Canadian Olympian Mary Spencer will attempt to avenge her only defeat when she takes on Belgian former world champion Femke Hermans in a 10-round rematch for the vacant IBF junior middleweight world title on Wednesday, October 11, at Casino de Montréal in Montreal, Canada.
Promoted by Eye of the Tiger, Spencer-Hermans II headlines a loaded fight card streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
Spencer (7-1, 5 KOs) represented Canada at the 2012 London Olympics. Nearly a decade later, she turned pro with a first-round knockout victory against Maria Esquivel Zamora in August 2021. She secured her first regional title by blasting out Cynthia Lozano in the first round of their September 2022 battle. Hermans (16-4, 7 KOs), a seven-year pro, captured the WBO junior middleweight world title with a decision win over Nikki Adler in May 2018. Later that year, she moved up to middleweight and made an unsuccessful bid for Claressa Shields’ unified crown. She then faced the likes of Savannah Marshall and Elin Cederroos before returning to junior middleweight. In their first encounter last December, Hermans beat Spencer via decision in a fiercely contested battle. Less than a year later, the stakes are even higher.
In the 10-round super middleweight co-feature, unbeaten southpaw Erik Bazinyan (30-0, 21 KOs) defends his NABF and NABA titles against American veteran Ronald Ellis (18-3-2, 12 KOs). Bazinyan, who is ranked No. 3 by the WBA, WBC and IBF, is inches away from a world title opportunity. He will make his third appearance of 2023 after decision wins against Alantez Fox in February and Jose de Jesus Macias in June. Ellis returns following a two-year layoff after providing stiff tests to David Benavidez and Christian Mbilli in 2021.
In other streaming action from Montreal:
Christopher Guerrero (8-0, 4 KOs) vs. Jose Lopez (30-8-2, 16 KOs), 8 rounds, welterweight
Leila Beaudoin (9-1, 1 KO) vs. Estrella Valverde (19-11-2, 4 KOs), 8 rounds, junior lightweight
Jhon Orobio (4-0, 4 KOs) vs. Jesus Solis Reyes (4-1), 6 rounds, lightweight
Wilkens Mathieu (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Cesar Lopez Romo (2-0, 1 KO), 4 rounds, super middleweight
Imam Khataev (3-0, 3 KOs) vs. David Benitez (9-8, 2 KOs), 8 rounds, light heavyweight
Mehmet Nadir Unal (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Luca Spadaccini (9-5-3, 4 KOs), 8 rounds, light heavyweight