Two-division world champion Seniesa Estrada’s third fight with Top Rank Promotions is shaping up to be a significant one that will be staged later this summer.
“I am going to get back in the ring July 22 on ESPN and I think I am going to be headlining that card, so that’s pretty awesome,” Estrada told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “I can’t wait for that. I’m not sure about the opponent yet. We want to bring the fight to my hometown of Los Angeles this summer, and hopefully we can have it where most of my support is.
“I want the undisputed championship fight at 105 pounds versus Yokasta Valle. We’re working on it. We made an offer and we’re waiting for it. I don’t know if they want to do it but that’s a fight that I’ve been wanting. She’s been calling me out saying that I was afraid. All we hear is excuses on why the fight can’t happen. If I can’t get that, I’m not going to wait around. I will move up to 108 pounds and have a unification fight there with Yesica Nery Plata. Either way, it will be a big fight, so I am excited.”
The 30-year-old Estrada (24-0, 9 KOs) is currently the 105-pound WBC and WBA champion and 108-pound WBO titlist.
Estrada became a unified champion in her last fight, a ten-round unanimous decision win against Tina Rupprecht.
Valle (28-2, 9 KOs) holds the other two strawweight titles (WBO and IBF).
Earlier this week, Valle tweeted “Estrada sent me a TikTok. Funny thing is I’ve [been] looking for this fight since 2018 [when I] also signed with Golden Boy to fight her but she left. Now she wants to put me [on] a time with a ‘ghost offer.’ The only thing I’m sad [about] is Yesica Nery Plata is whooping her.”
Estrada responded: “Even funnier is the fight you’ve supposedly been wanting is right here in front of you and suddenly you don’t want it. And yeah I left Golden Boy. Golden Boy didn’t even know who you were in 2018. They don’t care about you. They already know you’ll take another loss against me.”
Estrada separated from Golden Boy Promotions last summer and made her Top Rank debut in November, a unanimous decision win against Jazmin Gala Villarino.
“I am in a position that is 10 times better. I’m happier than I have ever been [with Top Rank],” said Estrada. “I’m a better fighter than I have ever been. I’m getting into the prime of my career for the biggest fights of my career. There is no other promoter I would want to start that with than with Top Rank. I want to become a four-weight world champion. It will be fun to challenge myself.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.