Estrada claims controversial split decision against 'Chocolatito' to unify world titles

Much-anticipated rematch was all-out brawl most expected

After the 10th round of what had been an action-packed and competitive fight on Saturday night, the corner of Juan Francisco Estrada told him that he was behind and possibly needed a knockout to beat Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

Estrada fought well in the final two rounds but did not come close to a knockout nor did he convincingly win either on the scorecards. Yet, when the final bell rang, and after he and is longtime friend Gonzalez embraced, he got a pleasant surprise.

Although Gonzalez appeared to win the fight thanks to throwing and landing more punches – and landing the heavier shots – Estrada won by split decision to unify two junior bantamweight world titles in a rematch more than eight years in the making at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Judges Jesse Reyes scored the fight 115-113 for Gonzalez but was overruled by two judges who had it for Estrada -- David Sutherland, who had it 115-113, and Carlos Sucre, who had it a shocking 117-111.

Officially, Estrada avenged a loss to Gonzalez, who won a unanimous decision in a junior flyweight title defense in Los Angeles that challenged for 2012 fight of the year honors.

‘I think I did enough to win.” — Estrada

‘I felt strong and I felt I won.’ — Gonzalez

Since then, both men have proven themselves to be among boxing’s pound-for-pound best with Gonzalez ultimately winning world titles in four weight classes and Estrada winning a unified flyweight title and now unifying belts at 115-pounds.

The rematch had been talked about since their first epic fight and both said in the build up to Saturday’s sequel that it would be better than their first encounter. They were absolutely right and the rematch surely will be in the fight of the year conversation come December. But the decision will go down as extremely controversial.

“I think I did enough to win,” Estrada said through an interpreter. “Chocolatito is a great fighter and I think he deserves a trilogy.”

Asked about his corner’s tremendous urgency after the 10th round, Estrada said, “I knew it was a close fight. I didn’t know if I was up or down. But I needed to close out the fight the last two rounds.”

Gonzalez, who has always show humility, did not complain about the decision, although he did become emotional at the end of his post-fight interview on DAZN.

“Whatever happened had to happen, but I gave it a good fight,” said Gonzalez, the former pound-for-pound king and the only fighter in boxing history to win world titles in boxing’s four smallest weight classes. “I would have been happy either way with the result. I did my work. The only guarantee is from the lord. It was a better fight than the first one. I felt strong and I felt I won.”

The fight began at a quick pace and never let up. They fired with abandon round after round. Clinches were rare. It was almost like watching a video game or a fight video on fast forward.

Although the rounds were very obviously competitive, Gonzalez seemed to have the edge in most of them.

He went to the body, landed vicious combinations and regularly backed Estrada up. In the fourth round, Gonzalez rocked Estrada with a left hand near the ear in one of the most action-packed rounds of the fight.

While Estrada (42-3, 28 KOs), 30, of Mexico, landed his share of stinging shots, Gonzalez’s appeared crisper and cleaner and there were many more of them, although Estrada, who had quicker hands, seemed to hurt him with a body shot in the sixth round, when the momentum shifted his way for a few rounds.

Gonzalez (50-3, 41 KOs), 33, of Nicaragua, looked to get a second wind in the ninth round, when he buzzed Estrada with a right hand and consistently outworked hm. It was more of the same in the 10th round but he got little credit from the judges, despite the worries from Estrada’s corner.

As if they hadn’t let it all hang out already, they blazed through the 11th and 12th rounds with ferocious toe-to-toe punching, although it was Gonzalez who closed out the fight by rocking Estrada in the final 40 seconds as the socially distanced crowd of 3,763 – the arena was set for about 4,000 -- went wild.

“In the last round I gave it my all, it was a great round,” Gonzalez said. “That’s what God wanted; the result is what God wanted.”

According to CompuBox statistics, Estrada and Gonzalez combined to throw a 115-pound division record 2,529 punches.

Gonzalez, however, had the clear edge in the stats. He outlanded or matched Estrada in landed punches in every round except the 11th, in which Estrada was credited with a 37-36 edge. Overall, Gonzalez landed 391 of 1,317 (30 percent) and Estrada landed 314 of 1,212 (26 percent). Estrada’s thrown punches were a career high.

“If he threw two or three punches, I had to return two or three punches as well,” Estrada said. “The first time I had a difficult time with the weight, so I felt a little weak. I’m at my weight and I felt a lot better this time around.”

Former world champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (50-5-1, 43 KOs), 34, who owns two wins over Gonzalez and has split two fights with Estrada, is Estrada’s mandatory challenger but stepped aside in order to allow the rematch with Gonzalez to take place. He stayed busy on Friday night, scoring a knockdown and dishing out a beating to Thai countryman Kwanthai Sithmorseng, who retired on stool after three one-sided rounds.

Estrada owes him the next shot but there will be cries for a trilogy with Gonzalez. Estrada said he is open to either fight.

“Rungvisai is the mandatory, so I will look at that. But I’ll approach a third fight any day with Chocolatito,” Estrada said.

Gonzalez also said he wanted a third fight with his greatest rival.

“I want it. Whatever he wants, we’ll do it,” Gonzalez said. “I’m very happy with my performance and having the crowd enjoy the fight.”

Of course, they did. They had seen a classic.

The official scorecard

Photo: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing