She’s again—not that Yokasta Valle ever actually went anyplace.
The previous unified strawweight titlist returned to the win column with a second-round stoppage of Ramandeep Kaur. A barrage of punches left India’s Kaur defenseless to pressure the stoppage at 1:12 of spherical two Saturday at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Ayma in San Juan de Tibas, Costa Rica.
The early exit was Valle’s first stoppage since Feb. 2020. She’d gone the ten-round distance in ten straight fights. Included amongst them was her slender defeat to Seniesa Estrada (26-0, 9 KOs) on March 29 in Glendale, Arizona. The setback ended Valle’s IBF/WBO strawweight title reign as Estrada grew to become the undisputed champ.
Valle (31-3, 10 knockouts) entered the combat with Jacob ‘Panda’ Najar taking on the reins as head coach. The 2 have beforehand labored collectively, together with his function as assistant coach for the Estrada bout. Valle got here up simply brief that night time and has been hell bent on gaining revenge.
Step one was taken on Saturday, as Valle returned dwelling to an adoring crowd. She lobbied the Comision Costarricense de Boxeo Profesional for three-minute rounds, little question in hopes of comparable stakes for a second combat with Estrada.
With half-hour to work with, Valle barely wanted 4 to get the job performed.
Kaur (15-4, 5 KOs) was by no means beforehand dropped or stopped in 19 professional fights. Saturday marked her first outdoors of Asia, and was additionally a large leap in competitors. Valle is The Ring’s No. 1-rated strawweight contender and No. 9 pound-for-pound fighter.
The transient affair noticed Valle take the lead, a typical thread within the majority of her fights. Kaur struggled to maintain tempo and shortly discovered herself outmuscled by the native hero.
Valle didn’t waste any time to shut the present. Kaur was pinned alongside the ropes early in spherical two as Valle unloaded a swarm of energy punches. Referee Abdiel Barragan stepped in to rescue Kaur from additional punishment, because the celebration started for Valle.
The second shortly shifted to the subsequent order of enterprise for the three-division titlist.
“Seniesa, estamos listos [Seniesa, we are ready],” Mario Vega, Valle’s supervisor, declared throughout his post-fight interview.
The group roared in its approval over the declaration. They had been equally thrilled with the suggestion of it happening in Costa Rica, nonetheless unlikely that situation.
However, Valle is able to run it again.
“I’ll have my revenge,” Valle vowed in her bid to get Estrada again within the ring.
Valle made 9 profitable defenses of the IBF 105-pound title she gained in her Aug. 2019 resolution over Joana Pastrana in Marbella, Spain. Her five-year reign included a one-fight cease to 108, the place she dethroned IBF/WBO titlist Evelin Bermudez in Nov. 2022. It got here two months after she defeated unbeaten Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen (5-1, 1 KO) of their Sept. 2022 IBF/WBO 105-pound unification bout.
The bout aired stay on ESPN Knockout in Latin America. Golden Boy Promotions—Valle’s co-promoter—additionally streamed the present stay on its YouTube channel.
Within the co-feature, former title challenger Francisco Fonseca 34-4-2, 28 KOs) knocked out Panama’s Jezzrel Corrales (26-7, 10 KOs) within the fourth spherical. A left hook, proper hand mixture floored Corrales, who was stopped at 2:53 of the fourth.
