Marlen Esparza and Gabriela Alaniz have been granted a few more days to finalize terms for their forthcoming rematch.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that the WBO has accepted a request by Golden Boy Promotions to extend the negotiation period by one week for the re-ordered Esparza-Alaniz rematch. A five-day negotiation period was previously assigned to the December 12 ruling but the latest extension will likely push back the deadline to the other side of the upcoming Christmas holiday.
A purse bid hearing will be ordered if the two sides are still unable to reach a deal by that point. However, Boxing Scene has learned that all involved parties seem confident that their lineal, WBC, WBA and WBO championship will move forward in the first quarter of the new year.
Houston’s Esparza (12-1, 1KO) was required to honor her mandatory after it was learned that previous plans fell through for a targeted undisputed championship clash versus IBF titlist Gabriel Fundora. There were plans for Esparza-Fundora to land on the January 6 DAZN show headlined by Vergil Ortz. However, what was once advanced talks quickly devolved into a collapse, which left Esparza back on the hook to face Argentina’s Alaniz.
The two previously met in a three-belt unification bout, won by Esparza via majority decision in their entertaining first battle on July 8 in San Antonio, Texas. Alaniz entered the bout as the unbeaten WBO titlist and was considered unlucky by many to not add the lineal, WBC and WBA titles to her collection.
An appeal filed by Alaniz through Rivero’s O.R. Promotions prompted a review of the fight, from which the WBO agreed that the protest was grounds for an immediate rematch. The two were ordered to enter talks in August, only for Golden Boy to request two separate delays which were granted by the sanctioning body.
The fight was due to for a September 1 purse bid hearing which was canceled upon the suggestion to the WBO that Esparza (12-1, 1KO) was due to face the winner of the October 20 IBF title fight between Fundora and defending titlist Arely Mucino. Fundora won the bout via fifth-round knockout and immediately entered talks to fully unify the division. Esparza-Alaniza II was put back in play by the WBO once it was learned the undisputed fight was no longer on the table.
Esparza–a 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist—claimed the WBC belt in a June 2021 points win over Ibeth Zamora in El Paso, Texas. Four successful defenses have followed, including wins in unification bouts over Alaniz in July for the WBO belt and legendary five-division titlist Naoko Fujioka who lost her WBA belt to Esparza last April 9 at Alamodome in San Antonio.
Alaniz (14-1, 6KOs) has not fought since her narrow defeat to Esparza.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox