By: Sean Crose
DAZN will be broadcasting what is essentially a Juan Francisco Estrada showcase tonight as the world No. 42-3 takes on Argi Cortes 23-2-2 in a scheduled 12th round match at Centro. de Usos Multiples by Hermosillo. Estrada’s final match saw the 32-year-old win a thrilling showdown against the great Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in March 2021. Estrada united the WBA and WBC super flyweight titles. on that night. The WBC belt will wind on Saturday night. With a future rematch against Gonzalez likely on the horizon, Estrada will definitely want to impress this weekend.
In recognition of his merits, Cortes has not lost a single battle in more than 7 years. Indeed, the 27-year-old lost his third and fourth match respectively before winning a total of 21 matches with 2 draws. The man’s resume is impressive. Estrada, however, is considered a level above Cortes, whose last game was a decisive eighth-round win over Rogelio Garcia in May. That said, tonight is nothing if not a lifetime opportunity for Cortes. If he shocks the world on Saturday, his stock will obviously rise significantly.
However, Cortes has a huge mountain to climb. Now with only Estrada sitting atop the flyweight super, Cortes faces the additional challenge on Saturday of trying to overtake Estrada in his hometown of Hermosillo. Local spectators will have good reason to be pleased with their boxers coming in. In addition to beating Gonzalez last year, Estrada has won against the likes of Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Furthermore, Estrada returned and defeated the only two men who had defeated him – Sor Rungvisai and Gonzalez. Add to that the fact Estrada has won titles in two different weight classes and it’s easy to see why he would be the preferred target in tonight’s fight with Cortes in Mexico.
