Don Haskins Center, El Paso – For the WBC flyweight world title, Marlen Esparza (10-1, 1 KO) came off the floor to become a world champion with a ten round unanimous decision over Ibeth Zamora (32-7, 12 KOs).
The scores were 97-92, 95-94 and 96-94 for Esparza. There were many observers who felt the contest could have easily been a draw.
Entering the fight, Esparza had won two in a row since losing a technical decision to current champion Seneisa Estrada in 2019.
Esparza came out firing and took the fight to Zamora in the first round. Esparza was throwing a lot of punches with both hands. Her speed was giving Zamora some issues, but then Zamora turned the tide when she landed a counter right hand to send Esparza down. Esparza quickly recovered and finished the round.
At the start of the second, Esparza once again came out firing. Zamora was targeting the body to slow Esparza down. Esparza was working with a very high volume of shots and outworking Zamora in the third. The fifth was fought on even terms, with Zamora tagging the body, while Esparza was mainly targeting the head.
They continued to exchange a lot of punches in the fifth and sixth, with Esparza landing the cleaner blows. Esparza had a minor edge in the seventh with the volume of shots that she was throwing. Zamora was able to get the better of the action in the eight, as she picked up the pace. In the ninth, Zamora came out with a lot of pressure, throwing a lot of punches and primarily targeting the body. Esparza was more than willing to fight on the inside, with many exchanges taking place.
At the end of the ninth, Esparza and her team thought the fight was over and began celebrating. The celebration was cut short when the referee informed them that another round was remaining. The tenth began with Zamora showing more juice in her shots. She was throwing more punches, with Esparza trying her best to fight her off until the final bell.