LIers Alicia Napoleon, Patrick Day win on Barclays undercard

Alicia Napoleon was back in her black and gold cape now, waving to her fans in the stands at Barclays Center. Then she came to the center of the boxing ring with her opponent. The announcer read the three scorecards and revealed the winner.

The cape seemed appropriate Saturday night considering the super accomplishment. Napoleon is the new women’s WBA super middleweight champ.

The 32-year-old Manorville native and Lindenhurst resident claimed a unanimous 10-round decision over Belgium’s Femke Hermans to take a title that had been vacant.

“It’s hard to find words to describe,” Napoleon said. “It’s just a surreal, phenomenal experience, an experience that only was really in my dreams. And now they’re finally a reality.”

Napoleon was aggressive and wore down Hermans, scoring repeatedly with body shots against the 28-year-old from Belgium, who was 6-0. At the end of the eighth round, Hermans trudged back to her corner, looking weary.

“Definitely, it’s always a key to go to the body,” Napoleon said.

Napoleon lost a title shot in 2016. But times have changed.

“What was different today was I have a whole new camp,” Napoleon said. “Training was on a whole new level. Boxing IQ is on a whole new level. I really elevated my game up at every angle I could.”

She began boxing during her senior year at Eastport-South Manor High and fought nine years as an amateur before turning pro in 2014. Now Napoleon is 9-1 and the owner of a world championship belt and the knowledge that she’s an inspiration.

“When you do outstanding things that people admire and are only in a dream for themselves, it’s something that they can capture and really hope for themselves,” Napoleon said. “Like I’m a world champion now, and I’m sure other women say, ‘Wow, who’s Alicia? What’s her story? What makes her tick? What makes her accomplish these things?’

“When they find out about the real person and not the champion, I think it gives them a lot of hope and a lot of willingness to go out there and achieve the things that they want to do.”

Good night for Day

Patrick Day made the first defense of his WBC Continental Americas super welterweight title, and it was a successful one.

The 25-year-old from Freeport emerged with a unanimous 10-round decision in a brawl with Kyrone Davis.

“I’m happy that I won the fight, but I’m not necessarily so happy how the fight went,” Day said. “The guy was really ugly and sloppy. He was coming in with his head. He low-blowed me five times. He was wrestling my neck down . . . It throws me out of my game because that’s not what I train for. I’m a polished fighter.”

Now he’s a 15-2-1 fighter. But Day isn’t clamoring for a major title bout yet.

“Let’s keep taking inch steps forward,” Day said. “ . . . Let’s inch our way to a world title so I can keep gaining experience.”