Junior bantamweight “franchise” champ Juan Francisco Estrada is set for a tune-up fight against Argi Cortes on Saturday in Mexico on DAZN.
JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA (42-3, 28 KOs)
VS. ARGI CORTES (23-2-2, 10 KOs)
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 3
- Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
- Where: Centro de Usos Multiples, Hermosillo, Mexico
- TV/Stream: DAZN
- Cost: $19.99 per month or $149.99 annually
- Division: Junior bantamweight (115 pounds)
- Rounds: 12
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: Estrada No. 9
- Odds: NA
- Also on the card: Erika Cruz vs. Jelena Mrdjenovich, featherweights (for Cruz’s WBA title); Hector Flores vs. Sivenathi Nontshinga, junior flyweights (for vacant IBF title); Eduardo Hernandez vs. Jorge Mata, junior lightweights
- Prediction: Estrada KO 5
- Background: Estrada, the WBC “franchise” champion, is returning to the ring after an 18-month hiatus for this tune-up bout ahead of an expected third fight with rival Roman Gonzalez late this year. Estrada narrowly outpointed “Chocolatito” in an entertaining fighta classic brawl in March of last year. They were scheduled to meet one more time this past March but Estrada had to pull out after testing positive for COVID-19. The 32-year-old Mexican has lost only once since he was outpointed by Gonzalez in 2012, a close decision against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2018 that he avenged the following year. Hence his place on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list. Cortes, a 27-year-old Mexican, hasn’t lost since back-to-back setbacks in 2014 and 2015 but he has never faced anyone near the class of Estrada. That makes him a tremendous underdog but also a question mark. We’ll see what he has. The card also features Erika Cruz- Jelena Mrdjenovich and Hector Flores- Sivenathi Nontshinga title fights.
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