Photo courtesy of Esther Lin
EAST LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. – On Saturday night, May 16, 2015, at The Forum in Inglewood, California, 22-year-old women’s professional boxer Seniesa Estrada (East Los Angeles, California) defeated Carly Batey (United Kingdom/San Diego, California) by unanimous decision. Estrada-Batey was a six-round, non-televised, undercard bout on the HBO World Championship Boxing card. In the fight, Estrada used a myriad of jabs and one-two combinations, while often switching stances to counter her opponent’s activity. In the fifth round, Estrada scored a knockdown when she dropped Batey with a powerful over-hand left. With the win, Estrada’s record improves to 4-0-0 with 1 KO, while Batey’s record moved to 4-5-2, 0 KOs. The HBO Boxing card was presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions, in association with Banner Promotions. In the televised main event, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin successfully defended his WBA/IBO and interim WBC Middleweight World Titles by defeating Willie Monroe, Jr. with a TKO in round six.
Estrada’s trainer, Dean Campos (Gamboa Boxing & Fitness/Whittier, California), said, “I was very proud of how Seniesa handled the pressure inside the ring and also outside the ring on such a big HBO Boxing event. Coming into this fight, she only had three fights of pro experience, but was able to shine against a much bigger girl who had previously fought three world champions. Seniesa also had a nose congestion problem, and that made it hard for her to breathe throughout the fight. She stayed under control and handled Batey well. She sold a ton of tickets, gave all of her supporters a great show, and she impressed. We can’t wait to keep her active this year.”
Seniesa Estrada talked about her fight. She said, “It was an honor fighting at The Forum, and I had a great time. I fought at a bigger weight class (116) and still felt strong. I thought I boxed well while having to deal with my nose congestion. I stayed focused throughout the fight, and was able to set Batey up for the knockdown in the 5th round. If I was able to breathe better, I could have probably finished her. I have a lot of respect for Batey, especially for traveling all the way from the UK to fight me. We spoke after our fight, and she’s an awesome person as well.”
Estrada discussed her immediate future plans. She said, “I’m planning to stay busy and I want to get back in the ring in June. I will continue fighting at my natural flyweight weight class. My goal is to transcend the sport and help young girls believe that there is a future for them in women’s boxing. Ronda is doing the same thing for women the UFC, so it can be done. If young fighters and amateur girls see me doing big things, fighting on big cards, and changing the sport, hopefully it will inspire and encourage them to want to be in the same position. I’m confident that my boxing skills and talent will open up doors for me. I’m in a big media market in Los Angeles, so I will have access to doing all the right things outside of the ring in order to get women’s boxing recognized.”
She continued, “Thank you Roy Englebrecht, Tom Loeffler, K2 Promotions, GGG Promotions, Artie Pellulo, and Banner Promotions for allowing me to represent women’s boxing on a major HBO Boxing card. Thank you Oscar A. Sanchez, PS Realty, and Security National Mortgage Co. for being my awesome, supportive sponsors. Thanks to Eddie Aguilera, Tattoo, Savages Clothing, Elie Seckbach, and JC Casarez for being an integral part of Team Estrada’s success this week. Thanks to all the fans and media that continue to support me. You inspire me and help push me forward. Thanks to Jeandra LeBeauf and Esther Lin for always supporting women’s boxing and for all the great fight week pictures. You both rock.”
