Yadira Bustillos of Las Vegas to battle Maria Sol Baumstarh in rematch for the interim IBF minimumweight title on Oct. 24 in Buenos Aires
Nevin Barich
Host · Writer
Red Owl Boxing fighter Yadira Bustillos of Las Vegas will have an opportunity to settle some unfinished business when she steps back into the ring against Maria “La Picante” Sol Baumstarh on Saturday, Oct. 24, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Bustillos' (11-3, 2 KOs) rematch against Sol Baumstarh (15-7-1, 8 KOs) will be for the IBF interim world minimumweight championship at 105 pounds. The bout comes more than four months after Sol Baumstarh earned a controversial split-decision victory over Bustillos in their first meeting on June 5.
That result did not sit well with Bustillos' camp, which believed the American fighter had done enough to earn the victory. Her attorney, Tony Palmieri, subsequently petitioned the IBF for another opportunity, arguing that Bustillos deserved the judges' decision. The governing body ultimately agreed to order a rematch.
“We are pleased to see that the IBF has taken decisive action and granted a rematch to Yadira Bustillos, who was arguably the victor of the first fight against Maria Sol Baumstarh, and we hope that Yadira will get a fair shake from all officials assigned to work the rematch,” said Red Owl Boxing CEO Greg Bloom.
Their first encounter was anything but a cautious championship fight.
Competing in her home province of Buenos Aires, Sol Baumstarh came out aggressively and delivered the bout's first major blow early in the second round, connecting with a left hook to Bustillos' chin that sent the American to the canvas.
Rather than allowing the knockdown to dictate the remainder of the contest, Bustillos recovered and gradually began shifting the momentum in her favor. She attacked Sol Baumstarh's body while repeatedly landing punches upstairs, turning the fight into a back-and-forth battle.
Neither fighter showed much interest in backing down. The two exchanged punches at close range throughout much of the 10-round contest, producing a fast-paced slugfest that continued until the final bell.
When the judges' scorecards were announced, however, it was Sol Baumstarh who emerged victorious by split decision, a result that immediately drew objections from Bustillos' representatives. For the 26-year-old Bustillos, currently ranked fifth in the world in the minimumweight division, the rematch represents another opportunity to capture a major championship.
Before facing Sol Baumstarh, Bustillos had already experienced the pressure of competing for a world title. In December, she challenged Yokasta Valle for the WBC minimumweight championship but came up short in a majority-decision loss. That defeat snapped a four-fight winning streak that included two knockout victories.
Now, Bustillos will once again travel to Argentina, where she will attempt to reverse the outcome of her first meeting with Sol Baumstarh and claim the IBF interim championship.
