(APR 17) MEXICO - WBO Bantamweight Champion, Kaliesha “Wild Wild” West, of Moreno Valley, California,15-1-3 (4KO), defeated Claudia Andrea “La Chica 10” Lopez, of Trelew, Chubut, Argentina, 18-6-0, (4KO), via a 10-round majority decision at the Ernesto Ruffo Appel Municipal Gymnasium, located in Rosarito, Mexico. Judges at ringside scored the bout 98-92, 98-92 and 95-95 in favor of West. By defeating Lopez on Saturday night, West, 24, made her third successful WBO title defense.

“I appreciate Box Latino for giving me an internationally televised, title defense opportunity,” Kaliesha West said. “Thank you to everyone for tuning in to support us. Lopez was a crafty veteran who was aggressive during the entire fight. Other boxers avoid her because she is a tough lefty, who has experience fighting good competition. She was what we expected and then some.”

West further stated, “The writing is on the wall for the women’s boxing movement and I’m just glad that I have the opportunity to be a big part of that. We accepted Lopez as a last minute replacement, which gave us the opportunity to fight on Televisa. We later found out that Fox Deportes was also going to televise our fight, just two days before the fight. I hope that fighting in the main event on a televised card gave the women’s boxing supporters and fight fans something to be excited about.”

Coach Juan West, Kaliesha’s trainer, manager and father, was relieved after his daughter’s win. “I’m very grateful to Box Latino, for opening the door to our long-awaited opportunity to be showcased on national television. This fight showed how my daughter and I work together as a unit. Lopez would be a difficult opponent for any fighter to adjust to. As a team, we were able to figure out how to put the puzzle together for the win.”

Coach West continued, “Kaliesha weathered the storm and proved her worth as a respectable champion by finishing strong in the championship rounds. She may have been trying too hard to be impressive in the first few rounds, instead of settling down and fighting her fight. When young fighters get on a big stage, they can sometimes get lost in the cameras. Luckily, I was able to settle Kaliesha down, so that she could follow my instructions. We eventually executed our game plan properly and that contributed to Team West coming out victorious.”