By Felipe Leon

Former WBO female flyweight champion Kenia Enriquez (18-1, 8KO) is ready to make another run at a world title and she will take her first step towards that on Saturday, May 27th, in Ciudad Obregon when she faces Maria “Polvorita” Salinas (15-5-3, 5KO) of Saltillo, Mexico, for the vacant WBC Silver light flyweight title. The scheduled ten two-minute round bout will be the semi-main event for Orlando Salido’s return to his hometown after more than a year outside the ring. The night will be televised live in Mexico on the Azteca channel and in the United States by Bein Sports.

The #3 ranked Enriquez of Tijuana, Mexico, captured the vacant WBO flyweight title in late 2014 with a dominant ten round decision over the current WBC Silver flyweight champion Ana Arrazola. Enriquez dropped a contested split decision to the more experienced Melissa McMorrow in her first defense three months later.

“That was a tough fight against a tough fighter in McMorrow,” Enriquez said of the only loss on her record. “I learned a lot from it with the biggest lesson being that I should compete in my weight class which is 108 pounds.”

Since that loss Enriquez has gone 5-0, 2KO with wins over former champion Katia Gutierrez and highly ranked Amaris Quintana and Brenda Ramos. “I think the fights I have had since my loss have helped me grow in my career, especially the one against Quintana which was at the Forum in Los Angeles, a big event, helped me get use to bigger events.”

Salinas, ranked #5 by the WBC, has had her share of experience. After beginning her career with five fights in the United States, Salinas returned to Mexico to face bigger names such as newly minted WBC light flyweight champion Esmeralda Moreno and Jessica Nery Plata. She has also gone outside her home country to Japan where she challenged Etsuko Tada for the WBA minimum weight title in 2012. Two fights ago Salinas traveled again to the land of the rising sun this time to challenge Naoko Shibata for the IBF 108-pound title coming up short via a majority decision.

“Salinas is an experienced, tough fighter, that is why she is ranked high,” Enriquez said of her next opponent. “I know I have to be very prepared for this fight but I have been working very well, working on different things with my dad and trainer, Gustavo Enriquez, and I know that I will be ready.”

Throughout the year Enriquez has stated this year, 2017, will be the year she would go for broke and look for another world title. “This is the first step, this is very important for me and my career. I want to be a world champion in my division, the light flyweight division, and my dream has always been the WBC belt. I can’t let Salinas be the person that stops me from making my dream a reality. First is the Silver belt and then we will go for the full-fledged version of it at all costs.”