‘It’s going to take a lot more than that to stop me,’ says Marlen Esparza after gruesome head injury
- Texan needed 20 stitches to the forehead after an accidental headbutt against Seniesa Estrada during their WBA women’s flyweight title bout in Las Vegas
- US boxer, who won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, vows to come back stronger after injury setback
US boxer Marlen Esparza has taken to social media to thank her fans for their support after suffering a gruesome forehead injury that required 20 stitches during her loss to Seniesa Estrada in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Estrada (18-0, 7 KOs) captured the interim WBA women’s flyweight title after the fight was stopped by referee Robert Byrd, who ruled Esparza (7-1, 1 KO) couldn’t come out for the 10th and final round because of a nasty cut on her forehead caused by an accidental headbutt. Estrada, a native of Los Angeles, won the fight by a unanimous technical decision after the fight went to the scorecards.
The bout was on the undercard of the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Sergey Kovalev WBO light heavyweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Esparza shocked fans when she suffered one of the deepest gashes ever seen in women’s boxing after she accidentally clashed heads with Estrada in round five.
The incident created a nasty cut across the hairline of the former Olympic bronze medallist and 2014 world champion. Esparza continued to fight over the final four rounds despite her face covered with crimson and having her vision impaired by seeping blood.
However, the Houston-based fighter, who represented the US at the 2012 Olympic Games in London where she won bronze, was in an ebullient mood post-fight and thanked her fans for their support.
“Thank you to all my fans and supporters, I really appreciate you reaching out,” she wrote on her Facebook account. “I’m okay, 20 stitches later. The headbutts were real! Although I don’t agree with last night’s decision, it’s going to take a lot more than that to stop me. Thank you for all the support always!”