WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman discusses with Boxing Social the possibility of a third meeting between super-flyweight sensations Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez and explains why the scoring of judge Carlos Sucre on Saturday night was “absolutely unacceptable”…
In the aftermath of the breathless WBC/WBA super-flyweight world title showdown between Mexican maestro Juan Francisco Estrada and Nicaraguan warrior Roman Gonzalez on Saturday night in Dallas, much discussion has centred on whether the duo will participate in an immediate rematch, or whether Estrada will be forced to first defend his crown against the WBC’s mandatory challenger Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has revealed to Boxing Social that a decision has not yet been made on this matter.
“I’m still smiling from that great fight on Saturday night,” he enthused. “Without a doubt it’s one of the greatest fights not just in the lower weight divisions but in all weight divisions. It’s a classic that has had everyone talking.
“It was such a great fight, such an unbelievable fight and so exciting for everyone. As soon as the final bell rang, of course, everyone started talking about a third fight. I want to leave things this week to let everything settle in.
“We’ll take into consideration everything and we will see. I don’t know if the promoters will want to petition for an immediate third fight. We will see. I don’t want to anticipate. But what I can certainly say is that both boxers deserve a lot of praise and there is great enthusiasm for the super-flyweights.
“I spoke to both fighters after the fight. I thanked them on behalf of the boxing world for their courage, for their performance, for giving their all.
“They are so humble. They are both such great human beings. They match what they do in the ring with what they do outside of the ring. I feel very fortunate to be a good friend of both of them. They gave us a great fight and we have expectations of more future great events with them.”
Estrada won Saturday’s contest via a fiercely-debated split decision – with Venezuelan judge Carlos Sucre’s 117-111 card in El Gallo’s favour coming in for some stern criticism. Sulaiman admitted that he, too, was deeply disappointed by this particular scorecard.
“It’s very unfortunate and a true shame that this fight has been tainted by unnecessary controversy,” he said. “That there is a stain of controversy. It was a very good fight, very close. Two judges had it 115-113 – that score one way or the other is perfectly acceptable.
“It is absolutely unacceptable to have another score as wide as such a judge had it. I feel bad for the fighters because nothing should have been said about the fight other than praising their effort and their performance. There should have been be no room for any discussion other than about the fact it was a great fight.”
Turning to more positive matters, Sulaiman paid tribute to the willingness of the current outstanding crop of super-flyweights to fight each other on a regular basis.
Saturday’s fight was the tenth contest in under nine years involving combinations of the quartet made up of Gonzalez, Estrada and former 115lbs champions Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket.
“They are always willing to step up,” Sulaiman said of the group of fighters who many have labelled the ‘new Four Kings’ of boxing.
“There’s great talent there and many great fights will be happening in the future. Carlos Cuadras called me yesterday and said he wants to get back in the ring.
“It’s great to see that [these four] all want to get into the ring and fight each other. Any of the combinations of these fighters is sensational.”