(Photo: Matchroom Boxing)
Bia Ferreira wants to make history in 2024! The Brazilian could be the first boxer to win the world title in professional boxing and win an Olympic medal in the same year. The first objective already has a date to happen. She will face Argentine Yanina Del Carmen Lescano on April 27, at the Liverpool Exhibition Center, England.
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The Bahian, who is already two-time world champion in Olympic boxing, will compete for the belt in the 135 lbs (61.235 kg) category of the International Boxing Federation (IBF). The title became vacant after Irish Katie Taylor, then champion, changed category. Thus, Bia Ferreira tried to challenge Englishwoman Caroline Dubois, leader of the category ranking, for the title. As she already had a fight scheduled, the athlete declined the fight, as did her compatriot Rhiannon Dixon, who preferred to fight for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title against Karen Carbajal, in a fight that will take place on the 13th in Manchester.
Next in line was Serbian Jelena Janicijevic, who has already faced Bia Ferreira four times in Olympic boxing. The 30-day negotiation period for the IBF-mandated title fight ended with the Eastern European athlete removed from contention for undisclosed reasons. Lescano, who has a record of 17 fights and 14 wins, four of which by knockout, was then asked to enter into negotiations for the fight and immediately embraced the opportunity.
Hybrid career
So far, Bia Ferreira, who has been balancing her professional career with her Olympic career since 2022, has had four professional fights, winning all of them, two of them by knockout. The fight against Lescano will be the only one the Brazilian will fight before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She wants her second medal after being silver in Tokyo-2020.
Bia Ferreira has signed with Matchroom and manager Brian Peters ahead of her professional debut in November 2022. She will fight in England for the second time. In July last year, she beat Karla Ramos Zamora on points after eight rounds in Sheffield. After facing Lescano and, who knows, winning the IBF world title, Bia Ferreira will dedicate herself to preparing for the Olympics, which begin three months later.
