Melton Thai boxer Iman Bralow makes history with 13th world belt

The Muay Thai Assassin turned in a dominant performance against tough Slovakian opponent Veronika Petrikova to become the first fighter to defend an Enfusion World title three times.

Petrikova had twice failed to meet the weight before finally hitting the 55kg limit on the morning of the bout.

The Slovakian was unsettled early in the fight as the 23-year-old connected several times with hard kicks. She had no answer to Iman’s superior technique and speed despite being roared on by a 3,000-strong partisan crowd.

The home fighter saw out the five rounds, but the Englishwoman was awarded the bout via a unanimous points decision.

She said: “I won every round quite easily and put her down in the third round with a knee to the body, but I couldn’t stop her.

“Everyone I seem to fight at the moment is tough. They just take what I give them.

“The girls know what they are going to get from me now and are learning to take more punishment.”

The Pretty Killer fights for the Dutch-based Enfusion stable and is in demand on the global Thai boxing circuit.

Her next fight will take her to the Dutch city of Amsterdam on June 25.

Iman is coming to the end of her three-year contract with the promoters and is weighing up her options with her dad and trainer, Mark Barlow.

“My contract ends on September and they are drawing up a new contract for me,” she added.

“I have been with them for three years and they have made me bigger. I know and trust them.

“We’ve also had offers from America, so we don’t know what we are going to do at the moment.

“It is all about trying to get more fights rather than about the money.”

Iman first won the Enfusion belt at the o2 in a huge show in 2013 and has defended it in Majorca and Dublin before the latest challenge to her crown.

In recent years there have also been invitations to fight in China, Thailand and Australia.

She has been a star of the sport for many years now, but her appetite for winning remains as keen as ever despite a relentless, strict training regime.

The Melton fighter also appreciates what opportunities the sports has given to her.

“I just love the travelling and fighting, seeing new places and meeting different people; it’s amazing,” she said.

“We go to get the job done, but we also enjoy ourselves.

“They want me back in Australia for a show in Perth and I also got an offer to go to America for a photoshoot and press conference for the fight I’m doing in Amsterdam.”