BY: JORDAN ROSAS
In the nine years since their first fight in 2012, fight fans watched Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada become two of the best pound for pound fighters in boxing.
For nine years, the anticipation of a rematch built and grew. And now, nine years later, we’re left with more questions than answers. If the first fight was a fight of the decade contender for the 2010s, the rematch is an early frontrunner for the 2020s. Almost every round was very close, and neither fighter could establish true control of the fight. Some people thought Chocolatito won it narrowly, others had Estrada by a round or two. Personally, I had it as a draw, but I anticipated a broad spectrum of opinions. Indeed, a side-by-side comparison of the judges’ cards revealed that the three judges disagreed on most rounds.
The one thing most people could agree on, though, is that the 117-111 card isn’t an accurate assessment of the fight. The other two judges each scored the bout 115-113, though they disagreed on the winner. The result was a split decision win for Estrada that quickly began talks of a trilogy fight. Some saw this fight as redemption for Estrada losing their first clash. Others saw Chocolatito get robbed for the second time in his three career losses. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, the only boxer to beat both Estrada and Chocolatito, won his bout on Friday night and already asked for a trilogy match with the winner of this fight. Estrada acknowledged that the Sor Rungvisai fight would likely be his next but expressed interest in pursuing a trilogy with Chocolatito after.
What’s next for Cecilia Braekhus? After failing to avenge her only career loss against Jessica McCaskill, who took her undisputed welterweight title, Braekhus seems to have little left to fight for. After being dominated in her second loss to McCaskill, this time by unanimous decision, the 38-year-old legend has little claim to justify a trilogy fight. McCaskill holds all of the belts in the division. There is no other title to challenge for without switching to another weight class. McCaskill ruled the next weight class down before she moved up to challenge Braekhus successfully. The next weight class up is unified by Claressa Shields, who would be an even tougher opponent than McCaskill.
As for McCaskill, she has options all over. A bout with Claressa Shields might be the biggest fight in women’s boxing. If she wants to get accustomed to the heavier weight class, former Light Middleweight champion Marie Eve Dicaire (17-1) will be looking to bounce back from her recent loss to Shields. If McCaskill is willing to move down, a rematch with undefeated Lightweight champion Katie Taylor (17-0) could be in the cards.
It’s not often that a fighter lands their own knockout blow, but that’s what happened to Axel Aragon Vega. A right hook landed to the forehead of undefeated Hiroto Kyoguchi, and Vega immediately recoiled in pain. Slumped against the ropes, the referee stopped the fight, and it was revealed that Vega had broken his hand with the punch.
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