Juan Francisco Estrada continues to bet on himself, even in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career.
The former two-division champion aspired to add a bantamweight belt to his collection. Estrada’s next step on that journey will come in a crossroads clash with contender and former kickboxing legend Tenshin Nasukawa. The two will meet in a WBC-sanctioned title eliminator on Aprill 11 from a yet-to-be-determined venue in Tokyo, Japan.
“This will be my 50th fight and I feel very motivated to travel to Japan and win the opportunity to compete for the WBC bantamweight crown,” Estrada said during the sanctioning body’s most recent Martes de Café weekly meeting in Mexico City. “I feel I still have a lot to give.”
Estrada, 45-4 (28 KOs) previously served as a unified flyweight titlist and the lineal champion at junior bantamweight. The 35-year-old from Hermosillo also enjoyed two tours as the WBC titlist at the weight along with a brief stay as the WBA titleholder following his split decision over Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in their epic March 2021 rematch and unification clash in Dallas, Texas.
An integral part of the “Super Fly” era, Estrada was the only fighter to claim at least one win over his fellow Fab Four members - Gonzalez, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Carlos Cuadras. His long stay as the 115lbs king ended with a June 2024 knockout defeat to Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, 23-0 (16 KOs), currently among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Estrada floored the young gun in Round 6 but was down himself in Round 4 and for good in the 7th for his first defeat in six years to that point.
Just one fight has followed for Estrada, a 10-round, unanimous decision over countryman Karim Arce last June 14 at home in Hermosillo. The fight took place at bantamweight, where he hopes a shot at WBC 118lbs titlist Takuma Inoue, 21-2 (5 KOs), is on the other side of his 50th pro contest.
The opportunity comes against Nasukawa, 7-1 (2 KOs), who is coming off a defeat to the elder Inoue last November 24 in Tokyo.
While it marks Estrada’s first fight in Asia in more than a decade, he will not be without a support system. His countrymen offered nothing but high praise, as did WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, although he will have to assume a neutral role for the fight itself.
“I simply wish you the best; I will be in Japan for this bout,” Sulaiman told Estrada. “You have everything it takes to succeed.
“It will be a fight of maturity versus youth, and I am totally sure that you will hold Mexico high.”
Of course, the actual fight has to take place in the ring and not through words. That said, Estrada has vowed that he has at least two great ones left in him – first in April, and then in his forthcoming shot at becoming a three-division titlist.
“I am going to leave everything in the ring as I do in all my fights,” vowed Estrada.
