Weekend Preview: All Minimumweight Belts are On the Line
Estrada vs. Rupprecht and Valle vs. Basulto, plus this weekend's fights
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This weekend we’re in for a treat - between 2 fights, all the belts for the Minimumweight Class are on the line on Saturday, March 25.
Seniesa Estrada vs. Tina Rupprecht
WBA Minimumweight World Champion Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada (23-0, 9 KOs) will face WBC Minimumweight World Champion Tina Rupprecht (12-0-1, 3 KOs) in a title unification bout on Saturday, March 25 in Fresno, California. This is such an exciting fight and truly represents the spirit of women’s boxing right now - the best aren’t afraid to challenge one another, seeking to really prove that they belong at the top of the division. Whoever wins this fight will most likely seek to challenge Yokasta Valle next, who holds the WBO and IBF belts.
Estrada took almost a year off before coming back in November 2022 to defeat Argentinean Jazmin Gala Villarino by unanimous decision. She’s a particularly hard puncher for this weight class, which makes her an especially exciting fighter.
This will be Rupprecht’s first fight in the US, and only her second fight outside of Germany. Her last fight was against Peruvian Rocio Gaspar and was her 6th WBC World title defense.
This fight will be on the undercard of Jose Ramirez and Richard Commey fight airing on ESPN (10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT) - I’ll be watching!
Yokasta Valle vs. Jessica Basulto
WBO and IBF World Minimumweight title holder Yokasta Valle (27-2, 9 KOs) will also be defending her belts on March 25, against unbeaten Mexican challenger Jessica Basulto (11-0, 3 KOs). This will be Basulto’s first title shot fight, and Valle’s next step to hopefully facing rival Seniesa Estrada, pending the results of her fight against Tina Rupprecht. Her ultimate goal - all 4 belts:
“I want to unify all four belts and win the Ring Magazine championship,” vowed Valle. “Nobody has ever won that before in this weight division. Once I am able to achieve that goal, then we will look into moving up in weight and becoming a multi-division champion.
“For now, I am very comfortable at strawweight and I have unfinished business here.” - BoxingScene.com
Valle last fought in November 2022 and won a unanimous decision over Evelin Nazarena Bermudez.
As for Basulto, not many of her previous fights are available, so here’s one from June 2022:
This fight will be available free to subscribers to the app BLK Prime, and to non-members if they sign up for either a monthly subscription ($3.99 per month) or the $39.99 annual pass to BLK Prime. It looks like a really exciting all women line up, but I’ll probably catch this one after the fact - I don’t have BLK Prime.
There’s so many fights happening this weekend! Here’s the lineup:
March 24: Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina (Argentina Direct TV)
Carla Ayelen Merino vs. Debora Vanesa Gomez, 10 rounds, Super Flyweight
Romina Nunez Melgar vs. Cinthia Salome Gonzalez, 4 rounds, Super Bantamweight
March 24: New South Wales, Australia
Kaitlyn Lodge vs. Kate McLaren, 6 rounds, Welterweight - For the vacant ANBF Australasian Welterweight Title and the ANBF New South Wales State Title
March 24: Austria
Denise Stanojev vs. Klaudia Ferenczi, 6 rounds
Nikola Izova vs. TBA, 4 rounds, Lightweight
March 24: Milan, Italy
Gloria Peritore vs. Chiara Giselle Insarrualde, 4 rounds, Bantamweight
March 24: Tokyo, Japan
Nana Yamashita vs. Ai Sugimoto, 6 rounds, Bantamweight
Phunnakran Karnjanawong vs. Yoko Shiraki, 4 rounds, Atomweight
Sari Ito vs. Kei Sugimoto, 4 rounds, Super Bantamweight
Yuka Ota vs. Asako Sugawara, 4 rounds, Super Bantamweight
March 24: Tijuana, Mexico
Sabrina Persona vs. TBA, 4 rounds, Super Middleweight
March 24: Bolton, England, UK (UK Channel 5)
Katharina Thanderz vs. Ioana Fecioru, 8 rounds, Super Featherweight
Chloe Watson vs. Romina Gisel Sosa, 6 rounds, Flyweight
March 24: Bethnal Green, England, UK
Amy Andrew vs. Vaida Masiokaite, 6 rounds, Lightweight
March 25: Caseros, Argentina
Maria Dolores Gomez vs. Antonella Shirley Molina, 6 rounds, Bantamweight
March 25: Buenos Aires, Argentina (Argentina TyC Sports)
Florencia Ayelen Juarez vs. Juliana Vanesa Basualdo, 10 rounds - For the South American Bantam Title and the vacant Federacion Argentina de Box Argentina Bantam Title
March 25: New South Wales, Australia
Ashleigh Sims vs. Danni Mace, 4 rounds, Featherweight
March 25: Victoria, Australia
Millicent Agboegbulen vs. Desley Robinson, 8 rounds, Super Welterweight - For the vacant Australia Super Welter Title
March 25: British Columbia, Canada
River Tucker vs. Deyra Correa, 4 rounds, Bantamweight
March 25: Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Yokasta Valle vs. Jessica Basulto Salazar, 10 rounds, Minimumweight - For the IBF and WBO Minimumweight World Championships
Yesica Yolanda Bopp vs. Norleidys Graterol, 10 rounds, Light Flyweight
Maricela Cornejo vs. Olivia Curry, 10 rounds, Middleweight - For the vacant WBC Silver Middleweight Championship
Linn Sandstrom vs. Johana Zuniga, 10 rounds, Featherweight
Naomy Valle vs. TBA, 6 rounds
March 25: Jarvenpaa, Finland
Serwa Palani vs. Marijana Dasovic, 4 rounds, Super Featherweight
March 25: Hamburg, Germany
Nina Meinke vs. Angela Cannizzaro, 8 rounds, Featherweight
March 25: Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Charlotter Berlin vs. TBA, 4 rounds, Super Flyweight
March 25: Tanzania
Consolata Musanga vs. Fatuma Yazidu, 8 rounds, Super Bantamweight
Zawadi Kutaka vs. Praxides Oduori, 8 rounds, Super Featherweight
March 25: Nayarit, Mexico
Asley Gonzalez Macias vs. Lourdes Juarez, 10 rounds, Super Flyweight - For the WBC World Super Flyweight Championship
Adelaida Ruiz vs. Maria Esther del Angel Diaz, 10 rounds, Light Flyweight
March 25: Madrid, Spain
Almudena Alvarez vs. Eva Cantos, 5 rounds, Featherweight
March 25: Canary Islands, Spain
Davinia Perez vs. Yaiza Souto, 4 rounds, Super Bantamweight
March 25: Manchester, England, UK (SKY Sports)
Karriss Artingstall vs. Linzi Buczynskyj, 6 rounds, Featherweight
March 25: Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Emma Dolan vs. Halima Vunjabei, 10 rounds, Super Flyweight - For the vacant Commonwealth Boxing Council Super Flyweight Title
March 25: Telford, Shropshire, UK
Raven Chapman vs. Linda Laura Lecca, 10 rounds, Featherweight - For the WBC International Featherweight Title
March 25: Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Beccy Ferguson vs. Amy Greatorex, 4 rounds, Lightweight
March 25: Fresno, California, USA
Seniesa Estrada vs. Tina Rupprecht, 10 rounds, Minimumweight - For the WBA and WBC World Minimumweight Championships
March 25: Murrysville, Pennsylvania, USA
Colleen Davis vs. Jessica Emerick, 4 rounds, Super Featherweight
March 25: Cranston, Rhode Island, USA
Jaime Clampitt vs. Taynna Cardoso, 8 rounds, Super Lightweight
March 25: Saint Albans, West Virginia, USA
Chatiqua Hemingway vs. Lashwanda Ellis, 4 rounds, Middleweight
March 26: Rome, Italy
Elisa Papa vs. Rita Ashton, 6 rounds
What are you watching this weekend? I would love to hear! Thank you for reading.