Yokasta Valle Wins a Second Belt in Costa Rica; Shields vs Marshall Postponed

Yokasta Valle Wins a Second Belt in Costa Rica; Shields vs Marshall Postponed

Last night’s 104-pound unification fight in Costa Rica between local fan favorite Yokasta Valle and Vietnamese import Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen kicked off what was fairly billed as the most important week in the history of women’s boxing. Unfortunately, the capstone, the big shebang tomorrow at London’s O2 Arena, fell by the wayside. This morning (Friday, Sept. 9) it was announced that the event was being postponed in deference to the memory of Queen Elizabeth II and a nation in mourning for its beloved matriarch. The provisional date for the reconstruction is Saturday, Oct. 15, which was already a cluttered day on the boxing calendar.

Yokasta Valle

The Nicaragua-born, 30-year-old Valle, a resident of Costa Rica since the age of seven, now holds two world title belts, having added Nguyen’s WBO diadem to her own IBF belt.

Nguyen, who lost for the first time as a pro, declining to 5-1, was out of her league against Valle (26-2, 9 KOs) who extended her winning streak to 13 while winning every round on all three cards. It was her third successive shutout and fourth in her last five starts.

Valle, who signed a co-promotional deal with Golden Boy Promotions this past June, is one of Costa Rica’s most popular athletes, having enhanced her brand by appearing on Costa Rica’s version of “Dancing With The Stars.” She is the second Costa Rican female to win a world title following Hanna Gabriels.

Looking ahead, a unification fight with East LA’s Seniesa Estrada, the WBA belt-holder, would be a delicious pairing.  Some folks attuned to women’s boxing place the undefeated (22-0, 9 KOs) Estrada at the top of their pound-for-pound list. Unfortunately, that match became harder to make when Estrada bolted Golden Boy for Top Rank.

In the co-feature, SoCal’s Adelaida Ruiz advanced to 12-0 (6) with a one-sided decision over Mexico City’s Sonia Osorio (15-7-3). This was a rematch. Their first meeting ended in a technical draw as a result of a cut over Osorio’s left eye caused by an accidental head butt. Ruiz-Osorio II was billed for the interim WBC super flyweight title.

Valle vs. Nguyen, reportedly the first unification fight ever on Costa Rican soil, was contested before a sellout crowd and live-streamed on DAZN to more than 200 countries around the globe.

Shields vs. Marshall

Saturday’s scheduled fight in London between former amateur rivals Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall, the marquee attraction of an historic all-female card, was arguably an even bigger fight than the April blockbuster at Madison Square Garden between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. And Shields vs. Marshall was hitched to a very compelling undercard featuring a bevy of former Olympians including Mikaela Mayer, Ginny Fuchs, Karriss Artingstall, Lauren Price and Carolyn Dubois.

The decision to postpone the event as a symbol of respect for the late Queen Elizabeth II was made by the British Boxing Board of Control. Whether the show can be rekindled without alterations remains to be seen. Stay tuned.

Photo credit: Golden Boy

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