By Jake Donovan
Hardcore boxing fans have waited a long time for Róman Gonzalez to be granted a breakthrough opportunity to fight on HBO. May 16 will mark the network premiere of the fighter they’ve so desired, but his next appearance may or may not present a fight that many have equally craved.
While Gonzalez still has to get past former 108 lb. titlist Edgar Sosa next month in Los Angeles, the unbeaten World flyweight champion has been linked to a long-awaited rematch with two-belt flyweight titlist Juan Estrada. No date or venue (or even country) was attached, other than placing the fight either in Monte Carlo or the Greater Los Angeles area.
The rumor was squashed by Gonzalez himself once he caught wind of such talks.
“I hereby confirm that (stories are) false that there is a fight signed between “El Gallo” and me,” Gonzalez announced through his social media accounts. “(It is) 100% false. It (could happen) someday.”
Gonzalez (42-0, 36KOs) will be just shy of 10 years as a pro by the time he appears on HBO for the first time next month. A former strawweight and junior flyweight titlist, the unbeaten pound-for-pound entrant cemented his status as the best little big man in the sport today with a one-sided 9th round knockout of Akira Yaegashi last September in Japan, where he has fought nearly as often as he has in his native Nicaragua.
On the rare occasions when Gonzalez—or any dominant fighter for that matter—is in a competitive fight, the natural reaction is ask to see it again. Francisco Rosas was issued a healthy serving of “careful what you wish for” when—some 20 months after pushing Gonzalez to their brink in his first strawweight title defense in Feb. ‘09—the Mexican contender was crushed in two rounds in their Oct. ’10 rematch to begin Gonzalez’ junior flyweight reign.
The only other fight in which Gonzalez was forced to dig deep and go full throttle just to secure a win was his epic Nov. ’12 clash with Estrada. The famed Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena—which hosted boxing competition during the 1984 Summer Olympics—served as a fitting backdrop for what went down as one of the best fights of 2012, with Gonzalez challenged like never before, even if the final scores didn’t properly reflect the in-ring action.
Talks of a rematch immediately began to swirl, gaining greater traction when Estrada managed to upset Brian Viloria in their two-belt flyweight title fight that following April. Four successful defenses have followed, including a 12-round win over previously unbeaten Milan Melindo and an 11th round stoppage of former two-division champ Giovani Segura.
Estrada (32-2, 23KOs) remains one of the top flyweights, though his opposition level has been more water treading than challenging in recent times. Wins over Joebert Alvarez (non-title fight) and Rommel Asenjo served its purpose in keeping the now 25-year old (as of Tuesday) active while biding his time for an opportunity such as what is now on the table.
Any serious talks for a rematch likely won’t take shape until after May 16.
Gonzalez’ showdown with Sosa—which takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.—marks his second flyweight title defense—serves as the chief support to the next ring appearance of Gennady Golovkin, who puts his unbeaten record and middleweight belt on the line versus slick boxer Willie Monroe.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
