Photos - Mikey Williams/Top Rank
East L.A.’s Seniesa "Super Bad” Estrada (25-0, 9 KOs) successfully defended her WBC and WBA minimumweight world titles defeating and edging out Argentina’s former world champion Leonela Yudica (19-2-3, 1 KO) in headlining Friday night on ESPN at the Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas.
Starting out at a fast pace, Estrada and Yudica wasted no time in letting their hands go in the first. Estrada pressed to begin the second as Yudica kept her distance. There was a good exchange in round three as Yudica had her moment connecting and fending off the aggressive Estrada. In the fourth, Yudica appeared to get rhythm as Senisia began to switch up her stance from orthodox and southpaw. Fighitng from a distance, the Argentinian connected well by timing Estrada aggressiveness with one-two and connecting with the right.
Past the halfway point in the sixth round, Senisia stalked as Yudica continued to fight from a distance behind the jab and following up with solid straight rights. There was a good exchange in the seventh as Senisia pressed letting her hands go, Yudica timed with one-two punches as Estrada’s eye began to swell. Late in the fight, Senisia pressed the action as Yudica stuck the plan and continued to box from a distance, catching and timing Estrada. Sensing the urgency in the tenth and final round Yudica let her hands go as Estrada kept up the pace and aggression as they fought on to the final bell.
In the end, upon completing ten rounds all three judges scored the bout 97-93 as Senisia Estrada pulls away with a hard-earned decision.
Here is what Senisia had to say in her post-fight interview.
“I knew coming into this fight that she was a boxer who would move away from me and not come forward much. In my preparation, I knew I had to show something different in myself. In my last fight, I fought a good champion who came forward and was aggressive, and I easily outboxed her. In this fight, she’s a boxer and a mover, and I showed that I can fight any type of style because my style is very versatile.
Going into this fight, I knew she was a natural flyweight so she is a lot bigger than me physically. So I knew she was going to be able to hang in there. She’s fought very good champions before and always went the distance with them.
I definitely had to use my footwork. I have very good footwork. I had to use my feints and movements to make sure I was close enough to land punches and not get countered. I did get countered, of course. It’s a fight, so that’s going to happen. But I just continue to prove that I’m the best in the division.
I want Yokasta Valle. I’m the best in this division. I want to prove it by beating her. She can just hand me those belts right now because when we fight it’s going to be bad for her.
Cortes Stops Martinez
Las Vegas’s Andres “Savage” Cortes (20-0, 11 KOs) stopped Xavier Martinez (18-2, 12 KOs) of Sacramento, California in seven in the junior lightweight co-feature bout.
Cortes was on the offensive in the first round as Martinez started slow. In the second, Cortes kept up the pace outworking Martinez as later in the round he began to let his hands go. Things began to pick up in the fourth, with Martinez cutting the distance and getting inside on Cortes, towards the end of the round, Martinez appeared to be cut on the left eye as he began to trickle blood. At the halfway point in the fifth, the blood continued to flow from Martinez’s eye as Cortes jabbed and pressed.
Despite being cut, Martinez pressed the action in the sixth as Cortes appeared to slow down the pace. Swinging wildly to start the seventh, Cortes attacked and retrieved with Martinez pressing, shortly after Cortes connected with a one-two as the cut on Martinez’s eye began to bleed more. The cut on the eye was too much for Martinez to continue as his corner stopped the fight at the end of the seventh.
In a super competitive fight, lightweight Nahir Albright (16-2, 7 KOs) scored a majority decision against former US Olympian Karlos Balderas (14-2, 12 KOs) from Santa Maria, CA over eight rounds. Albright worked behind a solid jab over the first few rounds and snapped Balderas head back a few times, before Balderas found his range and picked up the pace at the end of round three. Balderas seemed to take control in the fourth as he landed solid combinations, but Albright showed grit and kept fighting back. Both Balderas and Albright realized the fight was in the balance heading into the final round as they both went toe-to-toe. The judges scored it 76-76 and 77-75 twice for Albright to the displeasure of the Vegas fans.
2021 Dominican Olympian, super lightweight Rohan “El Rayo” Polanco (10-0, 6 KOs) stopped Cesar Francis (12-2, 7 KOs) of Panama in five rounds. It was a slow start as Polanco took his time figuring out and jabbing his taller opponent Francis. The fight continued being a chess match through three as both Francis and Polanco worked the jab. Polanco began to pick up the pace and letting his hands go in round four as he floored Francis with a short overhand right. The Dominican fighter finished off Francis in the fifth, sending him to the canvas for a second time with series of punches that followed up with a right. He got up but did not want to continue and referee Robert Hoyle stop the fight at 1:05.
Junior lightweight Abraham Nova (23-1, 16 KOs) from Puerto Rico knocked out former world champ and Columbian Olympian Jonathan Romero (23-2, 12 KOs) in round three of the scheduled ten. The fight started fast in round one as both fighters let their hands go, but in round two it became a firefight. Nova appeared to knockdown Romero, but the ropes held him up. By the end of round, Nova finally dropped Romero with a massive right uppercut that sent him to the canvas. Romero survived the round and round three had both guys swinging for the fences as they traded off landing massive shots. Nova landed an overhand right that put Romero face first on the canvas, but this time he did not get up. The fight was called at 2:47 of round three as “Super” Nova showed he was super tonight.
Junior featherweight Subaru Murata (5-0, 5 KOs) of Tokyo, Japan, stopped Juan Centeno (8-9-3, 1 KO\) of Managua, Nicaragua at the end of three. It was a slow start in the opening round as Murata measured Centeno. The Japanese fighter slipped in the early part of round two, however Murata sent Centeno to the canvas. Murata patiently attacked as Centeno stood in the pocket exchanging to finish round two. But after completing the third round, referee Raul Caiz Jr. and the ringside physician determined that Centeno could not continue and the referee stopping the fight at the end of the third round.
Light heavyweight prospect Dante Benjamin Jr. (6-0-1, 5 KOs) of Cleveland and William Langston (8-3-1, 5 KOs) of Kenosha, Wisconsin fought to a six-round majority decision draw. Benjamin Jr. was sharp from the start, boxing in the opening round displaying some flash. Working patiently, Benjamin Jr. was smooth in the early rounds as Langston pressed the action keeping Benjamin on his toes fighting from a distance. Continuing to fight from a distance halfway through, Benjamin Jr. pumped the jab keeping the stalking Langston away. Despite getting tagged Langston showed some bravado in finishing strong pressing majority of the fight and finishing strong in going the distance. After completing six rounds, the judges scored the bout 58-56, 57-57, and 57-57 declaring the bout a draw.
Lightweight Chalie Sheehy (7-0, 5 KOs) of Brisbane, California stopped Kaylyn Alfred (4-5-2, KOs) of Lafayette, Louisiana in three rounds. A huge left hook by Sheehy dropped Alfred, who rose to his feet but did not want to continue and the referee Robert Hoyle waved it off at 31 seconds into the third.
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