As mentioned in our preview for Friday’s DAZN show, Carlos Cuadras’ road to a rematch with Juan Francisco Estrada hasn’t been an easy one, and being honest, he’s not expected to do as well as he did in a narrow 2017 loss to Estrada, let alone win.
But for the 32-year-old Cuadras (39-3-1, 27 KO), it’s a huge fight and a big opportunity, a chance to get back into the spotlight and back into the mix in the 115-pound division. And though he’s faded from the top contender slots of the division, he remains as colorful and outspoken as ever.
“This is the fight I have been waiting for,” said Cuadras. “I am better prepared this time. I’m throwing a lot of punches in training. I’m throwing 12 rounds of sparring with three different guys. I’m doing a lot of mitt sessions.
“I think I’m going to arrive very fast and invincible and I’m going to give the Rooster his medicine. So let the Rooster take care because I’m going to tear his head off. It’s going to be an honor to win The Ring magazine and WBC belt as well.
How to Watch Estrada vs Cuadras 2
Date: Friday, Oct. 23 | Start Time: 7:00 pm ET
Location: Gimnasio TV Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
TV: Azteca (Mexico) | Stream: DAZN
Cuadras, who refused a post-fight drug test after losing to McWilliams Arroyo in 2018 and entered rehab shortly after, has won his last three between Aug. 2018 and Sept. 2019. He’s had a long break, but he’s also a veteran fighter and he’s faced Estrada before, of course, so he feels he knows him well going into the rematch.
He also admits that he made some tactical errors last time against Estrada, when he lost by one point on all three cards, suffering a 10th round knockdown that made the difference.
“He can be a slow starter, but once he is in a rhythm, he is harder to fight,” Cuadras said. “He’s good to the body and he has a good right hand, that’s the punch he put me down with in our first fight. I gave it my all in the first rounds, so I lost my energy for the second half, I went too hard from the start.”
And while this show is being hyped as a set-up for a long-awaited rematch between Estrada and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, who fights in the co-feature, Cuadras also fought Gonzalez back in 2016.
Cuadras vows that Estrada will not make it to a rematch with Gonzalez, but that he will. Gonzalez beat Estrada via decision in 2016, which Cuadras still believes he deserved to win, though that puts him in the minority, to be fair.