She’s back—not that Yokasta Valle ever really went anywhere.
The former 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 force the stoppage at 1:12 of round 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 among them was her narrow 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 became the undisputed champ.
Valle (31-3, 10 knockouts) entered the fight with Jacob ‘Panda’ Najar taking over the reins as head trainer. The two have previously worked together, including his role as assistant trainer for the Estrada bout. Valle came up just short that night and has been hell bent on gaining revenge.
The first step was taken on Saturday, as Valle returned home to an adoring crowd. She lobbied the Comision Costarricense de Boxeo Profesional for three-minute rounds, no doubt in hopes of similar stakes for a second fight with Estrada.
With 30 minutes to work with, Valle barely needed four to get the job done.
Kaur (15-4, 5 KOs) was never previously dropped or stopped in 19 pro fights. Saturday marked her first outside of Asia, and was also a massive leap in competition. Valle is The Ring’s No. 1-rated strawweight contender and No. 9 pound-for-pound fighter.
The brief affair saw Valle take the lead, a common thread in the majority of her fights. Kaur struggled to keep pace and quickly found herself outmuscled by the local hero.
Valle didn’t waste any time to close the show. Kaur was pinned along the ropes early in round two as Valle unloaded a swarm of power punches. Referee Abdiel Barragan stepped in to rescue Kaur from further punishment, as the celebration began for Valle.
The moment quickly shifted to the next order of business for the three-division titlist.
“Seniesa, estamos listos [Seniesa, we are ready],” Mario Vega, Valle’s manager, declared during his post-fight interview.
The crowd roared in its approval over the declaration. They were equally thrilled with the suggestion of it taking place in Costa Rica, however unlikely that scenario.
Nevertheless, Valle is ready to run it back.
“I will have my revenge,” Valle vowed in her bid to get Estrada back in the ring.
Valle made nine successful defenses of the IBF 105-pound title she won in her Aug. 2019 decision over Joana Pastrana in Marbella, Spain. Her five-year reign included a one-fight stop to 108, where she dethroned IBF/WBO titlist Evelin Bermudez in Nov. 2022. It came two months after she defeated unbeaten Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen (5-1, 1 KO) in their Sept. 2022 IBF/WBO 105-pound unification bout.
The bout aired live on ESPN Knockout in Latin America. Golden Boy Promotions—Valle’s co-promoter—also streamed the show live on its YouTube channel.
In the co-feature, former title challenger Francisco Fonseca 34-4-2, 28 KOs) knocked out Panama’s Jezzrel Corrales (26-7, 10 KOs) in the fourth round. A left hook, right hand combination floored Corrales, who was stopped at 2:53 of the fourth.
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The post Yokasta Valle Stops Ramandeep Kaur In 2nd Round, Calls For Seniesa Estrada Rematch appeared first on The Ring.
