“I told them they weren’t going to regret it,” Mayerlin “La Monita” Rivas expressed with emotion at ringside in Guadalajara, Mexico, this Friday night, where the champion defended successfully the World Boxing Association super bantamweight belt by defeating the local Karina “La Bella” Fernandez by technical knockout in the fourth round. 

That statement after the fight was addressed to Matchroom promoter with whom Rivas recently joined forces. This fight marked her return to the ring after an inevitable stagnation due to the pandemic. But the physical strength that “La Monita” brought to the Mexican ring was as if time had not passed. 

From the opening bell, Rivas, with the support of the Venezuelan flag in the corner, came out with determination in search of her opponent, but she knew how to keep her distance and use her height and reach to her advantage. Fernandez tried to overwhelm the visitor with punches, but collided in a cross with Mayerlin’s explosive right cross that made her sit on the canvas already in the first round. 

The second and third rounds saw “La Bella” in trouble with a persistent nose bleed that seemed to be broken. Because of that, as soon as the fourth round started, the referee called the doctor to check that bleeding and it was there that he decided to stop the actions.

Now, the Venezuelan, who was training with Rigoberto Alvarez, brother of “Canelo”, made it clear that “there is Monita for a while”, as she said before and after Friday’s bout.

Mayerlin Rivas’ record has risen to 17 wins with 11 knockouts, 4 setbacks and 2 draws. And she is ready to fight with the best after retaining her 122 lbs. black and gold belt.