Cecilia Braekhus of Norway (38-2-1, 9 KOs) faced late replacement Maricela Cornejo of Los Angeles (19-7, 7 KOs), winning with the fundamentals and punch selection that remain formidable at age 42. Braekhus won by unanimous decision with three scores of 96.93. She wins the WBC Interim Super Welterweight title.
Cornejo stepped up when WBC/WBO unified champion Ema Kozin of Slovenia was held up due to visa issues. Cornejo came to the ring in shape and determined to give her friend Braekhus a fight. She has a good chin and has enough power to keep Braekhus honest.
In her second fight at super welterweight after 13 years at welterweight and winning all her titles in the division, Braekhus looks solid and comfortable. Her fundamental skills remain sound as she fights behind a double jab, followed by right and left hooks.
In the fourth round, Braekhus scored a knockdown on a left hook. Cornejo complained their feet were tangled, but it counted. It didn’t change the outcome of the fight.
On hearing the final scores, an emotional Braekhus broke into tears, and Cornejo embraced her. She wants to rebuild a path back to the top and no one understands this better than Cornejo.
“It feels amazing to get the belt back,” said Braekhus. “She is a tough fighter and has faced the best in the divisions she has fought in. I knew I had to show no fear and even though she is powerful, I am powerful too.
“I am going to party in Las Vegas until tomorrow morning with my new belt and fly home to Norway to celebrate there because this is a huge win for the Norwegian people. And once the dust settles, I will figure out the best plan forward with (promoter) Tom Loeffler and (trainer) Johnathan Banks.”
With the interim title, a matchup by Kozin remains in sight.
Bohachuk vs Ortiz Early Action Results
Eric Priest of Overland Park, Kansas (14-0, 8 KOs) put in ten solid rounds of work against Luka Lozo of Croatia (9-3-1, 8 KOs) for another undercard shutout, 100-90 on all three cards. Safe to say Lozo’s knockout rate over lesser European opponents didn’t stand up well, but he made Priest put in the effort and made his fans in the arena happy.
Super lightweight Johnny Cañas of Santa Ana, California (5-0, 2 KOs) won all four rounds on all three scorecards over Joseph Cruz of Sonora, Mexico (7-10, 3 KOs). Golden Boy Boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya sees a lot of promise in Cañas.
In the Gonzalez vs Gonzalez battle, super bantamweight Figo Gonzalez of Dallas (7-0, 3 KOs) remained undefeated against Jose Gonzalez of Sparks, Nevada (5-1-1, 4 KOs).
Two fighters won their professional debuts. Newly signed 18-year-old super featherweight Jordan Fuentes of Fresno (1-0) was cheered on by family and friends in his victory over James Mulder of Antioch, California (0-3). Scores were 40-36, 39-37, and 39-37 for Fuentes.
Welterweight Jennah Creason of Visalia (1-0) won a split decision over Kelsey Wickstrum of Redding, California (2-2, 1 KO). Scores were 40-36, 39-37 for Creason and 39-37 for Wickstrum. Wickstrum faced Cris Cyborg in her last bout.