Gabriela Fundora (right) lands a long right jab on Christina Cruz – Photo by Golden Boy/Cris Esqueda
It’s not usual to see an undefeated champion retire at age 32, but that’s exactly what future Hall of Famer Seniesa Estrada did this past week, and her retirement didn’t just leave the Ring Flyweight Championship vacant , but also an open spot in the pound-for-pound top 10 as well.
After a vote that included candidates like Savannah Marshall and Lauren Price, it was ultimately flyweight titlist Gabriela Fundora who was chosen to top the pound-for-pound list at no. 10 entry, with everyone moving up one spot to Estrada’s no. 4 position, surpassing even the ring flyweight champion Gabriela Alaniz, who fights Fundora this coming Saturday.
“Assuming she beats Chucky Alaniz this weekend, which she absolutely must, Fundora is poised to become the undisputed 112-pound champion at just 22,” writer Christopher Benedict said in his commentary. “A young, tall southpaw that packs a punch, the sky’s the limit for Fundora.”
Beautiful Brawlers’ Lupi Beagle said that “(Fundora) takes the right fights and wins without a doubt,” while TV producer and writer Yesica Palmetta said that “Fundora is an excellent candidate for P4P for her qualities in the ring , her achievements at a young age and for the image she presents as an athlete.”
A byproduct of this debate was a request to also move Dina Thorslund of Denmark up in the pound-for-pound ratings.
“Thorslund has defended her title three times this year, while Baumgarder has only fought once. Plus, Thorslund is just the better fighter,” argued columnist Mark Jones, with writer and editor Irene Deserti stating that “I also agree that Thorslund should be ranked above Baumgardner. Since her explosive win over Mayer, Alycia hasn’t had particularly convincing matches, while Thorslund has maintained a higher level of activity against established opponents and remains undefeated. She definitely deserves to be higher at this point.”
With the new pound-for-pound lineup done, it was time to move down with some changes.
Spain’s Jennifer Miranda ranked no. 5 with a win over Teresa Almengor. Although several panelists remain skeptical of her upside, the Spaniard put up enough numbers on the board to earn the spot, according to the general sentiment.
As mentioned above, bantamweight champion Dina Thorslund cemented her place as one of the world’s best with another solid win, this time against Japan’s Terumi Nuki. And also at 118 pounds, no. 4 Miyo Yoshida drops a controversial decision against Shurretta Metcalf, a previous holder of these ratings. Although it was not a stellar performance by Metcalf, the result qualified her to re-enter the ratings at the expense of Florencia Juarez. Metcalf is now no. 4 as Yoshida slips back to no. 5.
In the strawweight division, Estrada’s retirement left the division without a Ring champion. And a quick analysis of the rest of the division indicated that Jessica Basulto was inactive and had to drop out as well. Argentina’s Sol Cudos was chosen to be the new no. 5 to become.
Diego M. Morilla has written for The Ring since 2013. He has also written for HBO.com, ESPN.com and many other magazines, websites, newspapers and outlets since 1993. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and a voter for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has won two first-place awards in the BWAA’s annual writing contest, and he is the moderator of The Ring’s Women’s Ratings Panel. He served as copy editor for the second era of The Ring en Español (2018-2020) and is currently a writer and editor for RingTV.com.
