Emerging Mexican star Juan Francisco Estrada (24-2, 18) makes the first defense of his WBA and WBO Flyweight titles that he claimed from Brian Viloria earlier this year. Estrada returns to the scene of that victory over Viloria as he faces unbeaten Filipino challenger Milan Melindo (29-0, 12).
The 23 year old Estrada really came to the attention of boxing fans late last year when he narrowly lost in a Light Flyweight title bout to Roman Gonzalez. Since then Estrada has become a favourite of mine with his heart and style.
At Flyweight Estrada is huge and uses his size and strength to his advantage as he brings a lot of pressure, true toughness (both mentally and physically) and very solid work rate. His toughness is draining to any opponent and he appeared to take the best shots of both Gonzalez (one of the hardest punchers pound-for-pound in world boxing) and Viloria with out ever being that hurt.
Against Viloria it was the relentless pressure that saw Estrada winning. He took everything Viloria had and kept coming forward, in the second half of the fight he started to take over and came very close to stopping an exhausted Viloria late.
With a wonderful variety of punches to both head and body Estrada is a difficult fighter to defend against, he's impossible to discourage and he's a fighter who break opponents mentally or physically if they are anything other than a special fighter themselves.
Unbeaten Filipino Melindo is a fighter who has been on the verges of a world title fight for several years. He has scored impressive victories over a mini-who's who such as Muhammad Rachman, Carlos Tamara, Jesus Geles and Jean Piero Perez though has had to wait several years for his first world title bout.
Unfortunately for Melindo he's probably managed to get his world title fight at the worst time. If you look at the current Flyweight champions they are exceptional, Estrada is one of the sports most over-looked men, no one will have an easy time with Moruti Mthalane (the IBF champion) and WBC champion Akira Yaegashi is a bundle of action encased in a teak tough man. Basically every champion at the weight is special, and Estrada is probably the best.
Melindo is a talented counter puncher. He slips shots well before firing back his own and although he's not as slippery or as skilled as either Floyd Mayweather Jr or Guillermo Rigondeaux who is? At the fringes of world level his counter punching sees him to victories with out too many problems (usually) though I'm not sure how well those skills will cope at genuine world level.
Having seen Melindo pushed hard by Perez however I've got to admit I have worries about him here. If he attempts to slip shots from Estrada he will get caught, repeatedly and eventually worn down and sadly I can't Melindo having enough in his arsenal to defeat Estrada.
Prediction-Estrada TKO7
Showing posts with label Juan Francisco Estrada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Juan Francisco Estrada. Show all posts
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Brian Viloria v Juan Francisco Estrada
In what is for me the fight of the weekend WBA "super" and WBO Flyweight champion Brian Viloria (32-3-0-2,19) defends his titles against teak tough Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada (22-2, 18). This fight might be seen as a mismatch by many though it's a fight I think all will agree will be fun as long as it lasts with a lot of action and some fantastic exchanges.
Viloria may not be seen by Ring Magazine as the best Flyweight on the planet though generally fans and the wider boxing media seem to have acknowledged his achievements and placed him on an official #1 place at 112lbs. He has proven his ability time and time again and in recent years has been on one of the best runs in the sport with victories against a genuine who's who.
Since turning professional in 2001 the 32 year old Viloria has had a genuine up and down career that now seems to be up (and staying up). He has claimed the WBC and IBF Light Flyweight titles as well as his current WBO and WBA "super" titles at Flyweight but he has also suffered defeats at the hands of Omar Nino Romero, Edgar Sosa and Carlos Tamara.
At his best Viloria is a boxer-puncher who can do both excellently. He can out box most and he can out punch most though he's had issues with his identity in the ring and has often tried fighting as a puncher and as a boxer which has often been when he has struggled. When he's stuck to one style of fighting however Viloria has proven to be excellent with power, skills, movement and a real toughness to him. It's these attributes that have have seen him defeating the likes Alberto Rossel, Gilberto Keb Baas, Eric Ortiz, Jose Antonio Aguirre, Ulises Solis, Julio Cesar Miranda, Giovani Segura, Omar Nino Romero and Hernan Marquez.
At the top level Viloria's ability is well known though his opponent, the 22 year old Estrada, is much less well known despite being in a Fight of the Year contender in 2012 against Roman Gonzalez. Estrada proved against Gonzalez that he can take a punch (my God did he prove that) and had the fighters heart to come back with his own shots in a some what typical Mexican warrior fashion. Not only did he take the best of Gonzalez (who I rate highly) but he also ran Gonzalez very close in a thoroughly engaging and competitive bout.
As well as his loss to Gonzalez, Estrada has also been beaten by Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr, also by decision. Although Estrada and Gonzalez fought at 108lbs Estrada is going up to Flyweight for this bout, the same weight that he fought Sanchez Jr at and we wonder if he'll actually be the smaller man in the ring with Viloria who himself made his name at Light Flyweight. In fact I wouldn't be shocked if Estrada looked the bigger man having fought as high as 118lbs before.
In the ring Estrada is a tough and hard working fighter who can be out boxed by a clever fighter but he doesn't seem to ever get discouraged and his recuperative abilities are amazing. You can rock him, you can hurt him but you can't make him fold, and you'll have to make sure he doesn't get to unload too many on you in return because he has genuinely hurtful power of his own.Admittedly however, Estrada's best wins are against C level fighters like Ardin Diale though he certainly has proved himself in both of his losses, both to current world champions.
It's easy to say that "Viloria will destroy Estrada" but for me this bout isn't that simple and in fact I see Viloria being pushed hard by Estrada who may manage to make this in to a bit of a battle of attrition. If Estrada can take Viloria's power (and that is admittedly a huge if) he could well score an upset late against a tiring Viloria, though if Viloria, who is a very clean puncher, can land his shots and have an effect on Estrada early it may be a case of the referee saving a very brave Mexican challenger.
With the Viloria win being the "obvious one" I'll actually go against the tide and go with Estrada.
Prediction-Estrada TKO11 in a FOTY candidate.
Viloria may not be seen by Ring Magazine as the best Flyweight on the planet though generally fans and the wider boxing media seem to have acknowledged his achievements and placed him on an official #1 place at 112lbs. He has proven his ability time and time again and in recent years has been on one of the best runs in the sport with victories against a genuine who's who.
Since turning professional in 2001 the 32 year old Viloria has had a genuine up and down career that now seems to be up (and staying up). He has claimed the WBC and IBF Light Flyweight titles as well as his current WBO and WBA "super" titles at Flyweight but he has also suffered defeats at the hands of Omar Nino Romero, Edgar Sosa and Carlos Tamara.
At his best Viloria is a boxer-puncher who can do both excellently. He can out box most and he can out punch most though he's had issues with his identity in the ring and has often tried fighting as a puncher and as a boxer which has often been when he has struggled. When he's stuck to one style of fighting however Viloria has proven to be excellent with power, skills, movement and a real toughness to him. It's these attributes that have have seen him defeating the likes Alberto Rossel, Gilberto Keb Baas, Eric Ortiz, Jose Antonio Aguirre, Ulises Solis, Julio Cesar Miranda, Giovani Segura, Omar Nino Romero and Hernan Marquez.
At the top level Viloria's ability is well known though his opponent, the 22 year old Estrada, is much less well known despite being in a Fight of the Year contender in 2012 against Roman Gonzalez. Estrada proved against Gonzalez that he can take a punch (my God did he prove that) and had the fighters heart to come back with his own shots in a some what typical Mexican warrior fashion. Not only did he take the best of Gonzalez (who I rate highly) but he also ran Gonzalez very close in a thoroughly engaging and competitive bout.
As well as his loss to Gonzalez, Estrada has also been beaten by Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr, also by decision. Although Estrada and Gonzalez fought at 108lbs Estrada is going up to Flyweight for this bout, the same weight that he fought Sanchez Jr at and we wonder if he'll actually be the smaller man in the ring with Viloria who himself made his name at Light Flyweight. In fact I wouldn't be shocked if Estrada looked the bigger man having fought as high as 118lbs before.
In the ring Estrada is a tough and hard working fighter who can be out boxed by a clever fighter but he doesn't seem to ever get discouraged and his recuperative abilities are amazing. You can rock him, you can hurt him but you can't make him fold, and you'll have to make sure he doesn't get to unload too many on you in return because he has genuinely hurtful power of his own.Admittedly however, Estrada's best wins are against C level fighters like Ardin Diale though he certainly has proved himself in both of his losses, both to current world champions.
It's easy to say that "Viloria will destroy Estrada" but for me this bout isn't that simple and in fact I see Viloria being pushed hard by Estrada who may manage to make this in to a bit of a battle of attrition. If Estrada can take Viloria's power (and that is admittedly a huge if) he could well score an upset late against a tiring Viloria, though if Viloria, who is a very clean puncher, can land his shots and have an effect on Estrada early it may be a case of the referee saving a very brave Mexican challenger.
With the Viloria win being the "obvious one" I'll actually go against the tide and go with Estrada.
Prediction-Estrada TKO11 in a FOTY candidate.
Friday, 16 November 2012
Roman Gonzalez v Juan Francisco Estrada
Nicaraguan Roman Gonzalez (33-0, 28) seeks to make the 5th defense of his WBA Light Flyweight this coming weekend as he faces once beaten Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada (22-1, 18) in what promises to be an explosive encounter on Showtime.
For my money, Gonzalez (otherwise known as El Chocolatito), is one of the sports true premier level fighters. Although he's generally over-looked by the sport's casual fans the hardcore fan know all about the super skilled, powerful, fast and aggressive Gonzalez who at times looks genuinely unbeatable. In fact in a career spanning 7 years Gonzalez has only been involved in 1 close bout (a majority decision win over Francisco Rosas).
Starting as a teenager, Gonzalez's rise to the top was swift. Within 2 years of his professional debut he had already earned high rankings at both Light Flyweight and Minimumweight thanks to wins over notable opponents including Eriberto Gejon, Miguel Tellez and Jose Luis Varela. Just a year later however Gonzalez showed his class at world level widely out pointing Yutaka Niida for the WBA Minimumweight title to claim his first world title.
As the WBA Minimumweight champion, Gonzalez made 3 title defenses beating Francisco Rosas (as mentioned above), Katsunari Takayama and Ivan Meneses before moving up to Light Flyweight. At Light Flyweight, Gonzalez looked even more dominating, stopping Francisco Rosas in 2 rounds for the interim WBA Light Flyweight title.
After Juan Carlos Reveco moved from Light Flyweight to Flyweight, Gonzalez's title was upgraded from the interim to the regular title. Since then Gonzalez has scored 6 successive victories, including 4 title defenses in which he has beaten Manuel Vargas, Omar Salado, Omar Soto and Ramon Garcia Hirales, all credible challengers.
If Floyd Mayweather Jr is the best defensive fighter in the sport right now then I'd be tempted to say that Gonzalez is the best offensive fighter in the sport right now. The Nicaraguan rarely loses more than a round, he's supremely confident in not only his abilities (which are amazing) but also his durability, often enjoying a war and his power (which suits him well during a war). I dare say that to beat Gonzalez you need to be a bit of a tank who can take one to land one or you manage to land a lucky bomb on Gonzalez when he leaps in on the offensive. In fact the way Gonzalez can leap in at times is pretty much his only real flaw, thankfully however very few fighter can make him pay for this mistake.
Whilst Gonzalez is a known quantity it's fair to say that Mexican challenger Juan Francisco Estrada is much less well known. Despite having been in 23 bouts as a professional, Estrada has only faced a handful of known opponents including current IBF Super Flyweight champion, who out pointed Estrada in 2011 and Filipino Ardin Diale who was stopped in 2 rounds. Those two aside however Estrada lacks the sort of wins to really know what he's made of.
What we do know about the 22 year old "El Gallo" is that he's a hard hitter, at least at the lower levels. He can dig to the body or the head and although not the most skilled he's not a fighter that many will want to get into a war with. He's never been stopped, though has been down (dropped by Sanchez) however he's admittedly never been in with someone approaching Gonzalez's level of power, speed, combinations of spitefulness.
In all honestly I'd be shocked if Gonzalez did anything other than made a statement. He'll be looking to finish this and finish it early, and it's probably fair to say Estrada has been brought in as the opponent to allow Gonzalez to look good. Expect this to be a fun war though one that Gonzalez's all round game will dominate.
Prediction: Gonzalez TKO5
For my money, Gonzalez (otherwise known as El Chocolatito), is one of the sports true premier level fighters. Although he's generally over-looked by the sport's casual fans the hardcore fan know all about the super skilled, powerful, fast and aggressive Gonzalez who at times looks genuinely unbeatable. In fact in a career spanning 7 years Gonzalez has only been involved in 1 close bout (a majority decision win over Francisco Rosas).
Starting as a teenager, Gonzalez's rise to the top was swift. Within 2 years of his professional debut he had already earned high rankings at both Light Flyweight and Minimumweight thanks to wins over notable opponents including Eriberto Gejon, Miguel Tellez and Jose Luis Varela. Just a year later however Gonzalez showed his class at world level widely out pointing Yutaka Niida for the WBA Minimumweight title to claim his first world title.
As the WBA Minimumweight champion, Gonzalez made 3 title defenses beating Francisco Rosas (as mentioned above), Katsunari Takayama and Ivan Meneses before moving up to Light Flyweight. At Light Flyweight, Gonzalez looked even more dominating, stopping Francisco Rosas in 2 rounds for the interim WBA Light Flyweight title.
After Juan Carlos Reveco moved from Light Flyweight to Flyweight, Gonzalez's title was upgraded from the interim to the regular title. Since then Gonzalez has scored 6 successive victories, including 4 title defenses in which he has beaten Manuel Vargas, Omar Salado, Omar Soto and Ramon Garcia Hirales, all credible challengers.
If Floyd Mayweather Jr is the best defensive fighter in the sport right now then I'd be tempted to say that Gonzalez is the best offensive fighter in the sport right now. The Nicaraguan rarely loses more than a round, he's supremely confident in not only his abilities (which are amazing) but also his durability, often enjoying a war and his power (which suits him well during a war). I dare say that to beat Gonzalez you need to be a bit of a tank who can take one to land one or you manage to land a lucky bomb on Gonzalez when he leaps in on the offensive. In fact the way Gonzalez can leap in at times is pretty much his only real flaw, thankfully however very few fighter can make him pay for this mistake.
Whilst Gonzalez is a known quantity it's fair to say that Mexican challenger Juan Francisco Estrada is much less well known. Despite having been in 23 bouts as a professional, Estrada has only faced a handful of known opponents including current IBF Super Flyweight champion, who out pointed Estrada in 2011 and Filipino Ardin Diale who was stopped in 2 rounds. Those two aside however Estrada lacks the sort of wins to really know what he's made of.
What we do know about the 22 year old "El Gallo" is that he's a hard hitter, at least at the lower levels. He can dig to the body or the head and although not the most skilled he's not a fighter that many will want to get into a war with. He's never been stopped, though has been down (dropped by Sanchez) however he's admittedly never been in with someone approaching Gonzalez's level of power, speed, combinations of spitefulness.
In all honestly I'd be shocked if Gonzalez did anything other than made a statement. He'll be looking to finish this and finish it early, and it's probably fair to say Estrada has been brought in as the opponent to allow Gonzalez to look good. Expect this to be a fun war though one that Gonzalez's all round game will dominate.
Prediction: Gonzalez TKO5
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