Last week, to the joy of all boxing fans, the WBC ordered a rubber match between grand rivals Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez. Estrada’s highly respected coach Alfredo Caballero has welcomed the decision and can’t wait to participate in the trilogy.
On March 13, the two greats of the lower weights engaged in a thrilling 12-round war with Estrada prevailing by a hotly-disputed, split decision, retaining his WBC 115lbs crown and seizing the Nicaraguan’s WBA ‘Super’ belt in the process.
Judge Carlos Sucre’s risible 117-111 card saw him suspended by the WBA, but the WBC soothed the wound of that scorecard by rubber-stamping a trilogy bout after promoting Mexican Estrada to ‘Franchise’ champion status.
Clearing the path for the trilogy, No.1 contender and two-time champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai would face another former title holder Carlos Cuadras for the vacant WBC belt with the winner of that bout meeting the Estrada-Gonzalez III victor.
Like the rest of us, Caballero is delighted with the outcome.
“I think it’s the best thing that could have happened, both for us as a team, for the Mexican and Nicaraguan public and for the whole world. With this designation, the boxing fans will win,” Caballero told Fox Deportes.
“Estrada is very happy to be a Franchise champion and for the possibility of facing Chocolatito again, only great fights manage to generate this type of impact and we do not want to wait a long time to repeat a fight of this magnitude.”
Estrada (42-3, 28 KOs) and Gonzalez (50-3, 41 KOs) are currently tied 1-1 in their series, after the Nicaraguan won a decision in defence of his WBA junior flyweight crown in November 2012.