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Colombian contender Viviana Ruiz is now a world champion, capturing the interim WBA flyweight title with a hard-fought split decision victory over Argentina’s María Rivera Saturday night in Queensland, Australia.
In a tightly contested battle from start to finish, the judges scored it 97-93, 96-94, and 94-96, with Ruiz edging out the win. Fighting out of Australia, where she’s now based, Ruiz turned in a gutsy performance that brings the prestigious black-and-gold WBA belt back to her native Colombia.
Coming into the fight, Ruiz had already claimed the WBA Oceania title and was ranked No. 5 in the WBA’s world rankings at flyweight. Now, with a new title around her waist, Ruiz didn’t waste any time — immediately calling out regular WBA champion Gabriela Fundora, declaring she has the tools to dethrone her.
With the victory, Ruiz improves her record to 10 wins and 2 losses. Rivera, meanwhile, drops to 14-7-2 in what was a closely contested affair.
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