Beatriz Ferreira has been preparing for her fourth defense of her IBF lightweight title by drafting in young prodigy Tia Mai Ayton to her camp.
The 32-year-old Brazilian will defend her title against Poland’s Elif Nur Turhan on Saturday in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The 11-0 (7 KOs) Turhan promises to be Ferreira’s toughest test yet as a professional, and she has prepared accordingly. Ayton, 19, has been pipped by none other than Katie Taylor to go down as the greatest female fighter of all-time. The 3-0 (3 KOs) bantamweight is yet to lose a bout, amateur or pro, and just three bouts into her professional career is a valuable sparring resource for some of the best fighters in the world.
Former WBC featherweight champion Skye Nicolson regularly spars with Ayton, and has given a glowing report of the youngster’s work. Now Ferreira, a titlist competing four divisions above Ayton, has called in the youngster for rounds, and had nothing but good things to say about the prodigy.
“I had this opportunity and it was very good,” Ferreira told BoxingScene through a translator. “I really enjoyed meeting another athlete and a future champion. I saw great potential in her. I think I learned a lot. I like to admire other athletes and learn a little bit from each one. We had some great rounds. I think one helped the other a lot. I hope we can meet more often to do this quality training.”
Some may think Ferreira, who is 13 years Ayton’s senior, would have little to learn from a 19-year-old who is so early into her professional career.
“Age doesn't matter, style doesn't matter,” Ferreira said. “I think we're always learning and it only depends on us. I want to do a great job until I retire. My goal is to unify and leave a mark on my career as a female professional boxer.”
It has been a frustrating time for Ferreira lately. She’s been hunting down unifications with fellow champions with no success, and is closer to the end of her career than the beginning at 32. WBC titleholder Caroline Dubois was reportedly offered the chance to face Ferreira on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jnr and Conor Benn’s first dustup back in April, but Dubois’ promoter Ben Shalom blocked the deal.
“I want to face the best, I want to face the champions, but I also understand their side,” said an admittedly frustrated Ferreira. “It wouldn't be smart if I was in their position, I wouldn't want to face myself either. It's a big risk. But I believe that with my good performance and my victory in this next fight, I don't think [Dubois] is going to have many choices. She's going to have to face me, and that's good for me, because I'm going to be more and more ready with every fight to be able to make this mix of titles happen. All the champions are my rivals, and I want to face them all.”
Before Ferreira can attempt to entice one of her fellow lightweight titleholders into the ring, she must first deal with a hard-hitting challenger in Turhan.
“She's a very dangerous opponent, but she doesn't have as much experience as I do,” Ferreira said. “I think it's going to be a great fight. I've studied and thought about everything I can do. All the risks I take, but that's the job. It's part of unification. It's facing great athletes and defending my titles. I'm going to defend it as many times as necessary because the goal is to get them all. She's only going to be one more.”
Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions recruiting most of the existing women's boxing stars in recent years has altered the landscape of the sport. The sport seemed to elevate by leaps and bounds with the arrival of Katie Taylor into the pro ranks, but in recent years it seems to have stagnated, with fewer promoters investing in female boxers. Ferreira is happy to see Paul’s MVP push the sport, but believes there is still more work to be done.
“I'm particularly happy about the growth of women's boxing,” she said. “It's very cool to have great businessmen making this growth visible. I think the market has
to grow this way. I think it cannot just be only MVP who are working hard and presenting themselves very well.
‘I think [we need] more opportunities, women are showing they are working right, performing very well. I believe on big cards there should always be women’s boxing there, so the market will rotate, have more athletes competing, and more money circulating. I hope this happens and I hope that I can be part of this.”
So why did Ferreira not join the majority of female boxing’s elite and make the jump across to MVP from Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing?
“I will confess to you that I really like Matchroom,” said Ferreira. “I like all the people who work with me there, I think I am well received. So I didn't want to change teams, because I think the team that is winning doesn't move. But the future belongs to God and we are ready for what is to come. I trust my team a lot and all the support I have. I know they want the best for me, so whatever they decide, I will go with them.”
Not only is Ferreira one of the standout fighters in women’s boxing, but she is also leading the way for her native Brazil in the professional ranks. Ferreira won silver and bronze medals for her country at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics respectively, and still spends time training with the amateur setup. Brazil has never been considered a nation associated with boxing, with many choosing to go down the jujitsu and MMA route, but that is rapidly changing. Brazil recently ranked fifth on the medal table at the 2025 Amateur Boxing World Championships in Liverpool, England, and Ferreira believes there’s more success to come.
“Brazilian boxing has grown a lot,” she said. “I think that we are having a lot of opportunities, to be having a lot of incentive and inspiration. I think boxing athletes are always very humble, so we see an opportunity to change our lives. And having the support, having professionals who are seriously working there for this development, I think the Olympic team is doing an amazing job and this is helping a lot in the results. So there is Yuri Falcão, there is Rebecca Lima, there are several athletes who I believe will be very good, not only in the Olympics, but in the professional [ranks] too. They are taking a lot of experience, they are getting encouragement, and being prepared to be able to pursue a career in professional [boxing]. I believe that Brazil will have great boxers for a while, with more prominence.”
