Yokasta Valle could not have chosen a more fitting name in her attempt to usher in a new era.
The former three-division titlist will compete for her third strawweight title. Costa Rica’s Valle (31-3, 10 KOs) will face multiple title challenger Elizabeth López Corzo (11-6-5, 2 KOs) for the vacant WBC 105-pound title. ESPN Knockout will broadcast their match live this Friday from Camara de Ganaderaos in Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
Valle (31-3, 10 KOs) is fighting for the second time since a heartbreaking loss to Seniesa Estrada. In their March 29 RING Championship, Estrada (26-0, 9 KOs) won by unanimous decision to crown the first undisputed strawweight queen. Valle handed her IBF and WBO belts to Estrada, who defended her RING crown and WBC and WBA belts.
The divisional throne has since been abdicated by Estrada, who abruptly announced her retirement earlier this month.
Valle had always hoped for a rematch, but is now preparing to fill the void left by her longtime division rival.
“Whenever she’s ready to come back, I’d be delighted to give her the opportunity for a rematch,” Valle told The Ring. “It’s a fight that people really want to see again.
“Until then I will focus on my goals and keep pushing myself to more world titles.”
Valle bounced back from the Estrada loss with her first knockout victory in more than four years. The Ring’s no. 8 pound-for-pound fighter stopped Ramandeep Kaur in the second round on July 20 in San Juan de Tibas, Costa Rica.
This was Valle’s first fight with Jacob ‘Panda’ Najar as her head coach. Valle’s hope is that the union will lead to her fourth title reign. She won a belt at the women’s exclusive 102-pound atomweight division and enjoyed unified title status at 105 and 108.
Valle, The Ring’s no. 1 strawweight, moved up in November 2022 to dethrone IBF/WBO junior flyweight title holder Evelin Bermudez. She held the same two belts at 105, which she unified in a Sept. 2022 win over undefeated Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen.
Valle vacated the junior flyweight titles in December 2022 and remains at strawweight. It was where she craved to go unchallenged and called out Estrada at every turn.
The two met earlier this year in a summit meeting in Glendale, Arizona. Estrada had to fend off a late Valle rally to prevail on all three scorecards.
This left Valle disheartened as she believed she deserved the nod. However, she left the Desert Diamond Arena more confident than ever that she could take revenge any time they ran it back.
That fight seems less realistic now than it did then, as the 32-year-old Estrada decided to leave the sport on a high note.
“I am surprised by the decision that Seniesa retires,” Valle confessed. “I have come to accept her decision, and I wish her the best in this new step of her journey. Like many of us, there comes a time when we are faced with difficult decisions for improving our well-being.”
