It seems impossible. After years of longing for the fight, boxing lovers can finally rest easy with the announcement that Nicaraguan Roman “Chocolatito” González and Mexican Juan Francisco “El Gallo” Estrada will fight on March 13 for the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, and The Ring Super Flyweight titles.
The powerful English promoter Eddie Hearn made the announcement hours before the fight between Saul Álvarez and Callum Smith, held last Saturday night in San Antonio, Texas.
“The ideal venue for this fight is the StubHub Center in California,” Hearn thinks, and expects an event with fans. If this first option falls due to restrictions related to COVID-19, he would aim at the Alamodome in Texas, which hosted 12,000 fans on Saturday.
The StubHub Center brings back bad memories for the boxer from Barrio La Esperanza, Managua, because that’s where he was knocked out by Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in March 2017.
There is also a third option: the Talking Stick Resort Arena, in Arizona, which hosted in December 2019 the fight between Julio César Chávez Jr. and Daniel Jacobs. While the negotiations regarding the venue are being resolved, Chocolatito and Estrada must set up their respective camps, after waiting eight years and four months to see each other for the second time.
That first fight in 2012 left thousands of people hungry for revenge. Hearn has managed to take advantage of the sentiment, reach an agreement with promoters, and put two of the best small weights of the modern era in the ring.
