Juan Francisco Estrada Sees Tetralogy With Chococalito Gonzalez, But Locked In Bam Rodriguez
115-pound ring champion Juan Francisco Estrada speaks to the media after a June 27 press conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo credit: Amanda Westcott, Matchroom Boxing
Juan Francisco Estrada is ready to go beyond the present to visit the past.
The reigning Ring/WBC junior bantamweight champion aims to share the ring with Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez again. The pair of future Hall of Famers provided three memorable clashes, with Estrada leading 2-1 in their series.
A fourth fight was not ruled out after their December 2022 clash, which Estrada (44-3, 28 knockouts) won by majority decision. The 34-year-old from Hermosillo, Mexico must first get past one of the best young talents in the sport in 24-year-old Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs).
Needless to say, he’s up for the challenge.
“Sometimes people don’t respect heroes like me when they say, ‘Gallo Estrada is too old now’,” said Estrada. “But I will show on Saturday that it is not true and my career will continue for a long time. “Many people say that we are too old, but if Chocolatito becomes the bantamweight champion, the fourth fight would be very good.”
Estrada-Rodriguez broadcasts four DAZN fights Saturday evening from the Footprint Center, home of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Estrada is attempting his seventh defense of The Ring junior bantamweight championship.
This fight is Estrada’s first since his three-fight losing streak against Gonzalez (51-4, 41 KOs). Injuries and not being able to get a fight together led to his 18-month layoff.
Interestingly, the target titles of the divisions Kazuto Ioka (31-2-1, 16 KOs) and Fernando ‘Puma’ Martinez (16-0, 9 KOs) will face each other. Their July 7 WBA/IBF unification bout pits The Ring’s No. 2 and No. 3 junior bantamweights in a fierce tournament in Tokyo.
Estrada is still looking for legacy battles in the post-prime part of the Hall of Fame career. The two-time champion enters his fourteenth fight with a major belt or The Ring championship at stake.
It’s a tall order compared to the nearly perfect Rodriguez. Still, Estrada is undefeated in over six years and has a proven track record at the top level.
In the meantime. Gonzalez begins his comeback. The former four-division champion will face Rober Berrera (27-5, 17 KOs) at bantamweight on July 12 at home in Managua, Nicaragua. If he wins, the expectation is to run ‘Chocolatito’ to a bantamweight title shot.
Nicaragua’s fifth division title would be the perfect lure for Estrada to move up in weight.
“I think winning any world title in any category at our age would be great,” Estrada said. “Not everyone can do that. If Chocolatito becomes champion at bantamweight, we will go after any champion at that weight.”
Of course, there is still the matter of disrupting the tension on Saturday.
“We can have plans and make plans but we have to focus on the battle we are facing in front of us first,” admitted Estrada. “If they say they are going to take me out, they will beat me and climb the fence [WBA 118 titlist Takuma] Inoue that’s their business but let’s see on Saturday.
“If Jesse Rodríguez beats me, it will be because he is a better boxer, not because of things like my age. They were talking a lot that I’m old now, I’m going out and on Saturday I’ll show that it’s not the case.”
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