Gabriela Alaniz did not fly more than 5,000 miles just to serve as someone’s opponent.
That is the emphatic message she aims to send in her flyweight title unification showdown versus lineal, WBA and WBC champion Marlen Esparza (13-1, 1KOs). The two collide this Saturday on DAZN from AT&T Center, home to the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. It’s also where Argentina’s Alaniz looks to secure a new fan base and some more hardware.
“I came here to get more belts and looking forward to returning home with three belts,” vowed Alaniz, who makes her U.S. debut this weekend. “This is a huge opportunity for me.
“I promise by the end of Saturday night, everyone in the world will know who La Chucky is.”
Alaniz (14-0, 6KOs) will attempt her second defense of the WBO flyweight title she’s held for just more than two years. The 27-year-old titlist from Buenos Aires—affectionately known as ‘La Chucky’—has fought exclusively in her home country but jumped at the opportunity to travel to the U.S. for a long-desired unification bout.
Unfortunately, she was required to wait a few months. A visa issue postponed their targeted plans to meet April 29 in Arlington, Texas—ironically on the originally scheduled date for the Eimantas Stanionis-Vergil Ortiz WBA ‘Regular’ welterweight title fight. That bout was supposed to headline this weekend’s show but Ortiz was forced to withdraw after a fainting spell earlier in fight week.
The development leaves Esparza-Alaniz as the show’s lone remaining title fight. Alaniz enters Saturday as a modest +165 underdog according to bet 365 sportsbook, which lists Esparza as a -200 favorite to prevail in a bout three hours from her Houston hometown.
“Being the underdog means nothing to me.,” insisted Alaniz. “I know I’m fighting in another country, but I am right at home when I’m the ring. Let’s see who is the best and who leaves the ring as champion on Saturday,
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox