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Steve KimESPN
A triple-header featuring world titleholders Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman Gonzalez and Julio Cesar Martinez will take place on Oct. 23 at Azteca Studios in Mexico City. The card will be streamed on DAZN.
The main event will feature Estrada (40-3, 27 KOs) defending his WBC junior bantamweight title against former titlist Carlos Cuadras. Estrada won a close unanimous decision over Cuadras in 2017. Estrada edged Cuadras 114-113 on all three cards. The difference in the fight was a 10th-round knockdown scored by Estrada.
“I am excited to return to the ring,” said Estrada in a press release Friday. “It has been tough months for the whole world and we want to give a great show to all the fans of this sport.
“The first fight against Cuadras was a good fight, without a doubt this will be too. Also, we are going to share the show [with Gonzalez] and if everything goes well, we hope to see each other again soon.”
Estrada last fought in August 2019, a ninth-round stoppage of Dewayne Beamon.
Cuadras (39-3-1, 27 KOs) vows revenge in the rematch and said he has prepared better for this fight.
“I am going to correct the mistakes that were made in the first fight against [Estrada] to go out with my hand up in this new opportunity that is being presented to me,” Cuadras said. “I want to show that I am one of the best in this division.”
Gonzalez (49-2, 41 KOs) will defend the WBA junior bantamweight title that he won in February by stopping Khalid Yafai in the ninth round. Gonzalez will meet Israel Gonzalez (25-3, 11 KOs) in a 12-round battle.
“I want to thank God for giving me the strength to endure the sport I love and defend my world title,” Gonzalez said. “I also want to thank all my fans, specially my Mexican friends and Zanfer promotions for giving me this great opportunity, it is truly a blessing to fight in Mexico and I am ready to give my all on October 23.”
Should Estrada and Gonzalez come out victorious in their respective fights, the plan is to match them together in the first quarter of 2021. The duo met in a memorable bout in 2012 in Los Angeles, with Gonzalez getting the nod via unanimous decision.
Also on the card, WBC flyweight titleholder Martinez (16-1, 12 KOs) will take on Maximino Flores (25-4-2, 17 KOs).
“I’ve been preparing very well here with my trainer Mauricio Aceves,” Martinez said. “We’re having a very strong camp. Thank God that I’ve still been able to work out throughout the pandemic. Either my trainer comes to my house or I go to his. Either way I haven’t lost my conditioning.
“We’re just here putting the final touches on my training, but I’m very confident that my trainer has me in the best shape for this upcoming fight.”