Ijeoma Egbunine (born 30 December 1980) is a Nigerian former

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 competed from 2004 to 2011. She held the

WIBF The Women's International Boxing Federation (WIBF) is one of the more recognized world championship fight sanctioning organizations in women's boxing. Founded in March 1989, it is based in Miami, Florida, and presided over by Barbara Buttrick. The ...

light-heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserw ...

title in 2006.

Professional career

Ijeoma Egbunine's first professional match was a win by unanimous decision against Janaya Davis in December 2004. That decision was highly contested by Davis, however, who claimed she was set up to lose by the promoter. Egubine did not take these comments lightly, and promised to be more aggressive during their next fight. In her second match against the Atlanta favorite on 25 February 2005, Egbunine KO'ed Davis in the second round. According to, "In the second round the intensity did not let up as the bad blood began to boil between the two. At the 30 second mark of the 2nd round Egbunine landed a crushing overhand right that sent Davis brutally to the canvas. Davis struggled to get to her feet as she fell for a second time trying. As she stumbled to her feet referee Jim Korb stopped the fight -- Jose Santiago" Her only loss came on 12 March 2005, to Nikki Eplion (in her first fight since losing to

Laila Ali Laila Amaria Ali (born December 30, 1977) is an American television personality and retired professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2007. During her career, from which she retired undefeated, she held the World Boxing Council, WBC, Women's I ...

) in a close decision. The bout, only the third for Egbunine, was the main event on the seven-fight "A Punch Of Class" in front of 600 fans in the ballroom at the Radisson Hotel,

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A h ...

. Since then, Egbunine went on a string of victories (including 7 more KOs) against a number of talented boxers, including Carlette Ewell and Valerie Mahfood. On Saturday, 17 June 2006, she took on the well known

Åsa Sandell Åsa Maria Sandell (born January 24, 1967) is a Swedish journalist and professional female super middleweight boxer. Early life Sandell was born in Hovsta in Örebro County, and has a university degree in journalism and literature. Career She w ...

of Sweden at the Joel Coliseum Annex,

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

. Sandell had fought

in December 2005 and lost in the 5th round. Egbunine won with a TKO in the second round, taking her one step closer to an inevitable first-time match-up with the popular Ali. Ijeoma Egbunine is scheduled to fight 28-year-old Laila Ali this summer in Cape Town, South Africa. Some proceeds from the 5 August bout will benefit the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and the light heavyweight matchup will be part of a monthlong celebration of women's empowerment in South Africa.

References

External links

Egbunine's personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Egbunine, Ijeoma Nigerian women boxers 1980 births Living people World boxing champions Light-heavyweight boxers Sportspeople from Benin City