On Sept 8th, boxing returns to HBO and the fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California for the series called “SUPERFLY.”
The event is the third version of its kind. The fighters involved are from the super flyweight division and come from all parts of the world to showcase their talents but to also increase notoriety within the smaller weight classes.
The main event is between Juan Francisco “El Gallo” Estrada (36-3) and Felipe “Gallito” Orucuta (36-4). There is a lot at stake since it is a WBC eliminator with the winner to face current champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in the near future.
Estrada wants to avenge his loss to the champion and feels he has all of the tools necessary to dethrone him the second time around. First things first though, Gallo Estrada said in a media event some weeks back that “I’m training very hard for this fight in the mountains of Mexico and will be ready for victory and to put on a great show on September 8.” One thing to point out, Estrada at this event had this cold look on his face while ensuring everyone understood he means business on Sept 8th. His opponent Orucuta, has TKO’d his last five opponents. This has all the ingredients of an all out Mexican war come Saturday night.
The co-main event will be for the vacant WBO title and will feature two Filipino warriors by the name of Donnie Nietes (41-4-4) and Aston Palicte (24-2). Nietes, whose only loss came in the form of a SD in 2004, has been part of the SuperFly series from the start and hopes to capitalize off of this opportunity. Here is what Nietes had to say leading up to the fight: “I’m happy to be given this opportunity. Thanks very much to ALA Promotions and 360 Promotions; this is a very big fight for me to possibly become a world champion for the fourth time. I know Aston very well, it’s a great fight between Filipino fighters but only in the ring. We have a lot of respect between us.”
Palicte is making his Superfly debut and after capturing the NABF title in December, and has positioned himself smartly for this title opportunity. Here’s what he had to say about his fight on Saturday night: “Thanks very much to my promoter, Roy Jones Jr. Promotions and 360 Promotions and also to HBO for this opportunity. I’ve known of Donnie for a long time and it will be an honor to share a ring with a Filipino legend.”
The third televised fight is between Kazuto Ioka and McWilliams Arroyo. Ioka has a very difficult fight on his hands. Although his last defeat was over four years ago, he will be facing a man that has shared the ring with top opposition, such as Carlos Cuadras and Chocolatito Gonzalez. Ioka said recently: “I’m very happy to be fighting in the United States for the first time. The Superflyseries is the home of so many great champions in the division and I knew that I wanted to fight on this card. McWilliams Arroyo is a very good fighter and I Iook forward to challenging him in the ring on September 8.”
Arroyo knows what is at stake and had this to say: “I’m so happy to be part of series, it meant so much to my career to defeat Carlos Cuadras in February. I know how good Kazuto Ioka is and I can’t wait to fight him on September 8. Thanks very much to 360 Promotions for this opportunity and to HBO for having me back.”
The SuperFly series has allowed these super flyweights to show boxing fans that they can deliver exciting events on a major platform like HBO. On Saturday night, they will give fight fans exactly what they are looking for, which is competitive and exciting boxing. If you haven’t given these lighter weight fighters a chance, I recommend you open your mind up and give them a shot. They are not likely to disappoint.
Born and raised in the Bronx, New York City, Abe grew up in a family who were and still are die-hard boxing fans. He started contributing boxing articles to NYF in 2017. Abe through his hard work, has made his way up the ranks and is now the editor at NYFights. He is also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).
