Chico boxing champ defends title

World champion boxer and Chico native Ava Knight successfully defended her International Boxing Federation flyweight crown last Saturday, March 31, in Los Cabos, Mexico. The 23-year-old Knight (pictured) pounded her way to a 10th-round technical knockout over Thailand’s Hongfah Tor Buamas.

“Before the last round my coach told me to take her out and I threw lots of knockout punches, but she wouldn’t go down,” recalled Knight, who lives in Oakland but teaches boxing at In Motion Fitness when visiting Chico.

Knight (8 wins, 1 loss, 3 ties) first won the world championship with a knockout last October. She hopes to fight again soon against champions from other leagues.