The bantamweight journey is officially underway for Juan Francisco Estrada.
A warm reception awaited the former two-division champion at home Saturday evening at Centro de Usos Multiples in Hermosillo, Mexico. Estrada soaked in the cheers ahead of his eventual 10-round unanimous decision win over Karim Arce.
Scores were 100-87, 99-88 and 98-89 for Estrada in the TV Azteca main event.
The fight marked the first piece of ring action for Estrada since his seventh-round knockout defeat to Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez last June 29 in Phoenix. It marked the end of a five-year-plus lineal 115lbs championship reign for “El Gallo” as well as his final fight at the weight.
Now campaigning at 118lbs, Estrada seemed to quickly adjust to the new weight.
It did take a moment for him to settle into a groove, however.
Arce began the fight well-intended and without fear of his celebrated opponent. The 27-year-old fringe contender from Los Mochis – whose uncle is former multi-division titlist Jorge Arce – stood his ground early while Estrada used the opening round to reacclimate to the ring after a 51-week absence.
It didn’t take long for Estrada to find his home run swing. The 35-year-old local hero hurt Arce to the body and literally ran across the ring to follow up on his attack. A volley of power shots downstairs forced Arce to the canvas late in the frame.
Arce beat the count and made it out of the round. He then benefited from an extended break between rounds; for reasons unknown, the referee took extra time to begin the third round.
Estrada continued on his attack. Arce used his opponent’s aggression to his own advantage as he connected with a left hook upstairs. Estrada continued to target the body, particularly with his left hook.
Arce appeared to be in trouble once again when Estrada pinned him against the ropes in the fifth. Estrada launched a two-fisted attack, but Arce withstood the storm and came back to enjoy a productive sixth round. Estrada mounted a comeback late in the round and then used lateral movement to slow down Arce’s attempted attack in the seventh.
A brief moment in the eighth saw Estrada switch to southpaw. Arce quickly adapted and managed to land a right hand upstairs. Estrada returned to his conventional stance and landed traditional 1-2 combinations upstairs.
Arce managed to rally late and provide a few nervous moments for Estrada in the eighth and ninth rounds. Estrada was also forced to contend with a cut over his left eye, though it never became a factor.
The best was saved for the last round, as Estrada stripped away any remaining thoughts of a letdown, or worse.
Estrada unloaded on Arce and twice floored his countryman inside the final minute. A series of power shots upstairs was capped by a final right hand to force Arce to a knee. Estrada repeated the sequence while he trapped Arce in a corner to produce the bout’s third and final knockdown.
Arce, 22-3-1 (8 KOs), made it to the final bell but was dealt his second defeat in a three-fight span.
Meanwhile, Estrada returned to the win column for the first time in 30 months. The last time his arm was raised in victory came in December 2022, when he defeated Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, 52-4 (42 KOs), in their thrilling rubber match to go up 2-1 in their memorable series.
The bout marked the fifth and final defense of Estrada’s lineal junior bantamweight championship. It was followed by his abovementioned knockout loss to Rodriguez, 21-0 (14 KOs), and then an extended break before the decision came to return at bantamweight.
The evening’s co-feature saw Camila Zamorano take the next step in her promising career.
Zamorano, a 17-year-old atomweight, claimed a dominant 10-round unanimous decision over Japan’s Mika Iwakawa, 13-8-1 (4 KOs). Scores were 98-92, 100-90 and 100-90 for Zamorano, now 12-0 (1 KO), who will target a major title fight within her next few starts.