Boxing: Melina Ainaoui and Isis Pizagou-Logerie keep French titles

Melina Ainaoui is still French super bantamweight champion. On Saturday 24 October in La Roche-sur-Yon, she beat Ingrid Brodu of Vendée by unanimous decision (78-74, 78-74, 77-75) over eight rounds. Two weeks earlier, on 10 October, Isis Pizagou-Logerie also kept her national belt, at super featherweight. The French Boxing Federation covered both defences this week.

Ainaoui wins at range

In her first defence, Ainaoui had to deal with a scrappy fight full of clinches. The 39-year-old champion says she made the difference by boxing at range, using her speed and landing the cleaner work. Brodu, who dropped from lightweight to super bantamweight, a division she feels suits her frame better, expected her style to trouble the champion and was surprised by the margin on the cards.

Ainaoui is now 5-2-1 as a professional. She combines boxing with a job as a public-sector engineer in water and environmental management. No next fight has been announced, but she wants to defend the title several times. Brodu (3-5) still has the national title as her goal.

Pizagou-Logerie targets the Mediterranean belt

Fighting out of Boxing Team 44 in Nantes, Isis Pizagou-Logerie outpointed Marina Sakharov of Alsace 78-74, 79-73 and 79-73. Her plan relied on her reach: avoid the inside, get out of the exchange zone quickly and vary her targets. She points to progress in distance management, combination punching and conditioning. Her record moves to 4-1-2 (wins, draws, losses).

On 5 December she steps up, facing Lilia Cherifi of Lyon for the WBA Mediterranean lightweight title. It will be her first ten-round fight, a stage on the way to the European level. She keeps her French title and plans to defend it until a continental opportunity comes along. She trains with Gérald Leroux and believes she still needs more power to establish herself at European level.