Inside Women's Boxing:

Mrdjenovich decisions St. John!

Edmonton boxer Jelena Mrdjenovich, the new Woman’s International Boxing Federation Lightweight Champion, catapulted herself into the elite of woman’s boxing with a dominant unanimous decision win over Mia St.John before 1600 screaming fans at the Edmonton Shaw Conference Centre on Friday night. The three judges scored the bout 99-92, 97-93, 97-93 all in favour of the Edmonton fighter.

Mrdjenovich, 17-1, 11 KO’s, came out aggressive in the first round, cutting off the ring and used a vicious body attack to take Mia St. John off her game. The pattern continued for the first three rounds. St.John, 43-7-2, 18 KO’s was rarely able to employ her signature movement game, due to Mrdjenovich’s body attack. Although the Edmonton fighter came up from superfeatherweight it was evident early on that she was the stronger fighter.

“I established the jab and worked the body,” said Mrdjenovich. “I think that is the key and the bread and butter of fighting. I think that really threw her off and it took her awhile to get back onto her game plan. Styles make fights, and so what can you do, when the style changes up, you have to change your style.”

Even though St.John, 38, had to make adjustments the crafty veteran was still competitive, as she used every trick in the book to frustrate her younger opponent, including switching to southpaw and using rapid fire right jabs. Mrdjenovich, 23, appeared to hurt, St. John with a big left hook in the sixth round, but the California fighter was able to hold on and weather the storm.

St.John, who has been in with the best, including Christy Martin, and Holly Holm, gave the young star her due after the fight.

“She is a great fighter, and I wish her all the best and have nothing but respect for her,” said the former champion. “I see her at that (elite) level. She is young and has so much time. She is so young. I think she is going to have one hell of a career. I think that Jelena is the type of girl that will be a success, no matter what she does. That is just a given.”

St. John, who was pleased with her own performance, used every tactical strategy she could muster to turn the fight in her favour.

“I was using everything I could,” said St.John. “You know she is a lot younger. Tomorrow I turn 39, I am just happy that I can keep up with the best. I am just grateful for that.”

Mrdjenovich who is also the WBC and IWBF Superfeatherweight champion must now decide whether to fight as a lightweight or go back down to superfeatherweight. Although Mrdjenovich was non-committal after the bout, it seems logical that she will drop back down, as she walks at 135.

The Edmonton fighter was extremely impressed with how well St.John took the body shots. In the eighth round St.John called Mrdjenovich in to pound on her body.

“I have to give it to her she can take one good body shot,” said the champion. “This is what a lot of girls lack in female boxing. She can sure take a punch, for someone who has had two kids as well.”

In the semi-main event Jeannine Garside had to rally the last two rounds to pull out a majority-decision draw and retain her WIBA Super Bantamweight title against Lisa Brown.

Last September Garside, 5-0-1, 2 KO’s dominated Brown, 12-2-3, 4 KO’s, to win the title. The rematch was a completely different story. Brown, who paid dearly in the first bout for reaching in, fought a much smarter fight and forced Garside to make huge adjustments. To start the bout it was Garside this time, who was reaching in, missing with wild shots and being countered. Brown won the first three rounds of the bout setting the pace with effective aggression, getting off first and landing harder and more frequently. Garside made her first adjustment in the fourth round sitting back and counterpunching the shorter Brown. In the fifth round both fighters came out firing. The round was even heading into the last 30 seconds, but Brown may have stolen the round with a good combination just before the bell. The sixth round saw Garside fighting a much more tactical battle as she was able to find her range landing big right hooks and overhand lefts. The seventh round was very close Garside pinned Brown on the ropes but Toronto fighter rallied driving the Windsor fighter backwards. The round could have gone to either fighter. Brown took the eighth round with effective aggression and overhand lefts. Garside came out in the ninth round, throwing for the ceiling like she knew she needed something big. The two women stood toe-to-toe for the last thirty seconds. Garside’s physical strength won the round for her. The last round was a thing of beauty, and has to be considered for round of the year, as both women stood in the trenches for the entire two minutes. Garside would land the big overhand left and Brown would counter with the right hook; as the two southpaws exchanged punch for punch. But by the end of the round Garside seemed to hurt Brown and was the one who was forcing her opponent backwards.

The three judges had it 95-95 twice, and 96-94 for Brown. Fightnews scored it 96-94 for Brown, but the seventh round could have gone to either fighter depending on what you like, so the draw was a fair decision.

Both women felt they won the fight.

“I thought I was pacing myself,” said Garside. “I thought I was taking the rounds. I had her back to the ropes and I had her hurt three times in the fight. I am confused. What they want is to see me fight her again and that’s fine. There will not be any question the next time I fight her. I has nothing to do with revenge, it just has to do with who is the champ, and I am the champ!”

Brown thought she was the clear winner.

“It was robbery,” said Brown, 35. “I came out to fight, I did what I had to do . . . I come and give the fight of my life and they call it a draw. I can’t believe it.”

The Toronto fighter felt she made the right modifications to her game, from her first bout with Garside.

“The first time I fought her, I wasn’t in shape,” said the former champion. “I had so much going on I wasn’t mentally in shape, mentally and physically. This time I actually got my game together and I was hungry. So I came out to put on the best fight of my life.”

When they fought last September, Garside, 28, with only three professional bouts, looked like the more polished fighter. This time the roles were reversed. The taller Garside did not employ her jab effectively, had trouble with footwork and balance, was reaching in and loading up and missing. A third contest will definitely be interesting.

In the first bout of the evening Edmonton’s Cora Sipe, improved to 1-1, with a unanimous decision win over Wendy Roy, 0-1, of Vancouver. The fight was competitive up to the third round when Sipe’s power took over as she rocked Roy with a left hook followed by an overhand right. Sipe would rock Roy again with the same combination in the fourth round to post the 39-37,
40-36, 40-36 win.