Since its brief heyday in the ‘90s, women’s boxing has largely been absent from the national spotlight. However, in recent years, a massive influx of talented female fighters is elevating the sport to new heights.
East Los Angeles native Seniesa Estrada is one such talent. The 31-year-old is currently undefeated and holds two world titles. She shared her story with “LA Times Today.”
“There’s so much that goes into training, small details that the average person watching, or even a boxing fan watching, most of the time wouldn’t see because when you step into the ring, every small detail, every step you take to cut off the ring, every second it takes you to counter with a certain punch — all of that matters,” Estrada said.
Estrada explained how ingrained boxing is in her Hispanic culture.
“If you don’t grow up watching boxing, you grow up fighting. I was 8 years old when I first started boxing. I just turned 8. My father didn’t want me boxing at the time, so he told my trainer, ‘Hey, can we put her in the ring with this boy so he can beat her up, make her cry? That way she won’t want to come back to the gym,’” she remembered.
But she won that fight, and her father realized her potential. As an adult, Estrada was a nearly undefeated amateur boxer. Still, she said, the transition to professional fighting was difficult for her.
“The first six years of my professional career was just like fighting once every eight months. A lot of women can’t get a promoter to sign them and to work with them. That’s the problem that I had. When I did fight, I was fighting for not much money at all because ... a lot of things come out of pocket,” Estrada recalled.
A 2020 fight between Estrada and another fighter went viral and put a lot more eyes on women’s boxing. Estrada’s father, Joe, said his daughter has inspired a new generation.
“She has shown that little girls from East LA can actually become someone. She has so many little girls who show up at her fights, with capes on. They are cheering her on. So that makes me happy. And they have someone to look up to, but she didn’t.”
Estrada is set to defend her world titles on July 28 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The fight will stream live on ESPN+.
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