Juan Francisco Estrada is officially set for his quest to become a three-division titlist.
The former two-division champion took to the scales on Friday, where he weighed 119lbs – his heaviest in more than six years. It set the stage for Estrada’s showdown with countryman Karim Arce, who came in at the same weight.
Both boxers arrived in supreme condition and were respectful during the ceremony, complete with handshake during their obligatory staredown. Their scheduled ten-round contest will air live this Saturday on TV Azteca from Centro de Usos Multiples in Estrada’s hometown of Hermosillo, Mexico.
Estrada, 44-4 (28 KOs), has primarily fought at junior bantamweight since 2016. His lone fight well above that limit came in December 2018, when he was a career heaviest 120 ¼ pounds in a seventh-round knockout win in Carson, California.
The feat came one fight prior to his unanimous decision victory over Srisaket Sor Rungvisai to claim the lineal and WBC 115lbs title in their April 2019 rematch.
Five successful title defenses followed – including a pair of narrow victories over fellow ring legend and longtime rival Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez. The reign ended last June 29, when unbeaten pound-for-pound entrant Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, 21-0 (14 KOs), stopped Estrada in the seventh round with a body shot in Phoenix, Arizona. Both fighters hit the deck in the action fight before Estrada failed to beat the count at the end of round seven.
Arce, 21-2-2 (8 KOs), actually moved in the opposite direction in terms of the scales.
The 27-year-old fringe contender weighed at his lightest since a June 2021 win at junior bantamweight when he was 114.75lbs. That proved a poor night for Arce, as then-unbeaten David Cuellar stopped him in the ninth round.
One fight later, Arce was a career-heaviest 125.25lbs before he settled in at junior featherweight for each of his last three starts.
Arce is the nephew of the wildly popular Jorge Arce, a former multi-division titlist who was known for his all-action style during his eighteen-year career.
Also on the show, 17-year-old Camila Zamorano, 11-0 (7 KOs), aims to continue her rapid rise to contention. The locally based atomweight was 101.5lbs for a scheduled ten-round clash with Japan’s Mika Iwakawa, 13-7-1 (4 KOs), who was 101lbs for just her second career road fight.
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on and .