Late-replacement Jesse Rodriguez won the WBC Super Flyweight world title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Carlos Cuadras at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

In round three, Rodriguez dropped Cuadras with a left uppercut to the body.

Rodriguez landed 258 of 688 punches; Cuadras was 172 of 944.

Rodriguez, 114.1 lbs of San Antonio, TX won by scores of 117-110 twice and 115-112 and is now 15-0. Cuadras, 114.4 lbs of Mexico City is 39-5-1.

“That was a tough ass fight,” said Rodriguez. “He brought out a Jesse Rodriguez I didn’t know was in me, I’m so happy.
 
“I knew it was going to be a tough fight, he’s a true warrior, I thought I was going to get him out of there but he’s so strong.
 
“I stuck to the game plan, used my angles, but in the fifth round I knew he wasn’t going to go so I stayed composed and did my work.
 
“I feel good at this weight so I will stay here for now but if I get a good fight at 108lbs or 112lbs, maybe I’ll get the winner of Chocolatito vs. Martinez, who knows – I’m just open to the best fights.”

Mitchell Stops Skelly in 4; Retains Bantamweight Title

Jamie Mitchell defended the WBA Bantamweight title with a four round destruction over Carly Skelly.

At the end of round one, Mitchell dropped Skelly with a hard left hook. Mitchell scored another knockdown in round two with a big right hand. In round four, Mitchell landed a vicious flurry of punches that included flush rights hands that snapped Skelly’s head back, and the fight was stopped.

Mitchell of Las Vegas is 8-0-2 with five knockouts. Skelly of Liverpool, ENG is 4-1-1.

“It was cool, my first defense and my most precious fight as a pro,” said Mitchell. “Shout out to Claressa Shields for getting the win in the UK tonight, we had great sparring in the build-up so thank you to her for that. She’s truly the GWOAT and an inspiration.
 
“If you are going to run at me, I’m going to stop you in your tracks and that’s what happened.
 
I am only going to get better, we train all year round, people are sleeping on me but I’m going to slowly wake them up.”

Ford Decisions Vazquez

Raymond Ford was lucky that he had two judges on his side as he was awarded a 10-round split decision over Edward Vazquez in a battle of undefeated featherweights.

Ford landed 95 of 514 while Vazquez was 106 of 428.

Vazquez landed the more telling blows throughout, yet two judges scored the fight 98-92 and 97-93 for Ford. Vazquez won a card 96-94.

Ford, 126 lbs of Camden, NJ is 11-0-1. Vazquez of Fort Worth, Texas is 11-1.

Diaz Decisions Smith

Fernando Diaz won a 10-round unanimous decision over Lorenzo Smith in a flyweight contest.

In round five, Smith dropped Diaz with a left hook.

Diaz landed 173 of 594 punches; Smith was 64 of 339.

Diaz, 111 lbs of Riverside, CA won by scores of 96-93 twice and 95-94 and is now 11-1-1. Smith, 111.5 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 10-1.

Coe stops O’Sullivan in 2

Khalil Coe remained undefeated with a 2nd round stoppage over Dylan O’Sullivan in a light heavyweight bout.

In round two, Coe dropped O’Sullivan with a left hook. Seconds later Coe ended thing with a left and the fight was stopped.

Coe, 179.5 lbs of Jersey City, NJ is now 2-0-1 with two knockoouts. O’Sullivan, 177.9 lbs of Johnson City, TN is 1-1

Elijah Garcia stropped Antonio Hernandez after round three of their six-round middleweight fight.

Garcia, 163.5 lbs of Glendale, AZ is 10-0 with nine knockouts.

Adam Stewart won a six-round unanimous decision over Alvin Davie in a heavyweight bout.

In round six, Stewart dropped Davie with a right hand.

Stewart, 234 lbs of Phoenix, AZ won by scores of 60-53 on all cards, and is now 13-1-1. Davie, 223.9 lbs of Miami, FL is 6-3.

First bell – 4pm MT

6 x 3 mins Super-Lightweight contest

Aaron Aponte (139lbs) vs.     Louis Jourdain (138.8lbs)
(Miami, Florida)                        (Quebec, Canada)

Followed by

6 x 3 mins Heavyweight contest

Adam Stewart     (234lbs)      vs.     Alvin Davis (223.9lbs)
(Phoenix, Arizona)                             (Miami, Florida)

Followed by

6 x 3 mins Middleweight contest

Elijah Garcia (163.5lbs) vs.    Antonio Hernandez (162.5lbs)
(Glendale, Arizona)                  (Kansas City, Missouri)         

Live on DAZN – 6pm MT

4 x 3 mins Light-Heavyweight contest

Khalil Coe (179.5lbs) vs.        Dylan O’Sullivan (177.9lbs)
(Jersey City, New Jersey)       (Johnson City, Tennessee)

Followed by

10 x 3 mins Flyweight contest

Lorenzo Smith (111.5lbs) vs. Fernando Diaz (111lbs)
(Phoenix, Arizona)                 (Riverside, California)

Followed by

10 x 3 mins WBA Continental Featherweight title

Raymond Ford (126lbs)         vs.     Edward Vazquez (125.9lbs)
(Camden, New Jersey)                   (Fort Worth, Texas)

Followed by

10 x 2 mins WBA World Bantamweight title

Jamie Mitchell     (117.2lbs)  vs.     Carly Skelly (116.2lbs)
(Las Vegas, Nevada)                        (Liverpool, England)

Followed by

12 x 3 mins vacant WBC World Super-Flyweight title

Carlos Cuadras (114.4lbs)      vs.     Jesse Rodriguez (114.1lbs)
(Mexico City, Mexico)                         (San Antonio, Texas)

Jesse Rodriguez will fight for his first World title as he steps up to take on Carlos Cuadras for the vacant WBC World Super-Flyweight title at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday night (February 5), live worldwide on DAZN.  TICKETS STARTING AT $20 (PLUS FEES) ARE ON SALE NOW AT TICKETMASTER.COM  Rodriguez (14-0 10 KOs) announced a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom last week, with the intention of closing in on a World title shot in 2022 with a fight on Saturday night’s bill.   That World title tilt now comes in his first fight with Hearn as Srisaket Sor Rungvisai was forced out of the rematch with Cuadras over the weekend through a non-COVID related illness, taken ill in the fight hotel having arrived in Arizona last Wednesday.   Robert Garcia-trained talent Rodriguez, who recently turned 22, featured on multiple 2022 fighters to watch lists, and when ‘Bam’ spoke of his desire to fight for World titles upon penning a deal with Hearn, he didn’t expect it to be so soon but he’s ready to take a golden opportunity with both hands and join his brother Joshua Franco as a World champion.   “I’m very thankful for the opportunity to be fighting for the WBC World title,” said Rodriguez. “It’s always been a dream of mine to become World champion and that dream will become reality this weekend. I want to thank RGBA, Teiken, and Matchroom, without them this wouldn’t be possible. On Saturday night, San Antonio will have another World champion!”   Cuadras (39-4-1 27 KOs) was aiming to repeat his victory over Rungvisai where he ripped the green and gold belt from the Thai star in May 2014 in his Mexico homeland, but now the 33 year old refocuses on a new test in the young tyro Rodriguez.   It’s the second time that the Cuadras has tried to reclaim the throne and comes on the back of his last battle for the belt where he floored defending champion Estrada in the third round of his defense before the champion prevailed in Mexico in October 2020 – and he sends his well-wishes to his former foe while excited to still have the chance to become a World ruler again.   “I heard Rungvisai got sick, we arrived with my team last night to Phoenix, I hope he is stable and without complications,” said Cuadras. “For my part, I’m ready and grateful with Teiken, Matchroom and the WBC for the opportunity to fight Jesse, who is a good fighter.”   Rodriguez stepping in to take on Cuadras comes a week after another young star, Julio Cesar Martinez, set the tone by taking Juan Francisco Estrada’s place to tackle Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez in San Diego on March 5 in what promises to be an explosive clash – and Hearn echoed his words from that change in expecting both men to rise to a new challenge this weekend.   “Once again, my hat goes off to both Carlos, Jesse and their teams for making this happen,” said Hearn. “Both camps and fighters were quick to get this fight together after Srisaket was taken ill and unable to fight, and we wish him well.   “But what a fight we have in prospect. Carlos has the chance to become a two-time World champion and eye up the winner of the Chocolatito-Martinez fight, and Jesse has been chomping at the bit to get a World title shot and victory on Saturday night catapults him into the mix for huge fights in 2022.   “The lower weights always deliver, and fate may well have sent us another barn-burner to light up Phoenix on Saturday night.”   Cuadras and Rodriguez clash on a big night of action in Phoenix with more World title action on the card as Jamie Mitchell (7-0-2 4 KOs) makes the first defense of her WBA Bantamweight title against Carly Skelly (4-0-1).   Raymond Ford (10-0-1 6 KOs) defends his WBA Continental Featherweight title for the second time against Edward Vazquez (11-0 3 KOs), Fernando Diaz (10-1-1 3 KOs) was set to face Rodriguez but now meets unbeaten Phoenix man Lorenzo Smith (10-0 8 KOs) another new Matchroom Stateside signing Aaron Aponte (4-0 KOs) looks to extend his unbeaten start to life in the paid ranks against unbeaten Canadian Louis Jourdain (2-0 1 KO), Light Heavyweight talent Khalil Coe (1-0-1 1 KO) also meets Canadian opposition in the form of Stuart Twardzik (1-0-1 1 KO) and there’s a big stage for two Arizona fighters, Heavyweight Adam Stewart (12-1-1 8 KOs) and Middleweight Elijah Garcia (9-0 8 KOs).   Tickets starting at $20 are on sale now from Ticketmaster – fans that require refunds from the original headline fight should contact their point of purchase.

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Carlos Cuadras will reignite their rivalry with the vacant WBC World Super-Flyweight belt on the line at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday February 5, live worldwide on DAZN.
TICKETS STARTING AT $20 (PLUS FEES) ARE ON SALE AT 12PM MT AT TICKETMASTER.COM
The pair first met in May 2014 for the same title, with Cuadras claiming the crown via a unanimous technical decision following an accidental headclash in Mexico.

There’s more than just the WBC crown on the line for Rungvisai (50-5-1 43 KOs) and Cuadras (39-4-1 27 KOs), with the winner likely to be pitted against the winner of the March clash between Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, setting up more fireworks in the always exciting 115lb division.

Rungvisai heads into the bout on the back of three victories in Thailand following his clash with Estrada where he surrendered the WBC crown that he fights Cuadras for. Victory in the rematch in Phoenix would see the 35 year old win the green and gold strap for the third time and almost nine years since he first picked up that crown.

Cuadras ended Rungvisai’s reign on that occasion and the Mexican made six defenses of the title before Chocolatito took the crown in California in September 2016. It’s the second time that the 33 year old has tried to reclaim the throne and comes on the back of his last battle for the belt where he floored defending champion Estrada in the third round of his defense before the champion prevailed in Mexico in October 2020.

“I’m really looking forward to winning in this championship bout,” said Rungvisai. “I really want to become the first three-time WBC champion of Thailand. I also have an unfinished business with Juan Francisco Estrada. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Matchroom and DAZN for making this fight possible”. 

“I am very excited for this opportunity to fight for another world title,” said Cuadras. “We are sparring 3-4 different southpaws that have a similar style to Rungvisai. We are ready to win, and I am training very well in the high-altitude mountains of the ceremonial center in Otomi in México.

“I want to thank firstly God and Teiken, especially Mr. Honda who has never left me behind and always given me a hand in boxing. We will not disappoint come fight now and bring back another title for Mexico and Teiken.”

A stacked card in support of the rematch is led by Light-Flyweight sensation Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez as he closes in on World title action. Rodriguez (14-0 10 KOs) dispatched Jose Burgos in style inside four rounds in his last outing in Fresno in October, and the WBA #2 and WBO #4 will look to enhance his claim for world honors against an opponent to be named soon.

There’s more World title action on the card as Jamie Mitchell makes the first defense of her WBA Bantamweight title against Carly Skelly. Mitchell (7-0-2 4 KOs) claimed the strap in October in England by seeing off Shannon Courtenay via majority decision, with the belt only on the line for the American after then-champion Courtenay failed to make the weight. After winning the belt in Liverpool, Mitchell will defend the title against a Liverpudlian fighter, as Skelly (4-0-1) fights for her first World title having picked up the WBC International Super Bantamweight title at home against Dorota Norek in October, a year after a split draw against Amy Timlin for the Commonwealth crown.

Raymond Ford defends his WBA Continental Featherweight title for the second time against Edward Vazquez. Ford (10-0-1 6 KOs) impressed in his first defense in New York in November, stopping Felix Carabello in eight rounds to retain the belt he landed in England in August via a third round KO of Reece Bellotti. Unbeaten Texan Vazquez (11-0 3 KOs) will look to end Ford’s reign in Phoenix, and the 26 year old fights for his first title in his 12^th pro outing.

Matchroom’s latest Stateside signing Aaron Aponte (4-0 KOs) looks to extend his unbeaten start to life in the paid ranks against unbeaten Canadian Louis Jourdain (2-0 1 KO), Light Heavyweight talent Khalil Coe (1-0-1 1 KO) also meets Canadian opposition in the form of Stuart Twardzik (1-0-1 1 KO) and there’s a big stage for two Arizona fighters, Heavyweight Adam Stewart (12-1-1 8 KOs) and Middleweight Elijah Garcia (9-0 8 KOs).

“Srisaket and Carlos promises to be another brilliant Super-Flyweight World title battle,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Carlos got the better of Srisaket in their first fight seven years ago – and there’s no doubt in my mind that this will be a real fan-friendly war with so much at stake.

“The undercard is stacked with talent. Jesse is a World champion in waiting and is so exciting to watch, Jamie was terrific in beating Shannon in Liverpool and I know Carly will give everything to try to take the title back to England and Ray’s stock rises with every impressive win he notches. Aaron is our latest signing and one to watch, Khalil is looking to bounce back from a draw last time out and it’s a great opportunity for local guys Adam and Elijah to make an impression under the bright lights.”

Rungvisai and Cuadras headline the event that was initially due to be held at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, but logistical and operational issues mean the night moves venues but stays in Arizona and just a short distance to the downtown home of the Phoenix Suns. It’s a return to the venue for Matchroom where Daniel Jacobs defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in December 2019. A clash between Jessie Vargas and Liam Smith was slated to top the bill but the former tested positive for COVID forcing it to be postponed, with the fight set to be rescheduled.

NEW YORK–The weigh-in fight was more competitive then the actual fight. Jose Zepeda annihilated Josue Vargas in the opening frame of their junior welterweight fight at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Zepeda landed a short left to the head that froze Vragas, who immediately fell face first on the canvas. Vargas tried to get up and then crashed into the bottom rope. Vargas did eventually get to his feet but then ate a devastating barrage in the corner and the fight was stopped at 1:45.

Zepeda, 139.6 lbs of Long Beach, CA is 35-2 with 30 knockouts. Vragas, 139 lbs of Bronx, NY is 19-2.

JOSE ZEPEDA

“I was ready. I was 100 percent ready, and I told him in the press conference there’s levels to this. He was the one who wanted to fight me. I just accepted the fight, and it showed today that boxing is not a game in there. There’s levels to this.”

“I told him, and he probably knew I hit hard. I don’t think he recovered after that shot.”

“After the way he went down, I didn’t think {he’d recover}. He probably was going to head up, but he was going to be wobbly on his feet, and that’s what happened and I was able to finish him.”

“I’m 32 years old, and I’m in my prime. I want the WBC world title and all the belts, to be honest. I’m ready for it. I showed today I’m ready for the WBC world title.”

VARGAS

“He caught me with a good left hand, and I tried to recover, but I think I got up too fast. That’s what happened. Overall, I’m OK. I’m good. I’m healthy. We’re not stopping from here. It’s on to the next.”

“I learned from my disqualification loss, and now I learned from my second loss.”

“It’s part of the sport. The greatest athletes in boxing have losses. I’m not ashamed of myself. I’ll be back stronger, for sure.”

Sultan Knocks down Caraballo 4 times; Decisions Caraballo

Jonas Sulton pulled off an upset victory as he dropped previously perfect Carlos Caraballo and won a 10-round unanimous decision in a bantamweight fight.

In round two, Sultan dropped Caraballo with a flurry to the head. In round three, Sultan sent Caraballo to the deck again with a left right to the face. In round four, Caraballo came back to rock Sultan several times.

Sultan came back in round six as he sent Caraballo to the canvas with a left hook. In round eight, Caraballo began to rock Sultan with some hard left hooks and hurt his opponent several times. Sultan began to swell under his right eye, In round nine, Sultan seemed to have sealed the fight when he floored Caraballo with a hard counter right.

Sultan landed 92 of 480 punches; Caraballo was 137 of 352.

Sultan, 117.6 lbs of the Philippines won by scores of 94-93 on all cards and is now 18-5. Caraballo, 117.6 lbs of Puerto Rico is 14-1.

“This is boxing. This is war. And I came to win tonight. Caraballo is a tough man, but I wanted this one,” said Sultan

Carlos Jackson pounded out a eight-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Guzman in a junior featherweight bout.

Jackson landed 79 of 385 punches; Guzman 93 of 352.

Jackson, 123 lbs of Atlanta, GA won by scores of 78-74 and 77-75; Guzman won a card 77-75.

Jackson is now 18-1. Guzman, 123 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 24-2.

In a toe-to-toe war, Mathew Gonzalez and Dakota Linger stood chest to chest and wailed away on each other, and the six-round junior welterweight contest ended in a majority draw.

The two landed many hard blows, which included a sixth round that had the crowd on their feet as Linger made a furious stand and took the final round that got him the draw by scores of 58-56 for Gonzalez and 57-57 twice.

Gonzalez landed 150 of 522 punches; Linger was 122 of 509.

Gonzalez, 143 lbs of Ridgewood, NY is 12-0-1. Linger, 141.8 lbs of Buckhannon, WV is 12-5-3.

In a spirited and at times testy six-round welterweight bout, Pablo Valdez remained undefeated with a majority decision over Alejandro Martinez.

Valdez, 148.4 lbs of New York won by scores of 59-55 twice and 57-57 to go to 5-0. Martinez, 148.6 of East Los Angeles is 2-2-1.

Jahi Tucker stopped Jorge Rodrigo Sosa in round two of their scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

Tucker hurt Sosa several times during the fight and finished off with a hard combination in the corner that forced referee Shawn Clark to stop the bout at 2:18.

Tucker, 147.6 lbs of Deer Park, NY is 5-0 with three knockouts. Sosa, 145.2 lbs is 3-3.

Ray Cuadrado won a four-round unanimous decision over Michael Land in a junior lightweight contest.

Cuadrado, 129.6 lbs of Ridgewood, NY won by scores of 49=0-36 and 39-37 and is now 2-0. Land, 129.4 lbs of Dallas, TX is 1-4-1.

Kasir Goldston remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Marc Misiura in a junior welterweight fight.

In the final round, Misiura was docked a point for an intentional headbutt to the mouth.

Goldston, 142 lbs of Albany, NY won by scores of 40-35 on all cards and is now 4-0. Mislura, 142.2 lbs of Scranton, PA is 2-2.

NOTES—During the Caraballo-Sultan fight, the roof of the Hulu Theater began to shake due to a sold out concert featuring Harry Styles that was playing in the big room at Madison Square Garden.

By Bart Barry-

Friday in Mexico City in the co-main and main event of a DAZN card Nicaraguan Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez defended his WBA super flyweight title by lopsided decision over Mexican Israel “Jiga” Gonzalez, and Mexican “El Gallo” Juan Francisco Estrada defended his Ring super flyweight championship by stopping Mexican Carlos “Principe” Cuadras.  Rumor is, Chocolatito-Gallo 2 is next.  How blessed are we!

What a thrill it is to watch Chocolatito and to see other aficionados on Twitter, men whose opinion one respects, watching Chocolatito and their love for this brutal thing of ours and our love for the way Chocolatito does what he does.  May he continue to do so long as he wishes.

Three years since his brutal loss to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, three years and a title match and title defense in a division Rat King made him look far too small to compete in, Chocolatito forces us to consider it was a styles mismatch more than an illadvised curtain call that put him bellyup in Carson, Calif.  His matchmaking has been far carefuller since 2017, yes, but still he is beating larger and younger men in world-title matches, which a fraction of prizefighters in history can say.

Friday in the opening rounds of his match with Jiga, Chocolatito did what Papachenko wishes his son had done with a larger, younger man: jab with him, step inside his power, let years of mastery dictate the flow of his attack.  Chocolatito is a greater prizefighter and man than Vasyl Lomachenko because of the choices he makes, because he cannot abide not-knowing the way Lomachenko can.  It can never be said of Chocolatito “if only he’d started to attack earlier” because he attacks from every opening bell.  If that means he loses a vicious KO-by rather than what Mexicans call a “polemical decision” then he suffers that fate ungladly but surely.

It’s why he inspires a disproportionate love in his American admirers, men who have very little in common with a 115-pound Nicaraguan but stalk him nevertheless on YouTube and Tokyo broadcasts at various hours of the night and early morning, knowing there’s a purity in who Chocolatito is – respectful of every opponent’s humanity before and after every fight as he is disrespectful of their volition during – that is so different from what swindles American prizefighting and its swindler promoters and swindler networks and, yes, swindler fighters, too, give them.

What doesn’t stop being surprising is how little malice Chocolatito brings to the act of striking other men about their heads and bodies.  Maybe there’s viciousness in his heart masked adeptly by layers of professionalism and mastery.  That is doubtful.  Contempt, hatred, malice, viciousness – these things exact a tariff and a half on their bearers, sapping them, and does Chocolatito ever look tired? 

Friday he went out, removed his much longer opponent’s advantages of length and speed in three rounds then began to strike Jiga with nigh every punch in boxing’s lexicon, breathing metronomically as he did, looking at all times unperturbed.  When Chocolatito found he could no longer miss with his cross, after measuring Jiga for it early (inching his lead foot behind a blinding jab), he began to miss with it intentionally to cock his hips and shoulders for the lefthook to Jiga’s body.  At super flyweight Chocolatito no longer carries the concusiveness he did at lower weights, but he still has more than enough to break opponents’ wills.  Jiga looked little better than discouraged in his final 20 minutes with Chocolatito.

Soon after Chocolatito defended his title Gallo Estrada made a defense of his own against a considerably better opponent, countryman Carlos Cuadras, getting himself felled early, and finishing Cuadras, who’d never before been finished by anyone, not even semi-prime Chocolatito four years ago, in the 11th round of a fantastic scrap. 

Estrada is special.  Super flyweight would belong to him alone were it not for Chocolatito’s return in 2020.

After their matches Estrada, face badly swollen, and Chocolatito embraced, sat beside one another and conspired to have a rematch of their 2012 fight.  Estrada’s strongest words were for neither Chocolatito nor Cuadras but for his promoter, and his desire to get paid well for a rematch with Chocolatito.  Estrada got decisioned seven pounds and eight years ago by an ascendent master.  Estrada would immediately rise to 112 pounds and not lose again in 10 fights until an extremely close decision with Sor Rungvisai, three months after Rat King sent Chocolatito to a California hospital.  Estrada’s first fight with Sor Rungvisai was so good they had a rematch 14 months later.  Estrada won that, close but unanimous.

Which brings us to Chocolatito-Gallo 2, a rematch that almost certainly will happen and just as certainly will be fabulous.  Had they never fought before, odds should favor Estrada heavily; he has had better success against better fighters at super flyweight, he is the slightly larger man, he is today the quicker man of both foot and fist, and he is a masterful boxer.  They did fight before, though, and Estrada is fully cognizant of just how great Chocolatito is.  Too, Chocolatito’s style, volume-puncher, tends to unwind boxers like Estrada, no matter how good they be.

Chocolatito-Estrada 2 will be like only Chocolatito-Estrada 2.  Both men are originals.  No comparisons are needed.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Juan Francisco Estrada retained the WBC Super Flyweight title with an 11th round stoppage over Carlos Cuadras in a sensational fight that took place in Mexico City, Mexico.

The fight was a rematch of a contest that saw Estrada win a unanimous decision over Cuadras in 2017.

In round three, Cuadras landed a huge left hook that put Estrada down.

In round 10, Cuadras started to bleed over his right eye. In round 11, Estrada dropped Cuadras with a left hook. Later in the round, Cuadras was absorbing massive body shots, and then hit the deck from another flurry of punches. The two continued to bomb away at close quarters until the referee determined that Cuadras took too many blows at 2:22.

Estrada, 114.5 lbs of Sonora, MX will now most likely rematch Roman Gonzalez as his record is now 41-3 with 28 knockouts. Cuadras, 114.5 lbs of Sinaloa, MX is 39-4-1.

Chocolatito Decisions Israel Gonzalez; Retains Super Flyweight Title

Roman Gonzalez defended the WBA Super Flyweight title by pounding out a 12-round unanimous decision over Israel Gonzalez.

Roman Gonzalez was dominant as he got going in the 3rd round and never let up as he Israel had no answers to the volume punching of Chocolatito.

Roman Gonzalez, 114 lbs of Managua, NIC won by scores of 118-110, 116-112 and 117-111 to raise his Hall of Fame mark to 50-2. Israel Gonzalez, 114 lbs of Los Cabos, MEX is 25-4.

Martinez stops Calleros in 2 To Retain Flyweight Title

Julio Cesar Martinez retained the WBC Flyweight title with a 2nd round beatdown of Moises Calleros.

In round one, Martinez dropped Calleros with a left hook. In round two, Martinez landed a barrage of punches that included several crushing shots to the jaw, and Calleros was stopped on the ropes at 2:42.

Martinez, 111 lbs of Mexico City is 17-1-1 with 13 knockouts. Calleros, who was a late replacement came in over the 112 lbs weight-limit at 117.4 lbs, and the Monterrey, Mexico native is 34-10-1.

Diego Pacheco remained undefeated by knocking out Juan Antonio Mendez in round two of a scheduled six-round super middleweight.

In round two, Pacheco dropped Mendez with a sweet uppercut and the fight was stopped immediately at 2:02,

Pacheco, 167.2 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is 10-0 with eight knockouts. Mendez, 164.9 lbs of Mexico City is 12-3-2.

Austin Williams stopped Esau Herrera in round five of a scheduled six-round middleweight bout.

Williams was in tough until he landed a hard left that rocked Herrera, and the fight was stopped at 1:36.

Williams, 160 lbs of Houston is now 6-0 with five knockouts. Herrera, 157.6 lbs of Mexico City is 19-12-1.

Otha Jones III and Kevin Montiel fought to a six-round split-draw in a super featherweight contest featuring undefeated fighters.

Scores were 58-56 each way an 57-57.

Jones, 130 lbs of Toledo, OH is 5-0-1. Montiel, 130 lbs of Mexico is 6-0-1.

Juan Francisco Estrada insists he is fully focused on his WBC World Super-Flyweight title defense against Carlos Cuadras tonight at TV Azteca Studios in Mexico City, Mexico, live on DAZN. 

Estrada (40-3 27 KOs) meets Cuadras in a rematch of their closely fought first battle in September 2017, and should Estrada retain his title and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez prevail in his WBA World Super-Flyweight title defense against Israel Gonzalez this evening, the pair will clash in a hotly-anticipated rematch in early 2021.

Cuadras (39-3-1 27 KOs) says he has learned lessons from the first fight and has promised a war, but ‘El Gallo’ is ready to meet fire with fire, and revealed injuries had him underprepared for their first battle.

“It was a great fight without a doubt, it was very close,” said Estrada. “Carlos was a World champion, he’s not just any opponent, thank God we came out with the victory. I learned that in those title fights, in those World title elimination fights, you have to give your all, no matter who the opponent is. I think that in this second fight against him, we’ll show things with more clarity. 

“It’s been nearly three years since that fight, I’ve had other fights and you never stop learning. We’ve been studying and we’ve watched my first fight with him. More than anything I learned that I have to train at 100 per cent. I only trained at 50 or 60 per cent for that fight, but I wasn’t fully healthy, I had some injuries and now, thank God, I don’t have any injuries and I’m at 100 per cent. So, if he wins, he’s better than me, but I really doubt it. I think we’re well prepared both mentally and physically. 

“First and foremost, I am focused on getting past Carlos which is the priority. If we both win it looks like there’s a 90 per cent chance, we’re going into a fight with Chocolatito. It’s already been eight years since the first fight and a lot of people are calling for the rematch, I’m excited for it and I really hope it happens next year. 

“I have two other losses and I avenged them both, that’s the only one left to avenge and I hope it happens soon. The truth is we’ve both changed a lot, it’s been eight years and I think we’re both really experienced. Now we’re both World champions too, it would be a great unification fight. It was at Light-Flyweight and I was at Flyweight at the time I went down for the opportunity for a World title. 

“I was 21 years old; I was inexperienced fighting against the best Flyweight and pound-for-pound fighter. Now, with the World titles I’ve won, I’ve gained experience and strength. I’m at Super-Flyweight, two weight classes higher, I think we’ve both adapted to this weight class, we’ve both won World titles, it would be a better fight than the first. It’s a fight that the people would really enjoy. 

“I’m really happy to finally be able to fight after one year and two months. It’s been sad more than anything, because there has been a lot of inactivity, not necessarily for me but for everyone in general. It’s been pretty hard. Thanks God things are slowly getting back to normal. But there are still people coming out with positive COVID test and we have to take care of ourselves.”

Estrada’s clash with Cuadras is part of a huge night of action in Mexico City, topped by a triple header of mouthwatering World title action.

Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (49-2 41 KOs) defends his WBA World Super-Flyweight title against Israel Gonzalez  (25-3 11 KOs) – with Estrada and Chocolatito on a collision course for a rematch should they both emerge victorious – and Julio Cesar Martinez (16-1 12 KOs) will now defend his WBC World Flyweight title against Moises Calleros (33-9-1 17 KOs).

Three of Eddie Hearn’s young tyros make their return to action on the bill, with Diego Pacheco (9-0 7 KOs) boxing for the tenth time in the paid ranks, Austin Williams (5-0 4 KOs) making a second foray outside the States in his sixth pro fight and Otha Jones III (5-0 2 KOs) also boxing for the sixth time as a pro.

Carlos Cuadras has been waiting patiently to get his revenge on Juan Francisco Estrada and now his moment has arrived as they clash for Estrada’s WBC World Super-Flyweight title on Friday night at TV Azteca Studios in Mexico City, Mexico, live on DAZN.
 
Cuadras (39-3-1 27 KOs) and Estrada first met in September 2019 in Los Angeles, with Estrada edging Cuadras out by a point on the cards, with a knockdown in the tenth round proving decisive. 
 
For Estrada, a successful defense of his belt will lead to a long-awaited rematch with Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez in 2021, but Cuadras is eyeing a rematch with the former pound for pound king himself after they boxed in September 2016, and says he’s got his gameplan right this time to level the score with ‘El Gallo’.
 
“This is the fight I have been waiting for,” said Cuadras. “I am better prepared this time. I’m throwing a lot of punches in training. I’m throwing 12 rounds of sparring with three different guys. I’m doing a lot of mitt sessions.
 
“I think I’m going to arrive very fast and invincible and I’m going to give the Rooster his medicine. So, let the Rooster take care because I’m going to tear his head off. It’s going to be an honor to win The Ring magazine and WBC belt as well. 
 
“He can be a slow starter, but once he is in a rhythm, he is harder to fight. He’s good to the body and he has a good right hand, that’s the punch he put me down with in our first fight. I gave it my all in the first rounds, so I lost my energy for the second half, I went too hard from the start.
 
“He’s not going to get the rematch with Chocolatito – I am going to get my rematch with him, because people saw that I won that fight.”
 
Cuadras’ clash with Estrada is part of a huge night of action in Mexico City, topped by a triple header of mouthwatering World title action.
 
Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (49-2 41 KOs) defends his WBA World Super-Flyweight title against Israel Gonzalez  (25-3 11 KOs) – with Estrada and Chocolatito on a collision course for a rematch should they both emerge victorious – and Julio Cesar Martinez (16-1 12 KOs) will now defend his WBC World Flyweight title against Moises Calleros (33-9-1 17 KOs).
 
Three of Eddie Hearn’s young tyros make their return to action on the bill, with Diego Pacheco (9-0 7 KOs) boxing for the tenth time in the paid ranks, Austin Williams (5-0 4 KOs) making a second foray outside the States in his sixth pro fight and Otha Jones III (5-0 2 KOs) also boxing for the sixth time as a pro. 

Lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury had to fight through a horrible cut, but still was able to retain his undefeated record and title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Otto Wallin at The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In round three, Fury was cut over his right eye. The cut was caused by a left hand in the corner. In round six, the doctor took a look at the cut, which was worsening by the round and seriously put the perfect record of Fury in jeopardy. Fury showed his mettle as he was able to win a mjority of the rounds with his punch out put.

Wallin made a last stand in the final frame as he may have slightly hurt Fury, but it was too little-too late as Fury, 254.4 lbs of Manchester, ENG won by scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112 to raise his mark to 29-0-1. Wallin, 236 of New York vis Sweden is 20-1-1.

The win for Fury sets up an early 2020 Showdown rematch with WBC champion Deontay Wilder.

Emanuel Navarrete retained the WBO Junior Featherweight title with a 4th round stoppage over Jose Miguel Elorde.

In round three, Navarrete landed a left that wobbled Elorde on the ropes that was ruled a knockdown. In round for, Elorde tried to make a stand as he landed a right hand, nut ate a vicious left, and the bout was stopped at 26 seconds.

Navarrete, 121.8 lbs of Mexico City is 29-1 with 25 knockouts. Elorde, 121.2 lbs of Philippines is 28-2.

Jose Zepeda scored the biggest win of his career by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza in a junior welterweight fight.

Zepeda, 139.4 lbs of La Puente, CA won by scores of 97-93 on all cards, and is now 31-2-2. Pedraza, 139.5 lbs of Cidra, PR os 26-3.

Former world champion Carlos Cuadras had a tough outing, but won a 10-round majority decision over Jose Maria Cardenas in a super flyweight battle.

Cuadras, 115 lbs of Guamuami, MX won by scores of 96-94 twice and 95-95 to raise his mark to 39-3-1. Cardenas, 115 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 17-5.

Isaac Lowe remained undefeated by winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Ruben Garcia Hernandez.

Lowe, 127 lbs of Morecombe, UK won by scores of 78-74 and 77-75 twice to raise his mark to 19-0-3. Hernandez, 127 1/2 lbs of Cancun, MX is 25-5-2.

Gabriel Flores Jr. remained perfect by pounding out a six-round unanimous decision over Miguel Angel Aispuro in a junior lightweight bout.

Flores, 132 lbs of Stockton, CA won by shutout scores of 60-54 on all cards, and is now 15-0. Aispuro, 132 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 12-9-2.

Iskander Kharson stopped Isidro Ochoa after round five of their scheduled eight-round super bantamweight bout featuring undefeated fighter.

Kharson dropped Ochoa with a hard right in the 5th frame, and after the round, Ochoa’s trainer Robert Garcia pulled the plug on the fight.

Kharson, 122 1/2 lbs of Henderson, NV is 7-0 with six knockouts. Ochoa, 122 lbs of Fresno, CA is 7-1.

Former WBC super flyweight champion Carlos Cuadras, from Mexico, has been temporarily suspended by the WBC and has entered a rehabilitation program for drugs and alcohol abuse.

Carlos has entered a program in which he is accepting to, once and for all, eradicate his unfortunate addiction to recreational drugs and alcohol.

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman spoke at length with Carlos and expressed the WBC’s absolute support during this process.

Carlos has always been closely associated with the WBC throughout his professional career which began in March 2010. He has won several WBC affiliated titles, including, Youth, Continental Americas and Silver, and then conquered the Green and Gold glory by defeating current champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and made six title defenses before losing his WBC championship in a very close fight to Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

Carlos admitted that fame, glory and money, which come from success in the ring, haunted him and he slowly became weak to the temptations and peer pressure from his pseudo friends.

“I am convinced that I will win this battle. I have a wife and a son to support and I represent my country. I need to find the strength, with the help of God, to find a cure to this horrible nightmare as I have lived in hell. But I am a champion and will be victorious,” said Cuadras.

He added, “I never failed a test in boxing. I respected the sport, but my usage in my private life, between fights, certainly affected my career in the sport I love. I am very thankful to those who have supported me during the difficult times. I am embarrassed and apologize to the public and to the sport but beg you to give me one last opportunity.”

The WBC will follow Carlos Cuadras’ progress and will be in his corner in full support with the confidence that he will overcome adversity.

HBO Sports returns to the vibrant flyweight ranks with an action-packed tripleheader when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI VS. JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA AND CARLOS CUADRAS VS. MCWILLIAMS ARROYO AND DONNIE NIETES VS. JUAN CARLOS REVECO is seen SATURDAY, FEB. 24 at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT) from the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

The fights will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

Last Sept. 9, HBO BOXING AFTER DARK presented a tripleheader lineup that featured four of the top-ranked super flyweights in an event that became known as “Superfly.” Now, “Superfly 2” spotlights three of that night’s combatants, plus a red-hot flyweight title bout.

The main event showcases two winners from September, as Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (44-4-1, 30 KOs) of Si Sa Ket, Thailand defends his super flyweight title against former flyweight titlist Juan Francisco Estrada (36-2, 25 KOs) of Hermosillo Sonora, Mexico in a scheduled 12-round bout. Sor Rungvisai is coming off a remarkable 2017 in which he soared to the top of the 115-pound division with stunning back-to-back victories over pound-for-pound ace Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. Estrada, who won a unanimous decision over Carlos Cuadras in September, is on a ten-bout win streak since his 2012 championship loss to Gonzalez and is the top-ranked mandatory challenger.

In the co-main event, Mexico City’s Carlos Cuadras (36-2-1, 27 KOs) returns to take on McWilliams Arroyo (16-3, 14 KOs) from Fajardo, Puerto Rico in a scheduled ten-round super flyweight bout. Looking to get back on a winning streak, Cuadras has never avoided a challenge, having turned in memorable, explosive performances against “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in 2016 and Juan Francisco Estrada in 2017. Arroyo, a 2008 Olympian, is moving up from flyweight to compete in one of boxing’s most competitive divisions. He established himself by going toe-to-toe with Gonzalez in 2016.

The evening opens with a flyweight showdown as Donnie Nietes (40-1-4, 22 KOs) from Bacolod City, Philippines takes on Juan Carlos Reveco (39-3, 19 KOs) of Las Heras, Argentina in a scheduled 12-round title contest. Making his first title defense, Nietes is undefeated since 2004; including three draws, he hasn’t lost in 32 fights. A former three-time champion making his first U.S. appearance, Reveco has faced stiff challenges before, including his 2015 bout with Kazuto Ioka.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of HBO Sports is Rick Bernstein; producer, Dave Harmon; director, Johnathan Evans.

® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Los Angeles, CA (December 12, 2017) Following the outstanding response to SUPERFLY 2 being announced last week, a sensational ten-round super flyweight clash has been added with former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion, CARLOS “Principe” CUADRAS, (36-2-1, 27 KO’s), of Mexico City, MX facing hard-hitting, two-time world title challenger MC WILLIAMS ARROYO, (16-3, 14 KO’s), of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, on Saturday, February 24 from the Forum in Los Angeles, CA, televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for SUPERFLY 2, priced at $250, $150, $100, $60 and $30 are now on sale and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office. The Forum is located at 3900 W. Manchester Blvd, Inglewood CA 90305.

SUPERFLY 2 is headlined by WBC Super Flyweight World Champion SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI, (43-4-1, 39 KO’s), of Si Sa Ket, Thailand, defending his title over 12-rounds for the second time against former world champion and #1 ranked mandatory challenger JUAN FRANCISCO “El Gallo” ESTRADA, (36-2, 25 KO’s), of Sonora, Mexico.

“We’re very excited to add this classic matchup of Mexico vs. Puerto Rico to the SUPERFLY 2 HBO triple header in what will be one of the most entertaining boxing events of 2018,” said TOM LOEFFLER of 360 Promotions.

“Carlos Cuadras has proved to be one of the most exciting and most popular fighters in boxing over the last couple of years with his action-packed fights being telecast on HBO. His close fight with Roman Gonzalez last year at the Forum was a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate as was his war with Juan Francisco Estrada at the first SUPERFLY event on September 9.”

“In April 2016, McWilliams Arroyo had a spectacular fight with then #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter and Flyweight World Champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez and we expect another thrilling fight against Carlos Cuadras on February 24.”

“With previous fights against “Chocolatito”, Cuadras and Williams both know what it takes to face the best in the world and will be very highly motivated for victory on February 24.”

Stated Cuadras, “This is exactly what I want, to fight the best fighters in the division on the biggest stages. I love fighting in Los Angeles and for this fight I’m planning on training in Big Bear Lake, California with Abel Sanchez. If I win this fight I’ll be one step closer to getting my title back. I can’t be stopped in 2018 and will be a world champion once again.”

“My fight with “Chocolatito” was a great experience,” said Arroyo. “I loved fighting at the Forum with its loud and passionate fans and history of great fights particularly in the lower weight classes. I can’t wait to get to Los Angeles to face Cuadras.”

Defending his WBC Super Flyweight World Title, Cuadras made his HBO and Los Angeles area debut on September 10, 2016 at the Forum in a memorable 12-round war with then three-division world champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez.

With boxing fans on their feet throughout the battle waving Mexican and Nicaraguan flags, Cuadras and Gonzalez would clash in an epic 12-round battle that echoed the historic fights that have been held at the iconic venue over the last 43 years. Coming up just short on the scorecards, Cuadras has vowed to regain his belt in 2018.

The 29-year-old Cuadras successfully bounced back into the win column on March 18, 2017 at Madison Square Garden with a 10-round unanimous decision over David Carmona on the HBO Pay-Per-View undercard of the World Middleweight Championship between Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs.

Most recently, Cuadras and fellow Mexican warrior and former flyweight world champion Juan Francisco Estrada had the packed house on their feet at the StubHub Center on September 9 during their extraordinary 12-round battle won by Estrada at the initial SUPERFLY event.

Arroyo first challenged for the world title traveling to Thailand in 2014 where he lost a highly controversial split decision to Amnat Ruenroeng for the IBF World Flyweight Title.

Returning to Puerto Rico, Arroyo would stop Victor Ruiz in the third round on April 11, 2015 in San Juan. Back in the win column, Arroyo challenged ‘Chocolatito’ for the WBC Flyweight World Title on April 23, 2016 at the Forum losing to the then #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter.

SUPERFLY 2 is presented by Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions in association with Nakornluong Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Cuadras vs. Arroyo is presented in association with Promociones del Pueblo and PR Best Boxing.

Additional information on this tremendous night of world class professional boxing will be announced shortly.

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Srisaket Sor Rungvisai retained the WBC Super Flyweight title with a 4th round knockout over Roman Gonzalez at The StubHub Center in Carson, California.

Rungvisai consistently beat Gonzalez to the punch when the two stood toe-to-toe in the center of the ring.  Gonzalez looked a bit slower then in recent fights, where he was considered pound for pound the best fighter in the world.

In round four, Rungvisai landed a right hook that sent Gonzalez to the deck.  Gonzalez seemed to steady himself only to eat another right hook that sent him plummeting to  the canvas, and the fight was immediately stopped at 1:18.

Runvisai, 115 lbs of Si Sa Ket, THA is now 44-4-1 with 40 knockouts.  Gonzalez, 114.8 lbs of Managua, NIC is

Nayoya Inoue made an impressive American debut by stopping Antonio Nieves after round six to retain the WBO Super Flyweight title.46-2-1.

Inoue was dominant, and in round five, he landed a vicious left hook to the body that sent Nieves to the canvas.  Inoue continued to pound Nieves, and after round six, Nieves’ corner mercifully stopped the bout.

Inoue, 115 lbs of Yokohama, JAP is now 14-0 with 12 knockouts.  Nives, 113.8 lbs of Cleveland, OH is 17-2-2.

Juan Francisco Estrada won a 12-round unanimous decision over Carlos Cuadras in a battle of former world champions.

Cuadras came out boxing and controlled the early rounds.  the fight started to turn in round six, as he started to land hard power shots that rocked Cuadras.

In round two, Estrada landed a perfect straight right that sent Cuadras to the canvas.  Estrada came on late to take the late rounds and come from behind to win on all cards by 114-113 scores.

Estrada, 114.8 lbs of Puerto Penasco, Mexico is now 36-2.  Cuadras, 114.6 lbs of Mexico City is 36-2-1.

Follow all the action as Srisaket Sor Rungvisai defends the WBC Super Flyweight title in a highly anticipated rematch with 4-division champion Roman Gonzalez.  The action kicks off at 10:15 ET / 7:15 PT / 9:15 am Sunday in Thailand and 8:15 PM in Managua with a two fight undercard as Naoua Inoue defends the WBO Super Flyweight title against Antonio Nieves and Carlos Cuadras takes on Juan Francisco Estrada in an All-Mexican Super Flyweight showdown.

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED.  THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY  

Round 1: Accidental headbutt/no cuts…Straight left from Rungvisai

Round 2 Gonzalez being aggressive…combinatons..Good right…

Round 3  Tremendous toe to toe action..Hard right from Gonzalez…hard left from Rungvisai..

Round 4 Body work from Rungvisai…HARD RIGHT HOOK AND DOWN GOES GONZALEZ…HARD RIGHT AND DOWN GOES GONZALEZ AGAIN…HE IS KNOCKED OUT

Round 1: Jab-right hand from Inoue…1-2…Hard 3 punch combination..Hard left from Nieves..Body shot from Inoue..

Round 2 Right from Nieves to the body..right…Jab from Inoue..2 body shots..Body shots from Nieves..Body shot from Inoue..Right..left to body..combination

Round 3 Uppercut from Inoue..Body shots..3 punch combination

Round 4  Inoue lands a left to the body..another one..

Round 5:  LEFT TO THE BODY AND DOWN GOES NIEVES..Hard left hooks

Round 6:  good right from Inoue..Left hooks to the body..Right and left to the head..Vicious right...FIGHT STOPPED AFTER THE ROUND

Round 1: Body work from Cuadras

Round 2 Combination from Cuadras…Counter right from Estrada

Round 3 Left hook from Cuadras…Jab..Combination..1-2…Left hook from Estrada..Left hook

Round 4 2 left hook from Cuadras…

Round 5 Hard uppercut from Estrada..Counter right from Cuadras…Left hook..Good left hook from Estrada..Right..Body shots and left hook from Cuadras..

Round 6 Hard jab from Estrada..Hard 1-2..Right..left hook..Big right from Cuadras..Big right from Estrada..

Round 7 Hard right from Estrada..Hard flush right..Uppercut from Cuadras..Good right

Round 8 Straight right and jab..left hook to body from Estrada..Right from Cuadras..Good body shots…Good right from Estrada..

Round 9 Uppercut from Cudras..Good right…combination and right hand…

Round 10 Hard right from Estrada..HARD RIGHT AND DOWN GOES CUADRAS..2 Hard right hands…Right…Cuadras lands a lopping right

Round 11 Good left hook from Estrada..Body shot from Cuadras..Good left from Estrada..Left hook from Cuadras..Left hook inside for Estrada..Big left hook..

Round 12: Good right from Estrada..Big left hook..Combination from Cuadras…Hard right over the ropes from Estrada..Left hook from Cuadras…

114-113 on ALL CARDS FOR  JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA

 

HBO BOXING AFTER DARK presents a must-see tripleheader featuring the four top-ranked super flyweights in the world when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI VS. ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ AND NAOYA INOUE VS. ANTONIO NIEVES AND CARLOS CUADRAS VS. JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA is seen SATURDAY, SEPT. 9 at 10:15 p.m. (ET/PT) from StubHub Center in Carson, Cal. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

The fights will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

The main event features the sport’s most anticipated rematch when Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (43-4-1, 39 KOs) defends his super flyweight title against Nicaragua’s Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (46-1, 38 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round bout. The two 30-year-old ring warriors are set to wage war again just six months after their thrilling back-and-forth fight at Madison Square Garden, which resulted in the title changing hands and Gonzalez losing his undefeated record via a controversial majority decision. Sor Rungvisai used his unconventional southpaw style to capture his first world title and now hopes to defend it successfully in just his second U.S. fight, while former four-division champion Gonzalez seeks to avenge his first pro defeat in his sixth HBO appearance.

In the co-main event, Naoya Inoue (13-0, 11 KOs) of Yokohama, Japan, defends his share of the super flyweight title against Cleveland’s Antonio Nieves (17-1-2, 9 KOs) in scheduled 12-round bout. Inoue, 24, makes his U.S. debut following a fast start to his pro career, having captured a world title in just his sixth professional fight and successfully defended his super flyweight title five times. Nieves, 30, is making his first bid for a world title and looks to disrupt Inoue’s campaign in the 115-pound division.

In the opening bout, former world champions from Mexico square off when Carlos Cuadras (36-1-1, 27 KOs) of Mexico City takes on Juan Francisco Estrada (35-2, 25 KOs) of Sonora in a scheduled 12-round super flyweight contest. Cuadras, 28, and Estrada, 27, have both lost to Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, and are seeking a shot at a piece of the super flyweight title.

Immediately following the live boxing action, HBO Sports presents the second episode of 24/7 Canelo-Golovkin, which previews the September 16 pay-per-view mega fight matchup. (Click here to Watch Episode 1)

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Thomas Odelfelt; director, Johnathan Evans.

® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

By Bart Barry-

Nicaraguan super flyweight Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez seeks to avenge his career’s first loss against Thailand’s Wisaksil “Srisaket Sor Rungvisai” Wangek in the main event of this Saturday’s extraordinary “Superfly” card in Carson, Calif., a card HBO will broadcast and in so doing stake an unlikely and indisputable claim to 2017’s best boxing broadcast. The comain will have Japan’s Naoya “The Monster” Inoue making his first match in the U.S. And the co-comain will have yet another 115-pound man, Mexican Carlos “Principe” Cuadras, whose claim as the world’s best super flyweight is not an unreasonable one, making combat with countryman Juan Francisco Estrada.

Frankly it’s an honor to cover a card of this quality. A quick query to the memory brings back a nullset of a better constructed threematch finale to a card I’ve attended – though Barrera-Juarez II in 2006 comes tumbling forward on the virtue of what Israel Vazquez did to Jhonny Gonzalez in the co-comain (while Marco Antonio Barrera bemused Rocky Juarez too thoroughly in the main to make the card actually historic, despite its fine construction).

Most importantly it could be the last chance to see a historic prizefighter like Chocolatito in the mainevent of a consequential card. Whatever happens Saturday Chocolatito is unlikely to retire and stay retired, a more likely occurrence is that long past the viable economics of the act Chocolatito’ll continue to work for backwages in a futile bid to do things the Money way, and he’s too good and decent for that to be a thing worth traveling to Los Angeles or Managua to witness.

The march upwards in weightclass and age is too much for any man to endure flawlessly much past his 40th fight or 30th year if he weighs less than 120 pounds, and in March Sor Rungvisai played reminder of this much as its cause. Chocolatito did more to accomplish less against Sor Rungvisai than any Sor Rungvisai predecessor and being reminded of it exhausted Gonzalez till the ratio trebled but still Chocolatito spun and whacked and resisted what disbelief surely came thumping. If there were special preparations Sor Rungvisai made for Chocolatito he did not betray them; perhaps his fruitfullest tactic was treating a legend like a shortnotice swingbout replacement to be butted and beaten as whim bade.

Whatever the weighting supposedly be, a good metric for ring generalship, that squirrely criterion with which we justify our biases when scoring rounds that’re close, is: Who files first appeal to the referee? who petitions an official’s intervention in lieu of making justice with his proper fists?

In March it was Chocolatito and an unfailingly bad sign. If Sor Rungvisai’s heady comportment was less than purely sporting Chocolatito’s conduct was more worrisome. Great fighters are dirty fighters and Chocolatito is a great fighter by this measure and every other but in March Chocolatito was a statesman, and offended too. He knew what Sor Rungvisai did was not accidental but once referee Steve Willis refused to be more officious than a point’s deduction from the Thai’s tally Chocolatito needed to remedy fouls with fouls, as craft told him he should, but Chocolatito did not and did something oh so much worse: He let selfindulgence touch him a touch.

Such indulgence begets brutalization and it surely did in March. Chocolatito’s face and head was an ugly mess by the concluding bell. What stung worse than his first career loss coming at the hands and head of an unclassed brute like Sor Rungvisai was Chocolatito’s realizing he’d have to face the man again and immediately if he chose not to retire – something like what the late Vernon Forrest felt the day after losing to Ricardo Mayorga. If Sor Rungvisai did not inflict the same mental cruelty on Chocolatito as Mayorga did Forrest he distributed a commensurate physical cruelty that would render a lesser man cautious in rematch.

Fortunately for Chocolatito there is only one strategy in the ring and a startling array of tactics for employing it – endeavor to attrition any man toeing the line before you. He expected Sor Rungvisai to fold of his own discouragement and got surprised when Sor Rungvisai did not. Class did not tell ultimately in March because it got thwarted by Sor Rungvisai’s fouling and obliviousness of his opponent’s class, which may be a roundabout way of writing class, of a certain sort, did indeed tell.

Expect Chocolatito to be the offender Saturday; if Sor Rungvisai did not pack a cup packed with reinforced beltline padding for his trip from Thailand he will regret it; Chocolatito will be targeting that beltline and a few inches above and below it from the opening bell until he is told to stop and after he is told to stop until a point gets deducted and maybe after that, too. Accustomed to enjoying benefits of all scoring doubts in his career’s 27 or so championship matches Chocolatito did not expect to lose March’s decision and now says in a convincing tone he intends to strip Sor Rungvisai of his fitness to continue, and if so, what difference will a point deduction in round 3 and another in round 8 matter?

There’s a genuine possibility, though, Chocolatito’s belting Sor Rungvisai early and often will not avenge his first loss. Sor Rungvisai well may have Chocolatito’s number; he well may have too much physicality and chin and derringdo for this 30-year-old, 115-pound iteration of Nicaragua’s second alltime great, remanding Gonzalez to retirement but leaving HBO with enough pieces – in Sor Rungvisai and Cuadras and Inoue, at least – to make an historic unification of the super flyweight division.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 2, 2017) WBC Super Flyweight World Champion SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI, (42-4-1, 38 KO’s), of Si Sa Ket, Thailand and former WBC Super Flyweight Champion ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ, (46-1-0, 38 KO’s), both weighed in within the required WBC 7-day weight limit ahead of their highly anticipated rematch set for Saturday, September 9 from the legendary StubHub Center in Carson, California and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

From his training camp in Thailand, Rungvisai weighed in at 119lbs. while Gonzalez tipped the scales in Japan at 119.8lbs. Both fighters were required to weigh-in at 121lbs. or under per the World Boxing Council.

Opening the telecast, former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion CARLOS “PRINCIPE” CUADRAS, (36-1-1, 27 KO’s)) of Mexico City will battle fellow rival countrymen and former flyweight world champion JUAN FRANCISCO “EL GALLO” ESTRADA, (35-2-0, 25 KO’s) of Sonora, Mexico in a 12-round WBC Super Flyweight Title Eliminator.

Both warriors were also within the WBC 7-day weight limit from their respective training camps in Mexico with Cuadras tipping the scales at 119.9lbs. and Estrada at 121lbs.

Co-featured on the outstanding “SUPERFLY” card is the United States debut of NAOYA “THE MONSTER” INOUE, (13-0-0, 11 KO’s) of Yokohama, Japan defending his WBO Super Flyweight Title against top contender ANTONIO “CARITA” NIEVES, (17-1-2, 9 KO’s) of Cleveland, Ohio.

Remaining tickets for “SUPERFLY” are now on sale priced at $250 and $150, both of which have very limited availability, in addition to $100 and $60. The $30 price range is sold out. All ticket prices are plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges. Tickets can be purchased at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849), and at StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, call 877-234-8425. Doors will open on the night of the event at 3:30 p.m. PT with the first bell at 4:00 p.m. PT.

The StubHub Center is located at 18400 Avalon Blvd., Carson CA, 90746 on the campus of California State University – Dominguez Hills. For directions and further information please visit their website at www.StubHubCenter.com

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LOS ANGELES, CA (August 9, 2017) Former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion CARLOS “PRINCIPE” CUADRAS, (36-1-1, 27 KO’s), of Mexico City and fellow rival countryman and former Flyweight World Champion JUAN FRANCISCO “EL GALLO” ESTRADA, (35-2-0, 25 KO’s), of Sonora, Mexico both weighed in within the required 30-day weight limit ahead of their 12-round WBC Super Flyweight Title Eliminator clash set for Saturday, September 9 from the legendary StubHub Center in Carson, California and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

From his training camp in Mexico, Cuadras weighed in at 124.4lbs. while Estrada tipped the scales also in Mexico at 125.4lbs. Both fighters were required to weigh-in at 127lbs or under per the World Boxing Council.

The Cuadras/Estrada battle is part of the historic “SUPERFLY” card, one of the most anticipated shows of the year featuring six of the top super flyweights in the world.

Headlining “SUPERFLY” is the highly anticipated rematch between WBC Super Flyweight World Champion SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI, (42-4-1, 38 KO’s), of Si Sa Ket, Thailand and former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ, (46-1-0, 38 KO’s). The fight follows their epic 2017 ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate this past March 18 at Madison Square Garden won by Rungvisai.

Co-featured on the outstanding “SUPERFLY” card is the United States debut of NAOYA “THE MONSTER” INOUE, (13-0-0, 11 KO’s) of Yokohama, Japan defending his WBO Super Flyweight Title against top contender ANTONIO “CARITA” NIEVES, (17-1-2, 9 KO’s) of Cleveland, Ohio.

Also featured on the off-TV undercard is four-time world champion in two weight divisions, “THE HAWAIIAN PUNCH”, BRIAN VILORIA (37-5-0, 22 KO’s) who will compete in an eight round super flyweight battle against an opponent to be announced shortly.

Remaining tickets for “SUPERFLY” are now on sale priced at $250 and $150, both of which have very limited availability, in addition to $100 and $60. The $30 price range is sold out. All ticket prices are plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges. Tickets can be purchased at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849), and at StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, call 877-234-8425. Doors will open on the night of the event at 3:30 p.m. PT with the first bell at 4:00 p.m. PT.

The StubHub Center is located at 18400 Avalon Blvd., Carson CA, 90746 on the campus of California State University – Dominguez Hills. For directions and further information please visit their website at www.StubHubCenter.com

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 6, 2017) Southern California’s iconic outdoor boxing venue, The StubHub Center in Carson, California, home to numerous legendary nights of action over the last decade, will play host to the highly anticipated “SUPERFLY” triple header set for Saturday, September 9, it was announced today by TOM LOEFFLER, Managing Director of K2 PROMOTIONS.

Tickets for “SUPERFLY” will go on sale Tomorrow, Friday, July 7 at 12:00 p.m. PT and are priced at $250, $150, $100, $60 and $30, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges. Tickets can be purchased at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849), and at StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, call 877-234-8425. Doors will open on the night of the event at 3:30 p.m. PT with the first bell at 4:00 p.m. PT.

“Since we announced this extraordinary triple header a couple weeks ago, the fans have demanded it take place at their favorite venue for action, and we are excited to confirm the show will take place at the StubHub Center” said Loeffler. “We look forward to another magical night on September 9 for what many fans and media feel is the best card of 2017.”

“This event will be a little less than four years since we promoted the Gennady Golovkin vs. Marco Antonio Rubio fight at The Stubhub Center, one of the most remarkable evenings in recent years that broke the boxing attendance record and we look forward to another memorable event on September 9.”

“I have to give a great deal of credit to the six promoters I worked with to put this event together; Teiken Promotions, Nakornloung Promotion, Ohashi Promotions, Salita Promotions, Promociones del Pueblo and Zanfer Promotions. The cooperative spirit of all parties was the key in putting together this outstanding, world-class international card.”

“Additionally I’d like to thank the team at the StubHub Center and Dan Beckerman of AEG for their help in presenting this event.”

Televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT, “SUPERFLY” is headlined by the WBC Super Flyweight World Champion SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI, (43-4-1, 39 KO’s), of Si Sa Ket, Thailand, defending his title against former champion “ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ (46-1-0, 38 KO’s), of Managua, Nicaragua, in a rematch of their epic battle this past March.

On March 18, 2017, ‘Chocolatito’, universally recognized at the time as The #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and holder of the WBC Super Flyweight Title, battled Srisaket Sor Rungivisai in front of a massive crowd at ‘The Mecca of Boxing’, Madison Square Garden.

Despite being dropped in the first round, the valiant ‘Chocolatito’ battled back in a brutal war that included a tremendous amount of hard-hitting from both combatants along with a number of head butts due to the aggressive styles of the orthodox champion and southpaw challenger.

Sor Rungvisai was declared the winner by controversial majority decision, 114-112, 114-112 and 113-113 in a fight that many believe to be the leading candidate for this year’s “Fight of the Year.”

The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered an immediate rematch so there would be no question who their champion would be.

Co-featured on the outstanding “SUPERFLY” card is the highly anticipated United States debut of NAOYA “THE MONSTER” INOUE, (13-0-0, 11 KO’s) of Yokohama, Japan defending his WBO Super Flyweight Title against top contender ANTONIO “CARITA” NIEVES, (17-1-2, 9 KO’s) of Cleveland, Ohio.

The 24-year-old Inoue is among the most popular fighters in Asia, having already made five defenses of his WBO Super Flyweight Title he earned following his second round knockout of Omar Narvaez on December 30, 2014 in Tokyo, Japan.

Earning his nickname, “The Monster” from his heavy handed knockouts, Inoue is seeking to grow his fan base from the huge Asian community of U.S. based boxing fans.

Inoue kicked off his 2017 campaign with a third round stoppage of Ricardo Rodriguez on May 21 in Tokyo, Japan.

Fighting out of Cleveland, Ohio, Nieves will be looking to join the long history of world champions of Puerto Rican heritage. Undefeated through the first six years of his professional career, Nieves suffered his first loss very controversially, losing a 10-round split decision to Nikolai Potapov on March 10 in Detroit, Michigan.

Opening the telecast, former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion CARLOS “PRINCIPE” CUADRAS, (36-1-1, 27 KO’s)) of Mexico City will battle fellow rival countrymen and former flyweight world champion JUAN FRANCISCO “EL GALLO” ESTRADA, (35-2-0, 25 KO’s) of Sonora, Mexico in a 12-round WBC Super Flyweight Title Eliminator.

In a 2016 ‘Fight of the Year’ contender, former WBC Super Flyweight Champion Cuadras would lose for the first time in his eight-year career on September 10, 2016 by unanimous decision to Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez. Fighting furiously over the course of the twelve epic rounds in front of a huge crowd at The Fabulous Forum, Cuadras would come up just short on the scorecards losing by unanimous decision.

Most recently, Cuadras won a hard fought 10-round unanimous decision over fellow Mexican David Carmona on March 18, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

A former unified flyweight world champion, Estrada is best known for his action packed 12-round battle with Roman Gonzalez on November 17, 2012 in Los Angeles, losing a very close decision. Estrada also holds wins over former world champions Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Hernan Marquez.

The StubHub Center is located at 18400 Avalon Blvd., Carson CA, 90746 on the campus of California State University – Dominguez Hills. For directions and further information please visit their website at www.StubHubCenter.com

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Hashtag: #SuperFly

TWITTER:
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@GalloEstradaOficial
@TomLoeffler1
@HBO
@HBOBoxing
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LOS ANGELES, CA (June 17, 2017) The Super Flyweight Division, long one of boxing’s most exciting, filled with many of the sports’ legendary superstars, will add another chapter into its annals of memorable evenings on Saturday, September 9.

WBC Super Flyweight World Champion SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI, (43-4-1, 39 KO’s), of Si Sa Ket, Thailand, defends his title against former champion “ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ (46-1-0, 38 KO’s), of Managua, Nicaragua, in a rematch of their epic battle this past March. The rematch headlines a tripleheader that will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

Co-featured on the outstanding “SUPERFLY” card is the highly anticipated United States debut of NAOYA “THE MONSTER” INOUE, (13-0-0, 11 KO’s) of Yokohama, Japan defending his WBO Super Flyweight Title against top contender ANTONIO “CARITA” NIEVES, (17-1-2, 9 KO’s) of Cleveland, Ohio.

Opening the telecast, former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion CARLOS “PRINCIPE” CUADRAS, (36-1-1, 27 KO’s)) of Mexico City will battle fellow rival countrymen and former flyweight world champion JUAN FRANCISCO “EL GALLO” ESTRADA, (35-2-0, 25 KO’s) of Sonora, Mexico.

The venue location and ticket information will be announced shortly.

“We’re very excited to present this fantastic triple header featuring the top five super flyweights in the world,” said TOM LOEFFLER of K2 PROMOTIONS. “With the great history of memorable bouts in the super flyweight combined with the extraordinary talents of these six fighters in these two world championship fights along with the world title eliminator, the fans will truly be the winners of this event.”

“Boxing fans will have the rare opportunity to see if the new champion, Sor Rungvisai can repeat his performance with another victory or if ‘Chocolatito’ will prove that he still belongs at the top of the pound-for-pound list by avenging a controversial loss.”

“We have had great interest from numerous venues wishing to host this event, we are currently working through the locations and will have a site and ticket announcement shortly.”

“Thanks very much to Peter Nelson of HBO for his continued foresight and interest in the lighter weight divisions which has influenced this tremendous event with the top five fighters in the super flyweight division being showcased.”

“This all-action super flyweight tripleheader will have fight fans eagerly awaiting September 9th,” says Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports. “We applaud all six fighters for their willingness to lace up their gloves to face the very best.”

“I would like to thank WBC, HBO, and K2 promotion for this opportunity,” said Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. “I’m honored to share the ring again and defend the WBC Super Flyweight Title against Roman Gonzalez. He is a legend and the best fighter I have faced.”

“I’m training hard to be the winner of this rematch. Boxing fans around the world will get to see another great fight between us, and I will win and take the WBC World Championship title back for everyone in Thailand.”

“I’m ready to go back into battle and reclaim by WBC Super Flyweight Championship from Sor Rungvisai on September 9,” said ‘Chocolatito’. “I know what I have to do to become victorious and with God’s help I will be champion once again.”

“As always thanks very much to Mr. Honda, K2 Promotions and HBO for this opportunity.”

On March 18, 2017, ‘Chocolatito’, universally recognized as The #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and holder of the WBC Super Flyweight Title, battled Srisaket Sor Rungivisai in front of a massive crowd at ‘The Mecca of Boxing’, Madison Square Garden.

Despite being dropped in the first round, the valiant ‘Chocolatito’ battled back in a brutal war that included a tremendous amount of hard-hitting from both combatants along with a number of head butts due to the aggressive styles of the orthodox champion and southpaw challenger.

Sor Rungvisai was declared the winner by controversial majority decision, 114-112, 114-112 and 113-113 in a fight that many believe to be the leading candidate for this year’s “Fight of the Year.”

The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered an immediate rematch so there would be no question who their champion would be.

Stated Naoya Inoue about his title defense and first bout in the United States, “It’s been my dream to fight in the United States and I’m very excited to be defending my title against Antonio Nieves on September 9. I look forward to putting on a great performance for the fans.”

“I’m very excited to face Naoya Inoue for the WBO Super Flyweight Title on September 9,” said Antonio Nieves. “This is my first world title opportunity and I’m very grateful to HBO, Tom Loeffler and Tim VanNewhouse for making this possible.”

The 24-year-old Inoue is among the most popular fighters in Asia, having already made five defenses of his WBO Super Flyweight Title he was awarded following his second round knockout of Omar Narvaez on December 30, 2014 in Tokyo, Japan.

Earning his nickname, “The Monster” from his heavy handed knockouts, Inoue is seeking to grow his fan base from the huge Asian community of U.S. based boxing fans.

Inoue kicked off his 2017 campaign with a third round stoppage of Ricardo Rodriguez on May 21 in Tokyo, Japan.

Fighting out of Cleveland, Ohio, Nieves will be looking to join the long history of world champions of Puerto Rican heritage. Undefeated through the first six years of his professional career, Nieves suffered his first loss very controversially, losing a 10-round split decision to Nikolai Potapov on March 10 in Detroit, Michigan.

Stated Carlos Cuadras, “I can’t wait to get back in the ring on September 9 against Juan Estrada. He’s a very tough fighter but I will be victorious and put on a show for the fans, then I want a fight with whoever is the champion ‘Chocolatito’ or Sor Rungvisai to get my belt back.”

“Carlos Cuadras is a great Champion and we will have a great fight but he is just the first step towards me becoming the best super flyweight in the world! See you September 9,” said Juan Francisco Estrada.

In a 2016 ‘Fight of the Year’ contender, former WBC Super Flyweight Champion Cuadras would lose for the first time in his eight-year career on September 10, 2016 by unanimous decision to Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez. Fighting furiously over the course of the twelve epic rounds in front of a huge crowd at The Fabulous Forum, Cuadras would come up just short on the scorecards losing by unanimous decision.

Most recently, Cuadras won a hard fought 10-round unanimous decision over fellow Mexican David Carmona on March 18, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

A former unified flyweight world champion, Estrada is best known for his action packed 12-round battle with Roman Gonzalez on November 17, 2012 in Los Angeles, losing a very close decision. Estrada also holds wins over former world champions Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Hernan Marquez.

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New York City (March 16, 2017) On Wednesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden a press conference was held for the HBO Pay-Per-View undercard fighters featured on the highly anticipated divisional clash between Unified Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, (36-0, 33 KO’s) and WBA Middleweight World Champion and Mandatory Challenger, DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS, (32-1, 29 KO’s) this Saturday, March 18 at the famed venue in New York City.

The Championship Event presented by K2 Promotions will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ
“Thanks very much to everybody for coming to the press conference and thanks especially to God. I know it’s going to be a difficult fight but this is the best preparation I’ve had. I’m ready to put on a great performance.”

“Thanks very much to HBO, K2 Promotions, Teiken Promotions and my family.”

“Thank you all my fans for the support, I look forward to defending my title on Saturday night against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai here at Madison Square Garden and live on HBO Pay-Per-View.”

SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI
“I have to thank K2 Promotions, HBO and the WBC for this opportunity. This fight is for the history of Thailand and I’ve come here to win and I will get the victory for the people of Thailand.”

CARLOS CUADRAS
“I’m visiting New York City for the first time, I’m very happy to be here but it’s a little too cold for me.”

“I want to thank Tom Loeffler and K2 Promotions, Teiken Promotions and HBO and my promoters in Mexico.

“I hope Carmona is ready, I came very prepared. I hope Rungvisai is ready and I look forward to a rematch with Roman and I hope you win.”

“I am strong, I am fast and I am very, very handsome.”

DAVID SEVERO
“It’s great to be part of this card, it’s a great opportunity for me. I’m well prepared, I had an excellent training camp and once I hit the ring, I’m going to be ready to perform at my best.”

“I’m honored to be on the same card as a great champion like Gennady Golovkin.”

RYAN MARTIN
“It’s amazing to be here, amazing to be fighting at the Mecca of Boxing. I’d like to thank Tom Loeffler and K2 Promotions for this opportunity.”

“I want to thank Abel for opening up the doors for me at the Summit to train up there. Five weeks in Big Bear, six weeks in Cleveland. I’m definitely 100% prepared for Saturday night and ready to put on a show and showcase my skills on this platform.”

TOM LOEFFLER, Managing Director of K2 Promotions
“While the main event has gotten much of the interest so far, when you see the great fighters on the stage here today, it really shows how deep this card is with such a strong international interest from the media and fans.”

“There will be a lot fireworks in the arena on Saturday with the two best middleweights and all these other world class fighters. We’d really like to thank Madison Square Garden for their support of this event, Gennady Golovkin has really made the Garden his home.”

“Fighting at The Mecca of Boxing is really the dream of most fighters.”
_________________________________

Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Flyweight Champion ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ, (46-0-0, 38 KO’s), fighting out of Managua, Nicaragua, will defend his title against Mandatory Challenger SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI (41-4-1, (38 KO’s) of Si Sa Ket, Thailand

Former World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Flyweight Champion CARLOS “PRINCIPE” CUADRAS, (35-1-1, 27 KO’s) of Mexico City, Mexico returns to battle against cross-town rival and Former World Title Challenger DAVID “SEVERO” CARMONA, (20-3-5, 8 KO’s), also of Mexico City, Mexico.

Top Lightweight Prospects, WBC Lightweight Continental Americas Champion, RYAN “BLUE CHIP” MARTIN, (17-0, 10 KO’s) of Cleveland, Ohio via Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Port Chester, New York’s BRYANT “PEE WEE” CRUZ, (17-1-0, 8 KO’s) will battle in a scheduled ten rounder.

GOLOVKIN vs. JACOBS is presented by K2 Promotions. Tickets priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com

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BERNIE BAHRMASEL: Good afternoon and Good Morning to the international press and thanks very much for joining us on this Media Conference Call promoting the highly anticipated World Middleweight Championship between Unified Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, (36-0, 33 KO’s) and WBA Middleweight World Champion and Mandatory Challenger DANIEL “The Miracle Man” JACOBS, (32-1, 29 KO’s) set for Saturday, March 18 from THE Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Championship Event presented by K2 Promotions will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View starting at 9pm ET, 6pm PT. Tickets for the live event which are moving fast, may be purchased online through Ticketmaster and TheGarden.com

Joining us first on the call today is the Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World from his training camp in Costa Rica, ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ. Sporting a record of 46-0 with 38 knockouts, Roman is joined on the call by his longtime manager CARLOS BLANDON to discuss his WBC Super Flyweight World Championship defense against Mandatory Challenger SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI, (41-4-1, 38 KO’s), in the co-main event on March 18th.

Later in the call, we will joined by former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion CARLOS “PRINCIPE” CUADRAS and his trainer RUDY HERNANDEZ who are wrapping up camp in Los Angeles, California.

In a special attraction 10-round super flyweight bout on the HBO Pay-Per-View, Cuadras will battle Mexico City cross-town arch rival DAVID “SEVERO” CARMONA.

This past September 10 at the Fabulous Forum and telecast, “Chocolatito”and Cuadras clashed in one of the best fights of 2016, as Roman Gonzalez won his fourth division world title.

TOM LOEFFLER: We couldn’t be more excited to have ‘Chocolatito’ back on the show with Gennady and it is a great match-up. On any other show it would clearly be the main event. ‘Chocolatito’ headlined the show last September at the Fabulous Forum and had a tremendous victory over Carlos Cuadras winning a world title in his fourth weight division and is universally considered the No. 1 pound for pound fighter in the world. We are excited for this match-up. It is a tough match-up that’s mandated by the WBC against Rungvisai from Thailand who is a very big puncher and I know many boxing fans are really looking forward to this fight. With that I would like to introduce Carlos Blandon to say a few words. He has been with Roman in training camp.

CARLOS BLANDON: I would like to thank everyone that is making this possible – HBO, Teiken Promotions and K2 Promotions and Madison Square Garden for hosting us once again on March 18. Roman and the whole ‘Chocolatito’ team is very excited and happy once again to be showcasing Roman’s talents at Madison Square Garden, The Mecca of Boxing, and we think it is going to be an excellent night of boxing on fight night. And thanks to Gennady, who we admire and we are very happy to be fighting under his name once again. At the same time having Carlos Cuadras with Rudy Hernandez being able to fight before us makes for a full program of action.

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ: First of all I want to say that we are ready for next Saturday. I want to thank God and I want to thank HBO and K2 Promotions and Madison Square Garden. Everything has gone great during this camp and once again it is an honor to be on a card featuring Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs.

How was it to be a headliner on your last show?

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ: It was a great opportunity in Los Angeles that HBO gave me to fight Carlos Cuadras in the feature fight. It was a great fight with an amazing atmosphere. The fans from Mexico and Nicaragua came out. I think it showed that I have the power that I can fill a big arena like the Forum. I was very happy and to be the co-feature with Golovkin is another great opportunity and I realize that there are going to be a lot of fans of Nicaraguan descent that will descend upon Madison Square Garden and I want to give them a very positive result.

How was it fighting at the heavier weight? You got touched up a little in the Cuadras fight. Do you feel you can dominate at the heavier weight?

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ: I have always had respect for my opponent and it was a very tough fight at 115. Never did I think it was going to be easy campaigning in this division at 115 – it takes time to get used to and I think that’s what is happening at the moment but I think I will be fine.

What was the reception like when you returned home after not only winning another world title but passing the legend of Arguello by winning a fourth world title?

That day was very memorable when I returned home. People were lined up in the streets and they were greeting me all over and to be honest, being home, they gave me their love. The people of Nicaragua gave me their love and without question it makes me so happy to represent the country of Nicaragua, that now after winning this world title I have to hold onto it.

Do you feel a need move to move to higher weight divisions or do you feel you are fighting for the guys in the lower weight classes?

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ: From a legacy standpoint I have already accomplished a lot and now my goal is to hold onto my fourth world title in order to gain higher purses and more money and I want to continue to show that I am a quality fighter and I am a great fighter and I want to move forward and I think a second fight with Cuadras will certainly do that. But I am fixed on holding on to this world title moving forward.

What do you want to accomplish next?

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ: A fourth world title was something that was an absolute blessing. I want to thank God and it meant so much to me. No, aside from holding onto my world title, I could possibly go for a fifth world championship – in a different weight division – but first I understand that I need to hold onto to this title at the moment.

How many tickets are left for the fight at Madison Square Garden?

TOM LOEFFLER: The tickets are selling very well. The last show where Gennady and ‘Chocolatito’ had fought together at the Garden in October 2015, we were completely sold out and right now the tickets are ahead of that. So we expect a sold out arena and the fans have reacted to the combination again of Gennady and ‘Chocolatito’ on the same show.

How does this opponent compare to Cuadras and what type of challenges do you expect?

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ: I always know it’s going to be a different rival and challenge. Against Carlos Cuadras it was a great fight and I certainly learned a lot in that match-up and especially in my training camp. On this one coming up on the 18th of March, I expect a great fight and I want to put on a great fight for the fans and I realize what I have to do because at the end of the day I want to have my had raised in victory.

Do you want to fight Cuadras again? How did that fight compare to the toughest you have had?

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ: As I look at a fight coming up against Carlos Cuadras again I realize I have to train harder. Every opponent presents different challenges. I do believe that the second fight, the rematch, will be better. But heading into the rematch, assuming all goes according to plan, I will be confident and I know he will be a little bit more because of the time we shared in the ring. I do believe I can go out there and get the knockout in the rematch.

Do you feel better training in Costa Rica than in California?

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ: Every camp is very good. Every camp runs very well when it comes to training in Costa Rica. I like it because I almost feel at home as if in Nicaragua. There are mountains here and water and I just feel so comfortable in Costa Rica.

You have a tough fight coming up on the 18th and Cuadras says that you didn’t want the rematch immediately…

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ: It doesn’t really matter what he says. If he wants to go ahead and get into a verbal match with me, that’s not what I am going to focus on. I am the champion right now. I realize that the rematch is down the line. I have a lot of respect for him. I am fighting for the lower weight classes and a rematch will be in the cards if it does transpire. That will happen down the line and I am all about fighting for the lower weight classes to make them prominent in boxing.

This is a tough time in the United States for Hispanics and Latinos . . .

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ: My fight is for the public. I am always very happy for the adulation. These days I want to move forward and make people happy by my performance.

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ: Thank you very much to all of the public, God bless you and we will see you Saturday on March 18.

CARLOS BLANDON: We are so appreciative of everything and getting ready for March 18 – Roman is training his heart out. You are going to see a faster and stronger Roman and wee are putting everything in God’s hands. Thanks again to HBO Teiken and K2 and The Garden for making this possible.

__________________________________

RUDY HERNANDEZ: We are ready and we are just wishing the fight was tomorrow.

CARLOS CUADRAS: I am very well trained and I am excited for this fight. My goal is to come out and win against Carmona on March 18

When you fought Chocolatito, did you feel as if you were fighting for the smaller weight classes?

CARLOS CUADRAS: We are obviously fighting for higher purses and we are representing the lighter weight classes. We are going to give a show and demonstrate our high quality action. But we do realize when we fight inside that ring that we can provide action and put on a show as good as if not better than the higher weight classes and that will lead to more lucrative purses and higher paydays down the line.

Chocolatito has talked about fighting at 118. Would you accept a rematch at 118?

CARLOS CUADRAS: I will do it at whatever weight he wants to do it at. If he wants to fight and do the rematch at 118, no problem. We can even do the rematch in the heavyweight division. It will be a great fight. I am going to bring the fight to him. I have the medicine in my hands and the power to get after and to dispel of ‘Chocolatito’.

You always seem happy and smiling in such a brutal sport…

CARLOS CUADRAS: I love boxing and boxing is my life. If someone has a passion for something in anything that they do it shows and with me I love boxing. It is absolutely my life and I enjoy being in the gym competing against great fighters, partaking in the sport of boxing and it is something that I really love.

Do you think that helps lighten the pressure?

CARLOS CUADRAS: I enjoy the moment. I don’t let the pressure get to me. I don’t pay attention to that. I get to fight in these massive arenas. Every day when I step in the ring my focus is squarely on the opponent across from me. Thank you very much and say hello to all of those in Mexico!

Juan Francisco Estrada has called you out – so what do you think about him or ‘Chocolatito’?

CARLOS CUADRAS: Juan Francisco Estrada is a great fighter and it is almost a guarantee since we are both of Mexican descent that we will collide at some point down the line. But it is true that I want to fight Chocolatito in the rematch. That is what I want. He has the world title and that is what I want. But down the line we will have a match with Estrada.

What do you think about the Canelo-Chavez Jr. fight?

CARLOS CUADRAS: Julio Cesar Chavez should win the fight. He is bigger and he is stronger and if he comes in condition and ready to perform at the highest level I think he should get the victory.

How do the Mexican fans respond to you?

CARLOS CUADRAS: As to the response of the Mexican boxing fans they absolutely embrace me following my fight with Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez.

Do you feel that, since you did not get an immediate rematch, that it may not happen at all?

I do believe that he is running from me. He has fear of me. Look, if he wants to fight me at 118, no problem. I will go up to 118 pounds. Whatever weight he is, if he will give me the fight, I will be there and I will fight him in the rematch.

How much of a chance do you give Rungvisai against Chocolatito?

Rungvisai is a very strong opponent and hits hard. If Chocolatito allows him to have his distance, he could knock him out so he has to be wary. He is a very tough and dangerous opponent, as I can attest to.

RUDY HERNANDEZ: Carlos is looking to shine on March 18 and hopes to steal the show and hopes HBO gives him the opportunity to fight again.

CARLOS CUADRAS: I have watched Carmona fight. He is from Mexico City and we are fellow countrymen. I think he is a very tough fighter. I watched his last fight when he lost by unanimous decision. But I am going to go out there and I will be looking for the knockout.

TOM LOEFFLER: We are excited to have both Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez and Carlos Cuadras on the card. This is a tremendous show that we have put together. They had a war in September of last year and Carlos lost a close decision and we wanted to feature him because he was a crowd favorite. Now with Roman defending his title against the mandatory and GGG versus Jacobs we are very excited for next week.

____________________________________

Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter and WBC Super Flyweight World Champion ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ, (46-0, 38 KO’s) will make the first defense of his fourth divisional world title against Thailand’s SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI, (41-4-1, 38 KO’s) on Saturday, March 18 at The Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden.

In a special attraction 10-round clash, former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion CARLOS “PRINCIPE” CUADRAS, (35-1-1, 27 KO’s) battles cross-town rival DAVID “SEVERO” CARMONA, (20-3-5, 8 KO’s) of Mexico City.

The Championship Event presented by K2 Promotions will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

On September 10, 2016, Gonzalez and Cuadras battled in an epic “Fight of the Year” candidate at The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. After twelve outstandin rounds of action, Gonzalez was declared the victor. The fight was telecast live on HBO.

Headlining the HBO Pay-Per-View event from on Saturday, March 18, Unified Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, (36-0, 33 KO’s) will defend his titles (WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO) against WBA Middleweight World Champion and Mandatory Challenger DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS, (32-1, 29 KO’s) in a highly anticipated divisional showdown.

Golovkin and Jacobs have an extraordinary, combined 35 consecutive knockouts heading into this highly anticipated batt

GOLOVKIN vs. JACOBS is presented by K2 Promotions. Tickets priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com

SOCIAL MEDIA — #GGGJACOBS

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
@GGGBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Daniel Jacobs
@DanielJacobsTKO – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez
@ChocolatitoBox – Twitter
@ChocolatitoOfficial – Facebook
@Chocolatito87 – Instagram

Carlos Cuadras
@CuadrasOficial – Twitter
@CarlosCuadras – Facebook
@CuadrasOficial — Instagram

HBO
@HBO, @HBOBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Madison Square Garden
@TheGarden – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Tom Loeffler (K2 Promotions)
@TomLoeffler1 — Twitter

March 3, 2017 – Leading up to the highly anticipated stacked world championship boxing card highlighted by the appearance of Gennady Golovkin, Danny Jacobs, “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Carlos Cuadras on Saturday, March 18 and presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View® – HBO Sports will present the exclusive replay of three hard-hitting all-action encounters that highlight the remarkable skill and power of these ring warriors.

On Friday, March 10 at 12:05 a.m. (ET/PT) and Saturday, March 11 at 10:50 a.m. (ET/PT), HBO2 will replay back-to-back Golovkin vs. Brook 2016, Jacobs vs. Smith 2009 and “Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Cuadras 2016. This past September at The O2 in London, Gennady Golovkin traveled to Kell Brook’s hometown and extended his consecutive knockout streak to 23 in a row with a fifth round stoppage against the then undefeated prize fighter. On August 22, 2009, top prospect Daniel Jacobs displayed incredible resilience and ring skills against Ishe Smith with a 10-round unanimous decision victory. Last September in a Fight-of-the-Year candidate, consensus #1 pound for pound fighter in the world, “Chocolatito” Gonzalez claimed a title in a fourth weight class against Carlos Cuadras in what was the toughest and roughest encounter of his career.

All three fights will also be available 24 hours a day on HBO NOW, HBO On Demand®, HBO GO® subscribers and affiliate portals beginning Monday, March 6.

Golovkin vs. Jacobs, “Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Rungvisai and Cuadras vs. Carmona takes place Saturday, March 18 from at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

LOS ANGELES, CA (January 24, 2017) Former World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Flyweight Champion CARLOS “PRINCIPE” CUADRAS, (35-1-1, 27 KO’s) of Mexico City, Mexico returns to battle against cross-town rival and Former World Title Challenger DAVID “SEVERO” CARMONA, (20-3-5, 8 KO’s), also of Mexico City, Mexico, on Saturday, March 18 at The Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden.

Cuadras vs. Carmona, scheduled for ten rounds, will be featured on the televised undercard of the World Middleweight Championship between Unified Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, (36-0-0, 33 KO’s) and WBA Middleweight World Champion and Mandatory Challenger DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS, (32-1, 29 KO’s). The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

“I wanted a rematch with Roman Gonzalez but right now my sole focus is on Carmona, we’ve known each other for many years and there is a true rivalry between us,” said Cuadras. “I’m looking forward to settling it in the ring at Madison Square Garden, the home of so many classic battles and in front of the great Mexican boxing fans in New York City and those watching on HBO Pay-Per-View.”

Said Carmona, “Carlos has accomplished a great deal in boxing, being a former world champion and undefeated for many years. However, my time is now and I look forward to being victorious on March 18.”

“We’re very excited to add this all-Mexican battle between Carlos Cuadras and David Carmona to an already outstanding boxing event,” said TOM LOEFFLER, Managing Director of K2 PROMOTIONS. “Cuadras is coming off one of the best fights of 2016 in his world title fight with “Chocolatito” last September on HBO and Carmona is looking to prove he’s worthy of another world title opportunity.”

“Carlos was one of the true breakout stars in boxing last year in his valiant performance against ‘Chocolatito’. We’ve gotten a tremendous response to our showcasing of the lighter weights at our events from boxing fans and the media and we’re very excited to have these two super flyweight battles on the televised undercard.”

“Adding this third bout to the March 18 event continues our commitment to boxing fans in the arena and those watching on HBO Pay-Per-View that we will provide maximum value at our events. Tickets for Madison Square Garden are selling fast and we look forward to another outstanding event on March 18.”

On September 10, 2016, then undefeated WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Cuadras and three-division world champion ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ waged war in a 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate in front of a huge crowd at The Fabulous Forum and telecast on HBO.

After twelve epic rounds of world class action, the 28-year-old Cuadras lost a very close decision to Gonzalez in a battle that had the Mexican and Nicaraguan partisan crowds on their feet cheering throughout.

Carmona is returning to the ring following the toughest test of his seven-year professional career. On May 8, 2016, the 25-year-old Carmona traveled to Tokyo, Japan to challenge undefeated WBO Super Flyweight Champion NAOYA INOUE. Following twelve action packed rounds, Carmona came up short on the judges’ scorecards but validated his standing among the best in the division.

Presented by K2 Promotions, tickets priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com

SOCIAL MEDIA — #GGGJACOBS, #CHOCOLATITORUNGVISAI, #CUADRASCARMONA

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
@GGGBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Daniel Jacobs
@DanielJacobsTKO – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez
@ChocolatitoBox – Twitter
@ChocolatitoOfficial – Facebook
@Chocolatito87 – Instagram

Carlos Cuadras
@CuadrasOficial – Twitter
@CarlosCuadras – Facebook
@CuadrasOficial — Instagram

HBO
@HBO, @HBOBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Madison Square Garden
@TheGarden – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Tom Loeffler (K2 Promotions)
@TomLoeffler1 — Twitter

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Roman Gonzalez will drop his flyweight titles and remain at super flyweight after capturing the WBC super flyweight title against Carlos Cuadras on September 10th.

“He treasures this (flyweight) title very much, but is excited another boxer with his same dream will have a chance to become a WBC world champion and that feeling overwhelms him,” Carlos Blandon, Gonzalez’s manager, told ESPN.com.

To fill the flyweight vacancy, the WBC has ordered its two top-rated contenders to meet: Nawaphon Sor Rungvisai (36-0, 28 KOs), 25, of Thailand, and Juan “Churritos” Hernandez Navarrete (33-2, 24 KOs), 29, of Mexico. If their camps do not make a deal for the fight, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman announced that a purse bid would be scheduled to take place Oct. 21 at the offices of the sanctioning organization in Mexico City.

 

 

By Bart Barry-

Saturday afternoon HBO broadcast the latest episode in its ungainly series of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin feature films against hopeless welterweight Kell “Special K” Brook, who won a minute of the fight’s first 12 then signalled his corner “anytime fellas!” and got the match towel-waved in round 5, before HBO redeemed itself Saturday night with the genuinely brilliant Nicaraguan Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in a genuinely competitive championship match with Mexican Carlos “Principe” Cuadros.

The best thing to come of what has become a shameless promotional manufacture of Gennady Golovkin – whose handlers are inexplicably opposed to seeing him challenged – is the emergence of Chocolatito, a master prizefighter deserving of mention in the same paragraphs as other master prizefighters, unlike just about every one of his remaining contemporaries including Golovkin. Making Gonzalez a mainevent attraction may well be the only exceptional thing HBO has done with its sports budget in years, whatever it tells itself about itself.

Much as putting Gonzalez at the top of billings with Golovkin is a service to Gonzalez and his legacy and HBO subscribers, though, it is becoming more and more a liability for Golovkin’s legacy – as it becomes obvious to viewers which man seeks greatness and in a ratio, more alarming still to Golovkin apologists, inverse to viewers’ knowledge of our oncebeloved sport: While the aficionado has historical comparisons with which to delude himself about embarrassing mismatches like Golovkin and Brook – and, hey, look at the soldout arena! – the naif sees one man’s opponent frightened from the opening bell and wonders how this sort of entertainment sates any manly impulse save sadism.

Whatever the scales said the eyes told you Golovkin and Brook did not belong in a ring together much as Chocolatito and Cuadros did not, but whereas Golovkin-Brook fulfilled only the worst suspicions Gonzalez-Cuadros came stuffed with pleasant surprises as the significantly smaller man spun and wacked and maneuvered and pressured and absorbed the larger man’s aggression in a properly competitive spectacle that renewed albeit temporarily one’s passion for prizefighting.

Golovkin-Brook saw a fight in which one man was powerless to hurt the other whatever his technique and the other was powerless not to hurt the one – whatever, again, his technique; Golovkin’s technique has improved no more than his English since HBO’s biannual forcefeedings commenced in 2012, due to dreadful opposition and a trainer who’s three parts savvy selfsalesman for every one part sweetscience sage. Golovkin did more damage to Brook with his jab than Brook did Golovkin with a perfectly placed uppercut thrown in combination, a thing to tell you exactly nothing about Brook’s power or Golovkin’s chin or Golovkin’s power or Brook’s chin but everything about what farcical matchmaking now bedrocks the Golovkin legend.

Such is not an indictment of Golovkin so much as his handlers; one senses Golovkin is all-fighter and wants to mill with real opponents who might really improve him by really stretching him, converting his potential finally instead of merely growing it, but that cannot happen so long as the industry’s rapacity protects him, a lifetime middleweight, a man 40 pounds from the heavyweight division, with continuing nonsense about a dearth of suitable opponents (no one at 168 pounds will face him; only someone from 147 would) – risibly the same industry that once chided Floyd Mayweather, who made title fights in five divisions and climbed 24 pounds, for not challenging himself adequately and now wonders aloud when Chocolatito will jump to his fifth or sixth weightclass.

While Golovkin and his big payday Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, faces still CoverGirl fresh, unite to unify the welterweight division, Chocolatito wears the scars of a man who challenges himself properly in a pursuit of greatness by matching himself with increasingly larger men and narrowing dramatically his margins for error. Therein lies the insult of Saturday’s spectacles: Golovkin strode forward with an aluminum bat in a waterballoon fight while Chocolatito suffered each time Cuadros struck him and didn’t relent.

Put Golovkin in the ring with men large enough to hurt him or shut up until you do.

To the suddenly empathetic souls who saw Brook motion for 20,000 spectators and one fellow combatant the very moment his right eye was hurt Saturday, actually waving his glove and pointing to his eye midround, a question: Can you imagine Gonzalez or Cuadros giving another man on earth the satisfaction of knowing he was injured? Then came the predictable perversity of cheering a premature corner stoppage for preserving future paydays the vanquished and his sympathetically complicit cornermen may enjoy in 2017 scams and one more at least in 2018. What sort of afficionado, exactly, feels compelled to celebrate the continuation of a career unremarkable as Brook’s in lieu of continued violence?

If you’re enthusiastically watching a fight for the middleweight championship of the world and fearful a man may lose his life in the opening 15 minutes you’re being disingenuous – either when you say you’re enthusiastic about seeing the fight or when you say you’re genuinely concerned for the loser’s health. Both are unseemly.

After their respective matches Golovkin gave himself a low score and likened his assault to sparring while Chocolatito, both eyes swelling shut, said he knew the perils of rising in weight but welcomed them because rising to challenges (rising for challenges) is what great fighters do. Credit both men’s honesty.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Follow all the action as Roman Gonzalez tries to become a 4-division world champion when he takes on Carlos Cuadras for the WBC Super Flyweight title.  The action begins at 10 PM ET with a rematch of welterweights between Jesus Soto Karass and Yoshihiro Kamegai

Round 1: Cuadras jabbing to the body..left from Gonzalez

Round 2  Good hook from Cuadras…Right from Gonzalez

Round 3 Cuandras lands a nice right…Good pressure for Gonzalez

Round 4 Gonzalez stalking…Cuadras trying to land shots…Gonzalez left eye swelling..good uppercut from Cuadras..

Round 5  Good uppercut from Cuadras…Good right…combination..Good right from Gonzalez..Good body shot..Flurry from Cuadras

Round 6 Good hook from Cuadras..Gonzalez left side of face is swelling and now a cut over his right eye..Cut caused by a punch

Round 7 Flurry from Gonzalez..Big left hook from Cuadras..Good hook from Gonzalez..

Round 8 Good right from Gonzalez…Hard right….exchange left hook..uppercut flurry from Cuadras…Cuadras cut over right eye–From a headbutt

Round 9 Body shot hurts Cuadras…right over the top..Good body shot from Cuadras..left from Gonzalez…4 good rights from Cuadras..right uppercut from Gonzalez..good hook..Good right from Cuadras…

Round 10 Left from Cuadras..Body shot from Gonzalez..

Round 11 Right uppercut from Gonzalez..Gonzalez relentless…Good body shot from Cuadras and another

Round 12 Gonzalez landing straight punches…

117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 for Roman Gonzalez

Punch stats:  Gonzalez 323 of 985   Cuadras 253 of 895

Round 1 Hooks by Kamegai…Body shot hurts Kamegai….3 Body shots from Kamaegai..right to head..good right..Right uppercut from Soto Karass

Round 2 Uppercut landing uppercuts…body work..left to body from Kamegai..right to body..good left..Karrass lands body shots and upperuts

Round 3 Kamegai lands a left to body…good right

Round 4 Good over hand right from Soto Karass..Good right

Round 5 Right to body from Kamegai..Big left hook from Karass..Body shot by Kamegai..Right to body..good right from Karass..

Round 6 Kamegai lands a liver shot..Good left hook

Round 7 Kamegai  lands a right…Hard body shot hurts Soto Karass..Left hook from Soto Karras..another..left ..right..left to the body..

Round 8 Body shot hurts Soto Karas…HARD RIGHT AND DOWN GOES SOTO KARASS..3 hard uppercuts…Soto Karass lands a big right…SOTO KARASS WILL NOT CONTINUE AFTER THE ROUND