The WBO and WBA flyweight championship now belongs to Juan Francisco Estrada. The Mexican challenger scored an upset win over former champion Brian Viloria in Macao S.A.R. China by way of a split decision.
Estrada came into the fight fresh off a unanimous-decision loss to Roman Gonzalez, but certainly redeemed himself with a title-winning performance against Viloria. He was able to secure the win on two judges' scorecards, thanks to a late-fight surge.
After falling behind early, Estrada took over the latter rounds of the fight with crisp combinations that left Viloria staggered.
The win marks the best performance of the 22-year-old's career, and his future looks brighter than ever. So what lies ahead for the newly crowned champion? Here are some possibilities.
Hernan "Tyson" Marquez
After toppling one of the elite flyweights in the world in Viloria, Estrada is ready to take on the best fighters in the division. Even though he's coming off a loss, "Tyson" Marquez is still one of the best options in the weight class.
Marquez suffered a 10th-round TKO loss to Viloria, but has yet to go toe-to-toe with Estrada. An argument could be made that he should be forced to win a fight before getting a title shot, but Estrada was coming off a loss heading into his bout with Viloria, and he was able to earn the victory.
If Estrada wants to defend his title against a proven, elite fighter, Marquez should be at the top of his list of potential opponents.
Edgar Sosa
If Estrada isn't interested in defending his title against someone coming off a loss in his next title bout, then Sosa should be the prime candidate.
If he gets past Giovani Segura on May 25, it'll be hard to deny he deserves a shot at the title. Sosa is coming off an impressive knockout victory over longtime rival Ulises Solis and is riding a five-fight win streak.
Segura won't be an easy fight, but a win there and we should see Sosa get a shot at Estrada's belt.
Rematch with Brian Viloria
Everyone loves a rematch.
Estrada burst onto the scene with this win, but detractors will try to say that it was a fluke. Viloria has been the champion since 2011, and this was definitely a performance he'll be looking to put behind him. He didn't look prepared for the later rounds and paid for it.
An upset like this works as the perfect set-up for a rematch. Can Estrada score a repeat performance? Would Viloria make the adjustments necessary to win the second time around?
Even though fans just saw this matchup an immediate rematch, maybe it's the most intriguing option for the new champion.
Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment