Seniesa Estrada remained unbeaten as a professional as she out-pointed Leonela Yudica to retain her world titles before welcoming Yokasta Valle into the ring in view of a fight for the undisputed championship at 105lbs; Yudica said post-fight that she disagreed with the judges' scoring
Saturday 29 July 2023 10:22, UK
Seniesa Estrada beat former world champion Leonela Yudica via unanimous decision in Las Vegas on Friday night to retain her WBC and WBA minimumweight world titles.
Each of the three judges scored the fight 97-93 in favour of 'Super Bad', who lifted her unbeaten professional record to 25-0 (nine KOs).
Estrada subsequently set her sights on a clash with WBO and IBF champion Yokasta Valle for the undisputed crown.
The 31-year-old chopped-and-changed between stances in a bid to disrupt Yudica, who found joy in counter-shots that appeared upon Estrada trying to shorten the distance.
"I knew coming into this fight that she was a boxer who would move away from me and not come forward much," said Estrada. "I knew I had to show something different.
"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.
"I definitely had to use my 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."
Argentine opponent Yudica disapproved of the judges' verdict and insisted she had given Estrada the toughest test of her career to date.
"I do not agree at all with the scorecards," she said. "I am convinced that nobody has hit her like I have hit her. If not, she can take off her hat and show how her face has been left.
"I did a very good job. As I've said, nobody has hit her like I have hit her. I came here to fight a world champion. I knew who I was facing. I trained thoroughly. I planted my feet when I needed to. I exchanged when I needed to. It was a good fight, and I didn't deserve this result."
Next up for Estrada could be a meeting with Costa Rica's Valle, who stepped inside the ring post-fight before the pair exchange words to tee up a potential winner-takes-all clash.
"I want Yokasta Valle," said Estrada. "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."
