Luss boxer Hannah Rankin has returned to winning ways in her first fight of 2021 – and her thoughts are already turning to her next opponent.
The 30-year-old saw off the threat of Kholosa Ndobayini in comfortable fashion in the Cape Town bout, with the judges’ scorecards reading 77-75, 80-73 and 78-74 in the Scots favour.
Rankin was making her debut in the weltwerweight division after coming down from her last middleweight bout in October, and the super-welterweight division in which she was crowned Scotland’s first female world boxing champion in 2019.
But she looked like a seasoned pro with her dominant performance against her South African opponent.
The former Hermitage Academy pupil towered over Ndobayini, and landed more clean shots in the eight-round contest, whilst also restricting the two-weight world champion in making contact.
Scotland’s first female world champion returned to the ring over the weekend for a warm-down session and teased that an announcement on her next opponent may be coming soon.
She tweeted that she had no injuries after the fight, and urged followers to ‘watch this space’.
READ MORE: Rankin targets three wins from three in 2021 as she aims to become a world champion again
Rankin’s manager, Sam Kynoch, had two boxers on the card on Friday as the Iranian born Mohammad Ali Bayat Farid secured a win over Mussa Ajibu.
Rankin took to social media to thank fans for their support and mark the victories.
She said: “Two for two for myself and Mo Ali Bayat out here in Cape Town tonight!
“First time down at welterweight and I like this weight! Huge thanks to my whole team and to all of my sponsors and supporters, without you guys these things wouldn’t be possible. On to the next one!”
It was the first time the Scot had fought since October when she lost out to Savannah Marshall for the WBO middleweight title at Wembley Arena.
Prior to last Friday’s contest, Rankin told the Advertiser she was aiming to secure three wins from three fights this year as she looks to put herself in the picture to become a world champion at her new weight in 2022.
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