BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — Carolina Raquel Duer of Argentina, the World Boxing Organization’s super flyweight champion, won her first bantamweight title.
Duer, popularly known as “The Turk,” defeated Estrella Valverde of Mexico by a unanimous decision on Friday in Buenos Aires to take the crown in the 115- to 118-pound class.
The Jewish boxer raised her professional record to 16-3. The judges scored the 10-round bout 97-90, 99-88 and 96-91.
Duer, 35, was the WBO’s super flyweight champion for fighters weighing 112 to 115 — a title she defended six times. She was the first Jewish woman to hold a WBO crown.
The country’s National Public Television covered the fight live and broadcast it free under a federal program designed to make satellite television more accessible, including in high definition.
Duer, a favorite in Argentina, is the daughter of Syrian immigrants. She attended the Jaim Najman Bialik Primary School in Buenos Aires and spent more than a month in Israel in her younger years working on a kibbutz and touring the country.
As an amateur, Duer won 19 of 20 fights. She turned pro in 2007, capturing the super flyweight title three years later by defeating Italian Lorena Pedazza by decision.
