally had injured his right hand, struck the body with a strong left blow. The Thanderz meadows were clearly damaged and had more than enough to defend themselves. The 32-year-old believes she managed it, but judge Victor Loughlin intervened and dismissed it with 48 seconds remaining in the penultimate round.
Then Harper landed two more left blows, to the body and to the head.
– Maybe it was okay. It was hopelessly behind in some points. She wasn’t anywhere near a knockout, but it was a body shot that really took the lead there. We saw it come to a complete stop for Katharina, Viasat commentator Thomas Hansvoll said in the seconds after the loss.
– It was probably too early for the judge, but at the same time okay. If this had been an even and close match, it would have been too early, box commentator Erik Nilsen tells VG.
Nilsen, who is also the general secretary of the Norwegian Boxing Association, had predicted in advance that it would be a completely open match and that Engene Thanderz had a good chance of becoming the second women’s world champion alongside Cecilia Brækhus.
– Harper was very good and there was a level difference between these two. Katharina got tough and seemed quite frustrated along the way, says Nilsen.
BLOOD FROM THE NOSE: Katharina Engene Thanderz took a real blow to the nose when she barked at Terri Harper in the ninth round. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom
– Harper put up a good fight, got away from me and danced around the ring a lot. But she felt like he was coming in more and more with each round, hitting her with lots of good, hard shots, Engene Thanderz sums up.
Engene Thanderz was undefeated in his first 13 professional fights, but the boxer who is under contract with German team Sauerland is looking forward to his first career loss.
– My ability to tie does not seem, so I must have achieved something during the match. It’s a pure experience for me and I’ll come back stronger, he promises.
P.S.! In the main match of the competition in London, the Irish Katie Taylor swept the Spanish Miriam Gutiérrez and won with points 100-90, 100-89 and 99-91. Gutiérrez took the account in the fourth round.
