Bad Blood: Seniesa Estrada & Yokasta Valle face off ahead of historic undisputed clash
WBC/WBA/Ring Magazine minimumweight world champion Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada (25-0, 9 KOs) and WBO/IBF ruler Yokasta Valle (30-2, 9 KOs) went face to face for the first time on Wednesday, February 8, in Las Vegas.
Their long-simmering feud will be settled Friday, March 29 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, as the division’s first-ever undisputed champion will be crowned in the evening’s co-feature.
Costa Rican Yokasta Valle recently came runner-up in BBN’s 2023 awards, in the overseas fighter of the year category. LA lady Estrada is unbeaten in 25 bouts and could see the hard fruits of labour come to fruition having first started boxing at the age of eight!
The winner of this fantastic female fight will be crowned as the first ever minimumweight undisputed champion in boxing history.
In the main event, Mexican former two-division world champion Oscar Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) will face Australian former world title challenger Liam Wilson (13-2, 7 KOs) in a 10-round junior lightweight battle.
Valdez-Wilson & Estrada-Valle headline a stacked card streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.
The undercard will feature the return of lightweight phenom Emiliano Fernando Vargas (8-0, 7 KOs) in a six-rounder.
This is what the fighters, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya, promoter of Valle, had to say:
Bob Arum: “This is one of the best fight cards of the year. Really great, talented fighters, very competitive fights. I really think the fans have a real treat in store, particularly those people living in Glendale, Arizona, and the vicinity because they are really rabid fight fans. They’ll turn out like they have before. We expect a full house on March 29.”
Oscar De La Hoya: “It’s great to be working with Bob Arum and Top Rank and making fights happen. I think this fight here was a fight that had to happen. I believe there’s a lot of animosity between the fighters. There’s a lot of competition, and the titles are at stake. History is at stake. Once again, Bob is making history. Bob continues to gives us the best fights, the best events. All I want to do is be like Bob when I grow up. I’m really happy to work with Bob and make this fight happen because the fans deserve it.”
Seniesa Estrada: “It’s not personal for her, but it’s personal for me for many reasons. I’m competitive. I’m hungry to become undisputed. This is the fight that I’ve been trying to make and wanting to make since I was with Golden Boy Promotions around the time they first signed me. I wanted to make this fight happen because I wanted to become undisputed. So, I’m just excited and f***ing hungry to become undisputed. I can’t wait for March 29!
“It’s clear that I was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. And Valle is always saying in interviews that I was ducking and running from her, which is completely false because there’s never been any effort from her side to make the fight happen. It’s always been from my side since the beginning. I told Golden Boy Promotions about her. That’s how they knew about her. So, I wanted it from the start.”
Yokasta Valle: “Champion versus champion. This is nothing personal. I just want to be a champion. I want to be undisputed. Seniesa has two titles. That’s what I’m looking for. Not her. Simply the world titles is what I’m looking for. That’s what I’ve been working towards for many years. Working hard, moving up divisions. 108, 105 pounds. All to become undisputed, and we’re one step away. We’re here, and I’m excited.
“I visualize all of my fights, from the music I’m going to have, all the people screaming. And, God willing, all that’s left after that is for them to say, ‘And new undisputed champion, Yokasta Valle from Costa Rica.'”
Oscar Valdez: “I feel blessed to be on this card with these amazing fighters sitting next to me. I feel that I’m on their card. I feel like that’s the main event. It’s going to be a tremendous fight.
“I definitely learned a lot from my last fight . We made mistakes in the ring. Sometimes, we go in with a game plan. Sometimes, that game plan doesn’t work.
“I’m trying to become a world champion . That’s every fighter’s dream. Of course he’s taking this fight seriously. So am I…. I respect Liam Wilson as a fighter and as a person. But inside that ring, I’m going to try to knock his head off. I’m going to do my best to win the fight and just win because I know winning this fight will get me closer to a world title shot. I really, really miss being a world champion.”
Emiliano Fernando Vargas: “A kid can dream, and with hard work, they come to fruition. So, I’m very, very grateful to be here. This is another opportunity on March 29 to showcase my skills in front of all my beautiful fans in Glendale, Arizona. Fight by fight, we’ll get there.”
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with No Limit Boxing, tickets are on sale NOW via Ticketmaster.com.