WBF International champion Aina Abbey is set to battle IBO Intercontinental and WBC Youth World champion Jeyssa Marcel in a female bantamweight fight on April 12 at the Zenith Metropole in Nantes, France.
Both unbeaten boxers will defend their titles in an eight-round bout in Western France.
Abbey, who is currently training at the Police College in Ikeja, Lagos, is anticipating a challenging fight against her 22-year-old opponent.
“I just completed 15 rounds of sparring,” she informed PUNCH Sports Extra on Thursday.
“I called on some girls from Ogun State to spar with me in Lagos. It's going to be a tough fight because she holds the number one position in her country in our weight class and I will be fighting her there.”
‘Iron Abbey’, however, maintains confidence in her ability to exit the ring holding both the WBF and IBO belts.
“It's a challenge like any good fight, but I still believe I will emerge victorious against her. I am determined to defeat her, especially considering the hostile environment,” the 27-year-old commented.
“I have assured my manager Ibrahim Fijabi that I will make the girl bleed,” Abbey added. “I am very determined because I want to bring glory back to Nigeria.”
Abbey informed our correspondent that she will be traveling from Nigeria to France for the fight on April 10, two days before she confronts one of her toughest challenges in the ring.
The Nigerian boasts an undefeated professional boxing record of 11 wins and nine knockouts, while the Frenchwoman has a record of 12 wins and two knockouts.
Abbey may have Nigerian footballer Moses Simon in her corner during the fight, as he is a known boxing enthusiast who watched Anthony Joshua’s fight at the 02 Arena in 2023 days before attending singer Asake’s concert at the same venue.
Simon will not need to make a trip to London this time, as Abbey’s fight is taking place in Nantes, where he plays for FC Nantes.
