Alicia Napoleon will defend her WBA super middleweight title against Hannah Rankin as part of the Andre Berto-Devon Alexander card on August 4 from the NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The event airs on FOX beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.
“I’m very excited to announce this women’s world title fight between Alicia Napoleon and Hannah Rankin on our stacked August 4 event at the Coliseum,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Alicia is a Long Island girl and a charismatic world champion with a legion of fans in the New York City area. She won her world title at Barclays Center and will defend it at NYCB LIVE. Hannah Rankin is a quality challenger from Scotland, who is well known for her ring ambition as well as her accomplishments as a professional musician. Women’s boxing in the United States and internationally continues to rise in popularity and our commitment to promoting it remains stronger than ever.”
“I’m thrilled for this opportunity to be able to defend my world title for the first time on Long Island at NYCB LIVE,” said Napoleon. “It’s a special moment in my career and truly an honor to be part of the first women’s bout ever in this iconic venue.
“I know how good Hannah Rankin is. She just won the WBC Silver Middleweight Title and she’s taller than me with a longer reach, plus she just finished training with Cecilia Braekhus. I’ve been training the whole summer and I’ll be ready to defend my title on August 4.”
The popular Napoleon (9-1), owner of both Overthrow Gyms in Manhattan and Brooklyn, won her world title on March 3 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn with a dominant ten-round decision over previously undefeated Femke Hermans in front of a huge contingent of supporters from both Long Island and New York City. Napoleon had a previous fight scheduled for June 21 postponed and has continued training in preparation to defend her world title.
Fighting in the paid ranks for just one-year, Rankin (5-1) defeated then undefeated Sanna Turunen over ten rounds in June to capture the vacant WBC Silver Women’s Middleweight Title and her third straight victory headed into August 4.
A professional musician outside of the ring, the 27-year-old Rankin plays the bassoon and has traveled the world in recent years playing with numerous orchestras while also training and furthering her career in the squared circle.
