Diego Pacheco stopped Manuel Gallegos in round four of their 10-round super middleweight bout in Monterrey, Mexico.

Pacheco was impressive as he hurt Gallegos in round four with a hard combination and then he dropped Gallegos with a left hook to the body. Pacheco then landed about eight hard shots to the head that forced a referee stoppage at 2:45.

Pacheco, 168 lbs of Los Angeles is 19-0 with 16 knockouts. Gallegos, 168 lbs of Los Mochis, MEX is 19-2-1.

Eduardo Hernandez stopped late-replacement Hector Garcia in round three of their 10-round lightweight bout.

In round two, Hernandez rocked Garcia and had him in trouble throughout the latter part if the round. Garcia was cut under his right eye. In round three, Hernandez was all over Garcia as he landed a big left hook that was followed by a big right that was followed by a 20 punch combination that put Garcia down and the fight was stopped at 25 seconds.

Hernandez, 137 lbs of Mexico City is now 34-1 with 31 knockouts. Garcia, 137 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 20-8-4.

Jonathan Rodriguez and Israel Gonzalez battled to a 10-round split draw in a bantamweight bout.

Each fighter won a scorecard by a 96-94 score and a third card was even at 95-95.

Rodriguez, 115 lbs of San Luis Patosi, MEX is now 24-2-1. Gonzalez, 115 lbs of Los Cabos, MEX is 29-5-2.

Neider Valdez remained undefeated with a third round stoppage over Isaias Ortiz in a flyweight contest.

In round three, Valdez landed a hard left to the body that put Ortiz to the canvas. Ortiz could not beat the count at 1:50.

Valdez, 108 lbs of Monterrey, MEX is 9-0-2 with eight knockouts. Ortiz, 109 lbs of Mexico City is 5-4.

Federico Pacheco stopped Oscar Heredia after round two of their four-round heavyweight victory.

In round two, Pacheco dropped Heredia with a double left hook to the body. Heredia was in a lot of discomfort after the round and did not answer the bell.

Pacheco, 254 lbs of Los Angeles is 4-0 with three knockouts. Heredia, 252 lbs of Monterrey, MEX is 2-3.

Jesse Rodriguez is relishing his role as the co-main attraction to the trilogy blockbuster between Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night, as he makes his second defense of his WBC World Super-Flyweight title against Israel Gonzalez.
 
The event, presented by Matchroom, Canelo Promotions and GGG Promotions, will broadcast live on DAZN Pay-Per-View in the U.S. and Canada as well as around the world on DAZN (excluding Mexico, Latin America, and Kazakhstan). 

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW VIA AXS.COM
Rodriguez (16-0 11 KOs) has enjoyed a stellar first half of the year, starting by becoming the youngest active World champion in February, stepping in late to meet Carlos Cuadras for the vacant WBC strap in Phoenix and then putting on a stunning display in his first defense, stopping Thai star Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on his San Antonio home turf in June inside eight rounds.

Those performances saw the San Antonio talent named as ESPN’s Fighter of the Year in their midyear boxing awards, and while ‘Bam’ spoke of his pride at the honor, he’s determined to show that there is much more to come in his calendar.

The 22 year old has lofty ambitions to unify divisions and win crowns at multiple weights, and says that meeting Gonzalez (28-4-1 11 KOs) on the biggest stage he’s performed on to date will only shine a bigger light on his limitless potential.

“I don’t feel pressure because I feel I was born for this,” said Rodriguez. “I belong on these big stages, it’s where I feel comfortable. Headlining in San Antonio, co-main to Canelo-GGG III, this is where I want to be, it’s been part of the plan and it’s great to see it play out. There’s expectation on me, all eyes are on me, I know that I need to perform at my best but that excites me. 

“Canelo is the face of boxing so to be the curtain raiser for that fight is amazing, so many fans are going to be able to see what I can do. I’m only 22 so to be doing the things that I am doing, beating Carlos and Rungvisai, two of the four kings at Super-Fly, I never look back and feel I need to appreciate what I do, but I do downplay what I do because I’m a humble guy.

“I’m right where I need to be, it’s just the beginning and the sky is the limit for me. I can’t tell you how far I can go because I don’t know how to stop. I want to be one of those fighters that 20 years from now, people say; ‘remember Bam Rodriguez, he was a bad dude’. One of those legends.

“I feel like I’m getting the recognition that I deserve, and Saturday is the perfect platform to show everybody that I am the real deal.”

Rodriguez’s clash with Gonzalez is part of a huge night of action in Vegas, topped by the epic trilogy battle between Canelo and Golovkin.

Fireworks are promised as Ali Akhmedov and Gabriel Rosado will clash for the IBF North American Super-Middleweight title, Diego Pacheco fights for his first belt as he meets Enrique Collazo for the WBC USNBC Silver Super-Middleweight title, Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams fights for his second pro title as he takes on Kieron Conway for the vacant WBA International Middleweight title.

Three more young talents complete the stacked card, as Marc Castro appears on his fifth Canelo undercard against Kevin Montiel Mendoza, Aaron Aponte mixes it up against Canelo Promotions’ unbeaten prospect Fernando Molina also over eight and Anthony Herrera gets the chance to bounce back to winning ways on the biggest stage as he takes on Delvin McKinley.

All that action leads into the third installment of the classic modern rivalry between Canelo and Golovkin, with the Mexican king putting his undisputed Super-Middleweight crown on the line against Kazakhstan’s reigning WBA and IBF Middleweight ruler in the most anticipated match up of 2022.

Jesse Rodriguez says he feels ‘thankful’ to be named as the Fighter of the Year by ESPN in their midyear awards for 2022 – but the WBC World Super-Flyweight champion is not resting on his laurels and continue his sensational year when he defends his title against Israel Gonzalez on Saturday September 17 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as co-main event to the trilogy clash between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin. The event, presented by Matchroom, Canelo Promotions and GGG Promotions, will broadcast live on DAZN Pay-Per-View in the U.S. and Canada as well as around the world on DAZN (excluding Mexico, Latin America, and Kazakhstan).

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW VIA AXS.COM
Rodriguez (16-0 11 KOs) has enjoyed a stellar first half of the year, starting by becoming the youngest active World champion in February, stepping in late to meet Carlos Cuadras for the vacant WBC strap in Phoenix and then putting on a stunning display in his first defense, stopping Thai star Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on his San Antonio home turf in June inside eight rounds.

‘Bam’ extended his promotional pact with Eddie Hearn following the win over Rungivisai, and now defends his title for the second time against Mexican Gonzalez (28-4-1 11 KOs), who challenges for World honors for the fourth time in his career.

Rodriguez has begun camp at home and will relocate to Robert Garcia’s California base when his trainer and manager returns from masterminding Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia on August 20. The 21 year old is ready to thrill on the biggest of stages on September 17, and believes it could be the next step in securing Fighter of the Year awards across the board.

“I’m so thankful to be named ESPN’s fighter of the year,” said Rodriguez. “My hard work and dedication to the sport is paying off. That is why I’m able to perform the way I have been. There’s so much more to come and I can’t wait. 

“I’ll be starting my camp in San Antonio for this next fight. I’ll be here for three weeks then finish up in Riverside at Robert Garcia Boxing Academy. Fighting so soon, I feel like I haven’t lost a beat. I’m still in rhythm and I’ll be more than ready for Las Vegas.

“The way people have been saying I’m front runner for Fighter of the Year is motivation to get the job done. It’s a blessing to even be mentioned with some of the greatest boxers in the sport. But come September 17, there will be no question who it belongs to.”

Rodriguez’s achievement was one of many as Matchroom fighters and events dominated ESPN’s midyear awards. Irish superstar Katie Taylor was named female fighter of the year following her victory over Amanda Serrano in their epic battle at Madison Square Garden in New York in April which landed female fight of the year nod. Leigh Wood’s dramatic final round KO win over Jamie Conlan in Nottingham in March earned the WBA Featherweight king the KO of the year and the battle was awarded men’s fight of the year, while Dmitry Bivol’s triumph over Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas in May took the gong for upset of the year.

Rodriguez’s clash with Gonzalez is part of a stacked night of action in Las Vegas, as Diego Pacheco fights for his first pro belt when he meets Enrique Collazo for the WBC USNBC Silver Super-Middleweight title and Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams taking on Kieron Conway for the vacant WBA International Middleweight title, all leading into the third installment of the classic modern rivalry between Canelo and Golovkin, with the Mexican king putting his undisputed Super-Middleweight crown on the line against Kazakhstan’s reigning WBA and IBF Middleweight ruler in the most anticipated match up of 2022.

Angel Fierro shrugged off two early round knockdowns to come back and stop former junior lightweight beltholder Alberto Machado in round six of their 10-round lightweight bout in Salinas, Puerto Rico

In round one, Machado dropped Fierro with a perfect counter right. In round two, it was another right that put Fierro on the deck.

Fierro started turning momentum in round four by working the body, and in round six, he landed a vicious left-right combination hat sent Machado crashing to the canvas. Machado could not beat the count and the fight was stopped at 47 seconds.

Fierro of Tijuana, MX is now 18-1-1 with 14 knockouts. Machado, 136 lbs of Rio Piedras, PR is 22-3.

“I’m happy, I faced a top-notch fighter tonight in Alberto Machado,” said Fierro, who was a three-to-one underdog. “He is world class and dropped me twice. But I am ecstatic that I was able to come back and beat a fighter of his caliber.”

“He dropped me twice in the beginning of the fight,” added Fierro. “When I got back to my corner, I told them, ‘remind me of my daughter.’ Because with this fight I can change her life and that’s exactly what they did after the third round. They motivated me and that’s exactly what I did.”

“We found a lot of gaps in Machado’s game in the sixth round,” stated Fierro. “I took advantage of them and I turned it around. I told you in the interview (before the fight), I didn’t come here to be a tourist in Puerto Rico. I came here to win.”

Ibarra Decisions Cornejo

Alma Ibarra won a eight-round unanimous decision over Maricela Cornejo in a middleweight bout.

Ibarra, 156 lbs of Monterrey, MEX won by scores of 79-73 twice and 77-75 and is now 8-1. Cornejo, 158 1/2 lbs of Los Angles is 13-5.

“Now the world knows who Alma Ibarra is and what she is made of,” said the victor. “To everyone, I was a stranger. And to fight against someone who is very recognized worldwide in Maricela Cornejo and beat her, this opened many doors for us.”

“I felt very good, very strong, as this is a division that I am not used to,” said Ibarra. “I always fight in lower divisions, we had to go up two divisions to take this great opportunity, and well, I think we were not wrong to take this risk.”

Martinez and Gonzalez fight to Draw

Jose Martinez and Israel Gonzalez fought to a 10-round draw in a super flyweight bout.

Gonzalez took a card 96-94 while two cards read even at 95-95.

Martinez, 117 3/4 of Las Marias, PR is now 21-1-3. Gonzalez, 117 lbs of Las Cabos, MEX is 26-4-1.

“I felt his punches, but I was the superior fighter tonight,” said Gonzalez. “He might have won three rounds but it’s OK. I’m thankful to Puerto Rico and all of the people that gave me an opportunity to be here.”

“I feel happy, satisfied with the work I did,” said Martinez. “I understand that I was fighting against a strong opponent and that I won. I pushed more. I was on top of him, but these things happen in boxing. Now it’s a matter of continuing to train, maintain myself and seek that title opportunity.”

Former world champion Angel Acosta won an eight-round unanimous decision over Gilberto Mendoza in a flyweight contest.

In Round seven, Acosta dropped Mendoza with a left hook.

Acosta, 114 lbs of San Juan, PR won by scores of 79-72 on all cards and is now 22-2. Mendoza, 113 lbs of Modesto, CA is 17-10-3.

Edwin Valentin stopped Hector Marengo at the start of round five of a scheduled six-round lightweight bout.

Marengo did not answer the bell to start the fifth round, but the official time was 11 seconds.

Valentin, 135 lbs of Salinas, PR is 10-0 with nine knockouts. Marengo, 135 1/4 lbs of Arecibo, PR is 7-15-4.

Jose Roman remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Roque Junco.

Roman, 146 1/2 lbs of Bayamon, PR won by scores of 80-71 and 80-72 twice and is now 11-0. Junco, 146 lbs of Cordobo, ARG is 10-8-1.

Joe Ward avenged his lone professional setback by pounding out a six-round unanimous decision over Marco Delgado in a light heavyweight fight.

Ward, 173.8 lbs of Moate, IRL won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 3-1. Delgado, 173.6 lbs of Turlock, CA is 7-2.

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.

Israel Gonzalez believes he has the boxing IQ to beat WBA World Super-Flyweight champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez as they clash for the belt live on DAZN tonight from TV Azteca Studios in Mexico City, Mexico.

Gonzalez (25-3 11 KOs) is hoping it’s third time lucky in World title fights having fallen short against Jerwin Ancajas in February 2018 for the IBF strap and then Kal Yafai nine months later for the WBA belt.

Chocolatito ripped the title from Yafai in Dallas in February with a ninth round KO underscoring a dominant performance by the former pound for pound king. The carrot of a rematch with Juan Francisco Estrada dangles over the evening with both champions putting their belts on the line, as WBC king ‘El Gallo’ meets Carlos Cuadras in another rematch.

But 23 year old Gonzalez is confident he will rip up those plans and is relishing the chance to go up against the vastly experienced Nicaraguan, believing he can outwit the 33 year old and land the World title.

“I’m excited, I’m ready and I think it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, the fight of my life,” said Gonzalez. “I’m going up against one of the best pound for point fighters in the world at the smaller weights. It’s an opportunity that I can’t waste and I’m ready for this fight, I’m sure that it’s going to be my night.

“I think my intelligence will be the key in the fight, my intelligence in the ring. Knowing how to use my timing and use the distance and to fight an intelligent fight against Roman, who is also very intelligent. I think that will be the main factor, not to pressure myself, not to get hit with too many punches – hit and not get hit. 

“I’ve watched his fight with Yafai a few times. I get a lot out of watching it; I don’t think Yafai looked great, I didn’t see him very concentrated in the fight and I think that made things easier for Roman. My style is completely different from Yafai, so this will be a very different fight. 

“I’ve been through similar things before, different fighters like Yafai before facing them, they were already looking ahead to other fights, and it hasn’t gone well for them. In don’t think this will be an exception. Tonight, we will show them they’re doing things wrong and should be looking at what’s in front of them.”

“I don’t like to make predictions but I just can’t wait for the fight. I want to show all the work I’ve put into training. I guarantee it will be a good fight, I don’t doubt that it will be my night and I have no doubt I will become World champion.” 

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

Juan Francisco Estrada (40-3 27 KOs) defends his WBC World Super-Flyweight title in a rematch with Carlos Cuadras (39-3-1 27 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

Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez defends his WBA World Super-Flyweight title against Israel Gonzalez tonight at TV Azteca Studios in Mexico City, Mexico live on DAZN – and says his win over former champion Kal Yafai is one of the proudest of his glittering career.

Chocolatito (49-2 41 KOs) handed Yafai a first career defeat with a dominant performance in Dallas in February with a ninth round KO to return to World champion status for the first time since losing his WBC strap to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in March 2017.

The Nicaraguan is heading for a rematch with WBC ruler Juan Francisco Estrada should he beat Gonzalez and ‘El Gallo’ gain a second win over Carlos Cuadras, and the 33 year old is proud of his performance against Yafai for setting up the possibility of a blockbuster second clash with the Mexican in 2021.

“I’m really proud because I’ve had the strength and blessings to win a World title again,” said Chocolatito. “After so many fights, the one against Kal Yafai and being crowned World champion again, it was one of the most satisfying victories of my life. 

“I did great work in training camp with my team, you’ve already seen the results and we’re doing the same and persevering through this time, so we are prepared to come out with our hand raised again.

“It’s a hard fight with Israel. You cannot look past anyone. He has to watch out, and so do I. We’re going to have a great fight, I always hope everything turns out well in the end. He’s coming in good shape and so am I, so we move forward.

“We are focused on Friday tonight, I think it’s going to be a difficult fight, like every fight is. The most important thing is coming in there in good shape, mentally and physically and coming out with my hand raised. After that, we can discuss many important things and we’ll see about the fight with Estrada.

“Thank God, I had that last opportunity i had in the fight with Yafai. We had that fight and then the pandemic happened. I went to my family. There were a lot of important things that I couldn’t do. 

“But God has his plans, it’s been hard these three months that I haven’t been home. I’ve missed my family, but I’ve been careful during the pandemic. And we’re still here, thank God. I know we’re all going to get through this, it’s been hard but we’re still here fighting.”

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

Juan Francisco Estrada (40-3 27 KOs) defends his WBC World Super-Flyweight title in a rematch with Carlos Cuadras (39-3-1 27 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.

Michael Hunter stopped Alexander Ustinov in round nine of their scheduled 12-round heavyweight bout.

In round eight, Hunter, who had been breaking down the 6’9″ Ustinov landed a big right hand to the head that sent Ustinov down. Ustinov got to his feet, bleeding from his forehead and wobbly. In the next frame, Hunter landed a series of punches that sent Ustinov down again, and the fight was stopped at 1:52.

Hunter, 213.8 lbs is now 16-1 with 11 knockouts. Ustinov, 278.8 lbs of Russia is 34-3.

Kal Yafai was fortunate to retain his WBA Super flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Israel Gonzalez.

Gonzalez seemed to have gotten the better of the action as he landed the combinations to Yafai’s one punch at a time. It would not have been an argument if Gonzalez would have received the nod by three or four points, but Yafai won by scores of 117-111 and 116-112 twice.

Yafai, 114.9 lbs of Birmingham, UK is 25-0, Gonzalez, 115 lbs of Mexico is 23-3.

2016 Olympic Gold Medal winner Daniyat Yeleussinov stopped Marco Mojica in round three of their scheduled eight-round welterweight fight.

In round two, Yeleussinov pelted Mojica with left hands until one put him on the canvas. Yeleussinov dropped Mojica to begin round three. Mojica seemed like he did not want to continue, but he stood in there and took a few more vicious shots until he ate a hrd uppercut and the bout was stopped at 1:10.

Yeleussinov, 147.7 lbs of Kazakhstan is 5-0 with three knockouts. Mojica, 145.9 lbs of Managua, NIC is 16-3-2.

Fanlong Meng remained undefeated with a 5th round stoppage over Frank Buglioni due to a cut.

In round five, Buglioni was cut around the right eye. It was a bad cut, and the bout was stopped at 1:58.

Meng, 174.1 lbs of China is 14-0 with nine knockouts. Buglioni, 174 lbs of England is 22-4-1.