Roman Gonzalez planning August or September return, Estrada rematch not happening

Per ESPN Deportes, WBA super flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez has come stateside in preparation for his return to the ring. He presently has two potential DAZN dates in mind: the August 28th show headlined by Jorge Linares vs. Javier Fortuna and Canelo’s September 12th bout against one of many, many options.

This matches the timeline reported by Mike Coppinger in May, with one disappointing difference: “Chocolatito” won’t be facing rival Juan Francisco Estrada in a unification match, as the pandemic has “prevented” the possibility. Gonzalez’s (49-2, 41 KO) team hope to confirm an opponent in the coming days. As the article mentions, the Nicaraguan recently lost an obvious option in then-WBA interim champion Andrew Moloney, who dropped his belt to Joshua Franco and exercised the immediate rematch clause.

It’s unclear which of Gonzalez’s ranked contenders would be available; interestingly, Franco is the only American in the WBA’s 115-pound lineup. None of the other champions are based in the U.S., either, and neither are most of their contenders. Expect someone underwhelming.