Talks for the highly anticipated rubber match between Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez continue to move in the right direction.

The pair of elite, multi-division champions remain hopeful of a third meeting to come later this year, with Estrada’s lineal junior bantamweight champion and WBA “Super”/WBC titles at stake. Representatives from both camps confirmed to BoxingScene.com that such plans continue to progress.

The bout has been long attached to a working date of October 16 on DAZN, though with a firm announcement of course dependent on a deal being reached and the sports streaming platform confirming its fourth quarter plans in the United States. Zanfer Boxing confirmed that Estrada has already entered training camp in anticipation of the trilogy clash with Nicaragua’s Gonzalez (50-3, 41KOs).

“Our unified World champion ‘El Gallo’ Estrada began training in (Juquipilco, Mexico) for his third fight with Chcolatiato,” Zanfer revealed on Wednesday.

Estrada (41-3, 27KOs) claimed a disputed twelve-round, split decision victory over Gonzalez in their rematch this past March at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Judge Jesse Reyes (115-113) awarded the bout to Gonzalez, while judges David Sutherland (115-113) and Carlos Sucre (117-111) ruled in favor of Estrada, who claimed the WBA “Super” 115-pound title in addition to defending his WBC belt. Sucre was subsequently suspended by the WBA for his scorecard which was universally regarded as far removed from the otherwise sensational fight that took place.

The rematch came eight-plus years after their thrilling first fight, which a then-unbeaten Gonzalez won by unanimous decision in the final defense of his junior flyweight title. Both boxers have since won titles at flyweight and junior bantamweight, with Gonzalez—a four division titlist—enjoying two separate reigns at 115 pounds prior to his heartbreaking defeat to Estrada earlier this year.

At the time of the rematch, Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (50-5-1, 43KOs) loomed overhead as the mandatory challenger to the WBC title. The two-time WBC titlist and former lineal junior bantamweight king has already faced Estrada and Gonzalez twice each, splitting his pair of bouts with Estrada while handing Gonzalez the first two defeats on his record in 2017.

Plans for the rubber match were able to advance once Estrada was named WBC “Franchise” champion this past March, shortly after his win over Gonzalez. Sor Rungvisai will likely face former titlist Mexico’s Carlos Cuadras for the vacant belt, in a rematch to their May 2014 bout in which Cuadras dethroned Sor Rungvisai via technical decision win.

The winner of Estrada-Gonzalez III still potentially faces a mandatory title defense in the aftermath.

WBA “World” junior bantamweight titlist Joshua Franco (18-1-2, 8KOs; 1ND) was notified by the sanctioning body of his current status as the mandatory challenger to Estrada’s “Super” title, obtaining the status immediately after his repeat unanimous decision win over Australia’s Andrew Moloney (21-2, 14KOs; 1ND) to go up 2-0-1 in their three-fight series. The same notification confirmed the WBA’s plans to call for a title consolidation bout in the aftermath of Estrada-Gonzalez III.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox