Yokasta Valle traveled to the US around this time last year in search of a career defining fight.
That time will come now in the comfort of your own hometown.
Reigning two-division IBF strawweight champion eagerly embraces a DAZN main event showdown with WBO champion Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen (5-0, 1KO), taking place this Thursday at Heiner Sports Complex. Ugalde in San Jose, Costa Rica. The unification fight is the first in Valle’s home country, an opportunity he once thought would have to come his way.
“I always envisioned making history for Costa Rica,” Valle told BoxingScene.com. “But I always thought that I would have to leave home to make my mark in the sport. Being part of the first championship unification here is a dream come true.”
Valle (25-2, 9KOs) once pursued such a fight with WBA strawweight champion and pound-for-pound contestant Seniesa Estrada (22-0, 9KOs). She even traveled to Estrada’s home base in Southern California last summer in hopes of securing the dream fight, again calling the matchup earlier this year.
It never happened, as Estrada parted ways with Golden Boy Promotions. Fittingly, it came shortly after Valle appeared on the company’s June 11 show in Anaheim, California, a victory over Lorraine Villalobos in her most recent fight and her debut in the United States.
“Seniesa left and I stayed. Change of plans, I guess,” Valle joked. “But seriously, it’s an honor to be a part of Golden Boy and to have a fight like this in my home country in front of all my people.
“Now I have to show up! I was presented with this great opportunity and responsibility. It’s my turn to deliver.
Valle briefly held the IBF atomweight title, a women’s-only weight division with a maximum limit of 102 pounds, before moving back up in weight. Her only two losses were back-to-back, both in a bid to become a two-division champion when she lost to the legendary Naoko Fujioka in a December 2017 WBO junior flyweight title fight and to the undefeated strawweight champion. WBC Tina Rupprecht in June 2018 on the road in Munich, Germany.
Twelve wins followed for the 30-year-old Valle, including a ten-round split decision over Joana Pastrana to win the IBF strawweight title in August 2019 in Marbella, Spain.
Four of his five title defenses have taken place in his adopted home country, where Valle moved with his family at age seven from Nicaragua and has become the face of boxing in Costa Rica.
“I would love to go back to the United States, defend my championship and win more titles,” Valle said. “For now though, my focus is on Nguyen and winning in front of my fans at home, continuing to be the people’s champion.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
