BBU Bantamweight Title
Ch Sophia Thomalla vs Maura Higgins
(Black Eagle Boxing vs Frankie's Foxes)
(13-0, 13 KO vs 6-0, 6 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: The former amateur kickboxer Sophia Thomalla has ascended into BBU p4p elite status but she might face her toughest championship defense tonight as she squares off against the equally undefeated Maura Higgins in what shapes up to be a FOTY candidate according to BBU TV's Denise van Outen. Thomalla owns the slightly superior body of work and betting odds but Maura has emerged as a true hard hitter claiming valuable scalps of Nadia Forde & former champion Dorota Rabczewska along the way. She vows to reclaim the bantamweight title for the Irish Pride faithful and has the UK crowd firmly in her corner to boost her chances. Meanwhile the champion remains unmoved by the negative reactions and even taunts Maura's corner where manager Frankie Cocozza tries to steal the headlines with Myleene Klass wrapped all over him. Can we stop with the distractions already?

Sophia Thomalla wears a black crop top with red trim, matching hip-huggers & golden gloves. Long dyed blonde hair tied in a custom ponytail. Maura Higgins wears a green crop top with white trim, matching hip-huggers & white gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a braid. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Maura gets off to a hot start and tries to test the German's resilience straight from the bell; she swings several times and connects with the champion's face while Sophia is slow to react and maybe she simply didn't practice hard enough over the summer. Maura continues to lace her up from both flanks and flushes her onto the ropes after another productive combo. Sophia tries to respond with a half-hearted swing over the top but she lacks the urgency in the early stages of this fight and has Higgins piling more leather up the middle to close her down on the turnbuckle instead. A couple of hard shots to the ribs drop Thomalla behind a rare earmuff cover and the Irish woman duly cleans out the midsection to take the opening round on points wide.

Round 2:
The German entourage remains calm even when Maura lights up action to open the second... she shows zero respect to the unbeaten champion and hauls in several crisp shots to the body and chest before blasting one up the chimney. Thomalla holds the line otherwise but lacks precision in the counter-punching display which only allows the challenger to further argue her championship case. She clobbers the German onto the ropes and tries to drill through her midriff yet gets denied by a desperate clinch. Ref separates the two hellcats and Maura keeps the pressure on blowing into Sophia's face to cripple her into noticeable spasms come the final minute. The Cardiff audience enjoys the action so far but it only gets better when...

Round 3:
...Maura shockingly floors the undisputed champion with a nifty left/right combo seconds into the third. She nails the blonde on the ear with the initial shot and Sophia spun right in the way of a heavy uppercut that DROPS HER FOR THE COUNT!!! Uh-oh! Eagles coach Gina Wild loses her patience and we could have a genuine upset on the cards if Higgins can double down on these heroics. Sophia recovers from the knockdown at six, cuts a very confident figure and lets it fly after the command as both women collide in the center of the ring. Maura goes into head-hunting mode but she can't quite find that haymaker bonus to settle this fight once and for all. Meanwhile Thomalla lands some quick shots to shake off the daze and thumps the brunette on the boobs to terminate the Irish onslaught prematurely. However Maura leads 30-26 on the cards and she's in pole position to bring the title back to Ireland.

Rounds 4 & 5:
Sophia in hectic recovery mission... she uses her footwork to frustrate Maura into several mis-timed attacks as the Irish girl keeps searching for that KO punch. Sophia flips off Gina Wild over this tactical change but it works better as Maura loses her temper and gets caught out by the counter-punching display come the final minute. Thomalla shows more urgency here having fallen back on the cards and she pancakes the Irish midriff to slow the challenger right down before rocking her with a well-measured overhand. More of the same in the fifth as Maura gets outboxed when she can't apply the swarming power and Sophia stuffs her with a proper body assault. The action heads back to the corner where the German champion shoves her opponent and pounds her abs into visible swelling as the Foxes crew has to reboot their tactics after half-distance.

Round 6:
Maura becomes too desperate in her slugging ideas and Sophia unloads the elite attack to cut her up early in the sixth. Ugh! A small gash under the left eye grows bigger as the time passes by as Maura refuses to back off and still hopes to drop the blonde with another slam dunk rally. That's out of the window come the second minute since Thomalla lands all the power punches and glues the Irish challenger to a halt in the center of the ring. Maura's braid spins around her neck as she gets pasted from point-blank range and she almost goes down late in the going when the German champion nails her on the brow ridge one time too many. She survives the exchange but shakes her head when she walks back to the Foxes corner.

Round 7:
Sophia powers ahead with a hard left hook on the jaw that opens the floodgates as Maura soaks up a slugging attack that opens the wound under the left eye. She tries to clinch the German instead of slugging it back at her and wobbles to a vicious uppercut from the inside that renders her jelly on the spot. Sophia unloads another brutal uppercut combo and LIFTS HIGGINS OFF HER FEET to drop her flat on her back moments later. Ugh! Disaster for the Foxes entourage as Maura is badly shaken up by the knockdown. She gets up at seven after a very slow count but remains slumped on soft knees when the ref allows Sophia to finish her off. And the champion doesn't need a second invitation... she nails the ailing brunette with a quick left/right combo on each temple before flushing her with a right hook on the jaw. Maura zig zags her way to the canvas dropping face-down at the German's feet to rise no more. It is over! KO7 and STILL the BBU bantamweight champion Sophia Thomalla!!!

AFTER: This could have been the most demanding title defense for the German actress but she overcome Maura's hot start and secured a come-from-behind victory. She applauds Maura's performance when the Irish model is brought up to her feet to accept a loud ovation from the Cardiff audience: "Well, she had a great run the last few months but I'm still the superior woman. No hard feelings. Maybe she wins some Home Nations tournament? Or maybe I give her a rematch? I mean I have some decisions to make. Most of these Instagram wannabees are unworthy of a title opportunity. We'll see how it goes. I'll be back for one more defense this year. Either November or the Boxing Day PPV. Should be fun no matter who gets the shot!" (winks).

Official Result: Ch Sophia Thomalla def. Maura Higgins KO7.