Respected promoter and trainer Stefy Bull believes unbeaten Terri Harper is a star in the making
Harper, 22, vies to become Britain’s youngest female world champion when she locks horns with South Africa’s Nozipho Bell for the vacant IBO super-featherweight crown at the Magna Centre in Rotherham next Friday night (July 19).
Given that the Denaby Main stylist only turned professional in November 2017, her rise to world title class has been little short of meteoric.
And Stefy feels she is equipped with all the attributes to become one of the sweet science’s shining lights.
“I strongly believe I’ve discovered someone very unique, someone very exciting and someone who could arguably be a big player, not just in women’s boxing, but in boxing overall,” Stefy said.
“I’ve always been very vocal about Terri’s talent and I think now everybody is seeing what she is about.
“She’s only 22 and she’s full of potential. Imagine what she’s going to be like when she’s 24 or 25 years of age.
“I think Terri could become Yorkshire’s biggest attraction. Take Josh Warrington away and she’s rivalling anyone in terms of popularity because she’s getting a lot of publicity and she’s personally sold over £20,000 of tickets for this fight.
“It’s even more crazy when you consider that she isn’t from a big town or city. She’s from a little mining village just outside of Doncaster.
“She’s already surpassed anyone I’ve worked with and I can’t think of anyone else who was driving this level of interest on small hall shows at her age and after only seven fights.”
Despite his confidence in Harper’s ability, Stefy is keen to stress that Nozipho Bell isn’t an opponent that he and co-trainer Ray Doyle are taking lightly.
The 29-year-old from Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth has already operated in world class having won an WBF crown in her last fight and previously pushed WBO titlist Ewa Brodnicka to the wire.
“She (Bell) went all the way to Poland to fight Brodnicka and from what I’ve read online, it was a very close and controversial decision,” Stefy said.
“If she can mix it like that with a genuine unbeaten world champion, then she can obviously fight and winning is not a foregone conclusion for Terri.
“This will tell us exactly where Terri is at. We believe Terri is already at world level and she’ll prove that.
“In the last few fights she’s beaten Nina Bradley, who was the Commonwealth champion and undefeated, and on only 10 days notice she stopped Lopez, who was a southpaw and a former IBF and WBA world champion. This is the next step in Terri’s rise in the sport.”
Stefy Bull Promotions in association with Ryan Rhodes’s 26RR Promotions presents an evening of professional boxing entitled ‘The World Awaits’ on Friday 19 July at the Magna Centre, Rotherham.
As well Harper v Bell, Doncaster’s two-time world title challenger Gavin McDonnell returns to action, Lee Appleyard boxes in his hometown for the first time, Jason Cunningham keeps busy ahead of a potential British super-bantamweight title shot, and unbeaten Sheffield prospect Callum ‘Hitman’ Hancock continues his education.
Also in action are debutants Callum Beardow and Cam Shaw, Sheffield’s Jamaican-born puncher Nicolie Campbell and fast-rising super-lightweight Levi Kinsiona.