On Saturday, June 27, at Polideportivo José María Vargas in La Guaira, Venezuela, WBA World female bantamweight champion Mayerlin Rivas (12-3-1, 8 KOs), from Maracaibo, Venezuela, successfully retained her title by stopping Sayda Mosquera (7-2-1, 5 KOs), from Darien, Panama.

The referee, Manuel Rodriguez Soler, waved off the fight at 1:35 of round four in a scheduled 10-rounder.

It was a hard-fought contest, with neither fighter giving an inch. There were moments when Rivas was dominant. There were moments when Mosquera was in charge.

Going into the fourth round, the fight was up for grabs. Some even thought Mosquera was ahead. But the resourceful, hard-hitting Rivas landed an uppercut with bad intentions that had her opponent reeling. Leaning against the ropes, unable to defend or fight back, the referee stepped in and called a halt to the action to prevent Mosquera from being seriously hurt.

It was the champion’s first defense of her WBA title. It was a victory that didn’t come easily and for which she can be proud.