It's
been a traumatic last few months for little warrior, Roman Gonzalez
(46-1, 38koes.) After winning his 4th world title last
September, Gonzalez was deeply shaken by the death of his trainer,
Arnulfo Obando, last November. Obando had been Gonzalez’s main
trainer and mentor since 2010, and had guided him to 3 of his 4 world
titles. His loss to Gonzalez was only too evident last night as
‘Chocolatito’s first defence of his WBC world super-flyweight
title descended into a bloody nightmare for the pound-for-pound,
number one, boxer in the world.
When
Gonzalez won this title from Carlos Cuadras six months ago, there
were indications that this might be a weight jump too far for
Gonzalez. Unlike many modern fighters, Gonzalez does not lose a
significant amount of weight for his fights, and in this, his 4th
weight division, he is facing opponents who are naturally bigger than
him on fight night. Although he prevailed against Cuadras in
September, after a fight of the year epic battle, there remained
doubts about whether he was destined to be as strong a force at
super-flyweight, as he was in his previous divisions.
The
man chosen to provide the answer last night, at a packed Madison
Square Garden, was Thai tough man, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, (42-4-1,
38koes.) Rungvisai, a former holder of Gonzalez’s title, came with
the reputation as a hard-punching tough nut, and he was to live up to
this reputation in more ways than one.
The
portents of what was to come were not good, as Gonzalez looked
perturbed and tense, and close to tears in the moments before the
contest started, constantly looking up towards the heavens, as he
seemed to thinking about his late trainer, Arnulfo Obando. It was
something that he was to do throughout this fight, leading one to
wonder whether he was really in the right state of mind to defend his
title at all.
The
match started at a quick pace with both men exchanging shots and the
challenger showed from the start that he was looking to stand his
ground and not allow Gonzalez to push him back. In the last minute of
the round the fight produced its first shock, as a body punch dumped
’Chocolatito’ onto the canvas by the ropes. The champion seemed
to be more surprised than hurt, but already Rungvisai had lived up to
his heavy punching reputation.
In
the second round the action speeded up, as a stung Gonzalez went to
work, barrelling forwards, and throwing punching with both hands.
Rungvisai stayed with the champion though and would not allow himself
to be put onto the back foot. Already the fight was developing into
a grueling toe-to-toe battle, with neither man willing to give away
an inch. Gonzalez had the faster hands, but Rungvisai the heavier
punch.
The
third round saw a development that was to have a significant impact
upon the rest of the fight, as a clash of heads left Gonzalez with a
severe cut by the side of his right eye. The cut would became worse
during the course of the fight, leaving ’Chocolatito’ battling
with a mask of blood covering his face. Although it was ruled by the
referee, Steve Willis, that the cut was caused by an accidental butt,
developments over the rest of the fight would lead an observer to
conclude that it was no accident at all.
Fueled
by the cut, Gonzalez intensified his attacks in the 4th
round, unleashing fierce two-fisted barrages, which started to drive
the challenger back for the first time. However, just when he seemed
to be on the verge of taking control of the fight, Gonzalez building
rhythm was disrupted by another head butt. As would be the case in
future rounds, the head butts always seemed to occur when Gonzalez
was in the ascendancy.
In
the 6th round, Gonzalez seemed to be taking control of the
fight through sheer will power, as he forced himself forwards and
out-punched his challenger, despite a now permanent flow of blood
splashing down the right side of his face. Once again his attacks
were disrupted by butts. This time there were two and after the
second one, not far from the end of the round, Rungvisai was finally
deprived of a point by referee, Willis, yet the damage has already
been done. By now, not only had the cut by Gonzalez’s eye been
worsened, but he also now had a cut in his hairline.
The
butts in the 6th round certainly seemed to take some of
the steam from Gonzalez’s attacks. Though he still came forwards
for the remainder of the fight, Rungvisai was never in the same kind
of trouble that he had seemed to be in parts of the 4th
and 6th rounds. The size disparity was also clear as
Gonzalez’s shots, so potent in the lower divisions during his
career, simply bounced off Rungvisai. Yet, Gonzalez was winning
rounds with the intensity of his work-rate, which was, at times,
breathtaking. He also showed far better accuracy than his
challenger, while also at the same time, slipping, and blocking many
of the punches which were coming his way.
Despite
the challenger's round tactics, and the sheer viciousness of their
combat at times, this fight was fought with an admirable amount of
respect on both sides, with both men touching gloves after each
round. This is the way of real warriors.
Rungvisai
cleaned up his act noticeably after the point deduction in the 6th
round, but in the 12th and final round, he pulled out all
his tricks as a seemingly fresher Gonzalez sought to close the show
with a good finish. The challenger held, wrestled, and ran away from
Gonzalez, and at several points tried blatantly to butt Gonzalez
again, then even attempted to lift the champion off the floor at one
point. While Gonzalez won the round, Rungvisai was lucky not to lose
another point for his last round antics.
The
judge's verdict, when it came, was not well received by the audience.
The scores were 114-112 twice and 113-113.
This
was a hard fought thriller, which should be an instant candidate for
fight of the year. Fights like this are always subject to perception,
and certainly there were rounds that could have gone either way.
Despite everything that went against him in this match, Gonzalez
still seemed to have done enough to retain his title. The Boxing
Glove made Gonzalez the winner by a score of 114-112.
While
he had to whether a significant amount of punishment himself,
Gonzalez often outworked his rugged challenger, and more importantly
blocked and slipped many of the challenger's own punches. It is
possible that the judges were influenced by Gonzalez’s bloodied
features into thinking that Rungvisai was doing more damage than he
was in reality. The fact remains that the only wounds inflicted on
Gonzalez by Rungvisai were caused by butts.
It
is hard not to feel respect for Rungvisai, who showed commendable
heart and will to win in this contest, but it has to be said that his
tactics at times crossed the line from the rough to the dirty. His
frequent head butts undoubtedly made Gonzalez’s task all the more
difficult, and the single-point deduction, which he drew from them
was simply not enough of a penalty. Referee Steve Willis deserves
criticism for letting Rungvisai get away with far too much in what
was otherwise a thrilling fight, that was aside from the fouls,
fought in a great sporting spirit.
Despite
the controversial nature the verdict, this defeat for Gonzalez will
have been costly. He has not only lost his world title, but also his
unbeaten record and status as pound-for-pound number one in the
world. After his struggle against Carlos Cuadras in his previous
fight at this weight, the indications are that Gonzalez is not the
dominant figure at super-bantamweight that he was in the previous
three divisions that he occupied. Should he decide to stay at this
weight and seek a rematch against Rungvisai, or Cuadras, or perhaps
former foe Juan Francisco Estrada, then he looks to have further
grueling fights in his future. Even if Gonzalez had received the
verdict last night, and retained his championship (as we at The
Boxing Glove believe he deserved), the indications are still clear
that Gonzalez is not the same fighter at super-flyweight that he was
in the lower divisions. There remains the chance that he could move
back down to flyweight, but at 29 and over a decade of fighting at
the elite level, it is questionable whether he can still comfortably
make 112 pounds.
The
sad fact is that at 29, and after 8 years at the top, it looks as if
Gonzalez’s time is on the wane. Gonzalez is still a wonderful
fighter, who is likely to provide us with several more thrilling
contests before his day is done. Yet, as with all great champions, he has
reached the point of his career where the sheen of his peak has
faded, seemingly overnight, and with it his aura of invincibility.
The former number one fighter in the world is suddenly a mere mortal.
