Easy Street

Estrada faces unknown Beamon in hometown appearance, writes Daniel Herbert.

- Daniel Herbert

EDDIE HEARN’S Matchroom Boxing operation arrives in Mexico on Saturday (August 24) with a bill at the Centro de Usos Multiples in Hermosillo. The event, a co-promotion with Zanfer and Sauerland, will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Action in the UK and on DAZN in the USA.

There is substantial British and Irish interest on the undercard but the main event sees local hero Juan Francisco Estrada defend his WBC super-flyweight title against North Carolina’s Dewayne Beamon. It’s an odd match, pitting one of world’s hottest fighters against a 34-year-old who has never boxed anywhere near world level.

Estrada has been operating at top level for a long time. After losing a 2012 bid against Roman Gonzalez for the WBA light-fly title, he moved up to flyweight where he held the WBA and WBO belts from 2013 to 2016.

He relinquished them unbeaten to invade the talent-packed 115lbs division in 2016. At this weight he’s beaten quality compatriot Carlos Cuadras, lost to WBC king Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on a majority but then defeated the Thai unanimously in a rematch. That April, victory won him the WBC belt and this homecoming – his last five bouts have been in California - looks like a “gimme”.