Alexis Araiza Shocks Ebanie Bridges in Puerto Rico

Alexis Araiza Shocks Ebanie Bridges in Puerto Rico

Alexis Araiza scored the biggest win of her career when she scored a massive upset in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Saturday against the former IBF world bantamweight champion Ebanie Bridges.

Araiza (4-2-1) ruined the comeback, and the Most Valuable Promotions debut of the 39-year-old Australian and was a thoroughly deserving winner after eight hard rounds. The scorecards were wide in favour of the Texas fighter, two judges had it 78-74, while the remaining judge gave the American every round, seeing the fight 80-72. I gave Bridges the 7th, the only round I felt she won beyond doubt. While every round was competitive to a point, in the majority of those rounds, Araiza was doing the better, cleaner work, and there was little doubt who had won.

There was no immediate talk of retirement for Bridges, and she even talked about wanting to make a quick return. But even considering this was her first fight in just over two years, Bridges looked a shadow of the fighter I saw batter Shannon O’Connell into submission three years ago in Leeds, the last fight she won.

Bridges (9-3) marched forward relentlessly all fight long. But her arms looked heavy and slow, and she was far too easy to hit against an opponent who was coming off a loss, and someone she was widely expected to beat. To her immense credit, Bridges never stopped trying, and the fight was fought at a furious pace. But something was missing, and maybe with another fight or two, Bridges can again rediscover the form that made her the IBF world bantamweight champion. But on the evidence of this fight, and even in the fight with Miyo Yoshida that cost her that IBF bauble, it will be a long road back. There was talk of fighting Cherneka Johnson pre-fight, but those ambitions look extremely remote post-fight. But Bridges has been counted out before.

But the night belongs to the previously unknown Alexis Araiza. The upset win will have earned a repeat visit to an MVP show, maybe in a rematch with Bridges. The jury will deliver a verdict on Bridges and what her future holds for her, but Araiza deserves to be given the credit for a victory that should give hope to every fighter in the ‘away’ corner. When you are brought in to lose, sometimes, you don’t.

Photo Credit: Harry Aaron / Most Valuable Promotions)