Elif Nur Turhan has done it again – and for the first time.
Turhan, a heavy-hitting dynamo from Istanbul, stopped France’s Rima Ayadi in the sixth round to earn a WBA interim women’s junior lightweight title Thursday at Theatre du Casino Barriere Enghien-les-Bains in Paris.
The knockout was the third in a row – and second in a row over an undefeated opponent – for Turhan, 11-0 (7 KOs), who picked up her first world title belt in Ayadi’s backyard. Perhaps most impressively, it was another step up in competition without missing a beat after Turhan in March caught Ireland’s Shauna Browne with a left hook in the first round to end their fight almost before it got started.
Turhan, nicknamed “The Golden Turk,” has fought between 130 and 140lbs since turning pro in 2022, flashing the kind of power rarely seen in the women’s lower weight classes.
In a message posted to its X social media account Thursday, Matchroom Boxing suggested that Turhan wouldn’t be slowing down: “Big fights ahead for one of boxing’s most dangerous punchers.”
Alycia Baumgardner is the WBA’s full belt holder at women’s lightweight. Turhan also ranks No. 2 at lightweight for the WBC, where titleholder Caroline Dubois has already dispatched the No. 1 (Bo Mi Re Shin) and No. 3 (Jessica Camara) fighters in the rankings.
