Seniesa ‘Super Bad’ Estrada looking to carry women’s boxing to greater heights

The caped marvel isn’t done with her crusade that began at the age of 9 when she picked up a pair of boxing gloves.

Seniesa ‘Super Bad’ Estrada is very close to climbing the mountain to adding the WBA Minimumweight world title to the WBC belt she already owns. The 30-year-old East Los Ángeles native must stop Germany’s Tina Rupprecht in the co-main event Saturday (March 25) night at the Save Mart Center.

“I’m so excited. This is the moment that I’ve dreamed of since I was seven years old,” said Estrada, who is 23-0 with 9 knockouts. “It’s crazy to think about how far I’ve come in this sport and how far this sport has come for women.”

Estrada’s opponent has a 12-0-1 (3 KOs) and has the same objective.

“I’m happy to have my first fight in the U.S. I’m excited, and I’m ready to fight,” said Rupprecht. “ It’s a big honor to fight for both titles. This is always what I wanted. And on Saturday you will see the best version of Tina.”

The two boxers have been on a trajectory that is bringing women’s boxing back to the glory days when the sports’ popularity was carried by Christy Martin and Mía St. John.

After those boxers’ glory days, “women’s boxing really kind of died out,” said Estrada. “You didn’t hear about them. You didn’t see it.”

Thanks to Estrada, Rupprecht, undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor, and three-belt holder Amanda Serrano, women’s boxing is shining brighter.

“Within the past two years, it’s really shot up and it’s really gotten so much recognition,” said Estrada, who signed a promotional deal with Top Rank last year. “Women are getting better pay. We’re getting signed up by big promoters. We’re fighting on TV.

“So everything totally changed for women’s boxing. It’s only going to continue to grow and get better. I’m excited to be a part of that this year.”

Estrada is ranked by ESPN as the fourth best female boxer in the world, thanks to her undefeated record and a convincing win over long-time strawweight title holder Anabel Ortiz in March 2021. She followed that with a win over Tenkai Tasunami for the WBO junior flyweight title, and a knockout of previously unbeaten María Santizo.

She holds the women’s boxing record for quickest knockout (7 seconds) of an opponent.

Estrada showed little rust following 11 months off when she scored a unanimous decision over Argentina’s Jazmín Gala Villarino last November.

She was the WBC light flyweight champion (2018-21) and the WBC interim flyweight titlist (2019-20).

“Who would have thought that a little girl from East L.A. would be unifying titles on ESPN?” said Estrada. “It’s insane to think about how far I’ve come, and I’m just happy to represent all women in sport on Saturday night.”

Estrada isn’t taking her German opponent lightly.

“I expect Rupprecht to come in there at 100%. I expect her to go in there to win. She’s coming to win. She’s a good fighter. She’s a tough fighter,” said Estrada. “ But I know that I’m different. I’m special, and I’m going to show that on Saturday.”

Estrada wants a fight against Yokasta Valle, a former stablemate who holds the IBF mini flyweight title.

“I’ve been wanting to make the fight against Yokasta Valle. But this is the first step in making that fight happen,” said Estrada. “ I have to beat Tina to fight Valle for the undisputed championship.”

Estrada started wearing a cape to enter the ring and adopted the ‘Super Bad’ nickname a couple of years after turning pro.

Her favorite boxer growing up was Sugar Ray Leonard.

“I read in his book that when he was a kid they used to call him Super Bad in the gym,” said Estrada. “So that’s where it came from since he was my favorite boxer.”

And the cape?

“I added the cape because I wanted to wear something that wasn’t the traditional boxing robe,” said Estrada. “I wanted to be different.”

Ramírez on comeback

José Ramírez, whose only blemish on a 27-1 record was a May 2021 loss to Josh Taylor, expects to have a record crowd at the Save Mart Center see his second bout since then.

He faces Ghana’s Richard Commey (30-4-1, 27 KOs) in the main event.

“I’ve experienced being at the top with people praising me and me being ranked at No. 1. Then, I became unified world champion when I beat Maurice Hooker,” said Ramírez. “Then, all of a sudden after one loss, people started to walk away from that.

“But I’m just blessed that I have a beautiful family, a beautiful team, and a wonderful promotional company. That’s all I need. So, I found myself, and I realized who I am. I feel like I’m ready to show that lion that we all saw before I started getting distracted with some of the stuff that comes with being at the top. Now it’s time for me to work.”

Undefeated heavyweight Antonio Mireles will have a chance to fight on national television when he faces Patrick Mailata in a six-round bout at 7 p.m., ahead of the Estrada and Ramírez bouts.

“I’m very excited. I knew this would happen. I just didn’t know it would happen now. It’s going to be nice to finally fight in front of a packed crowd on ESPN,” said Mireles, a 6-9 boxer from Iowa.

“It’s crazy that it’s been over a year since I turned pro. It shows how fast time goes by. But compared to where I was last year, I just feel like a completely different fighter. I’ve improved so much. But, I’m also more confident in my abilities.”