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by Cliff Rold - Sometimes, you can win for losing.
Last November marked one of the most anticipated Flyweight clashes in the U.S. since the heyday of Michael Carbajal. Former Olympian Brian Viloria was set for a main event unification clash with Tyson Marquez. As the narrative went, superlative Jr. Flyweight titlist Roman Gonzalez would be featured on the undercard.
Gonzalez has become, for the most part, that automatic at the lower ranks. One just sort of assumes that when he’s facing a generally anonymous opponent, he’s going to whack them out sooner or later.
Juan Francisco Estrada was a generally anonymous opponent.
Little seen outside of his native Mexico, he had a nice record but little of real quality on it. He didn’t appear to belong in the ring with Gonzalez…until the bell rang. In a fight that ended up stealing the show from the anticipated main event, Estrada came up short but gave Gonzalez everything he could handle and gave the fans a candidate for Fight of the Year.
There are those who would like to see Viloria-Gonzalez. It wasn’t going to come as part of the suddenly very interesting global spectacle that is the debut of Zou Shiming (HBO2, Saturday, 2 PM EST). Instead we get the best sort of comparison-shopping, boxing style. Estrada, the man who gave Gonzalez hell, gets rewarded for his efforts. Viloria will be fighting not just to win but, one would think, to prime the pump and further imaginations about a future clash with a looming rival. [Click Here To Read More]
Last November marked one of the most anticipated Flyweight clashes in the U.S. since the heyday of Michael Carbajal. Former Olympian Brian Viloria was set for a main event unification clash with Tyson Marquez. As the narrative went, superlative Jr. Flyweight titlist Roman Gonzalez would be featured on the undercard.
Gonzalez has become, for the most part, that automatic at the lower ranks. One just sort of assumes that when he’s facing a generally anonymous opponent, he’s going to whack them out sooner or later.
Juan Francisco Estrada was a generally anonymous opponent.
Little seen outside of his native Mexico, he had a nice record but little of real quality on it. He didn’t appear to belong in the ring with Gonzalez…until the bell rang. In a fight that ended up stealing the show from the anticipated main event, Estrada came up short but gave Gonzalez everything he could handle and gave the fans a candidate for Fight of the Year.
There are those who would like to see Viloria-Gonzalez. It wasn’t going to come as part of the suddenly very interesting global spectacle that is the debut of Zou Shiming (HBO2, Saturday, 2 PM EST). Instead we get the best sort of comparison-shopping, boxing style. Estrada, the man who gave Gonzalez hell, gets rewarded for his efforts. Viloria will be fighting not just to win but, one would think, to prime the pump and further imaginations about a future clash with a looming rival. [Click Here To Read More]
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