TORONTO — United Boxing Promotions is bringing a major world championship fight to Toronto on April 27th.
Ontario’s premier boxing company presents Canadian Sara Haghighat-Joo (3-0, WBA #8, IBF #8) against reigning WBA World Champion Maria Guadalupe Bautista (23-11-2, 6 KO) for the WBA Light Flyweight World Championship at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto.
“We’re incredibly proud to be bringing a WBA World Title fight to Toronto,” said United Promotions president Tyler Buxton. “It’s been a goal of ours to bring world championship fights to Toronto, and this is the first of many to come.
“Sara is a talent unlike any other, which is why she’s fighting for a world title this early in her career — this opportunity is a testament to her hard work, talent and amateur pedigree.”
Haghighat-Joo will be chasing history, seeking to become the fastest Canadian woman to win a major World Championship in just her fourth professional fight.
“This is the best possible scenario for me, fighting on home turf,” said Haghighat-Joo, who fights out of Etobicoke’s West End Athletic Club. “I am so thankful United was able to make this happen, this is the beginning of an incredible 12- to 18-month period for my career and I know my fans are ready for this big night!”
Haghighat-Joo made her professional debut in eye-catching eight round fashion in 2022, and has already defeated a former World Title Challenger early in her career.
“Some people might think it’s too soon or too early in my career, but we have been moving aggressively thus far and it truly could not be better timing,” said Haghighat-Joo, a former Canadian and Irish national amateur champion who won all 18 rounds across every scorecard in 2023. “I could not have signed with a better promoter in Canada, and I’m excited with where this journey is going to go, beginning April 27th at Casino Resort Toronto.”
The chief support will feature reigning IBO Americas Welterweight Champion Josh ‘The Boss’ Wagner (17-0, 9 KO) locking horns with rising Argentine star Geronimo ‘El Caballero’ Vazquez (17-1, 5 KO).
A star-studded undercard including powerful Jamaican middleweight Kemahl ‘The Hitman’ Russell (16-1, 14 KO), budding Korean lightweight star Gisu ‘Terminator’ Lee (10-4, 3 KO), undefeated Hamilton super lightweight Bradley ‘The Truth’ Wilcox (11-0, 6 KO) and 6-foot-3 welterweight southpaw Joshua ‘HellRazor’ Frazer (9-0, 6 KO).
Tickets are available now; VIP floor seats through [email protected], with individual tickets on sale Friday, February 16 at 12:00 p.m. via Ticketmaster.ca.
Fight File: Sara Haghighat-Joo vs. Maria Guadalupe Bautista
Each of the three fighters Haghighat-Joo has fought as a professional have challenged for a North American or World Title…Bautista is a three-time World Champion, having won the IBF Light Flyweight title in 2018, the WBA Light Flyweight belt in 2020 and WBA Flyweight crown in 2022…The current record for fastest Canadian woman to win a major World Championship is held by Jeannine Garside, who won the WBO and WBC featherweight titles in her 14th professional fight.
About United Boxing Promotions
Featuring the province’s best fighters in world-class venues, Tyler Buxton’s United Boxing Promotions has a two-decade track record of developing elite boxing talent and delivering one of the premier fan experiences in Ontario sport. United’s roster includes four reigning IBO continental champions, a former Olympian, a former WBO World Title Challenger and an upcoming WBA World Title Challenger.
