Weigh-ins complete for Thursday’s “San Diego Fights: Dangerous Divas”

After her weigh-in for the Thursday night show at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Diego’s Mission Valley, Jolene Blackshear of San Diego who is set to face Susan Reno of New York City, N.Y. poses for photos. All photos: Jim Wyatt

Thursday evening, September 4th, Hall of Fame promoter Bobby D. Philippis will be at it again showcasing another exciting lineup of boxers from near and far. It was announced this show “San Diego Fights: Dangerous Divas, set to start at 7:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Resort in Mission Valley, will be the first time a boxing show in southern California has three female bouts on the same fight card and what’s up with the name Dangerous Divas? 

A Diva is thought to be a high maintenance woman who commands respect. She’s not only attractive and fashionable but she’s so successful that others want to follow her lead. She can be moody and almost always gets what she wants. If not, she won’t stop until she does. Judge for yourself!

The challenge has been made. On Thursday night, in the Main Event of the evening, Susan Reno of New York, N. Y. (lower right) will attempt to defeat the always tough Jolene Blackshear of San Diego. All photos: Jim Wyatt

In the main event, it will be San Diego’s own two-time world champion Jolene “Classy Assasin” Blackshear (8-5, 3 KOs) taking on Susan Reno (1-2-1) of New York, N. Y. in a six round light flyweight contest.

Reno, no stranger to San Diego, was here in April to battle San Diego’s Amaris Quintana. After that losing sortie, she’s back to exact her revenge but this time it will be against Blackshear a longtime sparring partner of Quintana. 

This will also be Blackshear’s second fight of the year and second in her hometown. 

Blackshear made her presence known as far back as 1997 when in just her third fight as a pro, she travelled to Lula, Mississippi to defeat Anissa Zamarron to win the IFBA Light Flyweight Title. The following year she won and defended the IFBA Flyweight title. Then, last year at the age of 43 she travelled north to Ontario, CA to knock Sindy Amador off her feet twice on her way to win the WIBA Women’s light flyweight title.   

Blackshear is now 3-2 with 1 KO in her last five bouts with wins over Amador, Lili Barajas and Linda Soto and losses to the youngsters Kenia Enriquez and Maria Suarez. With a win on Thursday night, Blackshear hopes to get back into title contention.

Undefeated NABF light flyweight champion 20 year-old Kenia Enriquez (r) of Tijuana will be facing her most experienced opponent to date in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico’s Mayela “La Cobrita” Perez (l). All photos: Jim Wyatt

Now you can see why the promoter thought to call his show “Dangerous Divas.”

In the co-feature scheduled for eight rounds, undefeated NABF light flyweight champion 20 year-old Kenia Enriquez (11-0, 6 KOs) of Tijuana will be facing her most experienced opponent to date in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico’s Mayela “La Cobrita” Perez (11-15, 7 KOs). The 29 year-old Perez has fought 157 rounds against 26 opponents in comparison to Enriquez’s 11 bouts and 40 rounds. 

Over her 11-year career, Perez has faced the very best in the lighter divisions to include Ana Maria Torres, Melissa McMorrow, Carina Moreno, Jessica Chavez and Sindy Amador. Light as a feather (she weighed in at 109 pounds) and currently the WBC Silver Strawweight champion, she will have her hands full slipping the punches of the younger, taller and likely stronger Enriquez.

After 11 contests, the 20 year-old Flyweight sensation Kenia Enriquez of Tijuana remains undefeated and plans to keep it that way until she is crowned the undisputed Flyweight Champion of the World. All photos: Jim Wyatt

Enriquez is coming off the biggest win of her career when she stopped the aforementioned Blackshear in seven rounds to capture the NABF title. Also, in February, she took a six round unanimous decision from the talented Noemi Bosques of Florida. As the word gets out, Enriquez, who averages four bouts a year, will find it harder and harder to find opponents. In the meantime, this phenom, recent high school graduate, keeps busy by running 10 Ks up and down the avenues of Tijuana.   

At Wednesday’s weigh-ins, MMA fighter turned boxer Jillian Lybarger (l) of Goodyear, Arizona was all smiles but Haley Pasion of Honolulu, Hawaii was not.

In the third female bout of the night, they have Hawaiian amateur standout Haley Pasion of Honolulu, Hawaii looking to continue her success against fellow first timer 28 year-old Jillian “Justice” Lybarger of Goodyear, Arizona in a four round contest. 

Pasion, who is trained by the former WBA & IBC Super Bantamweight Champion Jesus “The Hawaiian Punch” Salud, came to town weighing 121 pounds to meet the required catch weight of 122 pounds (limit for a super bantamweight).  

When her opponent Jillian Lybarger arrived, they discovered she weighed 135 pounds. Pasion was then asked if she could come up in weight to 126 pounds or even more. They also requested that the unprofessional Lybarger come down in weight to 130 pounds so the two young ladies would be at the most four pounds apart. Over night that disparity will have to be worked out.

Lybarger, a former student at Mesa College in San Diego, can not use the excuse of, ‘this is my first professional fight’ because she’s fought under the same requirements as an Amateur and as a professional MMA fighter. Plus, these weight requirements are always mandated by the various State Athletic Commissions. 

In her last MMA bout on May 26, 2014, the 5’7” Lybarger weighed 125 pounds. In that fight she suffered a TKO loss to Danielle Taylor. She’s now 0-2 as a pro Mixed Martial Artist and 5-5 as an Amateur MMA fighter. Her twin sister Jocelyn “Lights Out” Lybarger (3-1 Pro MMA, 4-2 Amateur MMA) and Jillian are part of the first ever set of twin sisters to fight MMA. 

The 28 year-old Jillian Lybarger, who worked four years with the Phoenix Police Department, jokingly said, “I took the fight just to stay busy.” Described as a tough gal with tremendous heart, she has trained with Robert Drysdale at Drysdale Jiu Jitsu in Las Vegas, Nevada and more recently at The Lab in Glendale, Arizona where John Crouch is the head instructor. Lybarger mentioned that about half of Crouch’s fight team is now with the UFC.  

(photos, top) On the undercard, they have the undefeated Miguel “Zurdo” Sanchez (r) of San Diego facing the always tough Ivan “Oso” Zavala of Tijuana.

The remainder of this fight card features a six-round welterweight clash between undefeated Miguel “Zurdo” Sanchez (8-0, 6 KOs) of San Diego by way of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico going up against Tijuana’s Ivan “Oso” Zavala (6-6-2, 2 KOs). 

Sanchez, who has a reputation for ending his opponent’s night early, had six of his eight opponents stopped before the bell sounded to end round two. 

In this final photo we have Mulapi Enjani (r) of San Diego by way of the Congo who is making his first professional start against Juan Urbina 0-2-1 of Los Angeles by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. All photos: Jim Wyatt

Next up, we finally get to see the pro debut of Mulapi Enjani of San Diego by way of the Congo. The 5’5” Enjani has been training for seven years with the California Hall of Fame boxer Tiger Smalls at the San Diego Combat Academy in Mission Valley. As an amateur Enjani had an impressive record of 27-2.

When people watched Enjani in the Amateur ranks, he was always in perpetual motion. They’d often wonder where he got so much energy. Is it that extra bowl of Wheaties, the Breakfast of Champions each morning or was he overdosing on cans of spinach? Whatever it was, this guy is a human dynamo. 

The 27 year-old Enjani is now set to face 22 year-old Juan Urbina (0-2-1) of Los Angeles by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Urbina, who is the same size and height as Enjani, stated he has benefitted big time from training at the Pound for Pound gym in Los Angeles where many Hollywood Stars train, people like Denzel Washington. He’s also travelled about the LA circuit to spar at the Wild Card and Maywood gyms. As a pro, Urbina has faced three opponents with a combined record of 6-1-1 and as an amateur his record was 10-5.

“San Diego Fights: Dangerous Divas” is brought to you by Bobby D. Presents in association with Mossy Automotive Group, Everlast, Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Car Czar and Pepsi. The venue for the show on Thursday night is the Crowne Plaza Hotel located at 2270 Hotel Circle N., in Mission Valley. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the first fight scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. For more info and tickets, you can call (619) 420-8866 or visit their website at SanDiegoFights.com.