SAN ANTONIO – Marlen Esparza fended off a scrappy and more active foe to add another belt to her collection.
The 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist for the U.S. defended her lineal, WBC and WBA flyweight titles and picked up the WBO belt in a ten-round majority decision win over Argentina’s Gabriela Celeste Alaniz. Judge Lisa Giampa (95-95) scored five rounds apiece to each defending champ while judges Nelson Lopez (97-93) and Javier Alvarez (99-91) had it wide for Esparza in their DAZN-aired unification bout Saturday evening from AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Buenos Aires’ Alaniz vowed a knockout victory throughout fight week ahead of her U.S. debut but it was Esparza who came out with mean intentions right at the opening bell. The unified champ launched a left hook right out the gate. Alaniz was the more active fighter both in punch output and upper body movement but Esparza was the more accurate largely on the strength of her right hands over the top of the Argentinian’s guard.
Esparza put her defensive skills to good use in round two. She kept Alaniz at the end of her jab and used head movement to effortlessly dodge Alaniz’s combinations while fighting in reverse.
An unsuspecting Alaniz was briefly forced on the defensive when Esparza ran out of her corner at the start of round three. Esparza landed a body shot but Alaniz was able to connect with a pawing left and an overhand right. Esparza went back to the body where she repeatedly scored with her left hook. Alaniz charged forward but missed with right hands just before the bell.
Esparza was able to make Alaniz miss for most of the night but was presented with adversity in the form of a cut over her left eye. The defending champ seemed unbothered by the sight of her own blood, but Alaniz treated it as a bullseye as she picked up her already hectic attack in round five. Esparza effectively smothered her unbeaten foe to minimize the damage though Alaniz managed to rattle her jaw with a left hand at close quarters.
Alaniz remained the busier fighter and improved on her previously dismal connect percentage. The second half surge came as Esparza was short with her right hand. Alaniz found the proper balance between volume and distance while Esparza spent most of round eight in reactionary mode and throwing one punch at a time.
Esparza landed several left hooks to the body at close quarters in round nine. Alaniz kept her attack upstairs for the most part and was able to take the lead throughout the tenth and final round. Esparza landed her fair share of right hands and left hooks during fun two way exchanges. However, she was forced to fend off a swarm of punches from Alaniz, who opened and closed the round strong in her best effort to pull off the upset.
It was for naught, though Alaniz (14-1, 6KOs) gained plenty of new fans even in defeat.
Esparza moved to 14-1 (1KO) and is now within one title of undisputed championship status.
“She was vibrant and had a lot of energy,” Esparza said of the visiting Alaniz. “Her punch output was impressive. Her lack of experience showed. She had the grit to stay in there with me.
“However, there was a strategy in place and that’s what got us the win.”
Golden Boy promotes both Esparza and IBF flyweight titlist Arely Mucino, who was recently cleared to return to the ring and hopes to land such a fight later this year.
Headlining the show, Austin’s Floyd Schofield (14-0, 11KOs) will face Haskell Lydell Rhodes (28-4-1, 13KOs) in a scheduled ten-round lightweight contest.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox