McCarter in complete control
Layla McCarter has been out of boxing for 11 months, but the way she competed Friday, it was as though she had been in the ring every week.
In her 50th career fight, the 30-year-old Las Vegan showed no rust, winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Fujin Raika to retain her WBA and Global Boxing Union lightweight titles at the South Point arena and equestrian center.
The two fought each other in 2002 in Tokyo, where McCarter won an eight-round majority decision. Friday's rematch wasn't close; McCarter dominated from the outset.
Judges Robert Hoyle, Adalaide Byrd and Dick Houck all had McCarter pitching a shutout on the scorecards (100-90) as she improved to 32-13-5. Raika dropped to 18-6-1.
"It felt good to step back in the ring," said McCarter, who hadn't fought since August. "I may have been a little rusty, but my timing felt pretty good. I had trained hard for this fight and I was ready."
It was a near-flawless performance. Yet McCarter credited Raika for making her work.
"She was much better than the first time we fought," McCarter said. "She pushed me to work inside, and she pressured me a lot more. She made me think in there."
The bout was fought in two-minute rounds because Japanese Boxing Federation rules prohibit its women from fighting three-minute rounds. McCarter agreed to the shortening of the fight, and it might have worked in her favor.
She was on the accelerator from the start, pressing Raika, establishing her jab, then using left hooks to the body and head to pile up points.
In the seventh round, McCarter opened a cut on Raika's right eyebrow. Raika, knowing she had to take more chances, kept coming and McCarter kept landing blows to her face. McCarter was wise enough to avoid being caught by a lucky shot that would have undid all of her good work.
"I tried to fight a smart fight throughout," McCarter said. "You don't want to get sloppy and make a mistake late in a fight you're winning. I thought I had the better of it throughout, but you want to win every round."
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.
