Kenyan boxer Fatuma Zarika is on Sunday expected to return to the ring against Mexican Yamileth Mercado in a fight for the World Boxing Council (WCB) World Bantamweight Title.
Mercado will be seeking to recapture the title which she lost to Zarika, popularly known as the "Iron Fist", during their first clash in Nairobi on September 2018.
And though she admits that she has not had a good training session, after SportPesa withdrew its sponsorship, she says that she has been keenly watching Mercado and can predict a win.
“I haven’t prepared well like my two previous bouts. I had to change my coaches and trainers after SportPesa withdrew their sponsorship,” she told the Nation on Saturday.
Zarika will be going into the match, slated for Chihuahua at 5 PM local time, with the help of her Kenyan coach Jared Aseka and Mexican trainer Herbero Gruzman.
“Changing coaches within a short time changes everything and I have basically prepared alone. Well, one shouldn’t always expect everything to run smoothly. It’s how you pull through that defines a champion,” she added.
They will be at liberty to have a rematch three months after the Sunday clash.
Zarika's record currently stands at 32 wins, 2 draws and 12 losses while Mercado, popularly known as "Yeimi" has a record of 12 wins, 2 losses and 0 draws.