Harli Whitwell Beats Karina Szmalenberg On Points To Move To 5-0

Harli Whitwell Beats Karina Szmalenberg On Points To Move To 5-0

Harli Whitwell continued to show her potential with a dominant and emphatic points victory over the veteran Polish import Karina Szmalenberg in Brentwood on Saturday night.

Whitwell made another appearance on a Top Tier show and served up another top-tier performance in winning every single round of their eight-round contest. The referee’s scorecard of 80-72 was an accurate reflection of what we witnessed.

The fast-improving unbeaten super-lightweight prospect yet again showed her ever-improving ring maturity in beating the far more experienced Szmalenberg. The body shots were particularly impressive, as was her patience. Whitwell didn’t rush her work, which she has been slightly guilty of in the past. The improvements are obvious with each passing fight. Harli Whitwell is developing into a serious prospect. The only problem her team has is how long they can hold her back?

Szmalenberg was the perfect opponent for Whitwell’s first eight-rounder. The Polish fighter has fought the likes of Katie Taylor, Chantelle Cameron, Natasha Jonas, Rhiannon Dixon, and many others in her seventy-nine-fight career. She brought experience and knowledge. Whitwell will have learned plenty.

Whitwell is only 23 and can move forward at a pace that suits her. There is no rush or need to push her onto fights that she isn’t yet ready for. Another three or four learning fights before gradually being moved to title contention at some point in 2025 would serve her well. Encouragingly, Whitwell has spoken about this previously.

“I am still a baby, and I just want to get some more experience first, and I don’t want to take any stupid fights that I am not ready for,” Whitwell told me last month. Too many fighters speak of wanting to fight for titles as soon as they can before being predictably found out when they are pushed too hard too soon. That in-ring patience is there for Whitwell outside of the ring also.

Harli Whitwell is definitely a fighter you suspect will be in every writer’s thoughts when they are compiling their prospect of the year lists when 2024 has run its course. Expect her to be on the radar of Matchroom, Queensberry, and Boxxer very soon.

Photo Credit: Top Tier Boxing