One of the stories of the year in professional boxing the rise of women in jest Finally, after years of being overlooked, underpaid, under-promoted and shown as little more than eye candy for a male-dominated audience, the powers that be in the sport are finally waking up to the fact that A) women can. engagement and B) a large potential audience.
It’s not moving as much as it should, and it’s past time, but women are finally being promoted and recognized for their boxing talent.
This is a lot done with one of the most talented women in the extremes.
Seniesa Estrada, one of the best bantamweights in the world, did not fight Maria Micheo Santizo on December 18 in San Antonio, Texas, in the fourth round of the preliminary fight for the WBA strawweight title. Estrada fell twice in that battle, but not when he fought.
He entered into a financial dispute with Golden Boy Promotions and after several months was granted his release. Top Rank immediately signed itmaking her his only secondary female fighter.
On Saturday at the Palms in Las Vegas, he will make his Top Rank debut with Jazmin Gala Villarino looking for the WBA strawweight title.
“It’s no secret I wanted more money,” Estrada told Yahoo Sports. “Yes, it was an issue. We couldn’t agree with what I wanted.”
He had been one of the most exciting fighters in the game and had the spirit of so many of his peers in that he was not only willing, but seeking to fight at his best. His best weight is still 105 pounds, but he will fight at 108 and up to 112 as a big shot.
Perhaps the most significant victory of his career came on November 2, 2019, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on a card lined up by Canelo Alvarez and Sergei Kovalev. He won rival Marlen Estrada by technical decision after nine laps when a large cut on Estrada’s head caused an accidental stoppage of the race.
He was nowhere near flyweight, but he still got through the fight so well.
“I was eating pizza and whatever I wanted that week,” Estrada recalled. “On the night of the fight I was 109 pounds. I was the only one nervous on the day of the fight and I didn’t eat and I was 109. Marlen was just more than her. I think she was between 122 and 125. But I don’t care about that because I believed in myself and what I could do” .
When he steps into the ring, it will be 11 months or, as he is quick to point out, 328 days since he last fought. He loves competition and hates the big fights that involve his peers. But it was to show his support for the ring and cheering himself on.
She was in London for a historic all-women paper from Claressa Shields versus Savannah Marshall in the main event and headlined Alycia Baumgardner versus Mikaela Mayer in the co-main. That fight drew 2 million viewers on Sky Sports in the UK, an almost unimaginable number just a few years ago.
“I loved the attention the cards and fighters received,” he said. “It’s been incredible and as a female boxer myself, it made me proud. I think that was the beginning and the women are getting better and better, and you’re going to see huge fights and get women in the middle stage like that.”
Estrada’s dreams are big and he looks at the most serious matches he can put together at Top Rank. In his division, Yokasta Valle is the only champion, holding the IBF and WBO belts. In junior flyweight, he is joined by Evelyn Bermudez, also holding the IBF and WBO titles. And at flyweight, there sits his rival, Esparza, who holds the WBA and WBC belts.
Big competitions are in his future and if he picks up what he thinks he can do – to be remembered, he has to win over one flying champion who is fighting two divisions above him – he needs to reform the house to create a bigger trophy. that they all held his belts.
It all starts on Saturday when Gala Villarino takes care of business.
“The street fighter is tough,” he said. “I’ve seen a few of her fights and she’s usually aggressive, but she controls more in the last fight. She controls more in that fight and moves, so I’m not sure that Yazmin will show up. But I know I have to. Control what I can and fight the way I have to and if I do that , things are going well.”