Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Roman Gonzalez III | DAZN - December 3, 2022

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Sources: Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman Gonzalez set for March 5 trilogy boxing bout

Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez are set to battle one more time.

The future Hall of Famers have signed contracts for a unified 115-pound championship fight on March 5 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, multiple sources told ESPN. Estrada-Gonzalez 3 will headline a Matchroom Boxing on DAZN show.

"When you talk about great rivalries over the years, this is right up there," promoter Eddie Hearn told ESPN in August. "Fight 1 was a classic, and Fight 2 was probably the best I have ever seen live. The decider will be historic."

Estrada (42-3, 28 KOs) eked out a controversial split decision over Gonzalez in March, a brutal battle that was ESPN's runner-up for fight of the year. They combined for 2,529 punches, a CompuBox record at 115 pounds.

With the victory, Estrada grabbed a second junior bantamweight title and retained his No. 1 spot in ESPN's junior bantamweight rankings (Gonzalez is No. 2). The 31-year-old Mexican boxer is also No. 9 in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings.

The rematch came more than eight years -- and two weight classes -- after their first fight. When they met in 2008, Gonzalez won a unanimous decision to retain his 108-pound championship in another firefight.

The 34-year-old Nicaraguan boxer went on to win titles at 112 pounds and 115; he was once recognized as the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

That was before Gonzalez (50-3, 41 KOs) was viciously knocked out by Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in a 2017 rematch, not just back-to-back losses to Sor Rungvisai but the first two losses of his career. It wasn't the end for Chocolatito, though.

He mounted a comeback that culminated with a ninth-round TKO of Kal Yafai in February 2020 to reclaim a 115-pound title, before battling Estrada once more.

Now that the third fight is set, Gonzalez and Estrada figure to cap one of the greatest trilogies in recent memory with the series tied 1-1.

[skanksta]

A draw sets up Estrada vs Gonzalez IV nicely, so I'll vote that.

Follow the Money etc.

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Sor Rungvisai-Cuadras Rematch DAZN's Main Event 2/5; Venue Now Footprint Center In Phoenix

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Carlos Cuadras will still fight on February 5.

Boxing Scene has learned that their super flyweight championship rematch will be the main event of DAZN’s first live boxing stream of 2022. Their 12-round fight for the WBC world 115-pound championship was supposed to be the co-feature of DAZN’s stream February 5, but Jessie Vargas withdrew last week from what was scheduled as the main event versus Liam Smith.

DAZN and Matchroom Boxing are expected to announce Monday that the Sor Rungvisai-Cuadras rematch has been elevated to main-event status for February 5. Those partners initially considered rescheduling the entire February 5 show once Las Vegas’ Vargas, a former welterweight and junior welterweight champion, informed them that he had contracted COVID-19.

Once DAZN and Matchroom decided to have Sor Rungvisai and Cuadras headline on February 5, the venue also was switched from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, to nearby Footprint Center in Phoenix, the home arena of the NBA’s Suns.

Thailand’s Sor Rungvisai (50-5-1, 43 KOs) and Mexico’s Cuadras (39-4-1, 27 KOs) will meet again in a bout the WBC mandated for its world super flyweight title. Cuadras beat Sor Rungvisai by technical decision in a fight for that same championship in May 2014 in Mexico City.

Juan Francisco Estrada is the WBC’s true super flyweight champion, but the WBC elevated Estrada to the status of “franchise” champion to allow his rubber match with rival Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez to take place next. Otherwise, Estrada would’ve been obliged to fight Sor Rungvisai again in his upcoming bout because the strong southpaw is the number one-ranked, mandatory challenger for Estrada’s title.

Estrada (42-3, 28 KOs) and Nicaragua’s Gonzalez (50-3, 41 KOs) will fight for the third time March 5 in another main event DAZN will stream from Pechanga Arena in San Diego.

Gonzalez is the WBC’s second-rated contender for Estrada’s title. Cuadras is ranked third by the WBC in the 115-pound division.

The 12-round junior middleweight bout between Vargas (29-3-2, 11 KOs) and England’s Smith (30-3-1, 17 KOs) will be rescheduled. Its new date won’t be determined until Vargas recovers from the coronavirus.

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Press Release | Mauricio Lara vs. Emilio Sanchez Added To Estrada-Chocolatito 3

Mauricio Lara returns to action against Emilio Sanchez at the Pechanga Arena San Diego in San Diego, California on March 5, live worldwide on DAZN, on a packed event topped by the mouth-watering trilogy clash between Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez.

Lara (23-2-1 16 KOs) makes a welcome return to the ring following his nasty cut in his rematch with Josh Warrington. The Mexican traveled to Yorkshire in September to take on the Leeds man at Headingley Stadium in a rematch having stunned the boxing world by stopping for former World ruler in the ninth round of their clash in February in London. The rematch was heating up before an accidental headclash in the second round left Lara with a nasty gash over his left eye and the contest had to be waved off.

The 23 year old has healed up and will look to get back into the mix for major bouts and World title action at Featherweight, and the first man in the way of his path to the top table is Sanchez (19-1 12 KOs). The 27 year old Californian will be looking to provide an upset of his own in the biggest fight of his eight year career to date, with Sanchez fighting over ten rounds for the second time in his career and entering the fight on the back of his 12th KO win back in May over the experienced Christian Esquivel.

There’s a stacked card in support of the trilogy clash between Estrada and Chocolatito – with the focus on Eddie Hearn’s bright young talents and an exciting debutant.

Angel Fierro is eager to gatecrash the party at the top of the Lightweight division, and the WBO #4 will display his credentials in the second defense of his WBO NABO title against Juan Carlos Burgos. Fierro (19-1-1 15 KOs) picked up the vacant title with a stunning KO win over Alberto Machado in March – climbing off the deck in the first and second rounds to put the former World ruler away in the sixth. The 23 year old San Diego based Mexican blasted Cristian Bielma away in four rounds in his first defense in Puerto Vallarta in November, and will be looking to make a similar statement against the experienced former World title challenger Burgos (34-6-2 21 KOs).

Diego Pacheco (13-0 10 KOs) fights in the paid ranks for the 14th time and the rangy Super-Middleweight tastes eight round action for the fourth time against Genc Pllana (9-3-1 5 KOs).

Marc Castro (5-5 5 KOs) is in his sixth pro fight and has yet to go the full distance, his opponent over six rounds will be named soon.

Anthony Herrera (1-0 1 KO) made an explosive start to the pro game with a second round KO win on the undercard of the Teofimo Lopez vs. George Kambosos Jr blockbuster in New York in November, and the 21 year old former Team USA talent goes for the second time in San Diego against an opponent to be named.

Debutant Skye Nicolson completes the card, and the Australian star will make her long-anticipated debut at Featherweight in California. The 26 year old won Commonwealth Games gold at her home games in 2016 and represented Australia at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and now looks to translate her amateur success into the paid ranks.

“This is a great night of boxing with a stacked undercard beneath a brilliant main event,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “You have so many fighters on this card that can become big stars in the future. Mauricio recorded one of the upsets of 2021 against Josh and is looking to cement his name as a real contender at Featherweight.

“There’s some exciting young stars in action on the rest of the card. Angel is chasing down his fellow contenders and champions at Lightweight, Diego is such a handful and is ready to step up this year, Marc has blasted every opponent away to date, Anthony looked the business on his debut and Skye is going to be a big hit in the paid ranks – March 5 is going to be a spectacular night of action from start to finish.”

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Joshua Franco: I'm Ready To Step In For Estrada In This Fight With Chocolatito

Joshua Franco is willing to advance from challenger in waiting to late replacement to save the show.

A current void exists in DAZN’s 1st quarter schedule, with its March 5 main event in disarray. Boxing Scene has confirmed that lineal/WBA “Super” 115-pound champion Juan Francisco Estrada has tested positive for Covid and is symptomatic, which has forced him out of a scheduled rubber match with former four-division Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez.

As contingency plans are being considered, San Antonio’s Franco (18-1-2, 8KOs) is ready to go should event handlers choose to proceed with the show.

"I'm ready to step in for (Estrada) in this fight with Chocolatito,” Franco told BS.com. “I've been waiting for this chance as I'm the best in the division and will prove it.”

Franco claimed his version of the WBA junior bantamweight title following a June 2020 twelve-round, unanimous decision win over then-unbeaten Andrew Moloney. The bout kicked off an unlikely trilogy, with their November 2020 rematch mired in controversy and ending in a No-Decision after two rounds. Franco won the third fight via unanimous decision last August, at which time he was assured by the WBA of being next in line for a mandatory title shot.

The ruling specified that Franco was due the winner of the already agreed-upon third fight between Estrada (42-3, 28KOs) and Gonzalez (50-3, 41KOs). The trilogy clash was due to headline a planned October 16 show, only for Gonzalez to test positive for Covid. Matchroom Boxing moved forward with the event with a modified headliner that saw Spain’s Sandor Martin score a massive upset win over former four-division titlist Mikey Garcia.

The fight was relocated to the recently announced March 5 DAZN card to take place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The date would have seen the fight come exactly 51 weeks from their memorable rematch when Hermosillo, Mexico’s Estrada claimed an unpopular split decision victory to unify the WBA/WBC titles in one of the best fights of 2021.

Covid also forced Matchroom to reshuffle the deck for its February 5 show in Glendale, Arizona once former two-division titleholder Jessie Vargas tested positive and was forced to withdraw from his scheduled showdown with former junior middleweight titlist Liam Smith. The card already had a far more appealing co-feature in the vacant WBC junior bantamweight title fight rematch between Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (50-5-1, 43KOs) and Carlos Cuadras (39-4-1, 27KOs), which is now the main event and with the show relocated from Glendale to Phoenix.

The bout obviously leaves Sor Rungvisai and Cuadras unavailable to replace Estrada one month later. WBO junior bantamweight titlist Kazuto Ioka (28-2, 15KOs) is coming off a twelve-round, unanimous decision win over countryman Ryoji Fukunaga last New Year’s Eve in Tokyo, while IBF junior bantamweight titlist Jerwin Ancajas (33-1-2, 22KOs) is slated to face Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez as part of a February 26 Showtime tripleheader from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

As the Estrada-Gonzalez would already be mandated to next face Franco as the mandatory challenger, switching the order would make perfect sense.

“Joshua Franco is ready and [has] been in the gym,” noted Rick Mirigian, Franco’s manager. “I’m waiting by the phone, Eddie Hearn for Golden Boy Promotions (Joshua’s promoter) for us to get it done. It’s the perfect step in and a bigger fight all things considered.”

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“Chocolatito” goes for another boxing record

Nicaragua has produced great fighters and has a very interesting boxing history. Boxers like Alexis Argüello, Rosendo Álvarez, Eddy Gazo or Ricardo Mayorga are always mentioned when talking about boxing in the Central American country, but there is a current name that also enters the conversation and that is Román “Chocolatito” González.

“Chocolatito” has the opportunity to set another record for his country and it could happen if he gets a win in his next fight against Juan Francisco Estrada. He would become the oldest Nicaraguan fighter to be world champion as he will be 34 years and nine months old by the time of the fight (March 5).

If he wins, he will surpass “Búfalo” Alvarez, who at the age of 32 won his WBA flyweight belt and defended it three times until losing it on the scales before what would be his fourth defense against Beibis Mendoza. At that time he was 34 years, 8 months and 4 days old.

“Chocolatito” already has an important record with which he surpassed Alexis Argüello and is the only one in his country with four world crowns. However, he wants to continue writing history and making achievements in an excellent career.

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Look like it's off then, but Martinez is moving up to fight Gonzalez.

[squiggy]

Actually not a bad replacement fight at all. But still, goddamn it, man.

[margaret thatcher]

replacement fight is better, love it

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Estrada Rumored For Rescheduled Trilogy Bout With Chocolatito, Franco Fight Remains In Play

Talks have once again surfaced of a highly anticipated rubber match between Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez.

For the moment, it remains limited to just talk—and with several hurdles in the way of becoming a reality.

Boxing Scene has learned that such a fight is being explored to possibly take place later this fall, as recently suggested by well-respected Nicaraguan journalist Levi Luna. The rumors have surfaced as Estrada—the reigning lineal/WBA junior bantamweight champion—remains tied to a title consolidation clash with secondary WBA titlist Joshua Franco (18-1-2, 8KOs), with the fight awaiting a summertime date should it move forward.

The working theory in moving forward with the more desirable trilogy clash versus Nicaragua’s Gonzalez (51-3, 41KOs) is that Estrada (42-3, 28KOs) would vacate his WBA “Super” title. The third fight with Gonzalez would then take place with Estrada’s lineal and WBC “Franchise” title at stake.

The issue, for now, is that Franco is expecting to next face Estrada, as per the terms of the recent purse bid hearing won by Golden Boy Promotions. The fight was secured with the WBA-mandated minimum amount of $200,000, which was to be split 55-45 in favor of Estrada. BS.com has learned that arrangements will be made—or at least discussed—for both sides to make considerably more than $110,000 and $90,000, respectively, for Estrada to move forward with the fight.

Efforts to contact representatives for all parties involved went unreturned as this goes to publish. A recent conversation with Golden Boy Promotions founder/chairman Oscar De La Hoya indicated that a date was still not set for Estrada-Franco, despite rumors of the bout possibly landing on a July 16 show to be headlined by unbeaten lightweight titlist Ryan Garcia (22-0, 18KOs).

Estrada and Gonzalez have already twice seen their rubber match cancelled due to separate Covid-related issues. Gonzalez tested positive for the infectious disease last September, forcing a cancellation of their planned October 16 clash in Fresno, California. The anticipated championship was then rescheduled for March 5 in San Diego, only for Estrada to shut down training camp in mid-January after testing positive for Covid.

Gonzalez—who has won titles at strawweight, junior flyweight, flyweight and junior bantamweight (twice)—went on to face WBC flyweight titlist Julio Cesar Martinez (18-2, 14KOs; 2NC), who moved up in weight in accepting the fight on roughly five weeks’ notice. Gonzalez delivered one of his finest performances in the twilight of his legendary career, hopeful of the fight with Estrada making its way back to the table.

The two have fought twice before, spread out more than eight years apart. Gonzalez won their first fight, claiming a well-earned unanimous decision in November 2012. Their scorcher of a battle in the final defense of his WBA junior flyweight title, with both moving up in weight immediately thereafter.

Estrada went on to enjoy title reigns at flyweight and now junior bantamweight, claiming the WBC and lineal championship in an April 2019 win over Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, against whom he dropped a 12-round decision in February 2018. Just three successful defenses have followed over the past three years, the most recent coming in a highly questionable twelve-round, split decision win over Gonzalez last March in Dallas.

Gonzalez maintained pace following his lopsided win over Martinez, though informing BS.com and other ringside media that evening of his intention to wait out the biggest fights possible for the remainder of his career. High on his list was a trilogy bout with Estrada.

Such a fight will depend on the level of cooperation from Franco, who stands to lose the most in this situation.

The San Antonio native claimed a secondary WBA junior bantamweight title in a June 2020 win over Australia’s Andrew Moloney. The feat led to a trilogy of their own, with their November 2020 rematch ending in a No-Contest after just two rounds though accompanied with a lengthy review process while all parties remained in the ring. Franco settled their rivalry with a second win over Moloney in their third fight last August in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

One day after the fight, Franco was assured by the WBA of his next fight being for the full title. At the time, it was to come versus the winner of Estrada-Gonzalez III, though two cancellations of the superfight have prompted the WBA to instead call for a title consolidation bout, which remains in play until Franco and his team confirm otherwise.

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Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Roman Gonzalez III planned for November or December

Negotiations have begun for a trilogy match between Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez for November or December.

They were going to fight in March, but COVID 19 issues prevented the match from take place because Estrada couldn’t train.

ESPNmx is reporting the news of the talks between WBA/WBC Franchise super flyweight champion Estrada (42-3, 28 KOs) and the former four-division world champion Chocolatito (51-3, 41 KOs).

Estrada, 32, was supposed to be fighting WBA ‘regular’ champion Joshua Franco next, but those plans have changed. The Chocolatito trilogy match is the far bigger match for Estrada, who has been inactive for the last 15 months.

Estrada’s original plans were to fight Joshua Estrada, the older brother of WBC 115-lb champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, on August 20th. They had planned to fight on July 16th, but the match got pushed to August 20th.

Chocolatito is coming off an impressive 12-round decision victory over Julio Cesar Martinez last March in San Diego. The fight was supposed to be competitive, but Chocolatito had too many technical skills & size for the slugger Rey Martinez.

“The long-awaited third battle between Mexican Juan Francisco ‘Gallo’ Estrada and Nicaraguan Román ‘Chocolatito’ González could come sooner than expected, as close sources revealed to ESPN Knockout that it is very likely that the Sonoran will not face Joshua Franco in the coming weeks, with his sights set on the trilogy with the four-time world champion for November or December,” said Salvador Rodriguez to ESPNmx.

Estrada might be forced to give up his WBA title if he faces Chocolatito, but that’s likely not a big deal. Win or lose, he always can come back and fight for the WBA belt, as the division is barren of name fighters, especially now that Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Carlos Cuadras got old.

Last year, Estrada beat Chocolatito by a highly questionable 12-round split decision in March in Dallas, Texas. One judge had the fight scored wide for Estrada 117-111 and was highly criticized.

The other judges scored it 115-113 for Estrada and 115-113 for Chocolatito. Many boxing fans had Chocolatito winning 8-4 and 9-3. Estrada looked just as overmatched against Chocolatito as he was in their first fight in 2012.

Hopefully, the judges don’t ruin the trilogy like they did the second fight between Estrada and Chocolatito. To avoid that from happening, it would be wise to stage the trilogy match in a neutral venue where

Estrada isn’t going to have the crowd on his side as he did in Dallas, Texas. Placing the trilogy on the East Coast in the New York area might be the answer because the last thing fans need is another controversial decision involving these two.

If the negotiations fail to produce a fight, it’s possible we could see Chocolatito challenge for a world title against WBC super flyweight champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.

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Does that mean he'll be stripped of the WBA if he doesn't fight Franco?

Also he has lost the WBC belt already, well he's franchise, but Bam IS the WBC champion now.

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Confirmed for Dec 3..

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Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez trilogy fight now set for December

Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez are set to meet Dec. 3 in a trilogy bout for the junior bantamweight championship, promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing announced Saturday night.

No location for the fight was revealed.

This is the third time the third fight between Estrada and Gonzalez has been scheduled. The future Hall of Famers were set to square off in October 2021 before Gonzalez tested positive for COVID-19. A March bout was postponed after Estrada contracted the coronavirus.

The 32-year-old Estrada returned Saturday in his native Mexico with a tougher-than-expected decision victory over Argi Cortes to retain the WBC franchise championship at 115 pounds. Now, Estrada heads into the rubber match with Gonzalez, a rivalry that began 10 years ago.

Gonzalez (51-3, 41 KOs) scored a unanimous-decision victory over Estrada in 2012 to retain a 108-pound title. Estrada (43-3, 28 KOs) exacted a measure of revenge in the March 2021 rematch at 115 pounds, but the split-decision win was marred by controversy. They combined for 2,529 punches in the return bout that was ESPN's runner-up for fight of the year.

"When you talk about great rivalries over the years, this is right up there," Hearn told ESPN last year. "Fight 1 was a classic, and Fight 2 was probably the best I have ever seen live. The decider will be historic."

After Estrada withdrew from the rematch, Gonzalez went on to defeat 112-pound champion Julio Cesar Martinez in March in yet another master-class performance for the 35-year-old Nicaraguan.

Estrada, who relinquished his WBA title last month, is ESPN's No. 1 junior bantamweight. Gonzalez, who was long recognized as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, is No. 2.

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Hearn says the winner or loser of this will fight Bam Rodriguez..

Neither of these will be an easy fight for Bam.

[goose 5]

December 3 will be huge !

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Fight will be at the Desert Diamond Arena (formerly Gila River Arena) in Glendale, Arizona.

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Press Release | Julio Cesar Martinez vs. McWilliams Arroyo Added

The trilogy clash between Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez will take place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday December 3, live worldwide on DAZN – and Eddie Hearn and Matchroom are delighted to announce that Julio Cesar Martinez will meet McWilliams Arroyo for his WBC World Super-Flyweight title as the co-main event on a blockbuster night of action in Arizona.

Estrada (43-3 28 KOs) and Chocolatito (51-3 41 KOs) will finally go toe-to-toe for the third time in their storied careers, with their last meeting in March 2021 a fight of the year contender that Estrada edged via split decision in Dallas. That victory levelled the score between the pair, after Chocolatito won their first battle back in November 2012 in Los Angeles, and now they will lock horns once again for their third mouth-watering battle a decade on from the first.

Martinez (18-2 14 KOs) and Arroyo (21-4 16 KOs) are also renewing their rivalry on December 3, after their firefight of a first contest in November was sadly cut short after an accidental headclash caused a cut for Arroyo, ending a chaotic three round whirlwind that saw both fighters hit the canvas in the opening session, and Arroyo visit the deck again in the second.

There’s more action to be added to the card soon, and promoter Eddie Hearn believes the final Matchroom show of 2022 in America could be the most explosive yet, with Martinez and Arroyo providing the tastiest of appetizers before the stunning main event.

“What a night this is going to be,” said Hearn. “The trilogy battle between Estrada and Chocolatito is guaranteed to be a thriller, and Martinez and Arroyo have given us a taste of what they provide when they tangle.

“Estrada and Chocolatito will go down as one of the great rivalries in the sport, and on December 3, one of these two modern greats will edge ahead of the other, and that promises to make this the most thrilling of the three clashes – it’s an early Christmas present for fight fans that you do not want to miss.”

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WBC belt will be at stake here

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McWilliams Arroyo Injured, New Opponent Sought For Julio Cesar Martinez

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Press Release | Julio Cesar Martinez To Face Samuel Carmona

Julio Cesar Martinez will defend his WBC World Flyweight title against Samuel Carmona at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on December 3, live worldwide on DAZN – the co-main event bout as Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez meet in a trilogy clash for the WBC and Ring Magazine Super-Flyweight titles.

Martinez (18-2 14 KOs) puts his title on the line for the fifth time since landing the vacant belt in December 2019, and the fiery Mexican is back in action for the first time since challenging one half of the headline fight, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez for the WBC Diamond Super-Flyweight title in March.

‘El Rey’ was set to face long-running rival McWilliams Arroyo in a rematch in Glendale, but as neck and back issues have ruled the Puerto Rican out, the door is opened for Carmona (8-0 4 KOs) to land his first World title shot. The unbeaten Spaniard, who represented his country in the 2016 Olympic Games, has cruised to 8-0 in the paid ranks since turning pro in September 2019 and landed the WBA International title at 112lbs in just his fourth pro fight.

“I’m excited to be getting back in the ring and defending my WBC belt again,” said Martinez. “It’s unfortunate the Arroyo rematch is not happening, but it’s a huge chance for Samuel and he’s young and hungry, so you know he will bring everything on the night.

“But as we say, with everything except fear, I will rise to this challenge and show that next year, we are coming for all the belts.”

“I am very happy to fight Martinez,” said Carmona. “I am going to work hard to bring victory to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Spain. You are going to see a great Carmona on December 3.”

Also announced for the card is another Flyweight showdown as Mexico’s Joselito Velazquez and Nicaragua Cristofer Rosales clash over ten rounds. Velazquez (15-0-1 10 KOs) steps back through the ropes for the first time since landing a sixth round stoppage win over Jose Soto in Las Vegas on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol, and ‘El Huracan’, ranked #4 with the IBF and #13 with the WBC will be gunning for and impressive win over the former World champion to enter the World title picture in 2023.

Rosales (34-6 21 KOs) has his own designs on recapturing a World strap as he targets a third straight win to add further momentum to his drive to become a two-time World ruler. The 28 year old held the WBC crown in 2018 and faced Julio Cesar Martinez for the vacant belt in Phoenix in 2019, and will be aiming to notch the first win of the night for Nicaraguan boxing, before Chocolatito in the main event.

“I’m happy to be fighting on DAZN,” said Velazquez. “I know Cristofer is a tough fighter but I’m hungry for success and I’m ready to stand out and put on a great performance. I’m showing up to please the fans so I’m going to give everything I have.”

“Thank God I'm fine, this fight came at a good time,” said Rosales. “I am training conscientiously; I want to show off and shine again. You can expect the usual Cristofer Rosales, I will go to deliver everything, I am proudly Nicaraguan, and I am going to die with my boots on. I am motivated, I come from the ashes, and I will rise like the Phoenix. I am preparing myself to the fullest to show off that day.

“I'll go looking for the knockout, I know it's not that easy, but I'm going to look for it. I don't know in which round, but I will always look for it. He has his plan, but I'm going to throw him. That night we will see who of the two will turn off the light and stay watching fireworks.”

Diego Pacheco faces a big step up in his fourth fight of 2022, as he defends his WBC USNBC Super-Middleweight title against the unbeaten Timur Kerefov. Pacheco (16-0, 13 KOs) stopped Enrique Collazo in five rounds to land the title in Las Vegas in September on the undercard of the trilogy clash between Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin, seeing the rangy Los Angeles talent record a 13th stoppage win in 16 fights unbeaten.

Kerefov (13-0 7 KOs) will pose a serious threat to Pacheco’s desire to retain his title and unbeaten record, with the Detroit-based 32 year old unbeaten in 13 pro fights since debut in September 2018, having turned pro as a heavily decorated amateur champion who won numerous tournaments and 298 of his 310 unpaid fights.

“I’m very happy with my work the way I’ve been preparing with my team for these fights,” said Pacheco. “I am grateful for the opportunity and this one will be a special one, going up against a tough undefeated opponent in front of a big crowd in Arizona to close out the year with another great win. Don’t miss it.”

“I was looking for the fight that somehow will elevate my standing in pro boxing ranks,” said Kerefov. “Thanks to Eddie Hearn and DAZN, I have got that opportunity and I will do everything to take it with both hands.”

After a successful debut in Cleveland, Ohio tonight (November 12), former Brazilian amateur star Beatriz Ferreira will fight for the second time as a pro in Glendale. Ferreira (1-0) put fellow Brazilian Taynna Cardoso down in the first and third rounds with body shots, winning out 40-34 on all three cards in the first female fight in Ohio to be boxed over three-minute rounds.

[margaret thatcher]

saw carmona box earlier this year vs a mexican who was stopped by jcm......he has skills but got worn down by body shots and was in trouble late in the fight, a bad sign going into a fight with jcm

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Fight Week!