BY: JORDAN ROSAS
This Saturday’s lineup on DAZN is a great card for fight fans. While it may not have the most recognizable names for casual fans, there are some notable story lines.
The headline fight between Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (50-2) and Juan Francisco Estrada (41-3) is a sequel to one of the best fights of the past decade. The two other title fights on the main card are Hiroto Kyoguchi (14-0) vs. Axel Aragon Vega (14-3-1) for the WBA junior flyweight title and Jessica McCaskill (9-2) vs. Cecilia Braekus (36-1) for the undisputed welterweight championship.
Since their first fight in 2012, which Chocolatito won by unanimous decision, both fighters have earned top ten pound for pound rankings. Currently, Estrada is ranked No. 8 pound-for-pound by The Ring magazine, while former pound-for-pound king Chocolatito has proven himself as arguably the greatest Nicaraguan boxer of all time. On Saturday night, Estrada puts up the WBC super flyweight title, while Gonzalez risks his WBA title.
Their first fight was a whirlwind of non-stop action. Every single round was hotly contested, with both fighters refusing to back down. Chocolatito would come forward and corner Estrada, then Estrada would use his excellent footwork to turn the tables, and suddenly Chocolatito had his back to the ropes. Then the cycle would start over again.
Both Jessica McCaskill and Cecilia Braekus are considered top five pound for pound among women. Braekus’s only loss came against McCaskill in their last fight. McCaskill’s two losses have come at the hands of Katonya FIsher and fellow top five pound for pounder Katie Taylor (17-0). Braekus and McCaskill are two of just eight boxers, male or female, to have held all four major belts simultaneously.
Considered by some to be the greatest female boxer of all time, Breakus holds the records for the longest reigning female champion, longest reigning four-belt champion (male or female), and longest undefeated record by a woman. Braekus had tied Joe Louis’s record of 25 consecutive title defenses and would have broken the 72-year-old record if not for a controversial Majority Decision loss to McCaskill. That was in August. This will be the first appearance for both women since then.
Axel Aragon Vega has been out of the ring since August of 2020, but Kyoguchi hasn’t fought since October 2019. Most boxers have shown some ring rust in the early rounds while getting accustomed to fighting in a COVID bubble, so it will be interesting to see how much those factors affect the undefeated Kyoguchi.
Predictions:
Estrada by 10th Round KO
Braekus by Decision
Vega by Decision
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