Femke Hermans

Femke Hermans is a Belgian professional boxer who is the current IBF and IBO female super-welterweight World champion. She also held the WBO female super-middleweight title in 2018, becoming the second Belgian woman to hold a major world championship.

Professional career
Hermans made her professional debut on 23 January 2016, scoring a six-round unanimous decision (UD) victory against Galina Gyumliyska at the Sportloods Waarborre in Asse, Belgium.

After a technical knockout (TKO) victory against Vladislava Lopuhova in June, Hermans defeated Elene Sikmashvili via second-round knockout (KO) on 8 October, capturing the inaugural Belgian and vacant BeNeLux female super-middleweight titles in Middelkerke, Belgium.

In her next fight she faced Borislava Goranova for the WBF International female super-middleweight title on 21 January 2017, at the Sportloods Waarborre. Hermans captured the title via eight-round UD, with two judges scoring the bout 80–72 and the third judge scored it 79–73.

Two fights later she challenged for her first world title, facing Alicia Napoleon for the vacant WBA female super-middleweight title on 3 March 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The bout was televised live on Showtime as part of the undercard for Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz. Hermans suffered the first defeat of her career, losing via UD with the judges' scorecards reading 99–91, 98–92 and 98–92.

She made a second attempt at a world title in her next fight, facing Nikki Adler for the vacant WBO female super-middleweight title on 12 May 2018, at the Eisstadion in Augsburg, Germany. Hermans defeated Adler via UD to become the second Belgian woman (after Delfine Persoon) to win a major world title. One judge scored the bout 99–91 and the other two scored it 97–93.

After two UD victories in non-title fights, Hermans moved down a weight class to challenge Claressa Shields for the unified WBA, WBC, and IBF female middleweight titles on 8 December 2018, at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. In an event that served as HBO's last televised boxing show, Hermans suffered the second defeat of her career, losing via UD over ten rounds, with all three judges scoring the bout 100–90.

She moved back up to super-middleweight in her next fight, facing Elin Cederroos for the vacant IBF female title on 22 March 2019, at the Belleheide Center in Roosdaal, Belgium. Hermans suffered her second consecutive defeat, and the third of her career, losing via majority decision (MD) with two judges scoring the bout 96–94 in favour of Cederroos while the third judge scored it even at 95–95.

Following a TKO victory in a rematch with Borislava Goranova in October 2020, Hermans faced Luiza Davydova for the inaugural European female middleweight title on 5 December 2020, at the Fight Off Training Center in Wavre, Belgium. Hermans defeated Goranova via UD, with all three judges scoring the bout 98–92.

Hermans challenged Savannah Marshall for the WBO female middleweight World title on 2 April 2022 but lost the contest in Newcastle, England, when she was knocked out in round three.

Switching to super-welterweight, she claimed the vacant IBO title with a win over the previously unbeaten Mary Spencer by unanimous decision in Shawnigan, Quebec, Canada, on 16 December 2022.

Hermans made an emphatic first defense of her title on 17 June 2023 when her challenger, Maria Lindberg, retired at the end of the first-round of their fight in Roosdaal, Belgium, having been knocked to the canvas just before the bell.

She put her belt on the line in a rematch against Spencer on 11 October 2023, in Montreal, Canada, with the vacant IBF female super-welterweight World title also up for grabs. Once again Hermans got the victory, this time by majority decision.