- Boxing legend Fatuma Zarika is still pursuing a rematch for the Commonwealth Boxing Council (CBC) Super Featherweight title against Brit Kirsty Hill nearly three years later.
- The 41-year-old says she has been following up on the matter, but nothing has been done, despite the contract stating a rematch should have taken place.
- Zarika returned on April 3 at SportPesa Boxing Night, defeating Tanzania’s Flora Machela.
Former WBC female super-bantamweight champion Fatuma Zarika says she’s been chasing a rematch of the Commonwealth Boxing Council (CBC) Super Featherweight title against Brit Kirsty Hill, but nothing has materialized so far.
Speaking at the SportPesa Boxing Night held in partnership with UFS BXNG, where the mother of two made her ring return after a short layoff, she mentioned that the 2024 CBC fight, which she lost to Hill, was supposed to have a second bout, something she hasn’t seen since then.
“I tried to follow up on it, but no one managed to come through for me to set up the rematch. Whatever was in the contract, she was supposed to run it back with me. I tried to talk, but I didn’t get any help from anyone,” the 41-year-old explained.
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Fatuma Zarika still seeking long-overdue CBC title rematch against Kirsty Hill
When asked if she ever consulted the higher-ups, including the president, Zarika stated that the Commonwealth Boxing Council (CBC) president Reuben Ndolo from Kenya was at the fight, and he himself admitted that Zarika did not lose fairly.
However, Zarika says that up to this moment, she hasn’t received any word on that outcry.
“I also consulted the president of Commonwealth, Ndolo, who was at that match. I complained to him. He also came to the dressing room and said it wasn’t a fair game. I thought he was going to do the follow-up, but up to date, nothing happened,” she added.
Back in May 2024, Zarika , also known as “Iron Fist”, took center stage in Blackpool for the CBC Super Featherweight title against Briton international Hill, where she dominated the contest for ten grueling rounds.
Zarika appeared to assert her supremacy, dictating the pace of the fight and landing a series of punishing shots on her opponent.
Reports from ringside suggested that Zarika controlled most of the rounds, showcasing her superior ring craft and aggression.
However, when the final bell rang to signal the end of the bout, the judges’ scorecards told a different story. Mark Bates scored the clash 96-94 in favor of Hill, while Jamie Kirkpatrick saw it 97-94 for Zarika. Mark Lyson’s card also favored Hill, tallying 96-94.
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The split decision left spectators and pundits puzzled, as it appeared to contradict the flow of the bout.
To date, nearly three years later, she still hasn’t secured the rematch she has been pushing for, despite previously holding the WBC female super-bantamweight title from 2016 to 2019 and now returning to the ring.
Fatuma made her return on Friday, April 3, when she stepped into the Women’s Super-Featherweight division at the SportPesa Boxing Night, where she managed to beat Flora Machela of Tanzania in a non-title bout staged at the Edge Convention Center in Nairobi.
Even though it wasn’t a title fight as she tries to reinvent herself, the victory boosted her wins to 35 and her knockouts throughout her career (since 2003) to 19, while maintaining a 14-loss record.
All the former WBF Intercontinental Female Super-Featherweight champion wants is to hang up the gloves as a champion, and she has vowed to do just that.
“I want to hang up the gloves knowing very well I’m still a champion, and that is all I want. All I need to improve on is to practice more and return to my previous ways of doing things, like going to international camps and learning how things are done. It’s not all about age, but training well,” she stated.
