Yokasta Valle took the lead in the new era for the strawweight division.
The three-division titlist entered her second 105-pound reign after a repeat victory over Mexico’s Elizabeth López Corzo. Valle won Friday at Camara de Ganaderos in Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, by scores of 100-89, 98-92 and 98-91.
With the win, Valle (32-3, 10 KOs) claimed the vacant WBC strawweight title.
“Thank you, Costa Rica, this is for you,” San Jose’s Valle exclaimed after the ESPN Knockout headliner.
It wasn’t easy in the beginning for Costa Rica’s boxing queen. Falls, no. 1 on 105 and no. 8 pound-for-pound through The Ring, was forced to adapt to the aggressive approach of Lopez (11-7-5, 2 KOs) in the early rounds. It was no different than their December 2021 meeting, won by Valle in one of her nine IBF strawweight title defenses.
Valle, 32, was credited with a second round shutout. However, she was just as surprised by the call as her opponent. What was an apparent push and slip instead resulted in an eight count from the referee. Lopez pointed to the center ring logo as her protest fell on deaf ears.
This did not deter the visiting challenger from applying constant pressure. Lopez continued to come straight at Valle in the third, though she landed very little once there.
Valle settled into a groove in the fourth round and never really looked back. Her clean, combination punch was the difference over the long haul. Lopez threw wild punches, while Valle threw classic one-twos.
The local favorite let her hands go in rounds six and seven. A flurry of punches left Lopez on the defensive as Valle began to pile on her lead.
Traps connects with a left hook over the top. She found herself on the canvas and slipped as a right hand landed on Lopez. The umpire wisely waved off the sequence as a slip.
The crowd’s energy fueled Valle in the closing rounds, as she went on to beat Lopez. Lopez plowed forward, usually head first and looking for overland right hands. Traps were prepared every time and often connected with a jab or a straight right hand.
The two embraced in the middle at the end of the fight, although the verdict was clear. Lopez knew this, as she fell to 0-4-1 in major title fights.
Valle now enters her fourth career title reign across three weight divisions. She previously held the IBF atomweight and IBF/WBO junior flyweight titles.
The heart of her title fight experience came during her IBF strawweight run. She has made nine successful defenses of the belt she has held since August 2019.
Her memorable run included a victory in September 2022 over the undefeated Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen in her hometown of San Jose. Valle defended the IBF belt and won the WBO title in their unification bout.
She followed the feat by lifting the IBF and WBO 108-pound titles from Evelin Bermudez less than three months later. Valle only held the titles for a few weeks before returning to strawweight.
Three more defenses followed before Valle’s division meeting with Estrada. In their memorable RING/Undisputed Championship clash on March 29, Estrada prevailed by unanimous decision.
It was the last fight ever for Estrada, who announced her retirement at the end of October. Valle wished her longtime rival well, but left the door open for a rematch should she decide to fight again.
“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.”
Another is now in Valle’s collection.
