Samantha Worthington had just wrapped up the eighth round of a tough defense of her interim WBA junior welterweight title. She believed she was ahead on the scorecards, but with two rounds to go, someone told Worthington her night was over.
Not just anyone, but a presence Worthington has tremendous faith in.
“I was feeling so good and winning after the eighth round! I didn’t get hurt and was ready to continue, but God spoke so clearly not to go back out,” Worthington told BoxingScene via text less than 24 hours after her upset stoppage loss to Edith Soledad Matthysse.
“I was so confused and fought Him on it but He spoke it again, so I listened.”
The eight rounds that preceded were a battle of attrition.
Worthington came in as the defending titleholder with an undefeated record – and, at 30 years old, the American was seen as the much fresher fighter. Soledad Matthysse, meanwhile, had a significant advantage in experience and level of opposition and was a former unified featherweight titleholder. But she was 45 years old, and her record of 20-16-1 strongly suggested that the Argentine fighter was no longer anywhere near her peak.
Soledad Matthysse wasn’t there to lie down, though. The pace was grueling and the action punishing.
In the eighth, Soledad Matthysse succeeded with a left hook to the body followed by one to the head, and then she targeted Worthington’s body. Worthington seemed to be tiring. When she let out a number of uppercuts from in close, they landed but had little steam behind them. Soledad Matthysse’s skill and experience showed when she landed a counter right hand over Worthington’s jab. A lead left hook from Soledad Matthysse scored. So did a good right hand.
The fighters returned to their stools after the eighth round concluded. And then Soledad Matthysse leaped from the blue corner when she realized her foe was going to remain in the red one as the ninth round began.
It turned out to be a wise choice for Worthington.
“When I got back to the locker room, I started getting a decent headache, so we went to the ER just to be sure. And it turns out, I have a slight bleed on my brain,” Worthington said. “And the doctor said it was the best decision I could’ve made to not go back out for the last two rounds because it could’ve made it a lot worse. God truly saved my life.”
BoxingScene has asked whether the injury will have any implications on Worthington’s ability to fight again. This story will be updated when more information becomes available.
Worthington is now 12-1 (7 KOs). She had won her belt this past July with a majority decision over Victoire Piteau.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
