By Mike Anderson
Pefferlaw’s Melinda Watpool will face her toughest challenge yet on one of the world’s biggest stages this Friday night as she fights American Shadasia Green for the WBO Super Middleweight World Title in Arlington, Texas.
Her 10-round fight is one of six preliminary fights before the much-hyped Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson main fight, which will be streamed live on Netflix starting at 8 p.m. Watpool’s title fight, the second on the preliminary card, is slated for an approximate 7:30 p.m. start.
“I’m excited; It’s what we’ve been working towards. So it’s great to see my hard work paying off and getting these title shots,” Watpool told the Post.
“It’s free on Netflix, so I’m hoping lots of people will watch it and cheer for me. I know a lot of people can’t come to Texas, but it will be nice to know that people are going to be watching.”
The Paul vs. Tyson fight is expected to be the most watched boxing match ever, which includes the 1971 Joe Frasier vs Muhammad Ali fight in New York and the 2015 Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao bout held in Las Vegas, which drew 4.6 million PPV buys.
The global audience for the Paul vs. Tyson fight is estimated to be between 9.2 million to 13.8 million.
While the exact purses have not been disclosed, it’s reported that Jake Paul will collect $40 million for the fight, while Tyson collects $20 million.
Boxing sites list Shadasia Green, 35, whose pro record is 14-1-0 (Win-Loss-Draw) with 11 Knockouts (KOs), as the favourite, with Watpool (7-0-0) with 2 KOs as the underdog.
This is the first pro-fight between Green and Watpool. However, both fighters fought Natasha Spence; Green won a unanimous decision in July of this year, and Watpool achieved the same result in December 2023 and again this September.
According to the website Essentially Sports, Green has a power advantage over Watpool, with a 79 knockout percentage compared to Watpool’s 29 per cent.
Green also has a slight weight advantage (167.5 lbs vs. 165 lbs), and more pro fights under her belt.
That said, Watpool is eager to take on her opponent.
“I know my conditioning and output of punches will be good. But it’s going to take more than just overwhelming her. I’ll have to out think her in the ring,” Watpool said.
Although she’s the underdog, Watpool isn’t exhibiting any stage fright. Instead, she can barely contain her excitement.
“To be in the same ring as Mike Tyson will be legendary. The stadium holds 80,000 people and will be streamed live on Netflix to millions. It’s definitely a big stage,” she said.
While many of her Pefferlaw fans won’t be able to make the trip to Austin, Watpool says a contingent of 25 to 30 people from Pefferlaw will travel to Texas to cheer her on.
“It’s fantastic. The fact that they are willing to make that trip, that’s inspiration enough for sure.”
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