In July 2016, I wrote a column for The Ring magazine calling for five bouts in women's boxing that needed to happen immediately.
Heather Hardy vs. Shelley Vincent. Ended.
Cecilia Braeks vs Erica Farias. The end.
The other two bouts, Amanda Serrano vs. Jelena Mrjenovic and Delphine Persoon vs. Layla McCarter, never ended up happening, but perhaps what disappointed me most was not getting to see Seniesa Estrada vs. Kenya Henriques.
Two out of five isn't bad, but it's not good either, especially considering Enriquez and the eight years of her career that followed.
In 2016, Enriquez and Estrada shared back-to-back Prospect of the Year honors. Tijuana's Enriquez is 17-1 and a former WBO flyweight champion. East Los Angeles' Estrada is 7-0 and already a hot fighter.
The bout never ended up happening. Well, that happens all the time. But while Estrada has become a bona fide star and unified 105-pound champion, Enriquez has remained in limbo in the boxing world. Despite fighting just 11 bouts since July 2016 and winning them all to capture the interim WBC flyweight and junior flyweight titles, she has been largely ignored on the world stage as she fights for a bout with “official” champion Gabriela Alanis.
“For political reasons, I find myself in the same situation I was in at 108 pounds,” Enriquez said through translator (and MMA star) Alejandra Lara. Enriquez held the WBC interim belt at 108 pounds from 2019 to 2020 but never challenged for the full belt. Now he's in the same position at 112 pounds, but he's trying to stay positive.
“I tell myself every day that I'm the best in the world, and I want to prove it,” she said, “so I can't be mediocre. I know I am, so I have to give my best every day. I have to be prepared.”
Enriquez, who shut out Maria Salinas to defend her interim title in February, is in negotiations with Heather Hardy for a fight against Alanis, and with a former world champion and strong Brooklyn presence, “The Heat” has been trying to get Enriquez back into shape through phone calls, emails and social media.
“I'm waiting on a potential contract for this fight, which I've been waiting for a long time,” said Henriquez, who was introduced to Hardy by another MMA star, Ilima Lei MacFarlane. He has strong ties to the combat sports world, and after his boxing career stalled, Henriquez considered — and still does — a move into the world of armbars and head kicks.
“I'm waiting for the opportunity,” she admits. “I want to compete and I've been doing jiu-jitsu and all the other training to prepare because financially it's the better option right now.”
But is she really that good? There's no better person to ask that than Lara, a former world title challenger for Bellator Promotions.
“She's so incredible,” Lara says. “Even though she hasn't spent a lot of time training jiu-jitsu or kickboxing, she's a high-level athlete, which is a big advantage. And the combat experience that made her a world champion makes her a better athlete in any sport.”
That's a positive for the 30-year-old Enriquez, but frankly, it's not a positive for women's boxing — and it's frustrating for Enriquez. While fighters like Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields, Serrano and Estrada have seized their opportunities and made the most of them, Enriquez is waiting it out, hoping her best is still ahead of her.
“I have no regrets,” she said. “What happened happened for a reason. I am now working to change my life so that I can join this group and have a better opportunity to be part of the rise of women's boxing. My time will come, so I am patiently training and waiting.”
So is Enriquez an optimist?
“I'm optimistic because I know I have talent and I'm not a beginner,” she said. “Right now I trust Heather and I'm waiting for offers. I'm curious to see what opportunities there are for me.”
