Kiria Tapia fights for the WBO NABO title on September 26 at Coliseito Pedrin Zorrilla
CoquiList · With information from Primera Hora
San Juan boxer Kiria Tapia, undefeated at 10-0 with one knockout, gets her first professional title shot on Saturday, September 26, when she faces Argentina's Juliana Basualdo for the World Boxing Organization's (WBO) NABO title at 130 pounds, at the Coliseito Pedrin Zorrilla in San Juan 1. The bout, set for ten rounds, will co-headline a card topped by Puerto Rican Henry "Moncho" Lebron, who debuts with Universal Promotions against Dominican Derlyn Hernandez for the WBO Global super featherweight title 13.
Tapia, a San Juan native, arrives at this moment after an amateur career that put her on the map of Puerto Rican boxing long before she turned professional. She won gold at the 2011 Pan American Games and the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games, becoming the first Puerto Rican woman to do so, and competed in four amateur World Boxing Championships 2. She made her professional debut on January 20, 2023 with a unanimous decision over Clarice Morales and has not lost a single fight since 2. In her corner works former world champion and International Boxing Hall of Fame member Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon 2.
Her most recent ring appearance was on July 11, 2026, also at the Coliseito Pedrin Zorrilla, when she beat Spain's Alba Sanchez by unanimous decision on the "Queen of the Ring" card to improve to 10-0 2. That win, as El Nuevo Dia reported, brought her closer to the title opportunity she was hoping to close out before the end of 2026 2.
The numbers for the upcoming matchup are clear. Basualdo arrives with a 15-7 record and 3 knockouts, an experienced fighter who has already contested regional titles in South America 13. The weight limit is 130 pounds (super featherweight), the distance is ten rounds, and the belt on the line is the NABO, the WBO's North American regional title that typically serves as a stepping stone toward a world title opportunity 13. "This is a dream come true. On September 26, at home and in front of my people, we go for the WBO NABO championship. I guarantee you'll see the best version of me that night," Tapia said when the fight was announced, according to Primera Hora 1. Basualdo answered with her own warning: "We're arriving in excellent condition to face a tremendous opponent like Tapia. I know we'll be fighting in her hometown, but that doesn't diminish us. I'm coming for that championship" 1.
The full card, promoted by Universal Promotions and streaming on Wynn Records Network as a pay-per-view event, also includes a lightweight clash between Puerto Rico's Angel Carranza (12-1, 9 knockouts) and Colombia's Kevin Piedrahita (10-4-1, 9 knockouts), plus the third professional fight of bantamweight prospect Caleb Tirado (2-0, 1 knockout) 3.
What this means for you
If you follow Puerto Rican boxing, this marks the first time Tapia is risking a regional belt as a professional, a step that has historically preceded world title fights in the island's women's boxing scene. For fans in San Juan and Bayamon, it's another live boxing night in the metro area with two Puerto Rican fighters (Tapia and Lebron) chasing titles on the same card, something that doesn't always line up on the calendar. And if you follow the business side of the sport, a win for Tapia on September 26 would position her to negotiate a WBO 130-pound world title eliminator sometime in 2027.
How to do it / Checklist
- Buy tickets for the Coliseito Pedrin Zorrilla card through PRticket.com; prices and availability update as the date approaches.
- If you can't attend in person, follow the pay-per-view broadcast through Wynn Records Network, the promotion's official platform.
- Arrive early on Saturday, September 26: the preliminary card starts before the main event between Lebron and Hernandez, with Tapia's fight serving as the co-main.
- Follow Kiria Tapia's and Universal Promotions' official social media accounts for weigh-in results, exact bell time, and any last-minute changes to the card.
- If you're interested in Puerto Rican amateur boxing, keep an eye on the Puerto Rico Boxing Federation, the pipeline that produced Tapia before she turned pro.
What's next
If she wins the NABO title, the logical next step for Tapia would be a world title eliminator or world-title-level bout at 130 pounds in the WBO during 2027, an organization that already recognizes her as a contender in that regional division 1. For Lebron, a win in the main event would leave him undefeated at 22-0 and holding a WBO Global title that would put him closer to his own shot at a full world championship. The Coliseito Pedrin Zorrilla, host of both of Tapia's recent fights, is shaping up as the recurring venue for Puerto Rican professional boxing for the rest of 2026.
Sources
1 Primera Hora, "Kiria Tapia va por el campeonato NABO de la OMB: 'Esto es un sueno hecho realidad'", https://www.primerahora.com/deportes/boxeo/notas/kiria-tapia-va-por-el-campeonato-nabo-de-la-omb-esto-es-un-sueno-hecho-realidad/
2 El Nuevo Dia, "Kiria Tapia sigue perfecta: vence a Alba Sanchez y mejora a 10-0", https://www.elnuevodia.com/deportes/boxeo/notas/kiria-tapia-sigue-perfecta-vence-a-alba-sanchez-y-mejora-a-10-0/
3 FightMag, "Kiria Tapia faces Juliana Basualdo on Lebron vs Hernandez undercard", https://www.fightmag.com/kiria-tapia-faces-juliana-basualdo-on-lebron-vs-hernandez-undercard/
Sources
CoquiList summary and local context. Read the linked sources for the original reporting.
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