Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Milan Melindo: Preview, Prediction for Title Fight
The WBA and WBO flyweight titles will be on the line this Saturday night in Macao, China, as champion Juan Francisco Estrada defends his crown against Milan Melindo.
The 23-year-old Estrada captured his titles earlier this year by upsetting the heavily favored Brian Viloria. The split-decision verdict catapulted the Mexican fighter up the flyweight ranks to the point that many consider him the best in the world today.
Melindo is an undefeated 25-year-old Filipino fighter who currently holds the WBO International Flyweight Championship. That makes him the No. 1 contender for the world title, and he'll be looking to cash in on Saturday night.
Read on for our complete preview and prediction for this Saturday's WBA/WBO flyweight championship fight!
Tale of the Tape
1 of 7Juan Francisco Estrada is the taller and slightly longer fighter. His two-inch advantages in both height and reach could provide him with a substantial edge in this fight.
Both men have been in the ring for almost the same amount of fights, but Milan Melindo is more of a boxer than a puncher, so he's spent more time in the ring.
Record: | Juan Francisco Estrada 24-2, 18 KO | Milan Melindo 29-0, 12 KO |
Height: | 5'4" | 5'2" |
Reach: | 66" | 64" |
Weight: | 112 lbs | 112 lbs |
Stance: | Orthodox | Orthodox |
Hometown: | Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico | Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Philippines |
Rounds: | 123 | 194 |
*Profiles via BoxRec.com.
Main Storylines
2 of 7Juan Francisco Estrada scored a massive upset when he defeated Brian Viloria for the flyweight title this past April. He'll be looking to prove that his victory wasn't a fluke and that he belongs at the top of the conversation in the flyweight division.
As any fighter will tell you, it's a lot harder coming into a fight as the favorite. Estrada isn't going to sneak up on anyone this time around, and he'll be facing a different type of pressure.
Milan Melindo has a chance to do to Estrada what he did to Viloria, which is come out of nowhere and become the unified flyweight champion. It's the opportunity of a lifetime, and it doesn't come around every day.
With a victory, you become a star. With a loss, you're lucky if you ever get another chance.
Strengths
3 of 7Juan Francisco Estrada is a solid boxer with good foot movement and hand speed. He's proven to be extremely durable in his career—he's never been stopped—and that's good because he's a very aggressive fighter.
Estrada likes to go to the body with bad intentions. He scored a massive upset earlier this year, and in that fight, he proved he can be dangerous coming forward or going back. His defense is solid, and he has some steam in his punches.
Milan Melindo is more of a boxer than a puncher. He has a very solid jab, and he's comfortable taking the lead or countering. One of his greatest strengths is his toughness, and that alone could make this a very exciting fight.
He is methodical in the ring, and he likes to break his opponents down rather than do damage with one single shot.
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Weaknesses
4 of 7Juan Francisco Estrada has faced a murderers' row of competition in his last two bouts. Obviously, he was able to defeat Brian Viloria, but in his previous fight, he was handled by WBA junior flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez.
In that fight he was simply overwhelmed by the pressure of his opponent. It would seem that this is the book on how to beat Estrada. Some feel his victory over Viloria was something of a fluke, as his opponent didn't look prepared for the fight going the distance, and that a pressure fighter who can control the distance can handle him.
Milan Melindo is a solid boxer who can do well fighting inside or outside. But he doesn't have a tremendous amount of pop in his punches. He's only stopped 12 opponents in his 29 wins and shouldn't expect a knockout in this fight.
Melindo is also taking a massive step up in competition for this fight. He's beaten some decent fighters thus far but nobody the caliber of Estrada.
Juan Francisco Estrada Will Win If...
5 of 7Juan Francisco Estrada will look to utilize his jab to control the distance of the fight and keep Milan Melindo on the defensive. This will create the space he needs to utilize his superior footwork to get into position to counter.
He needs to utilize his advantages in height and reach and fight like the bigger man. If he's able to do that and counter effectively, he will win.
Milan Melindo Will Win If...
6 of 7Milan Melindo needs to pressure Juan Francisco Estrada from the opening bell. He's the challenger, so he'll need to win the title from his foe, and the best way to do that is jump on him early.
Melindo should learn something from the style Roman Gonzalez used to defeat Estrada with relative ease, and that's to pressure him and prevent him from getting into an offensive rhythm. If he can do that, and control the spacing and pace of the fight, he can go home the champion.
And the Winner Will Be...
7 of 7It's hard to pick against Juan Francisco Estrada in this fight. He's faced better competition, and he's shown the ability to come through on a big stage.
He'll utilize his jab effectively to frustrate his opponent and force him into making mistakes. When he does, Estrada will make him pay with sharp, crisp counterpunches.
Expect Milan Melindo to have some moments in the fight and win some rounds, but he's facing an opponent with a superior boxing IQ and with superior skills. Estrada will win a close, but clear, decision.
Estrada 116-112
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