Terri Harper Dominates Zimmermann In Front Of Hometown Crowd, Maxi Hughes Moves Closer To WBC Title Shot

Terri Harper delivered a disciplined and dominant performance Friday night at Eco-Power Stadium, securing a unanimous decision win over previously undefeated Natalie Zimmermann. Fighting in front of her home fans in Doncaster, Harper defended her WBO Women’s Lightweight World Title and looked in control from start to finish.

Zimmermann came in unbeaten and confident, but Harper didn’t give her a second to settle. From the opening round, Harper dictated distance, shut down offense with her jab, and kept Zimmermann stuck in second gear.

The bout went 10 rounds, and while there were moments of physicality — including a late head clash that left Zimmermann bloodied — Harper was never in trouble.

Maxi Hughes edges Sharp, title picture gets clearer

The judges handed in three identical cards of 99-91. And frankly, that may have been generous to Zimmermann. Harper’s sharp counters, footwork, and tempo control overwhelmed the German challenger. One clean left hook in the early rounds drew massive “Yorkshire” chants from the crowd — and from that point, Harper coasted.

Post-fight, Harper made it clear who she wants next: WBC champ Caroline Dubois. No fluff. No diplomacy.

“She rubs me up the wrong way… That fight makes sense,” Harper said, eyes locked on unification. She also named IBF champion Beatriz Ferreira and WBA titleholder Stephanie Han as targets. Harper isn’t chasing fights — she’s hunting belts.

The co-main saw veteran Maxi Hughes (27-6-2, 5 KOs) outthink and outmaneuver Archie Sharp to win a clear unanimous decision and grab the WBC Silver Lightweight Title. The scores (115-113, 116-112, 120-108) reflected a fight where Hughes was one step ahead all night.

Sharp came in mobile, twitchy, but Hughes stayed patient. He walked him down, cut off space, and landed the cleaner, heavier shots throughout. Now Hughes is back in the title conversation — and he wants Shakur Stevenson or a rematch with WBC interim titlist William Zepeda, who stopped him last year in Las Vegas.

“This puts me right there for an eliminator or a title shot,” Hughes said. “I’m ready for either.”

Elsewhere on the card, Haitham Laamouz earned a solid points win over Jimmy Joe Flint to claim the IBO Super Lightweight Continental Title. Scores were 98-93, 98-92, and 96-94. Laamouz stayed composed and worked his way through a tricky style matchup.

In another tight one, Lewis Sylvester edged Reece Mould by split decision. Scores read 97-93, 96-94, and 94-96. It was scrappy at times, but Sylvester’s pressure told down the stretch.

Rounding out the main card, Taz Nadeem cruised to a 60-55 win over Bahadur Karami, and Ed Hardy dropped Darwing Martinez twice en route to a 60-52 sweep on all three cards.

Full Fight Results

• WBO Women’s Lightweight Title: Terri Harper def. Natalie Zimmermann – Unanimous Decision (99-91 x3)

• WBC Silver Lightweight Title: Maxi Hughes def. Archie Sharp – Unanimous Decision (115-113, 116-112, 120-108)

• IBO Super Lightweight Continental Title: Haitham Laamouz def. Jimmy Joe Flint – Unanimous Decision (98-93, 98-92, 96-94)

• IBO Continental Lightweight Title: Lewis Sylvester def. Reece Mould – Split Decision (97-93, 96-94, 94-96)

• Lightweight: Taz Nadeem def. Bahadur Karami – Unanimous Decision (60-55)

• Welterweight: Ed Hardy def. Darwing Martinez – Unanimous Decision (60-52)