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Park Splits with Warner to Retain Title
The second IFBA title bout of 2010 was televised live on MBC-ESPN television South East of Seoul in the agricultural city of Mung Yeong. Team Warner looked well prepared to take on the Korean Champion Ji Hyun Park and as the fight progressed this became the exciting “Battle of the Body Shots”.
Round One was calm and easy paced as Warner stuck out little jabs to test the distance. Park doing the same, with a little more activity took the judges nod to begin the match, as well as the Second Round.
The Third Round quickened with Warner’s team encouraging her to pick up the pace and start breaking down the body with more shots. Into the Fourth Park claimed the ring and pushed Warner back some taking the round.
All that could be heard during the next three rounds was to tear up the body of Ji Hyun Park. Team Warner seeing weakness knew this was the best plan of attack. You could see the reaction on Park’s face as she began lowering her elbows to try and protect herself. At more than one point it looked as though she wanted to turn away and quit, but she toughed it out and made it out of the Seventh.
The battle continued into the Eighth with neither one wanting to give and inch. Back and forth the pressure would go. Each one with their backs to the rope and reversing the other, and each judge going back and forth with their scores also.
The ninth began with both camps urging their fighter to continue to the body. More shots were beginning to be blocked so some judges favored Warner and some the Champion Park. Warner had given a lot of pressure through the middle rounds and seemed like she let up slightly in this round. Having defended her title many times, Park began to push harder and won two of the judges nod for the Ninth.
The Tenth had you wondering why Park hadn’t done this earlier, as she used her reach and movement more and accelerated her pressure, which won her the final round. The bell rang and both fighters immediately put up their hands feeling they had taken the fight. But in the final tally Ji Hyun Park retained her Minimum Weight Title.
Judges:
Julie Lederman: (94-96)
Jo Hyun Boq: (98-93)
Jeong Myung Su: (96-94)
IFBA Supervisor: Kim Messer
