Seniesa Estrada Gets Her Pound of Flesh
Like it is with most things, there is no singular reason why fighters fight. Some are chasing a championship, others are seeking glory, while many are just looking for a check. Newly crowned interim WBA world flyweight champion Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada (18-0, 7 KO’s) is more of a glory sort of gal. Sure, the belts are fun and meaningful. However, as far as personal indulgence goes, she’s in it for the scalps. This is why her win on the undercard of Kovalev v Alvarez had to be especially sweet.
BLOODY WARFARE
There, Estrada staged a bloody, action-packed slug-fest with her personal professional rival Marlen Esparza (7-1, 1 KO). The punches remained plentiful from the first round until the ninth, when the bout was halted due to a nasty cut. As the result of an accidental clash of heads, Esparza endured a huge gaping wound just below her hairline. From the moment that the gash opened, a steady stream of blood oozed down her forehead.
Esparza soldiered from the end of the fifth to the ninth round with the red river cascading down her face. In between the ninth and tenth rounds, Esparza began complaining about vision problems due to the blood. The bout would come to an end as a direct result. Oddly enough, the bout was not ruled a technical knockout. Instead, the prizefight went to the scorecards where Estrada picked up a wide unanimous decision win.
“But I know in the ninth round she told the doctor, she said that she couldn’t see. So when you say that you can’t see in a fight, when you’re bleeding, you pretty much quit. So yeah, I don’t know why it wasn’t a technical knockout because of that, but it’s all good! I got the victory!” ~Seniesa Estrada, interim WBA world flyweight champion
HATCHET NOT BURIED, BUT SHARPENED
Often times when boxers go into the ring with a personal vendetta against one another, after the action, they are able to put the acidic feelings to the side. This was not the case with Estrada! Even after the fight, the versatile Californian doubled down on her disdain for Esparza. Not only did she reaffirm that the beef was still on and popping, she was adamant that Esparza didn’t merit a rematch and labeled her a quitter.
“No! She shouldn’t get a rematch! She doesn’t deserve a rematch whatsoever. I mean the scorecards say it all, like it wasn’t a close fight, it wasn’t draw, so there is no reason. And she was going to cry about something, she always cry’s about stuff, so.”
Super Bad views Esparza as some sort of whiny character that she doesn’t harbor much respect for. This is why she was expecting some sort of complaint from Team Esparza. Estrada had little sympathy for her most recently vanquished opponent. Seniesa Estrada felt as though she has been forced to contend with in the ring injuries and overcame the circumstance, so she remained cold-hearted to Esparza succumbing to hers.
“The most satisfying is that I’m here right now and she’s at the hospital getting stitches, so hey!”
Another reason that Estrada had no compassion in the aftermath was the fact that she was the smaller fighter. To make Esparza v Estrada a reality, Estrada traveled up one division from her native junior flyweight home to flyweight. Theoretically, this should have provided Esparza the weight and power advantage. Ultimately, these would-be benefits would not be enough to deter Estrada.
THE NEXT MOVE
Looking back, Super Bad moved up to defeat a longtime rival, for a belt, in their natural division. Also, the match was conducted with 3-minutes rounds which, shamefully, is a rarity for women’s boxing. Best of all, the needle moving title fight took place on the very high profile Kovalev v Alvarez card. All in all, this was one tremendous win on one dynamic stage!
Armed with the interim WBA flyweight strap, Estrada has no reservations about penning a title defense. However, her preference would be to drop back down to 108 and pursue a title shot in her own home division.
“I would like to continue to fight at 112. I’ll take a fight at 112 if the fight is right, but I’d like go down to 108 and fight for another title there, a world title.”
3kingsboxing will continue to report of the latest developments Seniesa Super Bad Estrada’s career.
By: Bakari Simpson
