New Zealand’s Emma Nesbitt earned the biggest victory of her career, grinding out a hard-fought split decision over Japan’s Madoka Wada to claim the World Boxing Association (WBA) Gold Light Minimumweight Championship.

A razor-close battle and a fascinating clash of styles kept the crowd on edge throughout all ten rounds, ultimately leading to a split verdict from the judges. Two scorecards favored Nesbitt’s sharp, accurate boxing by margins of 96-93 and 95-94, while the third official awarded Wada a narrow 96-93 decision. The split ruling ultimately handed the WBA Gold crown to the Kiwi contender.

From the opening bell, the pace was relentless. Wada stayed true to the trademark Japanese pressure-fighting style, constantly working her way inside and targeting the body with heavy hooks. Nesbitt, however, answered with outstanding ring IQ, using a crisp jab, disciplined footwork, and effective movement off the back foot to create angles before firing precise right hooks upstairs whenever Wada closed the distance.

Although Wada landed several powerful combinations during the middle rounds that slowed Nesbitt’s movement, the New Zealander’s composure, mental toughness, and timely counterpunching during the championship rounds proved to be the deciding factors, allowing her to edge one of the most competitive bouts of the evening and leave with the WBA Gold belt.