Terri Harper retains WBO title with win over Natalie Zimmermann

Terri Harper retained her WBO title against Natalie Zimmermann in Doncaster.

Terri Harper retained her WBO lightweight title with a clear, unanimous decision victory over a game, tough, and ultimately over-matched Natalie Zimmermann in Doncaster, England.

Harper (16-2-2, 6 KO) won on scores of 99-91 from all three judges, fighting in her hometown at Eco-Power Stadium, home ground to Doncaster Rovers FC.

Zimmermann (13-1, 3 KO) gave a great effort, clearly doing the best she could, but the 42-year-old German just isn’t at Harper’s level, which is also not to say there isn’t anything you can criticize from Harper in this bout, because she still showed some flaws, the sort of things that have hurt her in higher-level fights before.

But it’s a clean and deserved win for Harper, and the 28-year-old says she wants unification next.

“I want to go on to the other champions in this division and really step up,” she said. “I’m just gonna take a little bit of time off and see what happens, if any contracts or anything get sent over.”

Caroline Dubois specifically came up, which was to be expected, as the two have gone back-and-forth a bit already. Harper again said that is a fight she wants.

“100 percent, that gets my fire burning,” Harper said. “I said the other day in the press conference, she rubs me the wrong way. I think it makes a cracking fight, and that fight makes sense.”

Dubois (11-0-1, 5 KO) has the WBC title, so it would be a unification and a big fight for both.

On the undercard, Maxi Hughes went to 29-7-2 (6 KO) with a decision win over Archie Sharp (25-2, 9 KO) in what was really a bit of a stinker, but a deserved victory for Hughes. We also saw Lewis Sylvester (16-1, 4 KO) score a career-best win over Reece Mould (20-4, 6 KO), and Haithem Laamouz (21-2, 9 KO) took a hard-fought win over Jimmy Joe Flint (15-3-2, 3 KO).