Juan Francisco Estrada is now in prime position to challenge for a world title in a third weight class.
Estrada, a former unified flyweight titleholder and junior bantamweight champion, has moved up from the WBO’s second-ranked bantamweight into its first slot, according to the sanctioning body’s monthly ratings update released on November 20.
The upward move occurred because the WBO’s previous No. 1 bantamweight, Tenshin Nasukawa, will instead be vying for the vacant WBC belt against Takuma Inoue this coming Monday.
The WBO’s titleholder at 118lbs is Christian Medina, 26-4 (19 KOs), who upset Yoshiki Takei for the belt via fourth-round TKO in September.
Estrada, 45-4 (28 KOs), has only fought once since being dethroned at 115lbs by Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in June 2024. The 35-year-old resident of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, fought close to home this past June, winning a wide 10-round decision against the 21-2-2 Karim Arce Lugo.
After Estrada in the WBO’s latest bantamweight ratings are Landi Ngxeke at No. 2, followed by Takei, Andrew Cain, Argi Cortes, Riku Masuda, Carlos Cuadras, Katsuma Akitsugi, Jose Salas Reyes, Adrian Curiel, Reymart Gaballo, Juan Zayas, Michael Angeletti, Tomoya Tsuboi and Theophilous Kpakpo Allotey.
Estrada is ranked third by the WBC and will likely move into the top spot there after Nasukawa-Inoue, in line to challenge the winner.
Expect the WBO’s ratings to shake up even further next month.
Cuadras and Tsuboi are scheduled to fight on the undercard of Nasukawa vs. Inoue; Masuda is also appearing on the show. And a fight between Nxgeke and Reyes for the vacant IBF belt has been scheduled for December 13.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
