- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,150,479
- Reaction score
- 59
ORLANDO — On the biggest night of her career, Tiara Brown retained her WBC featherweight title with a unanimous decision over Hannah Rapp.
The victory was monumental — not because of who Brown, now 21-0 (11 KOs), beat Rapp Saturday at the Caribe Royale Orlando — but rather for what this meant for the 38-year-old Fort Myers native and her near future.
This was Brown’s first fight with a major promoter after nearly 25 years in boxing, including nearly a decade fighting professionally. With the spotlight finally on her, Brown not only shined against Rapp — she set up potential clashes with the biggest names in and around 126 pounds.
Brown, an accomplished amateur, turned pro in 2016, well before the recent growth of women’s boxing in the United States. For years, she worked a demanding job on top of her boxing training, serving as a police officer in Washington, D.C., and then in Fort Myers.
In March 2025, she traveled overseas and dethroned Australia’s Skye Nicolson for the WBC belt, one of boxing’s four major world titles. Yet Brown had to settle for her first defense coming on a minor show in Houston last September.
There will be no more small shows. In January, Brown signed with Most Valuable Promotions, the foremost promoter of women’s boxing in America. MVP, which is co-owned by co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, recently inked a broadcast deal with ESPN and its streaming service.
Brown’s fight with Rapp was showcased just before the main event on ESPN+. She just needed to win and look good doing it.
Brown started the fight pressing forward with volume punching — and never stopped. She wanted to test Rapp, now 8-1-1 (5 KOs), who had never competed anywhere near Brown’s level. Rapp, 26, began boxing in 2021, while Brown started when Rapp was in diapers.
Rapp nevertheless seemed comfortable in the opening rounds, throwing plenty of shots while moving backward. Brown separated herself from Rapp as the fight entered its second half. No wonder: Brown ran cross-country in college and had boxed the 10-round distance thrice before. Rapp was a sprinter and had only gone eight rounds twice.
“I threw the more effective punches. I caught a lot of her punches,” Brown said afterward. “I just think I put on a better performance.”
By the end of the eighth, Rapp was bleeding from a cut above her right eyebrow. In the final six minutes, the crimson continued to flow from Rapp, and the punches continued to pour from Brown. Overall, Brown landed 195 of 606 shots while Rapp was 120 of 592.
The final scores were also clearly in Brown’s favor: 99-91, 99-91 and 97-93.
Brown’s time with a badge has concluded. She owns a company specializing in boxing and fitness. She has more time and energy to dedicate to training for the likes of Alycia Baumgardner, Nina Meinke, Ellie Scotney, and Amanda Serrano.
Scotney, 12-0 (0 KOs), previously the undisputed champion at 122 pounds, moved up in weight and is Brown’s mandatory challenger. Serrano, 49-4-1 (32 KOs), has the WBA and WBO titles and is seen as the featherweight queen. Meinke, 21-3 (4 KOs), owns the IBF belt. Baumgardner, 18-1 (7 KOs), rules the junior lightweight division four pounds north.
Those are all established names. That doesn’t bother Brown. She’s exactly where she wants to be.
“I’m here to stay,” Brown said. “I’m here to bring fans action-packed fights. I’m here to dominate and make my own legacy.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers' Tiara Brown defended her WBC featherweight over Hannah Rapp
Continue reading...
The victory was monumental — not because of who Brown, now 21-0 (11 KOs), beat Rapp Saturday at the Caribe Royale Orlando — but rather for what this meant for the 38-year-old Fort Myers native and her near future.
This was Brown’s first fight with a major promoter after nearly 25 years in boxing, including nearly a decade fighting professionally. With the spotlight finally on her, Brown not only shined against Rapp — she set up potential clashes with the biggest names in and around 126 pounds.
Brown, an accomplished amateur, turned pro in 2016, well before the recent growth of women’s boxing in the United States. For years, she worked a demanding job on top of her boxing training, serving as a police officer in Washington, D.C., and then in Fort Myers.
In March 2025, she traveled overseas and dethroned Australia’s Skye Nicolson for the WBC belt, one of boxing’s four major world titles. Yet Brown had to settle for her first defense coming on a minor show in Houston last September.
There will be no more small shows. In January, Brown signed with Most Valuable Promotions, the foremost promoter of women’s boxing in America. MVP, which is co-owned by co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, recently inked a broadcast deal with ESPN and its streaming service.
Brown’s fight with Rapp was showcased just before the main event on ESPN+. She just needed to win and look good doing it.
Brown started the fight pressing forward with volume punching — and never stopped. She wanted to test Rapp, now 8-1-1 (5 KOs), who had never competed anywhere near Brown’s level. Rapp, 26, began boxing in 2021, while Brown started when Rapp was in diapers.
Rapp nevertheless seemed comfortable in the opening rounds, throwing plenty of shots while moving backward. Brown separated herself from Rapp as the fight entered its second half. No wonder: Brown ran cross-country in college and had boxed the 10-round distance thrice before. Rapp was a sprinter and had only gone eight rounds twice.
“I threw the more effective punches. I caught a lot of her punches,” Brown said afterward. “I just think I put on a better performance.”
By the end of the eighth, Rapp was bleeding from a cut above her right eyebrow. In the final six minutes, the crimson continued to flow from Rapp, and the punches continued to pour from Brown. Overall, Brown landed 195 of 606 shots while Rapp was 120 of 592.
The final scores were also clearly in Brown’s favor: 99-91, 99-91 and 97-93.
Brown’s time with a badge has concluded. She owns a company specializing in boxing and fitness. She has more time and energy to dedicate to training for the likes of Alycia Baumgardner, Nina Meinke, Ellie Scotney, and Amanda Serrano.
Scotney, 12-0 (0 KOs), previously the undisputed champion at 122 pounds, moved up in weight and is Brown’s mandatory challenger. Serrano, 49-4-1 (32 KOs), has the WBA and WBO titles and is seen as the featherweight queen. Meinke, 21-3 (4 KOs), owns the IBF belt. Baumgardner, 18-1 (7 KOs), rules the junior lightweight division four pounds north.
Those are all established names. That doesn’t bother Brown. She’s exactly where she wants to be.
“I’m here to stay,” Brown said. “I’m here to bring fans action-packed fights. I’m here to dominate and make my own legacy.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers' Tiara Brown defended her WBC featherweight over Hannah Rapp
Continue reading...
