DAZN screenshot
Estrada knocked out the hopelessly overmatched Adkins in seven seconds.
The seven-second KO win by women’s boxer Seniesa Estrada (19-0, 8 KOs) may have been a record-setter, but it’s also generated plenty of controversy and outrage over how Miranda Adkins (5-1, 5 KOs) was even approved as her opponent in the first place.
California State Athletic Commission chief officer Andy Foster already expressed regret over sanctioning last Friday’s bout, and now we’re hearing from the actual matchmaker responsible for that lopsided contest.
Golden Boy Boxing matchmaker Robert Diaz spoke to The Ring not only to shield Foster from criticism that the commission has taken, but to effectively say “my bad” for letting this happen.
“It’s not fair that Andy has taken this amount of criticism,” Diaz stated. “At the end of the day, he doesn’t make the fights – he is only involved in the process of approving them. I’ll take full responsibility – I was the one who made the fight.”
Again it must be noted that Adkins was an injury replacement for Jacky Calvo of Mexico, and that Golden Boy did look for other suitable opponents but obviously travel restrictions and the COVID-19 pandemic makes it much more difficult to find fighters who are both qualified and willing to take such a bout on short notice.
“In hindsight, as Andy said, I wouldn’t have approved the fight,” Diaz added. “But in my shoes, the easiest thing would have been to tell Seniesa that she wouldn’t be fighting because we lost her opponent.
“But that would have been unfair to Seniesa. That would have been two camps in a row. The toughest thing to tell a fighter after they have done everything they’re supposed to do – cut weight, get in shape – is to come back and tell them, ‘Hey, you’re not fighting.’”
I’ve buried the lede here a bit because it’s been heavily discussed that while Estrada has a deep amateur background and is a genuinely talented and experienced boxer, Adkins’ 5-0 record coming into this fight consisted entirely of beating winless opposition. Just who are those opponents, anyway? According to what sources told The Ring, “at least half of Adkins’ opponents are strippers and not at all affiliated with the sweet science.”
Well considering she’s only fought four opponents — one of them she beat twice — the math says Adkins has beaten a minimum two reported strippers who aren’t actually boxers. If you read the full article, you’ll find that Adkins is the wife of small-time boxing promoter John Carden, whose operation appears to be a bit on the shady side.
In case you’re wondering, Estrada’s purse was $75,000 to Adkins’ $10,000. It was also somehow sanctioned as a WBC silver title defense for Estrada, so add another party that should also be under scrutiny for letting this happen.