“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” -John Lennon.
I’ve got to tell you…this week feels like a dream and not just for me but for many in the boxing world.
November 2012 I saw a fight that made me fanboy out, and not just for one fighter in the ring but for both fighters. That night Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Juan Francisco “El Gallo” Estrada went to war in the ring and at the point, I did not know much about either fighter, but they had me on the edge of my seat. They had my undivided attention and when it was over I felt like a glutton that needed more and was never satisfied but the joy I got to experience in the careers of these two fighters helped me bond with my wife’s family who are from Nicaragua and with my father being Mexican helped bridge the gap in our lives and helped build my children’s interest in the sport (without being biased).
Since the Estrada fight Gonzalez truly made a name for himself beating some of the best names in the lower weight classes while showcasing his amazing skills and accuracy in the ring. His humbleness made him super likable and the respect he always showed is not often seen especially from someone who is considered one of the best in the sport.
With Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward retiring from boxing Gonzalez became the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world and it forced many to take notice. He continued to shine but suffered a couple of bumps in the road with his only two career losses and the loss of his longtime trainer.
Things were tough but with his ability and his character Gonzalez was able to stage a comeback you would see in a Hollywood movie and he shocked the world. That brings us up to date for Chocolatito.
The loss to Gonzalez was at that point the second loss of Estrada’s career and man did he blast off into the stratosphere afterward.
Estrada’s first fight after Gonzalez was one of the greatest moments in his career as it marked the first time he won a world title. It was not an easy task but he took the fight to Brian Viloria and earned a split-decision victory. At that point, Viloria had beaten many of the top fighters in the division including Hernan Marquez and Giovani Segura. Estrada would go on to defend those titles successfully five times before moving up in weight to the super flyweight division.
The first fight Estrada had against Carlos Cuadras was entertaining and served as the co-main event to Gonzalez against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai with the winners of those two fights expecting to fight each other. Gonzalez lost a majority decision in a foul-filled (so many headbutts) fight so Estrada did not get the immediate shot at the winner as Gonzalez and Sor Rungvisai had a rematch. Once Estrada got the fight he lost a controversial decision but came back to win the rematch in impressive fashion.
Two fights later, Estrada had a rematch with Cuadras in which both fighters went down but Estrada ended up stopping his opponent. Gonzalez fought on the undercard and the hope was for a rematch to happen with both men claiming victory that night.
That brings us to the present. Close to a decade later and I’m still fanboying out about this fight and it is fight week. This time the world will be watching and these two warriors will get a chance to shine. Will we get another spectacular fight? Will a third happen or will this be it?
There are so many questions to ask but the only way to get the answers I desperately want to know is to let life take its course. It, like a dream, will come and go quickly and the impression it will leave will last a lifetime for me at least.
