HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC — Bermudian southpaw Teresa Perozzi is reportedly pregnant and has been forced to withdraw from her upcoming WBA women’s middleweight title defence here, the Royal Gazette newspaper said yesterday.
New Hampshire-born Perozzi, 39, was due to fight 26-year-old Yajaira Hernandez of the Dominican Republic at the Fairmont Southampton resort on November 29.
However, organisers confirmed the fight has been postponed because of Perozzi’s pregnancy.
“Teresa Perozzi’s intention was to defend her WBA middleweight title in our upcoming event on November 29 at the Fairmont Southampton, but due to the recent developments in her personal life, she will be unable to do so,” an event spokesman said.
Perozzi now risks being stripped of her title for failing to defend it within the mandatory six-month period.
Perozzi landed the then-vacant WBA middleweight belt following a split decision win against American Lorissa Rivas in Trinidad and Tobago in December 2011.
She then defended her title on local shores three months later with a unanimous points decision against American challenger April Ward, who took a beating in the ring at Berkeley Institute gymnasium.
Perozzi put her title on the line again against American Tori Nelson in a WBA and WBC middleweight unification championship bout in October 2012 that ended as a draw at Fairmont Southampton.
The two fighters also fought to a draw in a rematch for the vacant WBC middleweight crown at the Berkeley gym in February this year.
