March 26 1986: Central Maine’s Laurie Holt Wins Women’s World Super Featherweight Boxing Title

Laurie “Thunderbolt” Holt of the Waterville Boxing Club is the new women’s super featherweight champion of the world.  She won the crown with a unanimous 15-round decision lover Cora “White Sugar” Webber of Los Angeles in a fight that ended early Tuesday morning in Denver, Colorado.

The International Women’s Boxing Association title fight was scored by rounds.  All three judges voted 10-4-1 in favor of Holt, according to her manager, Bob Sylvia of Waterville.

Holt started fast and kept her left jab in the face of Webber through most of the early rounds, keeping the Californian off balance.  Both fighters got off some solid shots early in the third round.

Holt nearly stopped the California champion late in the third round, Sylvia said.

“She (Webber) staggered her a couple of times.”

Holt won most of the rounds with sharp punching and by being aggressive.  When the 15 two-minute rounds were over, Webber had a bloody nose but Holt was unmarked.

“She won it with her jab,” said Silvia.  A sharp left jab is the tradmark of Sylvia’s Waterville Boxing Club fighters.

Sylvia estimated the crowd n the Grand Ballroom of the Radison Denver Hotel to be about 600.  It was almost full.  They gave her a standing ovation,” he said.  “She also got a world championship belt.”

It was the sixth straight victor for Holt, 6-2-0, who lost her first two fights before Sylvia took over as her manager and trainer.

Holt now holds three super featherweight championships.  she won the Maine title with a decision over Cheryl Brown two years ago and captured the North American crown with a win over “Tough” Toni Rodriguez last year in Baltimore, Maryland.

It was the win over Rodriguez that put Holt in line for a world title shot.

Webber, now 9-1-1-, was unfeated going into Monday night’s fight.  She earned her shot at the world title by knocking out former “Lady Tyger” Trimiar last year in San Francisco.

Holt will take a few weeks off from training then start thinking about her first title defense.  She has 90 days under IWBA rules, before she has to defend the crown.

Sylvia said he would like to see a world championship fight in Maine.

“If we could find someone to promote it, I’d love to see her defend her title, maybe at the Augusta Civic Center.”  Copyrights:  News article in Waterville