Women’s Ratings Update: Evelin Bermudez jumps to No. 1 at junior flyweight
Another week of action has yielded a few changes in our trailblazing Women’s Ratings.
In the most important bout of the weekend, Argentina’s Evelin Bermudez kept her two junior flyweight belts with a dominant performance over a feisty Jessica Basulto in what could be the last boxing card ever held at Buenos Aires’ legendary Luna Park stadium.
Basulto was very aggressive and led with her head all the time, but Bermudez never lost control and remained focused, connecting with power and accuracy before Basulto’s corner chose to throw in the towel in the eighth round to save their fighter from further punishment.
Previously rated at No. 2 in the division behind Jessica Nery Plata, it was proposed that Bermudez could make the jump to the very top of the division based on her performance against a tough and worthy contender, and the votes backed up that notion.
“Evelin Bermúdez is only asserting herself more in each fight,” said writer and TV producer/commentator Yesica Palmetta. “This was a challenge that allowed her to show her qualities much more than many of us perhaps thought.”
“Bermudez and (Nery Plata) are coin-flip 1 and 2. I have a feeling we will keep changing their places every time they fight, until they fight each other for The Ring championship. But I agree that Evelin deserves the promotion, if ever so slightly,” said RingTV senior writer Jake Donovan, while Christopher Benedict added that “Bermudez has greatly demonstrated her value as a unified champion at 108, deserving of occupying the top spot over Nery Plata, who hasn’t fought since December and currently has nothing pending on her schedule. An undisputed showdown between the two would be a barnburner.”
Thus, Bermudez is the new No. 1 at the talent-deep 108-pound division.
At junior featherweight, Thai-German contender Phannarai Netisri defeated Maria Rivera and caught the eye of the panel, who voted her in at 122 over the inactive (11 months and counting) Mayeli Flores to occupy the No. 5 position in our Ratings, but not without voices of dissent being raised.
“I would keep Flores in her position, said writer Irene Deserti. “Rivera is not a high-quality rival for Netsiri’s victory to modify her career in any way, other than adding a victory and some experience. I would keep this ranking and I would hope that Flores’ year of inactivity really comes to an end.”
Diego M. Morilla has written for The Ring since 2013. He has also written for HBO.com, ESPN.com and many other magazines, websites, newspapers and outlets since 1993. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has won two first-place awards in the BWAA’s annual writing contest, and he is the moderator of The Ring’s Women’s Ratings Panel. He served as copy editor for the second era of The Ring en Español (2018-2020) and is currently a writer and editor for RingTV.com.
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