Franco-Estrada Unification is Easy to Make and Could Be Next

Legendary little man and current 115-pound world title holder Juan Fransico Estrada could be next for WBA champ San Antonio's own "El Professor" Joshua Franco. According to a report from Izquierdazo.com, A unification bout between the WBA and WBC champ would be easy to make. Franco's trainer Robert Garcia said. Franco was robbed of a career-best win when two of the judges scored his New Year's Eve bout with WBO Super Flyweight champ Kaz Ioka a draw in Ioka's native Japan. The press, observers, and Ioka himself felt Franco should have been declared the winner. He should be the unified champ at 115.

Their performance by Franco was so impressive that he has been viewed and treated as the rightful winner. Perhaps the Texan is not looking to rematch with Ioka. Instead looking to unify with the WBC champion. The two were mandated to fight last year by the WBA. The bout went to pursue bids it was awarded to the highest bidder, Golden Boy Promotions. Estrada opted not to fight Franco, vacated his share of the WBA belt, and took a bout with a non-descript fighter named Argi Cortes in what appeared to most as a duck. After a tougher-than-expected challenge from Cortes, Estrada scored a career-best win over fellow legendary little man Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez to capture the vacant WBC title.

The San Antonian's trainer Robert Garcia, insists that the fight would be easy to make saying, "it's a very easy fight to make, we done have to negotiate with any promoter. We are free of a promoter. We just have to talk to Matchroom's Eddie Hearn and Fernando Beltran (CEO of Zanfer Boxing) so the fight can take place."

Estrada's WBC title was vacated by Franco's little brother Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez, who won the belt in early 2022. He defended it twice before he opted to relinquish the belt and move down to his more natural weight of 112 pounds to challenge for the vacant WBO title.

Franco, avoided by Estrada; Elevated to Full Champion

It's good news, bad news, for "El Professor" Joshua Franco of San Antonio. The great news is the super flyweight champ has been elevated to full champ status and is losing the "regular" designation. The bad news is the world champ is also losing his potential legacy-making, mega-fight, with the legendary, multi-division world champ and future first ballot hall of Famer Juan Francisco Estrada.

Franco has long been in line for a mega fight. El Professor last fought a year ago and dominated former champ Andrew Moloney, over 12 mostly one-sided rounds in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The WBA, in an effort to consolidate its world titles, had notified that Franco would be fighting the winner of the then champ. Choclatito Gonzalez and Juan Francsico Estrada. Estrada was awarded the benefit of the doubt with Chocolatito and was ordered to fight Franco.

The WBA approved a third Estrada-Gonzalez bout given the controversial ending of the rematch, with the caveat being the winner agreed to fight Franco next. Estrada-Gonzalez 3 was due to take place last October but was delayed when Gonzalez tested positive for Covid and was then rescheduled and later canceled when Estrada tested positive.

With the Estrada-Chocolatito trilogy off, the path was cleared for Estrada-Franco. Estrada has now decided to part ways with his version of the WBA belt and avoids Franco altogether. It appears Estrada will go back to the negotiating table with Chocolatito and try to make the trilogy. Franco, whose younger brother Bam Rodriguez holds the WBC strap, may look to fight either of the other champs in the weight class, Kaz Ioka of Japan holds the WBO belt and Fernando Daniel Martinez of Argentina holds the IBF version. Another possible bout would be with the WBA's #2 ranked contender "Scrappy" Ramirez of Los Angeles, California. Ramirez has been on record, saying he wants the Franco fight. Ramirez looked spectacular in his last step-up fight against Jan Salvatierra. Scrappy also fought in San Antonio late last year at the AT&T Center. A fight that Franco was in attendance for.