Juan Francisco Estrada to defend WBC 115-lb title on Aug.24 on DAZN

By Boxing News - 06/26/2019 - Comments

Image: Juan Francisco Estrada to defend WBC 115-lb title on Aug.24 on DAZN

By Jim Dower: Juan Francisco Estrada will be making his first defense of his newly won WBC super flyweight title on August 24 in the main event against an opponent still to be determined on DAZN in Mexico, according to Dan Rafael.

Estrada (39-3, 26 KOs) recently captured the World Boxing Council 115 pound title in beating champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on April 26 in a rematch at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating the first half of the contest, Estrada struggled when Rungvisai gained confidence in the second half of the fight, and began to apply pressure. Estrada had motivated by the crowd, but once Rungvisai started attacking him with power shots, he started draining like an old battery.

Luckily for Estrada, he had built up a wide enough lead to win by a close decision. The scores were 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113. Rungvisai likely would have won the fight had it taken place at a neutral venue where the crowd was more evenly balanced. The vast majority of the boxing fans at The Forum on the night were Estrada fans. Rungvisai was at a huge disadvantage with the crowd being so heavily in Estrada’s favor.

Estrada vs. Rungvisai trilogy fight would interest fans

If Matchroom can get Rungvisai to agree to a third fight with Estrada, it would be an excellent fight. However, #1 WBC Rungvisai might not want to return to the ring so soon after his loss. Besides that, Rungivisai would be fighting Estrada in Mexico in front of his fans once again.

It might be better for Rungivisai to focus on fighting in Thailand, because he seems to fight better when he has the crowd behind him. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that Estrada would ever agree to fight Rungivisai in Thailand, especially now that he’s the World Boxing Council super flyweight champion.

Here are some of the options for Estrada’s next fight:

  • Roman Gonzalez
  • Andrew Moloney
  • Donnie Nietes
  • Francisco Rodriguez Jr.
  • Pedro Guevara
  • Koki Eto
  • Athenkosi Dumezweni
  • Felipe Orucuta
  • Sho Ishida
  • Juan Hernandez
  • Iran Diaz
  • Yanga Sigqibo
  • Akira Yaegashi
  • Israel Gonzalez
  • Roman Gonzalez would be an excellent option for Estrada’s next fight, because he beat him by a 12 round unanimous decision in 2012. However, Gonzalez has been dealing with a knee problem, and it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to take the rematch. As good as their fight would be, it’s not realistic. Gonzalez’s nonstop punching style gave Estrada fits in 2012. He was never able to adjust to the high work rate from Gonzalez. If Chocolatito was 100% healthy, you would have to favor him to beat Estrada, because fighting style is all wrong for him. It’s true that Gonzalez lost twice to Rungvisai, but that was a bad style match-up for him. Estrada lacks the punching power that Rungvisai possesses.

    Filip Hrgovic will be on the undercard

    2016 Olympic bronze medalist super heavyweight Filip Hrgovic (8-0, 6 KOs) will be in action against an opponent still to be determined. The 6’6″ Hrgovic is coming off of an impressive first round knockout win over Gregory Corbin on May 25 on a DAZN card at Oxon Hill, Maryland. Ranked #9 WBA, #12 IBF and #12 WBC, Hrgovic is being fast tracked by his promoters at Matchroom Boxing to get him a quick title shot. Hrgovic is only 27, but he’s quite advanced for his age.