Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank – Lizbeth Crespo (15-7, 4 KOs), as she faced American Mikaela Mayer in 2019.
I was chatting with Philippe Farley, who told me that he dreams of one day climbing the famous Mount Illimani, in Bolivia. There, it is said that there is a divine presence at the top of the mountain…
At the same time, I learned that it was also in this South American country that we found Leïla Beaudoin’s next opponent.
My friend Farley aims for the top of the mountains and Leïla aims for the top of her division, they have in common that they go through Bolivia to get there.
Find on BoxRec
Did you know? Lizbeth Crespo is not just a female fighter from Bolivia. She is the best female fighter in Bolivia. Well, she is the only one in her division and there are only three active across the board… But even if you add her 42 male colleagues, you will not find anyone else who fought for the world title once, let alone twice.
Fun Fact
Until 1809, Bolivia was sometimes called ‘Upper-Peru.’ It is also the country with the most official languages, 37. It must be complicated to find the form to obtain a visa on time…
The last test
My friend Leïla Beaudoin is a force of nature ranked 7th best super featherweight in the world by Boxrec, 8th by the IBF and 11th by the WBC.
It’s a matter of months before she receives the call to fight against unified world champion Alycia Baumgardner or for a title she would eventually relinquish.
At the dawn of the big moment, it is often Lizbeth Crespo who serves as the last test before going for a belt.
For Leïla, this is the biggest test of her career, in front of her people in Quebec City where she is more popular than Joe Sakic or André Arthur in the 80s.
Beaudoin spends a lot of time in Montreal for his training camps; she lives with a very high-level athlete to stay focused on performance.
‘Crespo is an experienced boxer who has already fought twice in the world championship, in addition to having rubbed shoulders with the American Mikaela Mayer. A pugilist with quick hands, she excels in counterattacks and does not hesitate to throw at the same time as her opponent,’ Samuel Décarie-Drolet, the Quebecois’ coach, described to us.
Who is Lizbeth Crespo?
She is a 33-year-old Bolivian boxer who fought against 6 former, present or future world champions.
His 2-4 record is respectable; she defeated Brenda Carabajal and Marisa Nunez, but lost to Soledad Matthysse, Jennifer Han, Mikaela Mayer and Maira Moneo. Each time, it was by decision.
‘This is a great opportunity for Liz to pick up her international career where she left off after strong performances in the United States against strong champions like Jennifer Han and Mikaela Mayer. It’s a major event against a boxer on the rise, but Liz has much more experience and will demonstrate it on August 17,’ tells us this time the coach of the main interested party, Dario Fernandez.
Word From 120 Secondes
‘Crespo is a technician with a lot of experience. She’s already faced several tough challenges so far, from girls like Maira Moneo and Jennifer Han, for example. Against Han, she did very well. Lizbeth is fast and moves well. It should match Leïla’s style very well to offer us a competitive fight,’ describes Marie-Eve Albert, from 120 Secondes.
Leïla Beaudoin has a big problem on her hands. She must shine at home and make a statement in her division. But she faces a girl who throws a lot of punches, with good technique, but who uses her head to push the opponent away, who hangs on and who can even struggle if the referee is patient.
We can also bet that Leïla will want to make Lizbeth Crespo pay for the fact that she got lost in her papers and had to pull out from their fight initially planned last June.
Everything is there for us to witness a great fight. American TV is on site, Top Rank will have a close eye on Leïla Beaudoin, they who are always looking for new talents, and an opponent who is very focused on offence and aggressiveness.
A Prediction
I anticipate that this fight is the last stop before a world championship for the Eye of the Tiger boxer, but for that, you must not just win, but shine in front of your family on August 17.
