Photos: Juan Francisco Estrada, Argi Cortes - Set For Showdown in Mexico

By Jake Donovan

Juan Francisco Estrada is once again ready to defend his junior bantamweight crown. (photos by Ed Mulholland)

The lineal champion enters his next title defense two belts lighter though at his heaviest official weight in more than four years as he collides with countryman Argi Cortes. Both boxers made weight for their twelve-round main event, which airs live on DAZN from Centro de Usos Multiples in Estrada’s hometown of Hermosillo, Mexico. 

Estrada came in right at the 115-pound divisional limit for the fourth defense of his lineal championship but first without a physical belt in tow. Mexico City’s Cortes was 114.6 pounds for his first career title fight.

The bout comes nearly 18 months since Estrada’s last ring appearance, a disputed split decision win over Nicaragua’s legendary former four-division champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (51-3, 41KOs) in their epic rematch last March 13 in Dallas, Texas. Estrada defended his WBC junior bantamweight title while claiming Gonzalez’s WBA ‘Super’ title to avenge a November 2012 defeat.

Neither belt remains with Estrada.

The WBC title was exchanged for the sanctioning body’s “Franchise” designation, which allowed Estrada to bypass a mandatory title defense with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in what would have been a trilogy clash. Estrada lost to Sor Rungvisai in a failed WBC title bid in February 2018 before claiming the crown in their April 2019 rematch.

Estrada made the move to proceed with a different rubber match, as he was due to face Gonzalez for a third time. The bout was twice postponed due to each testing positive for Covid on separate occasions. The lengthy delay prompted the WBA to order a title consolidation bout with secondary titlist Joshua Franco (18-1-2, 8KOs), with Golden Boy Promotions winning a purse bid in hopes of staging bout on June 11 or July 16.

Both dates passed by without a fight taking place, with Estrada ultimately stripped of his title for failure to defend. He will instead proceed with a third fight with Gonzalez which is eyed for December.

Standing in the way is Cortes (23-2-2, 10KOs), a fringe contender who steps up in class. The 27-year-old is unbeaten in his last 23 starts, including an eleven-fight win streak though having never fought past the eighth round or in a bout scheduled for more than ten rounds.

The co-feature pits a rematch between WBA featherweight titlist Erika Cruz and former unified champ Jelena Mrdjenovich. Both made weight for their scheduled ten-round contest.

Cruz checked in at 125.7 pounds, nearly identical to her weight in an upset technical decision win over Edmonton’s Mrdjenovich last April in West Point, New York. Mexico City’s Cruz (14-1, 3KOs)—whose nephew is lightweight contender Isaac Cruz, despite their being just nine years apart— has since defended the title in a ten-round decision over Melissa Esquivel last November 26 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Mrdjenovich (41-11-2, 19KOs) checked in at 125 pounds, one-quarter pound lighter than in her loss to Cruz last April which represents her most recent bout. The well-preserved 38-year-old is at her lightest weight since June 2019 as she aims to begin a fifth title reign spanning two weight divisions, including a fourth at featherweight.

Mrdjenovich—who has spent nearly all year training with SugarHill Steward in preparation for this title fight—previously held the WBC junior lightweight before dropping down to featherweight where she has entered three separate title reigns. She avenged past defeats to Melissa Hernandez and Edith Soledad Matthysse in immediate rematches to regain her titles, making six successful defenses in her most recent reign before losing to Cruz.

Hector Flores and Sivenathi Nontshinga both made weight for a vacant IBF junior flyweight title fight between unbeaten contenders.

Tijuana’s Flores (20-0-4, 10KOs) was 107.8, while Nontshinga (10-0, 9KOs) was 107.6 pounds for his first career fight outside of South Africa. The bout became available once Nicaragua’s Felix Alvarado vacated to instead campaign at flyweight.

Opening the four-fight DAZN telecast, Eduardo ‘Rocky’ Hernandez (32-1, 29KOs) and Jorge Mata (145-0-2, 10KOs) collide in a ten-round battle of Mexican knockout artists.

Hernandez weighed 129.6 pounds as he aims to extend his current four-fight win streak—all by knockout including a 95-second blitzing of Jorge Castaneda on a June 10 DAZN show in Guadalajara. Mata was 129.4 pounds as he fights for the fourth time in ten months, which each of his past three starts ending inside the distance.

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