Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Roman Gonzalez: time, how to watch, facts
Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez are scheduled to meet in a compelling title-unification rematch of their 2012 fight
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JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA (41-3, 28 KOs)
VS. ROMAN GONZALEZ (50-2, 41 KOs)
Date: Saturday, March 13
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
Stream / TV: DAZN and pay-per-view via cable or satellite
Cost: DAZN: $19.99 per month or $99 annually. Simply download the app. Pay-per-view: $24.99. Includes unlimited access to stream DAZN through the end of April 2021 at no extra charge.
Also on the card: Hiroto Kyoguchi vs. Axel Aragon Vega, junior flyweights (for Kyoguchi’s WBA title); Jessica McCaskill vs. Cecilia Braekhus, welterweights (for McCaskill’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles)
Prediction: Estrada UD
Background: It doesn’t get much better than this. Then-108-pound titleholder Gonzalez and Estrada fought back in 2012, when Gonzalez was blossoming into one of the best fighters in the world and Estrada was a relative unknown contender. ‘Chocolatito’ won a unanimous decision but a competitive Estrada gave notice that he was a force to be reckoned with. A lot has happened since. Gonzalez climbed to No. 1 on many pound-for-pound lists only to lose back-to-back fights to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2017. The Nicaraguan rebounded to win four consecutive fights, including a KO of Khalid Yafai to win a 115-pound title in February of last year. Estrada went on to win titles in two divisions and make his own pound-for-pound claim. The Mexican is coming off an impressive 11th-round knockout of former titleholder Carlos Cuadras this past October. The winner of Estrada-Gonzalez will hold two of the four belts in the division and become the man to beat.
Sriasket Sor Rungvisai stopped Kwanthai Sithmorseng to set up a fight with the Juan Francisco Estrada-Roman Gonzalez winner.
Sriasket Sor Rungvisai demonstrated on Friday that the winner of the Juan Francisco Estrada-Roman Gonzalez fight has a serious threat waiting in the wings.
Sor Rungvisai, who lost his 115-pound title to Estrada in April 2019, pounded an overmatched Kwanthai Sithmorseng until he could no longer fight after three rounds at Workpoint Studio outside Bangkok, Thailand.
Sor Rungvisai (50-5-1, 43 KOs) is the WBC’s mandatory challenger, meaning he’s next in line to face the winner of Saturday’s title-unification fight in Dallas.
“I prepared very well for this fight but didn’t rush it in the first few rounds,” Sor Rungvisai said through a translator. “I wanted to get some rounds in a real fight so I can be ready for the big fight later this year.”
Sithmorseng (50-8-1, 27 KOs) is an accomplished boxer, having held a strawweight title a decade ago. However, he was too small and perhaps too old – he’s 38 – for a slugger like his opponent.
Sor Rungvisai, fighting in a methodical manner, battered Sithmorseng from the opening bell with hard shots to both the head and body. The underdog landed a number of his own clean punches and showed some durability in the first and second rounds but he broke down in the third.
Sithmorseng had absorbed a flurry of damaging blows when he decided it was best to take a knee with around 40 seconds remaining in Round 3. He managed to finish the round but couldn’t go on.
The referee officially stopped the fight but it was clear that Sithmorseng had taken enough punishment from one of the biggest punchers pound-for-pound in the sport.
Now it’s on to the winner of Estrada vs. Gonzalez, which is a rematch of their 2012 fight that Gonzalez won by decision.
Sor Rungvisai was asked about the showdown on Saturday during the post-fight interview. He wouldn’t make a prediction but he knows who he’d like to see have his hand raised.
He handed Gonzalez his only two losses, the second a brutal knockout that made him a worldwide star. He’s 1-1 against Estrada, including the disappointing decision that cost him his belt.
“It will be a great fight tomorrow with Estrada and Chocolatito,” he said. “Whoever is prepared best for this fight will win. I hope Estrada will win because we have unfinished business. I want to get revenge, I want to get the trilogy and fight him one more time.”
Does he have a message for his rivals?
Said Sor Rungvisai: “Stay fit, stay strong and we will you again later this year.”
Sriasket Sor Rungvisai stopped Kwanthai Sithmorseng to set up a fight with the Juan Francisco Estrada-Roman Gonzalez winner.
Sriasket Sor Rungvisai demonstrated on Friday that the winner of the Juan Francisco Estrada-Roman Gonzalez fight has a serious threat waiting in the wings.
Sor Rungvisai, who lost his 115-pound title to Estrada in April 2019, pounded an overmatched Kwanthai Sithmorseng until he could no longer fight after three rounds at Workpoint Studio outside Bangkok, Thailand.
Sor Rungvisai (50-5-1, 43 KOs) is the WBC’s mandatory challenger, meaning he’s next in line to face the winner of Saturday’s title-unification fight in Dallas.
“I prepared very well for this fight but didn’t rush it in the first few rounds,” Sor Rungvisai said through a translator. “I wanted to get some rounds in a real fight so I can be ready for the big fight later this year.”
Sithmorseng (50-8-1, 27 KOs) is an accomplished boxer, having held a strawweight title a decade ago. However, he was too small and perhaps too old – he’s 38 – for a slugger like his opponent.
Sor Rungvisai, fighting in a methodical manner, battered Sithmorseng from the opening bell with hard shots to both the head and body. The underdog landed a number of his own clean punches and showed some durability in the first and second rounds but he broke down in the third.
Sithmorseng had absorbed a flurry of damaging blows when he decided it was best to take a knee with around 40 seconds remaining in Round 3. He managed to finish the round but couldn’t go on.
The referee officially stopped the fight but it was clear that Sithmorseng had taken enough punishment from one of the biggest punchers pound-for-pound in the sport.
Now it’s on to the winner of Estrada vs. Gonzalez, which is a rematch of their 2012 fight that Gonzalez won by decision.
Sor Rungvisai was asked about the showdown on Saturday during the post-fight interview. He wouldn’t make a prediction but he knows who he’d like to see have his hand raised.
He handed Gonzalez his only two losses, the second a brutal knockout that made him a worldwide star. He’s 1-1 against Estrada, including the disappointing decision that cost him his belt.
“It will be a great fight tomorrow with Estrada and Chocolatito,” he said. “Whoever is prepared best for this fight will win. I hope Estrada will win because we have unfinished business. I want to get revenge, I want to get the trilogy and fight him one more time.”
Does he have a message for his rivals?
Said Sor Rungvisai: “Stay fit, stay strong and we will you again later this year.”
Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez will finally meet again after their compelling fight in 2012.
The rematch between Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez probably should’ve happened long before this Saturday.
After all, the mighty mites met for the first time more than eight years ago, in November 2012, when the hard-charging, power-punching “Chocolatito” was on his way to becoming pound-for-pound king and Estrada, although a fringe contender, was just getting started.
The result wasn’t surprising – Gonzalez by unanimous decision – but Estrada took many onlookers aback by pushing the great Nicaraguan fighter to the limit. He clearly was one to watch going forward.
And so much happened since then.
Gonzalez ultimately reached the pinnacle of the sport, winning titles in four divisions and topping most pound-for-pound lists, only to fall hard from his perch when he lost back-to-back fights to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2Yr-xfCh_k
The second setback, a brutal fourth-round knockout, seemed to signal the end to Gonzalez’s remarkable run as an elite fighter.
And then he surprised us. Gonzalez, whose longtime trainer Arnulfo Obando had died before the Sor Rungvisai fights, took a year off, came to terms with the loss of his mentor and turned his fortunes around in his 30s. He has won four consecutive fights, including a ninth-round knockout of Khalid Yafai to regain a 115-pound title in February of last year.
“I felt that I had accomplished one more dream in my life,” he told Bad Left Hook after the Yafai fight. “I didn’t have anything to prove to anyone, just to myself and my team. I am thankful with God that he gave me the opportunity to fight such a great champion that I admire, and it was an honor to share the ring with him.
“The rest of the people will always have their opinions, and I respect them, but I’m not concerned about them.”
Roman Gonzalez celebrates his victory over Khalid Yafai, which completed a remarkable comeback. Tom Pennington / Getty Images
Meanwhile, Estrada realized the potential he revealed in his loss to Gonzalez at the old Sports Arena in Los Angeles in 2012.
The complete boxer-puncher from Mexico won two 112-pound titles in his next fight, outpointing Brian Viloria and defeated a series of top-level little men (Milan Melindo, Giovani Segura and Carlos Cuadras, among them) before finally avenging a loss to Sor Rungvisai by outpointing the Thai to win his 115-pound in April 2019.
Estrada is now the pound-for-pounder. He’s No. 10 on Boxing Junkie’s list and the No. 2 fighter from Mexico after Canelo Alvarez.
That brings us to Saturday, when Estrada (41-3, 28 KOs) and Gonzalez (50-2, 41 KOs) will put their respective titles on the line at American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
Estrada, 30, has the opportunity to underscore his place among the best fighters in the world with a victory over his celebrated rival. If Estrada isn’t destined to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, he likely would clinch that honor with a victory.
Juan Francisco Estrada is coming off an impressive stoppage of Carlos Cuadras. Jeff Gross / Getty Images
And he has extra motivation: He wants to say he has beaten every man he’s faced after avenging losses to Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. and Sor Rungvisai.
“I have had three defeats in my career, of which … two I have already avenged. I only need one [more],” he said on social media.
Gonzalez? A victory over Yafai is one thing, one over Estrada is another.
“Chocolatito” has already completed one of the most-impressive comebacks in recent memory, rising from the ashes of his back-to-back setbacks four years ago to regain a major title against a previously unbeaten opponent.
However, to regain his place on pound-for-pound lists or at least consideration, he’ll have to repeat his victory of 2012.
Marcos Caballero, the man who took Obando’s place as Gonzalez’s trainer, told Viva Nicaragua that his protege understands the magnitude of the moment. And he insists Gonzalez will be ready for the challenge.
“We know the quality of the opponent,” he said, “but we trust that in the ring, the one who arrives better prepared and with the best strategy, will win. That will be us.”
Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez will finally meet again after their compelling fight in 2012.
The rematch between Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez probably should’ve happened long before this Saturday.
After all, the mighty mites met for the first time more than eight years ago, in November 2012, when the hard-charging, power-punching “Chocolatito” was on his way to becoming pound-for-pound king and Estrada, although a fringe contender, was just getting started.
The result wasn’t surprising – Gonzalez by unanimous decision – but Estrada took many onlookers aback by pushing the great Nicaraguan fighter to the limit. He clearly was one to watch going forward.
And so much happened since then.
Gonzalez ultimately reached the pinnacle of the sport, winning titles in four divisions and topping most pound-for-pound lists, only to fall hard from his perch when he lost back-to-back fights to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2Yr-xfCh_k
The second setback, a brutal fourth-round knockout, seemed to signal the end to Gonzalez’s remarkable run as an elite fighter.
And then he surprised us. Gonzalez, whose longtime trainer Arnulfo Obando had died before the Sor Rungvisai fights, took a year off, came to terms with the loss of his mentor and turned his fortunes around in his 30s. He has won four consecutive fights, including a ninth-round knockout of Khalid Yafai to regain a 115-pound title in February of last year.
“I felt that I had accomplished one more dream in my life,” he told Bad Left Hook after the Yafai fight. “I didn’t have anything to prove to anyone, just to myself and my team. I am thankful with God that he gave me the opportunity to fight such a great champion that I admire, and it was an honor to share the ring with him.
“The rest of the people will always have their opinions, and I respect them, but I’m not concerned about them.”
Roman Gonzalez celebrates his victory over Khalid Yafai, which completed a remarkable comeback. Tom Pennington / Getty Images
Meanwhile, Estrada realized the potential he revealed in his loss to Gonzalez at the old Sports Arena in Los Angeles in 2012.
The complete boxer-puncher from Mexico won two 112-pound titles in his next fight, outpointing Brian Viloria and defeated a series of top-level little men (Milan Melindo, Giovani Segura and Carlos Cuadras, among them) before finally avenging a loss to Sor Rungvisai by outpointing the Thai to win his 115-pound in April 2019.
Estrada is now the pound-for-pounder. He’s No. 10 on Boxing Junkie’s list and the No. 2 fighter from Mexico after Canelo Alvarez.
That brings us to Saturday, when Estrada (41-3, 28 KOs) and Gonzalez (50-2, 41 KOs) will put their respective titles on the line at American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
Estrada, 30, has the opportunity to underscore his place among the best fighters in the world with a victory over his celebrated rival. If Estrada isn’t destined to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, he likely would clinch that honor with a victory.
Juan Francisco Estrada is coming off an impressive stoppage of Carlos Cuadras. Jeff Gross / Getty Images
And he has extra motivation: He wants to say he has beaten every man he’s faced after avenging losses to Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. and Sor Rungvisai.
“I have had three defeats in my career, of which … two I have already avenged. I only need one [more],” he said on social media.
Gonzalez? A victory over Yafai is one thing, one over Estrada is another.
“Chocolatito” has already completed one of the most-impressive comebacks in recent memory, rising from the ashes of his back-to-back setbacks four years ago to regain a major title against a previously unbeaten opponent.
However, to regain his place on pound-for-pound lists or at least consideration, he’ll have to repeat his victory of 2012.
Marcos Caballero, the man who took Obando’s place as Gonzalez’s trainer, told Viva Nicaragua that his protege understands the magnitude of the moment. And he insists Gonzalez will be ready for the challenge.
“We know the quality of the opponent,” he said, “but we trust that in the ring, the one who arrives better prepared and with the best strategy, will win. That will be us.”
Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez meet in a 115-pound title-unification bout Saturday in Dallas.
FIGHT WEEK
Juan Francisco Estrada and roman ‘chocolatito’ gonzalez will meet in a compelling title-unification rematch of their 2012 fight
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BRANDUN LEE (21-0, 19 KOs) VS.
SAMUEL TEAH (17-3-1, 7, KOs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8A1FSbDBio
When: Wednesday, March 10
Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.
TV/Stream: Showtime
Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Misael Lopez vs. Jordan White, junior lightweights; Steven Ortiz vs. Jeremy Hill, lightweights; Victor Padilla vs. Thomas Velasquez, lightweights
Prediction: Lee KO 4
Background: Lee, a rising 21-year-old knockout artist from Southern California, has said he wants 2021 to be his breakout year. He hopes to receive a shot at a world title within three fights. All that begins with a ShoBox bout against Samuel Teah, a 33-year-old Liberian who lives and trains in Philadelphia. Teah is 5-2 against second-tier opposition in his last seven fights. Lee has stopped his last 12 opponents, including eight in the first round. He’s coming off a third-round knockout of Dakota Linger in December. Lee had a successful amateur career, reportedly finishing with a record of 196-5.
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SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI (49-5-1, 42 KOs)
VS. KWANTHAI SITHMORSENG (50-7-1, 27 KOs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSjJMC7-hDU
When: Friday, March 12
Where: Workpoint Studio, Bang Phun, Thailand
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Junior bantamweight (115 pounds)
At stake: No major titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: Sor Rungvisai, Honorable Mention
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Chainoi Worawut vs. Pungluang Sor Singyu, junior featherweights; Phongsaphon Panyakum vs. Karoon Jarupianlerd, junior bantamweights
Prediction: Sor Rungvisai KO 10
Background: Sor Rungvisai fights Sithmorseng in Thailand on the day before arch rivals Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez do battle in the U.S. The 34-year-old former two-time 115-pound champ is 3-1 against Estrada and Gonzalez, although he lost a unanimous decision to Estrada in the most-recent bout in the series. He hopes to face the winner of Saturday’s fight. Of course, he must beat countryman Sithmorseng first. Sithmorseng, 38, held a strawweight title a decade ago but has had mixed results in recent years, including two failed attempts to win a junior flyweight title. He’s only 3-4 in his last seven fights, which makes him a stay-busy opponent for Sor Rungvisai. Sor Rungvisai has won two fights since the loss to Estrada, a unanimous decision against formidable Amnat Ruenroeng in August and a second-round knockout of journeyman Jomar Fajardo in October.
***
JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA (41-3, 28 KOs)
VS. ROMAN GONZALEZ (50-2, 41 KOs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIYBqfDXPto
When: Saturday, March 13
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
TV/Stream: DAZN (and pay-per-view for nonsubscribers)
Also on the card: Hiroto Kyoguchi vs. Axel Aragon Vega, junior flyweights (for Kyoguchi’s WBA title); Jessica McCaskill vs. Cecilia Braekhus, welterweights (for McCaskill’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles)
Prediction: Estrada UD
Background: It doesn’t get much better than this. Then-108-pound titleholder Gonzalez and Estrada fought back in 2012, when Gonzalez was blossoming into one of the best fighters in the world and Estrada was a relative unknown contender. ‘Chocolatito’ won a unanimous decision but a competitive Estrada gave notice that he was a force to be reckoned with. A lot has happened since. Gonzalez climbed to No. 1 on many pound-for-pound lists only to lose back-to-back fights to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2017. The Nicaraguan rebounded to win four consecutive fights, including a KO of Khalid Yafai to win a 115-pound title in February of last year. Estrada went on to win titles in two divisions and make his own pound-for-pound claim. The Mexican is coming off an impressive 11th-round knockout of former titleholder Carlos Cuadras this past October. The winner of Estrada-Gonzalez will hold two of the four belts in the division and become the man to beat.
[lawrence-related id=17250,14961,14958]
***
DAVID BENAVIDEZ (23-0, 20 KOs)
VS. RONALD ELLIS (18-1-2, 12 KOs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rohyvIb6MVM
When: Saturday, March 13
Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.
TV/Stream: Showtime
Division: Super middleweight (168 pounds)
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Kudratillo Abdukakhorov vs. Javier Flores, welterweights; Issac Cruz vs. Jose Ramero, lightweights; Jamontay Clark vs. Terrell Gausha, super middleweights
Prediction: Benavidez KO 7
Background: Benavidez is already a two-time 168-pound titleholder at 24, having most-recently lost his belt on the scale before stopping Roamer Alexis Angulo in August. The strapping, hard-punching Arizonan is a prime candidate to face one of the super middleweight titleholders – currently Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant and Billy Joe Saunders – but he must keep winning the meantime. Ellis is a capable boxer-puncher who is coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Matt Korobov that ended prematurely when Korobov injured his ankle in December. He outpointed Immanuwel Aleem a year before that. Benavidez has stopped J’Leon Love, Anthony Dirrell and Angulo after back-to-back decisions over Ronald Gavril in 2017 and 2018.
[lawrence-related id=12923]
***
Also fighting: Welterweights Lewis Crocker (12-0, 7 KOs) and Deniz Ilbay (22-2, 10 KOs) face off on March 12 in Bolton, England on ESPN+.
Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez meet in a 115-pound title-unification bout Saturday in Dallas.
FIGHT WEEK
Juan Francisco Estrada and roman ‘chocolatito’ gonzalez will meet in a compelling title-unification rematch of their 2012 fight
***
BRANDUN LEE (21-0, 19 KOs) VS.
SAMUEL TEAH (17-3-1, 7, KOs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8A1FSbDBio
When: Wednesday, March 10
Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.
TV/Stream: Showtime
Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Misael Lopez vs. Jordan White, junior lightweights; Steven Ortiz vs. Jeremy Hill, lightweights; Victor Padilla vs. Thomas Velasquez, lightweights
Prediction: Lee KO 4
Background: Lee, a rising 21-year-old knockout artist from Southern California, has said he wants 2021 to be his breakout year. He hopes to receive a shot at a world title within three fights. All that begins with a ShoBox bout against Samuel Teah, a 33-year-old Liberian who lives and trains in Philadelphia. Teah is 5-2 against second-tier opposition in his last seven fights. Lee has stopped his last 12 opponents, including eight in the first round. He’s coming off a third-round knockout of Dakota Linger in December. Lee had a successful amateur career, reportedly finishing with a record of 196-5.
***
SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI (49-5-1, 42 KOs)
VS. KWANTHAI SITHMORSENG (50-7-1, 27 KOs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSjJMC7-hDU
When: Friday, March 12
Where: Workpoint Studio, Bang Phun, Thailand
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Junior bantamweight (115 pounds)
At stake: No major titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: Sor Rungvisai, Honorable Mention
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Chainoi Worawut vs. Pungluang Sor Singyu, junior featherweights; Phongsaphon Panyakum vs. Karoon Jarupianlerd, junior bantamweights
Prediction: Sor Rungvisai KO 10
Background: Sor Rungvisai fights Sithmorseng in Thailand on the day before arch rivals Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez do battle in the U.S. The 34-year-old former two-time 115-pound champ is 3-1 against Estrada and Gonzalez, although he lost a unanimous decision to Estrada in the most-recent bout in the series. He hopes to face the winner of Saturday’s fight. Of course, he must beat countryman Sithmorseng first. Sithmorseng, 38, held a strawweight title a decade ago but has had mixed results in recent years, including two failed attempts to win a junior flyweight title. He’s only 3-4 in his last seven fights, which makes him a stay-busy opponent for Sor Rungvisai. Sor Rungvisai has won two fights since the loss to Estrada, a unanimous decision against formidable Amnat Ruenroeng in August and a second-round knockout of journeyman Jomar Fajardo in October.
***
JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA (41-3, 28 KOs)
VS. ROMAN GONZALEZ (50-2, 41 KOs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIYBqfDXPto
When: Saturday, March 13
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
TV/Stream: DAZN (and pay-per-view for nonsubscribers)
Also on the card: Hiroto Kyoguchi vs. Axel Aragon Vega, junior flyweights (for Kyoguchi’s WBA title); Jessica McCaskill vs. Cecilia Braekhus, welterweights (for McCaskill’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles)
Prediction: Estrada UD
Background: It doesn’t get much better than this. Then-108-pound titleholder Gonzalez and Estrada fought back in 2012, when Gonzalez was blossoming into one of the best fighters in the world and Estrada was a relative unknown contender. ‘Chocolatito’ won a unanimous decision but a competitive Estrada gave notice that he was a force to be reckoned with. A lot has happened since. Gonzalez climbed to No. 1 on many pound-for-pound lists only to lose back-to-back fights to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2017. The Nicaraguan rebounded to win four consecutive fights, including a KO of Khalid Yafai to win a 115-pound title in February of last year. Estrada went on to win titles in two divisions and make his own pound-for-pound claim. The Mexican is coming off an impressive 11th-round knockout of former titleholder Carlos Cuadras this past October. The winner of Estrada-Gonzalez will hold two of the four belts in the division and become the man to beat.
[lawrence-related id=17250,14961,14958]
***
DAVID BENAVIDEZ (23-0, 20 KOs)
VS. RONALD ELLIS (18-1-2, 12 KOs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rohyvIb6MVM
When: Saturday, March 13
Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.
TV/Stream: Showtime
Division: Super middleweight (168 pounds)
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Kudratillo Abdukakhorov vs. Javier Flores, welterweights; Issac Cruz vs. Jose Ramero, lightweights; Jamontay Clark vs. Terrell Gausha, super middleweights
Prediction: Benavidez KO 7
Background: Benavidez is already a two-time 168-pound titleholder at 24, having most-recently lost his belt on the scale before stopping Roamer Alexis Angulo in August. The strapping, hard-punching Arizonan is a prime candidate to face one of the super middleweight titleholders – currently Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant and Billy Joe Saunders – but he must keep winning the meantime. Ellis is a capable boxer-puncher who is coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Matt Korobov that ended prematurely when Korobov injured his ankle in December. He outpointed Immanuwel Aleem a year before that. Benavidez has stopped J’Leon Love, Anthony Dirrell and Angulo after back-to-back decisions over Ronald Gavril in 2017 and 2018.
[lawrence-related id=12923]
***
Also fighting: Welterweights Lewis Crocker (12-0, 7 KOs) and Deniz Ilbay (22-2, 10 KOs) face off on March 12 in Bolton, England on ESPN+.
Only five of the 20 fighters on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list have scheduled fights.
The best fighters in the world aren’t too busy these days.
Of the 20 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list – the Top 15 plus five honorable mentions – only five have scheduled fights. And only two of those five are competitive on paper. Three more on the list are in serious talks to face a particular opponent but no deals have been struck.
The rest are playing a waiting game, waiting for the what they believe to be the right opponent at the right time, perhaps waiting for the coronavirus pandemic to subside. All we can do it wait with them and wonder how things will play out.
Meanwhile, we can focus on the fights coming up.
The pound-for-pound list could look different on Feb. 27, when No. 2-ranked Canelo Alvarez defends his super middleweight titles against mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim. It’s not likely, though. The Mexican star is a 21-1 favorite, per BetMGM.
The list is more likely to change on March 13, when No. 10 Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez face one another in a compelling 115-pound title-unification bout. Estrada is only a 1½-1 favorite.
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (honorable mention) also is scheduled to face Kwanthai Sithmorseng on March 13, although Sor Rungvisai should be a heavy favorite.
No. 12 Artur Beterbiev will face Adam Deines, which Beterbiev should win easily. And, in a competitive fight, Miguel Berchelt (honorable mention) is scheduled to defend his 130-pound title against No. 1 contender Oscar Valdez.
Here is where the pound-for-pounders stand.
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Terence Crawford — No fight scheduled.
Canelo Alvarez – Scheduled to defend his 168-pound titles against mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27.
Naoya Inoue — No fight scheduled.
Errol Spence Jr. – Reportedly in talks to face Yordenis Ugas in a 147-pound title-unification bout.
Oleksandr Usyk – Reportedly in talks to face Joe Joyce for the WBO “interim” heavyweight title.
Teofimo Lopez — No fight scheduled.
Vasiliy Lomachenko — No fight scheduled.
Tyson Fury – Reportedly in talks to face Anthony Joshua in a heavyweight title-unification bout.
Gennadiy Golovkin — No fight scheduled.
Juan Francisco Estrada — Scheduled to face Roman Gonzalez in a 115-pound title-unification bout on March 13.
Mikey Garcia — No fight scheduled.
Artur Beterbiev — Scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Adam Deines on March 20.
Manny Pacquiao — No fight scheduled
Jermell Charlo — No fight scheduled.
Gervonta Davis — No fight scheduled.
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt (scheduled to defend his 130-pound title against Oscar Valdez on Feb. 20), Mairis Briedis (no fight scheduled), Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled), Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (scheduled to face Kwanthai Sithmorseng on March 13) and Josh Taylor (no fight scheduled).
Only five of the 20 fighters on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list have scheduled fights.
The best fighters in the world aren’t too busy these days.
Of the 20 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list – the Top 15 plus five honorable mentions – only five have scheduled fights. And only two of those five are competitive on paper. Three more on the list are in serious talks to face a particular opponent but no deals have been struck.
The rest are playing a waiting game, waiting for the what they believe to be the right opponent at the right time, perhaps waiting for the coronavirus pandemic to subside. All we can do it wait with them and wonder how things will play out.
Meanwhile, we can focus on the fights coming up.
The pound-for-pound list could look different on Feb. 27, when No. 2-ranked Canelo Alvarez defends his super middleweight titles against mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim. It’s not likely, though. The Mexican star is a 21-1 favorite, per BetMGM.
The list is more likely to change on March 13, when No. 10 Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez face one another in a compelling 115-pound title-unification bout. Estrada is only a 1½-1 favorite.
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (honorable mention) also is scheduled to face Kwanthai Sithmorseng on March 13, although Sor Rungvisai should be a heavy favorite.
No. 12 Artur Beterbiev will face Adam Deines, which Beterbiev should win easily. And, in a competitive fight, Miguel Berchelt (honorable mention) is scheduled to defend his 130-pound title against No. 1 contender Oscar Valdez.
Here is where the pound-for-pounders stand.
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Terence Crawford — No fight scheduled.
Canelo Alvarez – Scheduled to defend his 168-pound titles against mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27.
Naoya Inoue — No fight scheduled.
Errol Spence Jr. – Reportedly in talks to face Yordenis Ugas in a 147-pound title-unification bout.
Oleksandr Usyk – Reportedly in talks to face Joe Joyce for the WBO “interim” heavyweight title.
Teofimo Lopez — No fight scheduled.
Vasiliy Lomachenko — No fight scheduled.
Tyson Fury – Reportedly in talks to face Anthony Joshua in a heavyweight title-unification bout.
Gennadiy Golovkin — No fight scheduled.
Juan Francisco Estrada — Scheduled to face Roman Gonzalez in a 115-pound title-unification bout on March 13.
Mikey Garcia — No fight scheduled.
Artur Beterbiev — Scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Adam Deines on March 20.
Manny Pacquiao — No fight scheduled
Jermell Charlo — No fight scheduled.
Gervonta Davis — No fight scheduled.
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt (scheduled to defend his 130-pound title against Oscar Valdez on Feb. 20), Mairis Briedis (no fight scheduled), Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled), Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (scheduled to face Kwanthai Sithmorseng on March 13) and Josh Taylor (no fight scheduled).
Was Gervonta Davis’ stoppage of Leo Santa Cruz the Knockout of the Year? Here are four other candidates.
Gervonta Davis gave us one of the most-dramatic knockouts in recent memory Saturday night in San Antonio, a one-punch stoppage of Leo Santa Cruz in the sixth round.
But was it 2020 Knockout of the Year?
No knockout was more brutal, that’s for sure. Davis’ perfect left uppercut rendered Santa Cruz unconscious for several minutes. Add to that the magnitude of the fight and you get a prime candidate for the coveted year-end honor.
His main competitors? These are four other prime candidates for 2020 Knockout of the Year so far.
ALEXANDER POVETKIN KO 5 DILLIAN WHYTE
Povetkin’s one-punch knockout of Whyte was absolutely shocking. The Russian was knocked down himself in Round 4 and seemed on his way to defeat when he landed a Davis-like left uppercut that put Whyte to sleep in Round 5.
RYAN GARCIA KO 1 FRANCISCO FONSECA
Garcia was already on an early knockout streak when he landed a devastating left hook that knocked his opponent flat on his back and completely out only 1 minute, 20 seconds into their fight. For the record: Fonseca, a tough veteran, went eight rounds with Davis.
JOSE ZEPEDA VS. IVAN BARANCHYK
The fight itself was insane, as each boxer when down four times. However, it was the last knockdown that stood out most. Zepeda had just gotten up from his final knockdown when he landed a paralyzing left hand that ended the fight instantly and created some anxious moments. Baranchyk lay on the canvas for four minutes before walking out of the ring.
ROMAN GONZALEZ VS. KHALID YAFAI
One factor that made this knockout special was the fact that Gonzalez, the former pound-for-pound king, had been written off by some a few fights earlier. “Chocolatito” clawed his way back and earned a shot at the undefeated Yafai’s world title. He won it by beating up the champ and ending matters with a classic straight right hand.
