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With an unmatched charisma, evident talent and skills that keep improving fight
after fight, ultra popular flyweight Kenia Enriquez has her eyes set on the
prize as she takes the first steps towards a world title. Born on October
21, 1993, in the border city of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, the oldest
daughter of four siblings, Enriquez first stepped into a gym at thirteen after
being inspired by watching an old scratched video of her fighting father,
Gustavo Enriquez, having his hand raised after one of his few professional wins.
Under the watchful eye of her dad, Enriquez fought in her first amateur bout a
mere ten days after starting her training. Her father wanted to see if she was
really committed to the sport and matched her against a much more experienced
and bigger fighter. Needless to say, Kenia lost her first bout by stoppage.
Not be discouraged, Enriquez trained for two months before
jumping into the ring again. She won her second match up and that paved the way
for one of the most successful female amateur careers in Tijuana. With a little
over seventy bouts fought, Enriquez amassed a 64-8 record in the unpaid ranks,
participating in the city’s Golden Gloves tournament in 2009, 2010 and in 2011.
The culmination of her amateur career came in 2011 when she brought home from
Yucatan a bronze medal in the Mexican National Championships. Enriquez lost in
the semi-final stage of the tournament against Silvia Torres, the younger sister
of multi-time world champion Ana Maria Torres. In an all-action match in which
many saw Enriquez win, Kenia bloodied the nose of Torres who had to be checked
by the ringside doctor multiple times. Torres went on to beat Angelica
“Maravilla” Dominguez to win the gold, a fighter who Enriquez later beat in her
second professional fight.
Promoted by veteran local promoter Guillermo “Memo” Mayen,
Enriquez has become a darling of the knowing Tijuana fight crowd with all her
fights staged at the new home for Tijuana club fights, Las Pulgas nightclub.
Sparring with mostly male fighters in various gyms throughout the city, the 5’3”
tall Enriquez had developed an aggressive style in where she boxes when needed
with a knowing jab, quick combinations and quick footwork as wells as bangs when
it suits her with hard power punches to the head and body along with a deadly
right hand.
Enriquez went pro on July 6, 2012, against the grossly over
matched Guadalupe Valdez of Aguaprieta, Sonora, Mexico. Kenia only needed 46
seconds of the first round to completely devour the also first timer. Valdez did
not score one punch and quickly went down from a devastating right hand to the
chin.
In her second professional fight on August 8, 2012, against the
2011 Mexican National Championship flyweight silver medalist, the aforementioned
Angelica “Maravilla” Dominguez of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Enriquez
dominated early when she found a home for her over hand right after suffering a
cut on her right cheek. Kenia kept landing the punch as she added upper cuts and
hooks to the body. By the third it was evident that the Dominguez, in her pro
debut, was way over her head as Enriquez began to score almost at will. In the
last round Dominguez tried to make it a brawl but Enriquez was able to counter
punch everything that came on her way to a unanimous decision with all three
judges seeing it 40-36.
Enriquez scored her second win by knock out on October 25, 2012,
as part of a historical night for female boxing when the Guinness Book of World
Record deemed the all-female fight card, from judges to doctors, ring announcer,
chief seconds and honorary boxing commissioner for the night Jackie Nava, as the
first in recorded history.
One of the featured fights of the night, Enriquez stopped
Carol Castro Madrid (1-1) of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. After a first round
of study, Enriquez brought out her best weapon, the right hand, and scored with
it near the end of the second to hurt Castro Madrid. Castro Madrid was able to
stay on her feet but was in bad shape. Female referee Elizabeth Burciaga called
time and after asking the hurt fighter a series of questions, decided to stop
the flyweight contest.
With her popularity growing, Enriquez was slated in the
semi-main event fight of the night for her fourth professional bout. This time,
Enriquez beat one of Tijuana’s own, Brenda Flores (1-1), earning a unanimous
decision in four rounds. No strangers to each other, they faced each other in
the amateur ranks, splitting wins but this time there was no question who won
the contest. Despite Flores being game, Enriquez was just too much as she
controlled every minute of the fight, punishing Flores to the body and in the
last round going for the kill with hard over hand rights to the chin but to no
avail since Flores was able to survive. Flores had her best round in the third
when she made it somewhat uncomfortable for Enriquez by clinching and scoring
once or twice to the body but it wasn’t nearly enough to deter the Tijuana
favorite. Flores was able to win the round in one of the three judges’ score
cards but at the end all of them had it for Enriquez with scores of 40-36 twice
and 39-37.
In her first fight of 2013, Kenia Enriquez took on the most experienced fighter
of her career, Riverside, CA’s Brenda Raymundo (1-7) on February 27th, 2013.
Originally scheduled for her first six rounder, it was shortened to four the
night of the event even though being the main event of the evening. Nineteen
year old Enriquez remained undefeated as she cruised to an easy unanimous
decision over Raymundo who in her career has taken on the likes of Amaris
Quintana and Sindy Amador twice and owns a win over Katarina De La Cruz.
Enriquez fought intelligently as she used precise punching to land the cleaner
punches and demonstrated excellent lateral movement to control the game Raymundo.
Raymundo tried to make it into a brawl but fell to the more talented Tijuana
fighter.
In her sixth fight, Enriquez again took a step in the right
direction by facing off against a fellow undefeated fighter in Agua Prieta,
Sonora, Mexico’s Rosa “Vaquerita” Diaz (4-0, 3KOs) in a six round main event.
Despite her unbeaten record at the time of the bell to signal the start of the
first round, soon it became clear that Enriquez was far and beyond more skilled
than Diaz. Enriquez calmly walked to the center of the ring and scored first
with a lead right hand and then proceeded to fiercely trade leather with Diaz in
the opening seconds of the fight. Soon Enriquez took control of the distance and
began to land her heavy right hand almost at will.
Diaz tried to put up a fight but Enriquez was just too quick and strong for the
seventeen year old fighter. Halfway through the first round, Enriquez landed her
hardest right hand yet to the nose of Diaz who immediately dropped her hands.
Enriquez paused for a second but quickly continued to batter her opponent until
referee Juan Jose Ramirez jumped in to stop the fight. Official time was 1:09 of
the first round.
Often compared to female boxing royalty in Tijuana’s Jackie
“Aztec Princess” Nava, Kenia states that although deeply honored by the
comparison, she is ready to blaze her own trail, “It’s an honor to be compared
to her but each fighter has their own history to write, she has hers and I have
mine. Along with her, I want to be one of the best.”
Page
last updated:
Friday, 11 November 2022
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