Gabriela “Chucky” Alaniz beat the American team on points Marlen Esparza and became world flyweight champion of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and added those of the World Confederation (WBC) and the World Association (WBA). The native of the Rivadavia neighborhood of Merlo, who wore clothing with the colors of Boca Juniorsprevailed in the Save Mart Center from Fresno, California.
The Buenos Aires native was more than her rival and she showed it in the first five of the ten rounds, with a series of blows that the boxer from a Mexican family felt and had a hard time responding to. It should be noted that the North American had lost the WBC and WBA titles on Friday because she did not make the required weight. The weight for the category is 112 pounds (50,802 kilos) and on the scale Argentina gave 111.2 pounds (50,440 kilos) and the North American 114.4 pounds (51,900 kilos)which in its second weighing gave 114 (51,710 kilos).
The initiative taken by Alaniz was forceful with agile movements to hit again, as if to defend himself and avoid the impacts of Esparza, who in July of last year had beaten the 27-year-old boxer.
Despite their superiority, the fight merited an arbitration decision, which was made by three American judges who gave a different result: 97-93 and 96-94 in favor of Alaniz, but in the other he lost with 92-98. Alaniz heard the result with a Boca Juniors piluso hat and in the midst of tears because of his emotion.
Esparza, 34, came into this fight with 14 victories in his 15 professional fights, in which – now – he had only fallen in 2019 against Seniesa Estrada, current minimum weight world champion. Although Esparza was successful in her participation in the London Olympics in 2012where he won the bronze medal, his resume did not intimidate Alaniz, who was superior in both fights.
It was a revenge and act of justice for Alaniz who was superior in last year’s fight, but lost by split ruling on July 8, 2023, when the arbitration decision in favor of Estampa by (99-91) and (97- 93) and the next one declared a tie (95-95). The whistles and boos in the AT&T Center from San Antonio, Texas, made themselves felt, even though their boxer was the winner.
Nine months later Chucky vindicated himself in a big way and deservedly established himself after so much effort against an opponent who was not up to par with the evening, since that same Friday when he was not within the parameters established on the scale.
Regarding that fight the previous year, Alaniz indicated that “it was an easier fight than I expected because of what I had seen, because of what I had been told and because of how it was talked about. “It was easy for me to hit him.” Prior to this rematch he analyzed that “now maybe I should look for other things, not just hit him, but take care of myself a little more.” His strategy was correct and he took the three ecumenical belts.
The best photos of the fight that consecrated Gabriela Alaniz
