Chocolatito vs Estrada II: SuperFight 2021

The sport of boxing is one that is mostly built upon the back-stories of the two fighters involved. We have seen series of fights like Ali-Frazier, Gatti-Ward and Holyfield-Bowe, just to name a few, that have made their mark in boxing history leaving fans and media referencing it years after.

This week, we may very well add to boxing’s rich history as one of the most anticipated rematches in recent history takes place in Dallas, TX. WBA Super Flyweight Champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (50-2) goes up against WBC and Ring Magazine Champion Juan Francisco ‘Gallo’ Estrada (41-3). This fight has been brewing for years and we finally get it live on DAZN this Saturday night.

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The American Airlines Arena in Dallas for a day will turn into the old colosseum from the ancient roman times. This fight will certainly be a battle between two future hall of famers that perform at the highest level of boxing. You will see master level feints, traps, combinations and the battle of foot positioning. You will get it all and the winner of this fight will become the king of the division.

Some may look to their November 2012 classic in order to get a glimpse of what we may expect this weekend. Although I wouldn’t suggest not to, that fight was close to nine years ago and since then, both men have evolved into so much more. They have since moved up two weight classes and took very different paths to get to where they’re at right now in their careers.

This is a high-profile fight and I wanted to get a different perspective other than mine on the fight. I reached out to BigFightweekend.com’s Senior Writer Marquis Johns, to see what his thoughts were on the fight:

The unification rematch between Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez coming up this weekend from Dallas feels like an early Christmas present to any avid boxing fan. We have two men who arguably are found in pound-for-pound top ten lists everywhere in a bout that has been a long time coming. Eight years for those still marking X's on the calendars, and on March 13th, you can drop the marker.

Why this fight is anticipated comes from the expectation that it will be an absolute slugfest and a continuation of their 2012 contest. ‘Chocolatito' won the first meeting, but many think he isn't the same fighter from that unanimous decision win at flyweight.  At 33, ‘Chocolatito' has recently had a resurgence, capturing the WBA Super Flyweight title from Kal Yafai.  He won by systematically breaking down Yafai. In his latest title defense, “Chocolatito' outpointed Israel Gonzalez setting up this rematch.

What makes the grudge match for Chocolatito interesting is what he mentioned in preparation for it. Head trainer Marcos Caballero recently stated that Roman has been preparing to throw over 1,000 punches for this fight. If he is training for that much volume to slug it out against Estrada, we are not only getting Christmas early, we're getting the Independence Day fireworks as well. 

Chocolatito is a religious man who reads his bible in preparation for war.

Estrada going into this contest has one thing on his mind, revenge. He lost against Wisaksil Wangek (since the Roman fight is the only loss that Estrada has had) and he got his payback on Wangek in 2019. In that span, Estrada has gone 15-1 and has been doing it by throwing and then throwing some more.

Estrada was knocked down in the last defense of his WBC belt against Carlos Cuadras early but rallied back. Later in the fight, he knocked down Cuadras twice in the eleventh round to earn a stoppage win. Estrada is hoping that Roman will go toe-to-toe with him and use his power at the higher weight class to his advantage. If you watched the first fight, this was the tactic that ‘Chocolatito' had as he was able to be the aggressor. Estrada has also admitted that he came in their first bout weak because of the struggle to make 108 pounds. I expect that style to be the case in this one as well.

Gallo Estrada has those intense Roberto Duran eyes at all times.

This rematch will all come down to who can instill their style more on the other. That factor alone is what makes this the most awaited fight in recent memory. I think somehow, once the final bell rings, we get a close split decision for Estrada, making everyone demand a rubber match. You can follow Marquis on Twitter @weaksauceradio .

This fight is an interesting one as the first couple of rounds will be filled with high level tactics. Estrada will do his normal stay busy routine while Gonzalez watches and analyzes how he moves and throws his punches. Gonzalez mentioned to me how difficult the first fight was for him. In this one, I would expect for him to be a little cautious in the beginning.

Legendary Photographer/Videographer Estevan Oriol, working on some shots with Roman Gonzalez.

A fight will break out between rounds three and four with both men turning up the volume. This is where you will see the multi punch combo from both men. By this point, the “cat and mouse” games will be over and the real fight begins. The question will be if both men can sustain the high punch output at this point of their careers. The answer to that will be yes and you will see it all on display.

Both men have trained as if this is the hardest fight of their careers. As we head into the later rounds, we may even see a flash knockdown from either man or both. In the end, this one goes to decision and ‘Chocolatito' comes away with the narrow victory on the cards.

My Three Cents: It is hard to see this fight becoming a stinker as both men know there is a lot at stake. The battle between two giants occurs this Saturday night and you do not want to miss this one. If there was ever a reason to subscribe to DAZN, this fight gives it to you. Enjoy the fight and watch two artists, Gonzalez and Estrada, paint a masterpiece.

You can follow me on Twitter @abeg718 and follow @nyfights on Instagram.