Anisha Dzombe Basheel (born 1 September 1997) is a

Malawian This article is about the demographic features of the population of Malawi, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Malawi de ...

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

who has held the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

female

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

title since 2018 and the

ABU Abu or ABU may refer to: Places * Abu (volcano), a volcano on the island of Honshū in Japan * Abu, Yamaguchi, a town in Japan * Ahmadu Bello University, a university located in Zaria, Nigeria * Atlantic Baptist University, a Christian university ...

female

super-featherweight Super featherweight, also known as junior lightweight, is a weight division in professional boxing, contested between and . The super featherweight division was established by the New York Walker Law in 1920, although first founded by the New Yo ...

title since 2017.

Professional career

Basheel made her professional debut on 5 April 2015, suffering a four round points decision loss to Ruth Chisale at the Robins Park Hall in

Blantyre Blantyre () is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with an enumerated 800,264 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, L ...

, Malawi. After losing her first five fights, one by stoppage; a fourth-round

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

(TKO) to Lolita Muzeya in November 2015, she defeated Monalisa Sibanda by first-round TKO to score her first professional win. Basheel then won her next five fights, all by stoppage, before facing Consolata Musanga for the inaugural

female

title on 2 December 2017 at the Carnivore Grounds in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

, Kenya, winning via ninth-round TKO. For her next fight Basheel moved up in weight to face Sam Smith on 15 June 2018 at the

York Hall The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure complex in Bethnal Green, London, and is situated on Old Ford Road. The building opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200 and is now an inter ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, for the inaugural

female

title. Basheel became the first female to capture a Commonwealth title with a first-round TKO. Basheel dropped her opponent less than 20 seconds after the opening bell; stunning Smith with a solid left hook and following up with two right hands to score the knockdown. Smith rose to her feet to beat the referee's count of ten, only to be on the receiving end of several heavy blows. The end came 1 minute and 10 seconds into the round after a solid jab sent Smith stumbling backwards into the ropes, causing referee Marcus McDonnell to wave the fight off. A year later, Basheel challenged undefeated

WBC Silver The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

and former IBO female lightweight champion

Chantelle Cameron Chantelle Cameron (born 14 May 1991) is a British professional boxer. She is a world champion in two weight classes and the current undisputed light-welterweight champion, having held the WBC title since 2020; the IBF and ''Ring'' magazine t ...

on 20 July 2019 at the Brentwood Centre in Brentwood,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

. The fight was a WBC final eliminator with the winner earning a mandatory shot at the WBA, WBC,

IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

, and WBO champion

Katie Taylor Katie Taylor (born 2 July 1986) is an Irish professional boxer and former footballer. She is a two-weight world champion and the current undisputed lightweight champion, having held the WBA title since 2017; the IBF title since 2018; and the ...

for the

undisputed Undisputed may refer to: Film * ''Undisputed'' (film), a 2002 action-thriller-drama film ** ''Undisputed'' (soundtrack), the soundtrack to the film * Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, a 2006 American martial arts film * Undisputed III: Redempt ...

lightweight title. Basheel lost the fight by a shutout

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighter ...

with two judges scoring the bout 100–89 and the third scoring it 100–90, all in favour of Cameron.

Professional boxing record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basheel, Anisha Living people 1997 births Malawian women boxers Super-featherweight boxers Lightweight boxers African Boxing Union champions Commonwealth Boxing Council champions People from Lilongwe