2024-09-22 12:03:11
In March, boxer Nina Meinke was still struggling with her opponent’s disappointing fight cancellation. Now she finally has her world championship belt – but it got bloody.
Professional boxer Nina Meinke has been crowned world champion in a thrilling twelve-round fight. The 31-year-old defeated Argentinian Daniela Bermudez on points in Hamburg and secured the IBF featherweight world championship belt.
“It was brilliant. It was so much fun. I’m just incredibly happy,” Meinke told DAZN: “Everything I’ve trained for has come true today. My emotions are overflowing. I don’t know whether to cry or laugh – it’s all coming at once.”
The godchild of former champion Sven Ottke was not thrown off course by a cut on her forehead after an accidental headbutt from Bermudez at the beginning of the fight in the biggest victory of her career to date. “That irritated me at the beginning, blood was running into my eyes the whole time and then my vision was blurry,” said the Berliner, whose face was also covered in blood when the verdict was announced.
“Watching her is hell for me. Nina is like my own child,” Ottke, who was sitting at ringside as a fan, told the “Bild” newspaper. “In the end, she should have done the Ottke. But Nina always has to hit back. That’s what gets me down.” During his professional career, the 57-year-old was considered a defensive boxing tactician who mostly avoided open exchanges of blows.
For the first time in 22 professional fights, Meinke went over the twelve rounds that are usual for men. “That was very good in terms of fitness,” said Meinke. She wants to stick to that in her title defense and is looking forward to “everything that comes next.” The twelve rounds also stand for “equality in women’s sport,” Meinke had already said before the world championship fight, “so it was no question for me that we would continue with the twelve times three minutes.”
Meinke wanted to win the world title in the spring, but due to Amanda Serrano’s last-minute cancellation, she had to leave Puerto Rico without accomplishing anything. Meinke’s opponent had announced the cancellation to the fans in the ring in tears, apparently because of an injury she sustained spontaneously.