Terri Harper will make her first defense against Cecilia Braekhus – World Boxing Association

The details are still to be worked out, the date and place are still to be defined, but the deal has been sealed: the World Boxing Association Super Welterweight champion Terri Harper will make her first defense against Cecilia Braekhus, “The First Lady”. So announced Matchroom Boxing this week. 

Just five months ago, British boxer Terri Harper, returned to the ring hungry for glory and determined to be crowned again. She fought a tough and hard-hitting Hanna Rankin and managed to beat her in ten rounds in front of the Nottingham crowd. Harper won the WBA belt at 154 pounds. 

Harper had not stepped foot in that weight division since February 10, 2018 when she made her second appearance as a professional boxer after making her debut a year earlier (which was at 135 pounds). In that 2018 bout she defeated Bulgarian Borislava Goranova. 

Then, the rest of her presentations were in lightweight until in 2019 she decides to challenge herself inside 130 pounds. She defeated South African Nozipho Bell by technical knockout in the eighth round and became IBO super featherweight world champion, and the following year she became WBC champion when she defeated a great figure, Eva Wahlstrom. That same year she defended her championships by drawing with Natasha Jonas, which was a war, and with Katharina Thanderz. However, in 2021 Alycia Baumgardner handed Harper her first loss and first knockout. 

But that didn’t stop her. In March 2022 Harper recovered and stepped into the ring to fight Argentinean fighter Yamila Abellaneda, in the lightweight category. Bye-bye to 130. On that occasion she won the  WBA Intercontinental belt, and a new stage began for Harper. then, in September 2022, he moved up to 154 pounds with Rankin and won the world title. 

Harper knows well about big challenges in spite of her short record of 13 wins with 6 knockouts, 1 loss and 1 draw. To face Cecilia Braekhus is not only a challenge for her, it is an honor for the history she represents in the world. The Norwegian Cecilia Braekhus was in 36 fights and 9 definitions undefeated woman until 2020. Until her she faced Jessica McCaskill who won all the 147 lbs. belts and in the rematch the American repeated it. Those are the only two defeats Braekhus has in her career, which restarted in December 2022 with her 37th victory over Marisa Portillo of Argentina. 

The Harper-Braekhus clash will put “The First Lady” on the main stage again and will undoubtedly be a must-see show of guaranteed action.