It’s not too difficult to interpret Elif Nur Turhan’s intentions inside the ring.
Possessing a hellish right-handed punch that flies recklessly with evil purpose, the IBF women’s lightweight champion has knocked out eight of her 13 opponents and moves to her largest U.S. stage yet Saturday night.
On the DAZN-streamed Matchroom Boxing card headlined by pound-for-pound occupant Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’s attempt for a third division title versus WBA bantamweight champion Antonio Vargas, 31-year-old Turhan, 13-0 (8 KOs), meets 19-year-old Gabriela Tellez 7-0 (3 KOs).
Turhan, BoxingScene’s 2025 women’s fighter of the year, has finished six of her opponents in the first round.
So, in an effort to have the champion from Istanbul, Turkey, elaborate on her dominance, we required an interpreter to effectively communicate her rise and purpose.
Understandably, locating someone to convert Turkish to English in the middle of the Sonoran Desert is not an everyday task. And there were a few subdued chuckles in the crowd during Thursday’s news conference when Turhan’s words from her native tongue were followed by the interpreter’s lengthy pauses, with apparently fewer or more words than what she had actually uttered.
Afterward, in a private interview, the dubious dialogue continued.
BoxingScene: “Your style is ruthless, aggressive, destructive. Is that going to continue Saturday night?”
Elif Nur Turhan: “First of all, I want to make it a nice boxing fight. Of course, my style is KO. But I will make all my body … it’s not 100 percent, but I want to say. It will be – give me permission – it’s not guarantee, but I will, step by step, win the fight and I will look … .”
Presumably, Turhan’s missing words at the close of that sentence were “for the knockout.”
Thus, it required some looking into her eyes to dig for her exact responses, because it’s quite clear from her past bouts how impassioned her effort is to dismiss fighters who may believe their overall boxing skill can overcome her menacing power display.
BS: “How much have you scouted Tellez and how much respect do you have for her?”
ENT: “Before, I don’t know much, but when we take the fight, I watch all her fights and research highly all information about her. I know her nice.”
BS: “Tellez feels she’s a better boxer, that if she can stick to the fundamentals of boxing and avoid your biggest punches, she’s got an opportunity to win this fight. How do you respond to that?”
ENT: “I want to say only this: She’s unbeaten. She’s unbeaten. It’s [an] 0 [on her record]. I must respect her. I want to say only this: She’s unbeaten. Seven fights, seven wins.”
It was clear during the conversation that Turhan felt – even though the interpreter was trying his damndest – as if her true message was being compromised in English.
She was asked if she feels confident, or even cocky, that no women’s fighter around her weight class can tolerate her power.
The heart of her response was that she appreciates possessing God-given power in her fists. To emphasize the point, the interpreter, perhaps not knowing the word “fist,” pointed to his own clenched hand.
“From this,” he said.
In that moment, Turhan widely smiled.
Congratulated that BoxingScene voted her fighter of the year, Turhan was asked about the pride of winning the honor, and asked if it provides her an added layer of intimidation.
She called the recognition “unbelievable,” and said it’s “not my only target … I want all the belts.”
BS: “Does it add to your mystique?”
Working together, we couldn’t find the proper Turkish word for “mystique.”
A fuller explanation got us close.
ENT: “I’ve worked for this,” her interpreter said. “When I catch [the opponent] with this [interpreter pointing again to his fist], the job is done.”
That’s all the mystique a power-punching world champion needs, the only message that matters.