WBO Female Flyweight Champ Kenia Enriguez, Tijuana’s latest world champion
Here we see Kenia Enriquez (l) unloading another big overhand right to the chin of her opponent Ana “La Bronca” Arrazola in what turned out to be an easy win for the new WBO Female Flyweight World Champion. Photo: Jim Wyatt
On Friday evening, November 21st, the Main Event of the latest Bobby D Presents boxing card featured the first World Title fight in San Diego in nearly 10 years. It was also the first Female World Title bout in the city’s history. In this special attraction, they had Tijuana’s 21 year-old Kenia Enriquez (12-0, 6 KOs) facing the more experienced 32 year-old Ana “La Bronca” Arrazola (21-10-2, 13 KOs) of Tlalnepantla, México, Mexico for the vacant WBO Flyweight World Title.
Our round by round assessment:
Round one: Enriquez looked masterful and landed 80% of her punches. Her opponent didn’t land a punch.
Round two: While Enriquez continued her onslaught of mixing up her power punches or stepping back to dodge or slip her opponent’s attempts, Arrazola finally landed one punch, a meaningless punch to the midsection.
Round three: An onlooker uttered a disparaging remark, “Is this a joke?”
Round four: There was still no change to Arrazola’s embarrassing performance and she was getting clocked repeatedly.
Round five: Another remark from a patron summed up Arrazola’s chances, “Kenia’s pitching a shutout!”
A comment after round six: “That was a little better!!”
Round seven: Arrazola surprises everyone and lands three left hands to her opponent’s head.
Round eight, nine and 10: The beating continued in this one sided affair.
And to think Arrazola once faced the likes of Yesica Yolanda Bopp, Ibeth Zamora, Susi Kentikian, Ji-Hyun Park and Naoko Shibata to prove she was a worthy opponent for the 21 year-old Enriquez. The judges’ scores were just as embarrassing: 100-90 from two judges and the third judge awarded Enriquez a 10-8 round to make it 100-89.
With no video of Friday’s fight to show you, it’s difficult to prove how one sided a drubbing this fight was. You can however view the second Arrazola vs Yesica Bopp match of August 14, 2010. It is almost an exact replica of what happened on Friday night.
Boxing has become a game of outwitting your opponent before stepping into the ring. It’s likely Arrazola figured she held the upper hand with her experience (11 additional years), plus the fact she had already faced the best in her division. She also saw an advantage in being a southpaw going up against an orthodox fighter. What she didn’t realize was that Enriquez spars almost daily with two ladies from her gym that happen to be southpaws.
Round after round, Arrazola and her corner seemed content to wait for an opening that never came. That one punch that would turn the fight around. James Toney, way behind on the score cards, waited until the 11th round to nail Michael Nunn. George Foreman patiently waited until round 10 to put Michael Moorer on his back. Right up until the bell sounded to end round 10, Arrazola probably felt she too had that one punch.
In all the excitement, the question arose whether Enriquez, at the tender age of 21, had become the youngest ever Female World Title holder. The answer is no. On September 23, 2005, a youngster from Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago, Giselle Salandy, aka “Magic”, won the NABC World Title at the age of 18 years, 7 months and 29 days. The following year, on December 9, 2006, she became the first person to win six world title belts on one night. At the time, she was 19 years, 10 months and 29 days old.
If we travel back in time, six years to be precise, the female boxers circa 2008, were paying all sorts of sanctioning fees to fight for as many belts as possible. On March 15, 2008 super middleweight Natascha Ragozina, aka The Russian Tsarina or Miss Sledgehammer, thought she’d do Salandy one better and won seven belts in one night.
Two weeks later at the Centre of Excellence in Trinidad and Tobago, Salandy fought and defeated the then unbeaten Karolina Lukasik in her mandatory defense, to regain her world record by winning eight title belts in one fight: the WBC, WBA, WBE, WIBA, IWBF, WIBF, GBU and UBC.
After Friday’s demolition of Arrazola, the list of worthy contenders has narrowed to a dozen:
The top female light flyweights in the world include, (top to bottom, left to right) Jessica Nery Plata, Kei Takenaka, Yesica Bopp, Susi Kentikian, Naoko Fujioka, Sindy Amador, Esmeralda Moreno, Jessica Chavez, Joselyn Arroyo, Ibeth Zamora Silva, Esmeralda Moreno and Maria “Maggie” Suarez.
You have the fab four from Mexico City:
27 year-old Esmeralda Moreno 28-7-1, 9 KOs
19 year-old Jessica Nery Plata (15-0-0, 2 KOs). In her resume is a split decision victory over Ibeth “La Roca” Zamora
26 year-old Jessica Chavez (21-4-3)
27 year-old Esmeralda Moreno 28-7-1, 9 KOs
From outside Mexico City:
25 year-old Ibeth Zamora Silva (21-5, 8 KOs) of San Cristóbal Huichochitlán, Toluca, México, Mexico
20 year-old Joselyn Arroyo “Princesa Tapatia” Ruiz (17-0-0, 7 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
From Europe:
27 year-old Susi Kentikian (34-2-0, 17 KOs) of Hamburg, Germany by way of Yerevan, Armenia, the current WBA World Female Flyweight Champion who has defended her title four times.
From California:
29 year-old Maria “Maggie” Suarez of Santa Maria (8-1-1) who defeated Jolene Blackshear of San Diego but lost by split decision to Sindy Amador on May 16, 2014.
30 year-old Sindy Amador of Riverside, CA who defeated Maria Suarez and Amaris Quintana (twice) but lost to Jolene Blackshear on July 26, 2013.
From South America:
30 year-old Yesica Bopp (27-1-0, 12 KOs) of Wilde, Buenos Aires, Argentina, the former WBO World Champion who vacated her title after winning an unanimous decision over Daniela Romina Bermudez.
From Japan:
28 year-old southpaw Kei Takenaka (8-0, 3 KOs) from Takasago, Hyogo, Japan with her extra long reach.
39 year-old Naoko Fujioka (12-1, 6 KOs) of Tokyo, Japan the former WBA World Female super flyweight Champion and former WBC World Female Minimumweight title holder. Her only loss was to Susi Kentikian in Stuttgart, Germany.
Friday’s undercard
Local fan favorite Prince “Tiger” Smalls (6-0-1) returned after a six-month layoff to dismantle the game Jose “Panterita” Iniguez (7-19-2, 1 KO) of Tijuana, B. C., Mexico. Even though there was no doubt who would come out victorious, it was the shrewd way Iniguez manipulated the proceedings and lasted the full four rounds that held insider’s attention.
On Thursday at their weigh-ins, Iniguez weighed 139 pounds, Smalls 126. The contracted weight was 126. Smalls had done his part but Iniguez was trying to pull a fast one. In the end Smalls stated it didn’t matter to him and he would still take the fight even though Iniguez would be fighting with an advantage.
During the fight, the clever Iniguez kept himself in close so that he wouldn’t feel the full power of Smalls’ punches. Still, 80% of the punches that landed were from Smalls and you could hear this thudding sound from the shots to the breadbasket. By the end of round two, a mouse had appeared under Iniguez’s left eye.
In round three, with Iniguez’s hands dropping, Smalls went with more and more shots to the head. At the end of three rounds, it was a wonder Iniguez’s corner didn’t throw in the towel. Even the referee asked the fight doctor to look Iniguez over. The only one who was vehement about continuing was Iniguez.
In the fourth and final round, Smalls went for the kill. He was hitting Iniguez from every imaginal angle until he finally went down on one knee. After a standing eight count, back came Smalls to finish him off. After the next battering, Iniguez legs suddenly wobbled. Quick thinking, he spits out his mouthguard to force the referee to stop the bout and give him time to clear away the cobwebs. In the end, the clever Iniquez had done what he had set out to do, he had managed to go the distance, he had won over part of the crowd and in doing so he took away a smidgen of the luster normally provided his opponent who was masterful and blew him away with the three 40-35 scores. 
(top, left) At the conclusion of the bout, the much shorter Jose Iniguez walked over to congratulate his opponent Prince “Tiger” Smalls. (below) Priest “Tiger” Smalls (l) and his son Prince “Tiger” Smalls await the announcement of the judges’ scores which had Prince winning every round and then some. Photos: J. Wyatt
(bottom) At the conclusion of his bout with Jose Iniguez, Hall of Fame referee Pat Russell raises the arm of the victorious Prince “Tiger” Smalls.
Lightweight Leon “3rd Generation” Spinks (8-1-1, 4 KOs) of Huntington Beach, CA, grandson of the former heavyweight champion “Neon” Leon Spinks, had far too much fire power for his opponent Ivan “Oso” Zavala of Tijuana.
In the third round, after Spinks twice had Zavala pinned against the ropes and was battering him with many hard shots to the head, Zavala went down on one knee. Before Hall of Fame referee Pat Russell could finish his 10 count, Zavala was up. At this point, Russell stopped the bout and asked the fight doctor to look at the nasty cut above Zavala’s left eye. On advice from the fight doctor, Russell stopped the bout.
(top photo) Between showman/cornerman Repo Rick and the wild and crazy Leon Spinks III, the crowd was smiling from ear to ear.
Once Ivan Zavala went down, Leon Spinks III dutifully went to the neutral corner to anxiously await his opportunity to return and finish his opponent off. This time his finishing touches weren’t unnecessary. All photos: Jim Wyatt
In what had to be the bout of the night, it was San Diego’s Mulapi “The African Mexican” Enjani (1-0) in an all or nothing, nonstop battle with Don Jose (0-3) of Stockton, CA.
In round one, we saw some great defense and since Jose finished with a late flurry, you figured he took round one. Back came Enjani in rounds two and three scoring mostly on these devastating uppercuts. Both corners went borderline crazy urging their fighters not to let up. In the final round, with both the fans and corners screaming, it was almost a dead heat until Jose landed this three punch combination. It’s believed that one, distinct combination made the difference in the round and swayed the judges to give Mr. Jose the final round.
After hearing the ring announcer read off the first score, “Judge Alejandro Rochin scores the bout 38-38 a draw” you knew deep down the other judges were going to be in agreement and they were. All three judges had it 38-38 a draw and you knew everyone present wanted it to go an additional round. It was that good; it was that close.
(top, right) Mulapi Enjani has the sternest look on his face as he looks over at his opponent Don Jose. Photos: Jim Wyatt
(center photo) Both Mulapi Enjani (r) and Don Jose (l) went nonstop from the opening bell.
(bottom photo) Mulapi Enjani (r) and Don Jose (l) had their arms raised denoting an unanimous decision draw after the identical scores of 38-38 were announced.
In the show’s opener it was Alberto Fundora (3-0, 1 KO) of Coachella, CA with his tremendous power, reach advantage and stiff jab having his way with Fernando “Pantera” Najera of Tijuana, B. C., Mexico. With Najera taking this horrific beating and yet lasting until the final bell, the scoring was never in doubt. All three judges had it 40-36 for Fundora.
(top photo) Alberto Fundora (c) and his support group enter the ring for his bout against Fernando Najera. All photos; Jim Wyatt
In between rounds, we see Alberto Fundora sitting on his stool getting instructions from his coach. Photo: Jim Wyatt
(bottom, left) Alberto Fundora has his arm raised in victory by referee Jose Cobian after he soundly defeated Fernando Najera.
More trivia for you: With the ladies still lacking the proper recognition, the average fight fan would likely answer that Mike Tyson is the youngest boxer to win a world title. Tyson became the youngest male boxer to win a world heavyweight title when he defeated Trevor Berbick via a second-round TKO, to become the WBC Heavyweight Champion of the World at 20 years, 4 months, 22 days old. However, one of my favorites, Floyd Patterson remains the youngest Undisputed Heavyweight Champion at the age of 21 years, 10 months, 26 days.
