Houston native Marlen Esparza was the first woman Golden Boy Promotions ever signed all the way back in 2016. The 33-year-old world flyweight champ will remain with Golden Boy. The official details of the contract have not been released. However, Esparza and Golden Boy have made the news official, “I'm with Golden Boy, who has been my day one. I'm doing what I love with great compensation and have opportunities to become undisputed as a flyweight and unify in other weight divisions. Thank you, Golden Boy!"
Esparza has a professional record of 13-1 (1) and holds the WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine titles at 112-pounds. She last fought on the Co-main event of Ortiz-McKinson back on august 6th in Fort Worth. She captured a unanimous decision over Eva Guzman. Esparza has mentioned on multiple occasions that she prioritizes unifying all the belts at flyweight, as opposed to trying to revenge her lone defeat to Seniesa Estrada. A fan-friendly all-action fight that was stopped prematurely and went to the scorecards due to a gruesome headbutt back in late 2019. The other two belts in the weight class are held by 13-0 Gabriela Celeste Alaniz and Leonela Paola Yudica (17-0-3), both of Argentina.
Esparza has made history multiple times. In 2012 she became the first woman boxer to qualify for the USA boxing team. A decade later, she became the first Female Ring Magazine Flyweight champion. A belt she has described as her favorite.