Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez meets Juan Francisco Estrada this Saturday, December 3rd, in their rubber match live on DAZN at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The card starts at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Chocolatito and Estrada (43-3, 28 KOs) had planned on meeting in March, but El Gallo was coming off an illness and couldn’t take the fight, Estrada has since come back, and he’ll be ready to go on Saturday night in this much-anticipated bout.
While some boxing fans see no point in the third Estrada-Gonzalez fight, given that Chocolatito (51-3, 41 KOs) dominated both of the first two contests and was arguably robbed blind in their rematch last year in March 2021.
It’s still exciting to see these two warriors meet again, but hopefully, the judges don’t spoil things like they did the last time these two met in Dallas, Texas.
When is Estrada vs. Chocolatito 3?
Juan Estrada will meet Roman Gonzalez this Saturday, December 3, in Glendale, Arizona. The fight action beings on DAZN at 8:00 p.m. ET.
It’s unclear how much the 32-year-old Estrada has left in the tank, though, as he looked badly faded in his last fight, edging fringe contender Argi Cortes by a 12-round unanimous decision last September.
Many boxing fans saw Cortes as deserving as the winner of the fight, considering Estrada was beaten to the punch the entire fight and looked nothing like the fighter he’d once been.
“Well, when you talk about why you’re so excited about Estrada – Chocolatito 3, watch #1 and watch #2,” said Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing about Saturday’s trilogy fight between Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada, live on DAZN.
Last year, Estrada beat Chocolatito by a 12-round split decision in March 2021 in Dallas, Texas.
The boxing fans loudly booed the results at ringside, who clearly saw Roman as the winner. The score was 117-111, 115-113 for Estrada, and 115-113 for Gonzalez. The two warriors combined for 2,529 punches thrown in the fight.
In the first fight on November 17, 2012, Roman Gonzalez defeats Juan Estrada by a 12 round unanimous decision with the scores 116-112, 116-112, and 118-110.
“I had the pleasure of promoting number two, and all I could think about when that final bell went is, ‘When is number three?'” said Hearn.
“1-1, two controversial fights. Estrada believes he won the first fight; Chocolatito believes he won the second fight. Now the opportunity for the war to settle it all.
“Estrada got the decision in part two in a fight could have gone either way. Many felt that Chocolatito deserved to win that fight, but if you look at his performances, particularly against Julio Cesar Martinez, he looks like he’s getting better and better with age.
“I believe you’re going to see one of the great performances from Chocolatito throughout his entire career on December 3rd. I also believe you’re going to get a fired-up, much-improved Estrada, who is looking to take this trilogy 2-1.
“El Gallo is a tremendous fighter, a fighter with the Mexican grit, the heart, a true warrior. You know in this house exactly how this is going to play out. Neither fighter is going to take a step backwards.
“The punch count is going to be absolutely insane off the charts, and the intensity of the fight, the speed of the fight, the drama of the fight. It’s going to give you everything you love as a fight fan.
“It’s been a difficult year for boxing, and I feel these are the kinds of fights that we need to make. These are the kinds of fights that will put a smile on fight fans’ faces,” said Hearn.
It should be an interesting fight from start to finish if Estrada can regain the form that he had in his first and second fights. If not, Chocolatito will score a stoppage over a very old-looking Estrada.