Kenia Enriquez, the WBC interim female light flyweight champion is aming to climb the pecking order and clinch world title status within the next year and has her eyes set on unified female flyweight champ, Marlen Esparza.
Kenia Enriquez hopes WBC, WBA “force” Marlen Esparza to face her in 2023
A two division champ who held the WBO female flyweight title in the past, Enriquez has remained undefeated since 2015 and during her current reign as the interim green and gold champ, has marked four title defenses.
In her most recent outing in the squared circle, the Mexican broke her two and a half year long hiatus and marked a stoppage win over her compatriot Gabriela Sanchez Saavedra, a multi-time world title challenger, at the Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta Hotel in Nuevo Vallarta in May.
“She (Sanchez) was a tough competitor and our goal was to make a statement,” Enriquez, who is a free agent, said in a recent release, “In 14 fights she had faced five world champions including Yesica Bopp and Ibeth Zamora and none of them had stopped her. She was tough but I am glad we got the job done.”
While she continues her reign as the interim WBC champion at 108, Enriquez wants to return to 112 to target the world titles. While she initially wanted to unify the WBC female light flyweight title against recently dethroned world champion Yesenia Gomez who lost the belt to Kim Clavel in July, she has now turned her gaze back at her former division.
“I am ready for a world title opportunity,” the 28-year-old went on, “I’ve held the WBO world title at flyweight and the interim WBC light flyweight world title. I really wanted the opportunity for the full-fledged belt at light flyweight but Yesenia Gomez never wanted to prove herself. I hope the champions at flyweight really want to fight the best.”
While Enriquez has several options in mind for her 112-pound return, including WBO titlist Gabriela Celeste Alaniz, her own choice would be Marlen Esparza, who recently unified the WBC and WBA belts in April.
“I’m willing to face whichever of the champs, including the WBO’s Alaniz. If I have my choice I want Esparza, she has two of the belts so she already did the work for me. We have some history and I think because of that she is going to avoid me but I hope the WBC and the WBA force her to face me sometime in 2023, the #1 ranked,” added Enriquez. [H/T BoxingScene.com]
