The promoter of Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Manny Pacquiao and Artur Beterbiev also has room in his stable for Seniesa Estrada.

Like De La Hoya, Estrada (25-0, 9 KOs) emerged from the low-income streets of East Los Angeles and made herself a world-champion boxer, and on Friday she seeks to become the first ever undisputed women’s minimumweight champion.

While her veteran promoter Bob Arum has taken a deliberate approach to signing women’s fighters – he also has the former super-featherweight world champion Mikaela Mayer at Top Rank – the 92 year old is proud that he and many of his promotional peers are increasingly placing women’s bouts on to prominent positions on their cards.

Estrada’s fight against Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle (30-2, 9 KOs) lands as the ESPN-televised co-main event to the two-division champion Oscar Valdez’s junior-lightweight bout against Australia’s Liam Wilson at Desert Diamond Casino Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Estrada’s rise coincides with a surge of quality women’s fighters, including undisputed champions Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor, and Alycia Baumgardner, and unified champions Amanda Serrano, Marlen Esparaza and Savannah Marshall.

“Some of the women are fantastic talents and very entertaining – and isn’t that what we want from our fighters?” Arum asked.

Estrada and Valle have engaged in furious verbal exchanges, similar to the activity expected from their gloves on Friday night.

“What we know from the history of Title IX is that if you build it, they will come,” said Nancy Hogshead-Makar, a three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer and chief executive for Champion Women, which advocates for equality and access in sports. 

“If people can get their sexism out of the way, you see what’s happening in boxing. Their success has allowed women to get out of the male gaze, when they’re being hailed for their athletic prowess.”

Arum was established enough to go about his business focusing on his male champions, including Beterbiev, heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez.

Instead, he enriched his stable by signing Estrada following her departure from Golden Boy Promotions.

Arum said that in addition to being inspired by Estrada’s fighting style and will, he viewed a progressive approach to women’s boxing as a shrewd move akin to how the institutional support of women’s basketball has fueled interest in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. 

“It may be that women’s sports may not resonate as much as men’s sports in the U.S., but the women’s basketball players are still going at it and look at how they’re developing,” Arum said. “I see a similar thing happening in women’s boxing. The fights are entertaining. They try very hard. And [Estrada and Valle] have made a terrific fight, drawing a lot of interest while our social-media department has really gotten behind it with some great vignettes. I’m very satisfied with how this fight has developed.”

The finished product can sustain the momentum on the heels of Saturday’s compelling WBO welterweight title victory by Sandy Ryan in England over Terri Harper.

“When the people come and see a female athlete only for their amazing skill and effort, that is true women’s sport,” said Hogshead-Makar.

That’s what Arum will do, taking his seat early inside the Arizona arena, knowing he’s bringing the fans a riveting event.

“I’ve learned over time you have to adapt in certain ways,” Arum said. “I’m not saying I have a woman fighter who’s as good as [Saul] ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. What I’m saying is I have a world-champion boxer who you’re going to have a great time watching.”