Mark Baldwin spends 60 seconds with Seniesa
Age: 32
Twitter/X: @SeniesaEstrada
Nationality: American
From: Los Angeles, California
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 26-0, 9 KOs
Titles: Current reigning WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO minimumweight champion, former WBO light-flyweight champion
Next fight: We are looking at September and moving up in weight.
When and why you started boxing:
I started boxing when I was eight. I would watch wrestling and boxing with my dad. I just fell in love with boxing from the first few fights that I watched. That was kind of the moment I realised that was what I wanted to spend my life doing.
Favourite all-time fighter:
It is a tie between Sugar Ray Leonard and Roy Jones Jr. Their skills just speak for themselves. Roy is probably someone that we will never see the like of again, and Ray had heart and the winning mentality that was on a whole different level.
Best fight you’ve seen:
Iran Barkley vs Roberto Duran. There are not many fights that I like to rewatch, but I watch that fight all the time. Duran just showed what an animal he is and how much heart he has. Barkley was just so much bigger, and I thought it was incredible.
Personal career highlight:
It has to be becoming undisputed in my last fight against Yokasta Valle. It was something that I had wanted for a very long time. It was a moment and a fight that I will always remember.
Toughest opponent:
It was early in my career, in just my fourth pro-fight against Carley Batey. Carley was much bigger than me. She had fought at bantamweight. It was a six-round fight, I dropped her in the third round with a body shot. But I had to use all my skills to get through those six rounds. It was also the very first time Roy Jones Jr had watched me fight live.
Best and worst attributes as a boxer:
My best attribute is being a very smart fighter with a good ring IQ. I am very coachable, I always listen to my coaches, but my worst attribute is being fearless. I’ll fight anyone, regardless of how big they are. That is just my mentality.
Training tip:
Train smarter and not harder. Working on the little things to make you better and letting your body rest and recover.
Favourite meal/restaurant:
Chilaquiles, it is a Mexican dish. I love it and I eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Best friends in boxing:
Sulem Urbina and Mikaela Mayer are definitely my best friends in boxing. Even when we have retired from boxing, we will remain friends. Mikaela and I are very close. We are obviously both signed to Top Rank, but we get on personality-wise. We just clicked from the very first moment that we met each other.
Which other athlete would you like to be:
As a kid growing up in LA, I really looked up to Kobe Bryant. He is just incredible, and from a very young age, I wanted to be just like Kobe.
Last film/TV show you saw:
Cobra Kai on Netflix. I am super into that. I also watched Dumb and Dumber last night, which is a film I watch pretty often. I just throw it on every time I feel like watching it.
Who would play you in a film of your life:
I would play the role myself. Acting is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time. Even now, I am slowly transitioning into it.
Have you ever been starstruck:
When I met Kobe Bryant. The gym that I started boxing in, Kobe, would go there for the Christmas Giveaway, giving away a bunch of toys. He would go there every single year. The first time I met him there, I was completely starstruck.
Last time you cried:
The last time I cried was when I became undisputed. Just hearing those words, the new undisputed champion of the world, was something that I have been waiting a long time to hear.
Best advice received:
Be humble and be kind. My father used to tell me that all the time.
Worst rumour about yourself:
I am sure there are some rumors out there about me, but I haven’t heard any.
Something not many people know about you:
I love country music. I listen to it on fight day before my fights. I just love it.
What one thing would you change in boxing:
Better pay for women.
What has boxing given you:
Boxing has given me purpose and a chance for me to inspire young girls and women to change the sport for all women. It makes me happy to know that I am in a position to do that.
Who inspires you the most, and why:
All the women in boxing inspire me. But all the top female fighters like Mikaela Mayer, Amanda Serrano, Katie Taylor and Claressa Shields inspire me because we have all had our long journeys and paths to get to where we are now. It’s great to see that none of us quit or gave up and we are still going to grow our sport. They inspire me because I know they have gone through the same things that I have gone through.