By David A. Avila
LAS VEGAS-Unable to face her nemesis, Seniesa Estrada took the tough test of Argentina’s bigger Leonela Yudica and scrapped past the former champion to retain the WBA and WBC minimumweight belts on Friday.
It was not easy.
“I knew coming into this fight that she was a boxer who would move away from me and not come forward much,” said Estrada. “She would leap in with rights and lefts.”
Estrada (25-0, 9 KOs) showed the nearly full crowd that despite a height and reach disadvantage, she could score against the very tough Yudica (19-2-3, 1 KO) who lost for the second time on North American shores. This time at the Palms Resort Casino.
Sitting in the audience was Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle, who holds the IBF version of the minimumweight title.
Immediately Estrada used her speed and combination punching from different angles to score. But Argentina’s Yudica used her longer reach to score with long rights and lefts. It was the pattern of the fight for all 10 rounds.
“With my different styles I was changing up,” said Estrada who added that she injured her right hand.
Yudica is a former flyweight champion and accustomed to fighter heavier and bigger opposition. It showed throughout the fight that Estrada could not seriously damage her.
Throughout the 10-rounds Yudica would connect with strong rights and left hooks. But though she connected, she would often be out-punched by Estrada. Both came in with good game plans and adapted to the changes.
“I can fight any kind of style, my style is versatile. She is a bigger fighter,” said Estrada.
Estrada looked intent on imposing her will with constant charges early in the fight. Yudica countered those charges with rights or lefts as Estrada exited. But seldom did the Argentine fighter connect with more than one punch at a time.
What impressed the judges?
“I stood toe-to-toe with her,” said Yudica a former IBF flyweight champion two divisions heavier.
Estrada worked both outside and inside. After success working inside, Yudica adapted and forced Estrada to go outside. Neither could gain a strong advantage.
Defensively Estrada was able to slip far more punches than Yudica. In a close fight the ability to avoid punches counts. It was Estrada’s one major advantage.
Neither fighter ever seemed hurt. After 10 rounds all three judges scored it 97-93 for Estrada. She retains the titles and now can face Valle who was sitting in the audience.
Both have gunning for each other for the past four years.
“I’m not afraid of you. What you want, I got. What I want, you got. You got to come through me,” said Valle to ESPN and the audience after the fight. “I am a real champion. I’ve been all over the world in Spain, Germany. I fill stadiums, not theaters.”
Estrada was simple in her retort.
“I want Yoka next,” Estrada shouted.
Other Bouts
Las Vegas fighter Andres Cortes (20-0, 11 KOs) out-battled Sacramento’s Xavier Martinez (18-2, 12 KOs) to win a close battle by technical knockout at the end of the 7th round when Martinez’s chief cornerman Robert Garcia decided to stop the fight.
“They are going to need an f***** army to stop me,” said Cortes. “His eye was messed up.”
Nahir Albright (16-2, 7 KOs) defeated former Olympian Karlos Balderas (14-2, 12 KOs) by majority decision after eight lightweight rounds in a back-and-forth affair. Albright was the busier fighter after falling behind early. Scores were 77-75 twice and 76-76 for Albright)
Puerto Rico’s Abraham Nova (23-1, 16 KOs) won a firefight by knockout over Colombia’s Jonathan “Momo” Romero (35-2, 19 KOs) a former world champion. It was ferocious.
Romero and Nova wasted no time in unleashing bombs from the first round until it ended in the third.
The former champion Romero scored early with his speedy right cross but Nova found the timing and rallied in the second round by scoring a knockdown with a right cross followed by a left hook. Romero beat the count.
In the third round Romero opened up with both barrels but Nova withstood the bombardment and hurt the Colombian fighter with a left hook. He followed up with a right hand and down went Romero for the knockout at 2:47 of the third round.
In a super lightweight match Dominican Republic’s Rohan Polanco took his time to break down Cesar Francis and scored two knockdowns in stopping the Panamanian fighter at 1:05 of the fifth round. Overhand rights did the job.
Photo credit: Al Applerose
LAS VEGAS-Unable to face her nemesis, Seniesa Estrada took the tough test of Argentina’s bigger Leonela Yudica and scrapped past the former champion to retain the WBA and WBC minimumweight belts on Friday.
It was not easy.
“I knew coming into this fight that she was a boxer who would move away from me and not come forward much,” said Estrada. “She would leap in with rights and lefts.”
Estrada (25-0, 9 KOs) showed the nearly full crowd that despite a height and reach disadvantage, she could score against the very tough Yudica (19-2-3, 1 KO) who lost for the second time on North American shores. This time at the Palms Resort Casino.
Sitting in the audience was Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle, who holds the IBF version of the minimumweight title.
Immediately Estrada used her speed and combination punching from different angles to score. But Argentina’s Yudica used her longer reach to score with long rights and lefts. It was the pattern of the fight for all 10 rounds.
“With my different styles I was changing up,” said Estrada who added that she injured her right hand.
Yudica is a former flyweight champion and accustomed to fighter heavier and bigger opposition. It showed throughout the fight that Estrada could not seriously damage her.
Throughout the 10-rounds Yudica would connect with strong rights and left hooks. But though she connected, she would often be out-punched by Estrada. Both came in with good game plans and adapted to the changes.
“I can fight any kind of style, my style is versatile. She is a bigger fighter,” said Estrada.
Estrada looked intent on imposing her will with constant charges early in the fight. Yudica countered those charges with rights or lefts as Estrada exited. But seldom did the Argentine fighter connect with more than one punch at a time.
What impressed the judges?
“I stood toe-to-toe with her,” said Yudica a former IBF flyweight champion two divisions heavier.
Estrada worked both outside and inside. After success working inside, Yudica adapted and forced Estrada to go outside. Neither could gain a strong advantage.
Defensively Estrada was able to slip far more punches than Yudica. In a close fight the ability to avoid punches counts. It was Estrada’s one major advantage.
Neither fighter ever seemed hurt. After 10 rounds all three judges scored it 97-93 for Estrada. She retains the titles and now can face Valle who was sitting in the audience.
Both have gunning for each other for the past four years.
“I’m not afraid of you. What you want, I got. What I want, you got. You got to come through me,” said Valle to ESPN and the audience after the fight. “I am a real champion. I’ve been all over the world in Spain, Germany. I fill stadiums, not theaters.”
Estrada was simple in her retort.
“I want Yoka next,” Estrada shouted.
Other Bouts
Las Vegas fighter Andres Cortes (20-0, 11 KOs) out-battled Sacramento’s Xavier Martinez (18-2, 12 KOs) to win a close battle by technical knockout at the end of the 7th round when Martinez’s chief cornerman Robert Garcia decided to stop the fight.
“They are going to need an f***** army to stop me,” said Cortes. “His eye was messed up.”
Nahir Albright (16-2, 7 KOs) defeated former Olympian Karlos Balderas (14-2, 12 KOs) by majority decision after eight lightweight rounds in a back-and-forth affair. Albright was the busier fighter after falling behind early. Scores were 77-75 twice and 76-76 for Albright)
Puerto Rico’s Abraham Nova (23-1, 16 KOs) won a firefight by knockout over Colombia’s Jonathan “Momo” Romero (35-2, 19 KOs) a former world champion. It was ferocious.
Romero and Nova wasted no time in unleashing bombs from the first round until it ended in the third.
The former champion Romero scored early with his speedy right cross but Nova found the timing and rallied in the second round by scoring a knockdown with a right cross followed by a left hook. Romero beat the count.
In the third round Romero opened up with both barrels but Nova withstood the bombardment and hurt the Colombian fighter with a left hook. He followed up with a right hand and down went Romero for the knockout at 2:47 of the third round.
In a super lightweight match Dominican Republic’s Rohan Polanco took his time to break down Cesar Francis and scored two knockdowns in stopping the Panamanian fighter at 1:05 of the fifth round. Overhand rights did the job.
Photo credit: Al Applerose