Estrada Vs Rungvisai Rematch
Junior bantamweight world champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, one of boxing's pound-for-pound best, will make his mandatory defense against Juan Francisco Estrada in a much-anticipated rematch on April 26.
They will return to The Forum in Inglewood, California -- where they waged an action-packed fight on Feb. 24, 2018 -- in the main event of a DAZN-streamed card, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn announced Tuesday.
In his next fight, Estrada, (38-3, 26 KOs), 28, a former unified flyweight titlist from Mexico, outpointed Felipe Orucuta in a title elimination bout to earn a mandatory rematch with Sor Rungvisai, who will be making the fourth defense of his second 115-pound title reign. Estrada has had more success than Cuadras since then. He lost a razor-thin majority decision to 115-pound champ Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in February 2018 but turned the tables on the power-punching Thai in April of last year, winning a decision to claim a title in a second division.
The co-feature of the card, also announced Tuesday, is another significant fight as junior featherweight world titleholders Daniel Roman and TJ Doheny will meet in a unification bout.
Hearn will host a news conference to kick off the promotion on March 5 in Los Angeles.
When Sor Rungvisai and Estrada first met last year, Sor Rungvisai won a hotly contested majority decision in the headline fight of the 'Superfly 2' card.
In his next fight, Estrada, (38-3, 26 KOs), 28, a former unified flyweight titlist from Mexico, outpointed Felipe Orucuta in a title elimination bout to earn a mandatory rematch with Sor Rungvisai, who will be making the fourth defense of his second 115-pound title reign.
After the fight with Estrada, Sor Rungvisai returned to his native Thailand -- where he became a national hero thanks to a pair of victories in title fights against Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez -- for his next two bouts. Now Sor Rungvisai (47-4-1, 41 KOs), a 32-year-old southpaw, is on his way back to the United States for the first fight of the promotional deal he signed with Hearn last month.
'I am extremely excited and honored to be back fighting in the U.S. again,' said Rungvisai, who fought three times in a row in the U.S. in 2017 and 2018, including both wins over Gonzalez and Estrada. 'Estrada is a great fighter and we had an amazing fight last year. Our Round 12 was awarded round of the year by WBC. That is an evidence of how entertaining the previous fight was.
'I believe that this fight on April 26 will be even more entertaining. I am training extremely hard in Thailand and I am confident I will be the winner on April 26.'
Roman (26-2-1, 10 KOs), 28, of Los Angeles, had been ordered to make a mandatory defense against Murojdon Akhmadaliev, but he was given an exception by the WBA in order to face unify with Doheny, his IBF counterpart.
Roman will be making the fourth defense of his 122-pound belt and is happy to be coming home to fight after winning his title in Japan, making his first defense there and also making defenses in Frisco, Texas, and Chicago.
'This is the biggest and most important fight of my career,' Roman said. 'I haven't been shy about wanting to unify the division. This is the fight that I've been asking for since I became a world champion [in September 2017]. I need to deliver on my goal of becoming the best and a win against another world champion puts me in that conversation.
'It will be a new experience for me because I'm not fighting a challenger. I'm fighting another belt holder. It's exciting in a lot of ways. I'll be at my best because I'm planning to add another title on April 26. It feels pretty damn good to fight in front of my hometown fans. My last five fights have been away from home, but I don't feel any added pressure in this homecoming of sorts. I know I have a job to do. Nothing is easy at this point. It's going to be a heck of a fight. Two world champions fighting for control of the division. What more could you want?'
Doheny (21-0, 15 KOs), 32, an Ireland native fighting out of Australia, also won his belt in Japan, doing so by controversial decision over Ryosuke Iwasa in August. He made his first defense via 11th-round knockout of Ryohei Takahashi on Jan. 18 in New York in his first fight since signing with Hearn.
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'This was my ideal scenario,' Doheny said. 'Get the voluntary defense out of the way [in January], then go straight into the unification, so great work from my team, and Eddie Hearn with Matchroom Boxing USA for getting this fight on. It's unbelievable. It would mean the world to me. It's just another boxed ticked. After I won the world title, the next goal was to become a unified champion. I'm looking forward to achieving that.'
Don't expect much trash talk from Roman and Doheny. That is not their style.
'We met in the ring after the fight in New York, and there was a lot of respect for each other. That's the way it should be,' Doheny said. 'We're two world-class fighters, two world champions in the division. A fight like this doesn't need any false hype. I think that when you've got two world-class fighters like this that's enough of a selling point for a high-caliber fight like this.
'Danny's a great fighter. He adds a lot of pressure. He's a great puncher, great punch selection, he's got it all really. It's going to be a great fight between us, and I won't be surprised if the fans get to see a bit of a war. Fighting Danny in his home city, that doesn't bother me. I've been fighting on the road my whole career, so it will be no different to me. It's me and him in the ring, and it's going to be all action.'
The card will also include former junior welterweight and welterweight world titleholder Jessie Vargas, who is moving up to junior middleweight. Hearn had talked about Vargas next facing British star Kell Brook (38-2, 26 KOs) but Vargas will take an interim fight in what could be a prelude to that bout.
Vargas (28-2-2, 10 KOs), 29, of Las Vegas, will face an opponent to be determined in his first fight with trainer Freddie Roach after parting ways with Mike McCallum. Roach will also have former junior featherweight world titlist Scott Quigg (35-2-2, 26 KOs), 30, of England, who is now fighting at junior lightweight, facing an opponent to be determined on the card.
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create our own “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pit a single fighter against each of five potential opponents and indicate who we believe would win the fights.
We started the series with our No. 1 boxer pound-for-pound, Vasiliy Lomachenko, and moved down the Boxing Junkie list to No. 2 Terence Crawford, No. 3 Canelo Alvarez, No. 4 Naoya Inoue, No. 5 Oleksandr Usyk and No. 6 Gennady Golovkin, No. 7 Errol Spence Jr., No. 8 Tyson Fury, No. 9 Juan Francisco Estrada, No. 10 Mikey Garcia, No. 11 Artur Beterbiev and No. 12 Josh Taylor and No. 13 Manny Pacquiao.
Estrada Vs Rungvisai Rematch Canelo
Next up is No. 14 Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
In this installment of Who Wins?, our staffers’ give their takes on how Sor Rungvisai would do against Juan Francisco Estrada (in a third fight), Roman Gonzalez (also for the third time), Nayoa Inoue, Kazuto Ioka and Kosei Tanaka. We then tally Sor Rungvisai’s record in those fights and present our standings.
Sor Rungvisai, a huge puncher, was already an accomplished champion when he first outpointed and then stopped the great Roman Gonzalez in back-to-back fights in 2017, making him a major player among little fighters worldwide.
We want to acknowledge that the choice of possible opponents is subjective. We’re looking for the best possible but also realistic foes for our featured boxers. One caveat: We won’t consider promotional and managerial rivalries that often stand in the way of the best matchups. And we’re operating under the assumption that none of our featured boxers will fight with ring rust as result of their forced coronavirus-related layoff.
The plan is to work our way down our pound-for-pound list each day. That means our featured fighter tomorrow will be No. 15 Leo Santa Cruz.
So here goes: Sor Rungvisai vs. his five potential opponents.
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SOR RUNGVISAI (47-5-1, 41) VS. ESTRADA (40-3, 27 KOs)
Rosenthal: A third fight between these two warriors is a no-brainer. Estrada rallied in the first fight to make it close but came up short. Sor Rungvisai, who inexplicably fought mostly from an orthodox stance, did the same in a losing cause in the rematch. Part III? Estrada, 29, has the more recent victory and momentum while Sor Rungvisai, 33, might have leveled off. Estrada by a close, but clear decision.
Frauenheim: Estrada lost a majority decision to Sor Rungvisai, then beat him by unanimous decision14 months later, both at 115. Estrada learned enough in the first fight to make the right adjustments. In the rematch, he figures to have learned even more. Estrada, unanimous decision.
Nam: Although Sor Rungivsai committed a grave tactical error in their rematch – the decision to go orthodox instead of his natural southpaw stance for more than three quarters of the bout – he ended up giving Estrada a run for his money the last few rounds. The third fight is closer if Sor Rungvisai relies on his natural instincts. Estrada will come out much the same, firing on all cylinders. But the Thai fighter has one of the better chins in the game and eventually he’ll wear out Estrada. Sor Rungvisai by close decision.
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SOR RUNGVISAI VS. GONZALEZ (49-2, 41 KOs)
Rosenthal: Gonzalez’s victory over Kal Yafai was impressive but let’s not get carried away. Yafai isn’t Sor Rungvisai. And Gonzalez isn’t quite the fighter he was. Sor Rungvisai knocked Gonzalez out cold the last time they met. Gonzalez will probably make adjustments and could be more competitive but it still won’t end well for him. Sor Rungvisai by late KO.
Frauenheim: All of the momentum is with Sor Rungvisai. He scored a majority decision over Gonzalez in March, 2017. He knocked him out six months later in Carson, California. Gonzalez was at his best at flyweight. The physical Sor Rungvisai is stronger at junior bantamweight. Sor Rungvisai, late-round stoppage.
Nam: If Gonzalez can steer clear of getting waylaid by Sor Rungvisai’s right hook, he has a decent chance of notching a decision. That doesn’t seem likely, though, given Sor Rungvisai’s superiority in size, power and perhaps most of all his chin. If Gonazlez can’t hurt Sor Rungvisai, he will be hardpressed to hear the final bell. Morever, Gonzalez’s pressure-fighting style does should create plenty of openings for Sor Rungvisai. Sor Rungvisai by late stoppage.
***SOR RUNGVISAI VS. INOUE (19-0, 16 KOs)
Rosenthal: Sor Rungvisai had one of the most impressive streaks in boxing in 2017 and 2018, stopping Roman Gonzalez twice and outpointing Juan Francisco Estrada in consecutive fights. He hasn’t done much since, beating two journeymen and then losing a decision to Estrada in their rematch. The ability and the power still lurk, though. If he could carry that power from 115 to 118, he’d have a chance against Inoue. In the end, though, Inoue’s szie and superior skill set wins the day. Inoue by clear decision.
Frauenheim: Other than his Fight of the Year battle with Nonito Donaire, Inoue’s toughest fight could be Sor Rungvisai. He’s strong. Physicality isn’t exactly a word, but Sor Rungvisai defines it. He could hurt Inoue, who has the skill to elude him. He’s athletic enough to move and smart enough to adjust, all enough for Inoue to win a split decision.
Nam: If Sor Rungvisai demonstrates that his cast iron chin can hold up at 118 pounds, he will give Inoue some trouble. He’ll push the pace and throw left hand haymakers as Inoue tries to maneuver around the ring and land his potshots. Without the skillset to match Inoue’s, Sor Rungvisai will end up taking a lot of punishment. Inoue by decision.
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Estrada Vs Rungvisai Rematch Pacquiao
SOR RUNGVISAI VS. IOKA (25-2, 14 KOs)
Rosenthal: Ioka is a well-schooled, fleet boxer-puncher who can compete with anyone at his weight. Sor Rungvisai is no exception. Ioka will do well early, sticking, moving, perhaps building up a lead on the cards. But the stronger Sor Rungvisai will wear him down and ultimately pull away to win a close decision.
Frauenheim: Ioka has power along with foot and hand speed. He’s resilient. He’s 2-0 since losing a debatable split decision to Donnie Nietes. But resilience might not be enough against Sor Rungvisai’s overall strength. Sor Rungvisai, late-round stoppage.
Nam: Ioka has been able to carve up mid-level fighters by working behind his jab and mixing in hard body shots. He’s a solid technician. Alas, that won’t be enough against the Sor Rungvisai, who is is bound to find a home for his hard left and rights. Sor Rungivisai by late stoppage.
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SOR RUNGVISAI VS. TANAKA (15-0, 9 KOs)
Rosenthal: Tanka, 24, has accomplished so much in a short time for a reason: He’s one of the most talented young fighters in the world. He has good fundamentals, a high boxing IQ and unusual dynamism. Sor Rungvisai has edges in experience and punching power but very often the more-gifted fighter emerges victorious. And that’s Tanaka, who wins by a close decision.
Frauenheim: Tanaka is an emerging star. He’s 24, nine years younger than Sor Rungvisai. He has nine KOs on his 15-0 resume. He faces a mandatory challenge for a 112-pound belt from Ioka. He has all of the momentum, enough leverage to keep a bout vs. Sor Rungvisai in Japan. Tanaka, unanimous decision.
Nam: Tanaka’s mobility and boxing ability is going to win him some of the early rounds, but the young Japanese titleholder propensity for trading will undo him in the end. Recall that Sho Kimura, a hardscrabble but unremarkable fighter, was able to land plenty of leather on Tanaka in their 2018 barnburner. Tanaka is going to be swallowing a lot of flush left hands. Sor Rungivsai by decision.
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THE FINAL TALLY
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai: 8-7 (5 KOs)
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THE STANDINGS
Canelo Alvarez: 15-0 (6 KOs)
Naoya Inoue: 14-0-1 (5 KOs)
Vassiliy Lomachenko: 14-0-1 (4 KOs)
Artur Beterbiev: 14-1 (11 KOs)
Tyson Fury: 14-1 (8 KOs)
Terence Crawford: 14-1 (3 KOs)
Errol Spence Jr.: 13-2 (6 KOs)
Oleksandr Usyk: 10-5 (2 KOs)
Juan Francisco Estrada: 9-5-1 (1 KOs)
Gennadiy Golovkin: 9-6 (5 KOs)
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai: 8-7 (5 KOs)
Josh Taylor: 7-6-2 (2 KOs)
Mikey Garcia: 7-8 (0 KOs)
Manny Pacquiao: 3-12 (0 KOs)
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