At an event hosted by ring legend Roy Jones Jr, Zeina Nassar made a strong statement at the WBA Peace Convention, dominating Kanokwan Wirunpat over six rounds in her professional debut.
German bantamweight Zeina Nassar has impressively won her long-awaited professional debut. In Lahore, Pakistan, the Berlin boxing pioneer won a clear unanimous points decision against the experienced Thai Kanokwan Wirunpat.
Nassar (1-0), who made history as an amateur in 2013 when she became the first woman to compete in Germany wearing a headscarf, opened the four-day WBA Peace Convention boxing festival with a composed and technically mature performance. The event was organized by Falcon Sporting Promotions, Manny Pacquiao Promotions, Roy Jones Jr Boxing and GloveBoxx.
After a cautious start, Nassar quickly found her rhythm. A clean left jab followed by a straight right to the head forced Wirunpat back for the first time. Although the Thai (5-5, 5 knockouts) continued to march forward, Nassar stopped her several times with precise counter rights.
In the second round, the German immediately took control of the center of the ring, feinted and again landed her hard jab, followed by a pinpoint right hand to end the round. In round three, both boxers traded hard hands, but Nassar clearly held her ground, landing a clean left hook and increasing her frequency of punches. Wirunpat was able to open the fourth round with a clear right jab, but Nassar stayed calm, worked behind her jab again and dominated the rest of the round. The fifth round was more tactical but still controlled by the Berliner.
Nassar put an exclamation mark on the final sixth round: A precise left-right combination package followed by a double jab to the head and body finally left Wirunpat without answers. From the first to the last bell, Nassar controlled the pace and the distance. The judges were unanimous – three times 60-54 – and certified the German newcomer a perfect start into the professional world.