(APR 15) LAURA SAPERSTEIN had her last fight on the 20th, June 2010 in York Hall, London.

NO it was not her last fight ever!

LAURA SAPERSTEIN (38) was making her return to the British professional ring in a 6 round Lightweight contest after her draw against DANIELA DAVID from Rumania in Tirana, Albania on the 2nd May this year.

Born in Australia but a British Citizen, Laura now lives in London, England. She is a qualified Top Flight lawyer turned professional boxer. Before this fight she had a professional record of 8 wins, no losses and the above draw. As an amateur she won all her 10 fights ! In 2005. she was the England Womens’ Amateur Boxing Association Lightweight Champion.

LAURA has been offered various World Title fights, but she wants to win an English or British National professional title within the next few months.

She describes her ambition in this way, “ Financially it’s very difficult, and it might be easier with a big title behind me, but I’ve wanted to do things the right way round and having a legitimate English or British Title behind me, and boxing next to the men I’ve grown alongside in the gym would be a dream come true”

To achieve this she needs more experience.

However there are few suitable female opponents in Great Britain and so she and her Promoter MIRANDA CARTER of LEFT JAB had to look abroad for an opponent. This proved very difficult.

She was originally to box a much heavier opponent 66 kg , 5ft. 7 inch tall NATALIJA DOLGOVA from Latvia but DOLGOVA pulled out.

Her opponent was then to have been 28 year old AGNESE BOZA ( 5-5-0) from Riga, Latvia. BOZA'S last fight was a loss against Doris Koehler on the 5th June 2010 in a 10 round WIBF Intercontinental Bantamweight fight in Graz, Austria. However BOZA also pulled out leaving MIRANDA CARTER to find a “last minute substitute” in light welterweight BORISLAVA GORANOVA (31) a petrol pump attendant from Sofia, Bulgaria. A tough veteran of 31 professional fights , of which she had won 4 and lost 26 and drawn 1, her main claim to fame is that she has fought and lost to some of the best professional women boxers in Europe and America – MATHIS, LAMARE, RYLIK and MAHFOOD etc. She is no stranger to Britain having fought JANE COUCH (Bristol) four times and SARA “The Law” DAVIES (Nottingham) once on 31st March 2007.

In October 2008 she retired from the Ring, but returned in early June of this year to fight OLIVIA BOUDOUMA in Switzerland, before taking this fight.

This was also to be GORANOVA and SAPERSTEIN’S second fight after SAPERSTEIN beat her on the 18th, November 2007 in Tooting, London. England when SAPERSTEIN made her professional debut.

First into the ring’s Red Corner, almost unnoticed, was GORANOVA an attractive 5 ft 6 inch lady with short black hair. She was clad in a black sports bra with long golden satin shorts with red side stripes.

After a wait of some minutes SAPERSTEIN took the Blue Corner.

SAPERSTEIN a pretty 5ft 6inch brunette who owns a boxing sportswear company - boxxer WORLD - was again wearing one of her own products. The bright red sparkle sports bra with a brief red sparkle miniskirt with “Laura” embroidered on the waistband at the front and incorporating a large black motif on her right thy and a patriotic British Union flag across her bottom – the same as she wore in her last fight in Tirana.

The Announcer announced the fight as a Lightweight contest over 6 x 2 minute rounds and that at the Weigh In SAPERSTEIN was 9 stone 8 3/4lbs (61.49 kilos) and GORANOVA was 10 stone 2 ¾ lbs (64.66 kilos) (Technically speaking Light Welterweight would have been more appropriate!)

Round 1

From the start SAPERSTEIN’S strategy was to take the fight to her opponent,

SAPERSTEIN launched a left and right hook to her opponent’s body. GORANOVA backed away temporarily and then advanced, holding her gloves high. SAPERSTEIN repeated her previous attack.

There was then much feinting by both women with blows falling short.

SAPERSTEIN briefly drove GORANOVA into the Blue Corner with her fast attacking “Trade Mark” combinations, but then drew back allowing GORANOVA to regain the center of the ring. After more feinting this scenario was repeated in the Red corner.

GORANOVA who boxes in a flat footed manner sidled around the ring but did little to counterpunch.

SAPERSTEIN’S style is to drop her right shoulder – with her right glove protecting her face whilst holding her left arm more loosely and much lower- ready to strike

She darts at her opponent, delivers a flurry of mainly straight left, right hook combinations to head and body and darts out again.

There was a brief clinch which SAPERSTEIN used to her advantage to land short two handed jabs.

The round ended with SAPERSTEIN still on the attack.

SAPERSTEIN won this round.

Round 2

SAPERSTEIN fired a fast straight left and a right hook.

There was a lot of feinting. Moving around, SAPERSTEIN kept flicking a probing straight left hand in GORANOVA’S face but without any contact. GORANOVA responded in similar style.

GORANOVA spent most of her time retreating whilst occasionally holding out an outstretched left glove about 6 inches from SAPERSTEIN’S nose in a very desultory manner.

SAPERSTEIN attacked and whilst GORANOVA was briefly on the ropes caught her with a very good right hook to the jaw.

The two women continued to maneuver around each other until SAPERSTEIN took the initiative again with her characteristic aggressive lunging two handed attacks momentarily trapping GORANOVA in first the Blue and then a neutral corner. GORANOVA threw but apart from a good straight left to the head failed to land many counterpunches.

This round had much feinting, but very few effective blows struck and these mainly by SAPERSTEIN.

SAPERSTEIN won this round.

Round 3

This round started again in a similar pattern to Round 2 . Both women with gloves held high moving warily around the ring and their opponent, but without landing any substantial blows. Again SAPERSTEIN took the initiative with a brief
darting two handed attack with a combination of blows to the head and body.  SAPERSTEIN landed a very good straight right to GORANOVA’S chin.

GORANOVA then counter attacked. SAPERSTEIN backed away against the ropes and GORANOVA trapped her head momentarily under her left arm in a fighting clinch.

SAPERSTEIN – two straight lefts to the head – GORANOVA countered with a weak swinging left hook which landed on SAPERSTEIN’S gloves.

GORANOVA attacked and SAPERSTEIN ducked under her opponents largely ineffective blows and counterpunched inside to her opponent’s body.

As the round was ending SAPERSTEIN delivered another sharp combination left /right attack – ducking down to work inside. GORANOVA seemed to restrain her by laying her straight left arm across SAPERSTEIN’S neck and shoulders whilst delivering two weak short right hand jabs near to the kidneys. The referee moved forward as if to intervene but with the sounding of the bell this proved unnecessary.

One of GORANOVA’S punches must have found its mark because SAPERSTEIN’S second staunched a slight trickle of blood in her right nostril during the succeeding interval.

SAPERSTEIN won this round.

Round 4

The opening moments started in the familiar way with each woman eyeing each other but no blows struck.

SAPERSTEIN as always was the first to attack with a fast combination – this time leading with a right hook to the body.

GORANOVA retaliated with two weak straight lefts. She was briefly pursued around the ropes before advancing and entangling her opponent in a shoving clinch near the center of the ring. The referee called for this infringement to stop but did not need to physically separate the two women.

GORANOVA briefly took the initiative with a weak attack – more menace than landing hard blows. SAPERSTEIN made a tactical retreat wrapping her arms around her body in a defensive shield.

GORANOVA kept up her attack with a flurry of two handed punches to the head – including one good right hook to SAPERSTEIN'S jaw. SAPERSTEIN counterpunched.

The round ended in a neutral corner with GORANOVA raining two handed blows on her opponent whilst trapping SAPERSTEIN’S head again under her left arm.

SAPERSTEIN won this round.

Round 5

This started with a quicker and more focused tempo as SAPERSTEIN using her speed and better footwork launched a series of short sharp two handed attacks.

GORANOVA backed away against the ropes moving first in one direction and then in the other as she used her vast experience to avoid her opponent’s blows.

She made attacking gestures of her own but her blows lacked power or conviction and generally failed to connect.

Then the tempo slowed as both women resumed previous patterns of circling; GORANOVA in defensive mode with her left glove held very high in front of her face. SAPERSTEIN delivered two good right / left punches inside to the body before driving her opponent against the ropes where she got into a brief clinch from which she extricated herself with a vicious short right hook to the back of GORANOVA’S head.

SAPERSTEIN won this round.

Round 6

With some mild encouragement from the audience this round started with more lively action than some previous rounds Both women threw a series of long straight lefts which did not reach, or landed on their opponents gloves, until SAPERSTEIN – taking the initiative as usual, got in some close left/ right hooking combinations ending with a short tussle where she repeatedly hit the back of GORANOVA’S head with short hard right clubbing hooks. The referee called “Break” - a quick exchange of largely ineffectual straight left punches, then a SAPERSTEIN quick straight left, right hook combination before GORANOVA backed into the blue corner.

GORANOVA slipped out and adopting an attacking stance swapped blows with SAPERSTEIN. She was making more of a “fight” of the contest. She caught SAPERSTEIN with a good right hand hook to the jaw.

At the sound of the final bell, both boxers embraced each other before Referee Curtis raised SAPERSTEIN’S left arm as winner – scoring the fight 60-54 in her favour.

Afterwards GORANOVA described it as “A good fight” .

SAPERSTEIN was more expansive.

“Despite the weight difference I felt very comfortable and relaxed in the ring. I don’t feel like the new kid on the block anymore, having earned my stripes quietly on all sorts of shows at home and abroad. I’m not the “decent girl boxer” now, I’m just a “decent boxer “ and I’m starting to enjoy myself knowing I deserve my place on the stage.”

As professionals, SAPERSTEIN advances UNDEFEATED to 9 wins, no losses and 1 draw and GORANOVA drops to 4 wins 27 losses and 1 draw.

© John E.G.Wilson.