Boxer Shahidah taking next step towards world title dream

Having won all four of her bouts since turning professional at the start of the year, local boxer Nurshahidah Roslie (picture) is looking to end the year with a bang when she fights in the fourth instalment of the Singapore Fighting Championship (SFC) on Nov 12.

It is fitting then that in the 29-year-old’s final fight of the year, she will be taking on her toughest opponent to date: New Zealand’s Gentiane Lupi, who is the reigning International Boxing Association (IBA) World Super Bantamweight champion.

The stakes of their bout at SFC 4 are made even higher given that they will be contesting for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) Oceania Super Featherweight title. The WBA is regarded as one of the big four sanctioning bodies, along with the World Boxing Council (WBC), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organisation (WBO).

Given the prestige of the title up for grabs, Shahdiah revealed that she has been doing all she can in training to prepare herself for the biggest fight of her career.

“Knowing that there’s a title on the line gives me added motivation to go even harder, be it in training now or during the actual fight,” Shahidah, who trains at the Juggernaut Fight Club (JFC), told TODAY.

“I’ve watched my opponent on video and I know she’ll present a huge challenge, but I don’t want to dwell too much on her. I’m just focused on improving myself, to give myself the best possible chance to win. Having generated a winning momentum throughout the year has given me the confidence for this fight as well.

“This will be my last fight of the year, so it’s very important to end it on a high so I can head into next year with a perfect record for 2016 and drive myself to the next level.”

Should Shahidah win the bout, she will be placed in the top 15 of the WBA rankings, which means she will become a serious contender for a world title challenge next year.

And Shahidah’s coach Arvind Lalwani believes how she performs in this fight will be a good indicator of where she stands among some of the top boxers in the world.

“This bout is going to be a real step-up for Shahidah, because her opponent is a world title holder,” said Lalwani. “But at the end of the day, Shahdiah’s got to take risks to progress if she is to ever become a world champion.

“If she manages to beat this opponent, then we know for sure she can mix it with the best, and we’ll look to get her a world title fight maybe next year.” NOAH TAN

4th Singapore Fighting Championships: Changing The Game

Total fights: 12 (6 title bouts)

Date: Nov 12, 6pm-11pm

Location: Singapore Foochow Association

Tickets: S$45 via www.singaporefightingchampionships.com