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Sara Bailey (boxer)

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Sara Bailey
Born
Sara Haghighat-Joo

(1994-06-17) 17 June 1994 (age 30)[3]
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada[1]
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height162 cm (5 ft 4 in)[1]
StanceOrthodox[1]
Boxing record[2]
Total fights5
Wins5
Wins by KO0

Sara Bailey (née Haghighat-Joo) (Persian: ساعی بیلی; born 17 June 1994) is a Canadian-Iranian-Sierra Leonean professional boxer who holds the WBA female light-flyweight World title (Regular version). As an amateur she was the first Sierra Leonean competitor to win a gold medal at the African Elite Boxing Championships.

Amateur career

[edit]

Bailey is a five-time Canadian amateur champion and has also won two Irish amateur titles.[4] Having previously represented Canada on the international stage, she began boxing for Sierra Leone – qualifying through her grandparents – in 2020.[5][6]

She was selected to take part in the light-flyweight division at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, but was disqualified before her quarter-final bout with Uganda's Teddy Nakimuli after failing to make the required 50 kg weight limit by a mere 0.1 kg, something she blamed on a discrepancy between the test scales and the official scales.[7][8]

In September 2022, Bailey became the first Sierra Leonean to win a gold medal at the African Elite Boxing Championships when she defeated Algeria's Fatma Zohra Abdelkader in the bantamweight final in Maputo, Mozambique.[9][10][5]

Professional career

[edit]

After signing a promotional deal with Ontario-based United Promotions, she made her professional debut on 12 November 2022, securing a unanimous decision victory over Nayeli Verde at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Canada, in a fight streamed live on DAZN.[11][12]

In just her fourth pro-fight, Bailey claimed the WBA female World light-flyweight title (Regular version), beating defending champion Guadalupe Bautista by unanimous decision in Toronto, Canada, on 27 April 2024. Her victory made her the fastest professional world champion in Canadian boxing history.[4][13][14][15]

She successfully defended her title for the first time against Anabel Ortiz in Toronto on 12 December 2024, winning by unanimous decision.[16]

Personal life

[edit]

Bailey’s parents emigrated to Canada from Iran.[17] She is fluent in Persian and studied Human Kinetics at the University of British Columbia before transferring to the University of Guelph when she switched boxing training bases.[18] Bailey is married to her coach/manager Stevie Bailey.[4]

Professional boxing record

[edit]
5 fights 5 wins 0 losses
By decision 5 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
5 Win 5–0 Anabel Ortiz UD 10 12 Dec 2024 Great Canadian Casino Resort, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Retained WBA (Regular) female light-flyweight title
4 Win 4–0 Guadalupe Bautista UD 10 27 Apr 2024 Great Canadian Casino Resort, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Won WBA (Regular) female light-flyweight title
3 Win 3–0 Esmeralda Gaona Sagahon UD 8 21 Oct 2023 Pickering Casino Resort, Pickering, Ontario, Canada
2 Win 2–0 Mayela Perez UD 10 25 Feb 2023 CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
1 Win 1–0 Nayeli Verde UD 8 12 Nov 2022 CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario, Canada

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Boxrec profile of Sara Bailey". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  2. ^ "Boxing record for Sara Bailey". BoxRec.
  3. ^ "Sara Bailey". tapology.com. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  4. ^ a b c "World title changes hands; Brampton fighter has big night at boxing card". insauga.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  5. ^ a b "AFBC African Men's & Women's Boxing Championships finished in Maputo". IBA Sport. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  6. ^ "Former Canada female boxer Sara Haghighat-joo, to fight for Sierra Leone during zone two boxing competition". awokenewspaper.com.com. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  7. ^ "Sierra Leone boxer blasts Commonwealth Games organisers after weigh-in disqualification". Inside the Games. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  8. ^ "'Absolute Bullsh*t' - Reigning Irish Elite Champion forced out of the Commonwealth Games". Irish Boxing. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  9. ^ "Reigning Irish Champ wins African Championship Gold and makes history for Sierra Leone". Irish Boxing. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  10. ^ "Sierra Leone Female Boxer, Sara Haghighat-Joo Bags Gold Medal at AFBC Championship". Sierra Loaded. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  11. ^ "Haghighat-Joo vs Nayeli Verde". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  12. ^ "Reigning Elite Irish Champ confirms pro move and DAZN debut". Irish Boxing. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  13. ^ "Haghighat Joo dethrones Bautista in Toronto". wbaboxing.com. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  14. ^ "Irish Amateur Champ makes World title history". Irish Boxing. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  15. ^ "Maria Guadalupe Bautista vs Haghighat-Joo". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  16. ^ "Title Fights From Around the World: Ryosuke Nishida and Sara Bailey Shine". bigfightweekend.com. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Sara Bailey is World Title Ready". westendac.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  18. ^ "The Gentlemen's Expo - Feature Fighter: Sara Haghighat-joo". fighttoendcancer.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
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