Estrella-Saguilan WBC 130 Eliminator in The Works
Jul 22, 2014 • 9:28 AM ET
By Jake Donovan
If Takashi Miura had designs on defending his 130 lb. title against a contender from somewhere other than Mexico, he will need to do so in his very next defense because at least one more challenger is being queued up.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) has given its blessing for a proposed title eliminator between unbeaten rising knockout artist Adrian Estrella and streaking contender Nery Saguilán. Such matters normally call for a 30-day negotiation period before heading to a purse bid. Given that both fighters have promotional ties to Promociones del Pueblo, the bout should be somewhat painless to put together.
“Right now the super featherweight division is very hot because all Mexicans want to face and beat Takashi (Miura), who has wins over several Mexicans, among them Sergio 'Yeyo' Thompson and Dante 'Crazy' Jardón,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman noted in a statement.
Miura (27-2-2, 20KOs) hasn’t fought since knocking out Jardón in nine rounds last New Year’s Eve. The 30-year old southpaw has faced three straight Mexican super featherweights covering the length of his title reign, beginning with a 9th round stoppage of Gamaliel Diaz to win the crown last April at home in Japan.
Sandwiched in between the aforementioned bouts was a 12-round points win over ‘Yeyo’ Thompson last August on the road in Mexico.
Estrella and Saguilán are both coming off of wins in July and are eager to return to the ring.
This past weekend Saguilán (30-4-1, 11KOs) scored an 8th round stoppage of Japan’s Seiichi Okada, with a regional title at stake earning him a spot in the WBC rankings once the new edition comes out.
Two weeks prior, Estrella (18-0, 17KOs) was forced to go the distance for the first time in his young career. The boxer and media darling racked up 17 straight knockouts – none going deeper than into the 9th round – before being extended the full 12-round distance with Jardón earlier this month.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home.
