Kaye Scott left no doubt this time – except, it seems, in the eyes of one judge.
Scott, of Sydney, Australia, won a 10-round majority decision over Chicago’s Olivia Curry to win the vacant WBA and WBC women’s middleweight titles in the main event at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.
Scores were 98-92, 97-93 in Scott’s favor, with an inexplicable third score of 95-95 also turned in.
The fight was a rematch of a Fight of the Year type that was ruled a majority draw in September.
Scott pushed forward in the opening round, establishing her range with her jab and setting the tone that she would be the first to punch and first to land. In the second round, an accidental headbutt occurred, opening a cut over Curry’s right eye.
Curry showed effective aggression in the fourth, applying steady pressure. Scott responded in the following round and was able to answer her opponent’s forward push with strength and accurate punching.
In their first bout, Curry’s aggression became a useful weapon from the sixth round onward. That wasn’t the case in the rematch. On Saturday, Curry pressured, but Scott – traditionally a boxer, given her deep amateur pedigree – persisted in fighting on the inside with a mauling style.
The final rounds were grueling, as Scott continued to fight on the inside, imposing her size. Neither fighter landed a ton of clean or effective punches, but Curry was continually pushed back. She had some moments in the ninth, throwing combination punches, but overall the fight lacked the same drama as their first bout.
With the sounding of the final bell, little doubt was left as to who deserved the win.
The 41-year-old Scott, who became a unified world titleholder in her third attempt to capture a title, now holds a record of 5-1-1.
Curry, 36, fell to 7-3-2 (2 KOs).
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
