The Boxing Glove Big Fight Review: Srisaket Sor Rungvisai Defeats Roman Gonzalez: A Bitter-Sweet Night At The Stub Hub

Photo: Yahoo Sports

 

By Peter Silkov

Sometimes boxing promises big things, but fails to deliver. Last night’s 115 pound triple header at the Stub Hub Centre, California, promised much with its three main contests featuring five of the best 115-pounders in the world getting it on. In the end, it did not disappoint. Fighting in front of a raucous and excited crowd, the bill was a testament to how boxing's lighter warriors often provide the sports heaviest action. Yet it was a bitter sweet affair, as the shocking defeat of former pound-for-pound number one, Roman Gonzalez, indicated that the man who has done so much to generate interest in the sport's lightest divisions over the past 10 years, may not be able to reap the benefits of the public's new found awareness.

Last night was supposed to be the scene of Roman’s revenge over Rungvisai, after a bloody and controversial defeat six months ago, which had cost him his WBC world super-flyweight title. It had also shorn Roman of his unbeaten record, which included 80 amateur fights unbeaten, and his status as the pound-for-pound number one in the world. In an era where world titles are seemingly won at a drop of a hat, and weight divisions jumped after a few extra milkshakes, Roman Gonzalez was a throwback to the times when a champion stayed at his division and asserted his dominance before moving up. Don’t confuse Roman Gonzalez’s multiple world titles with Adrien Broner's tiny haul. There was nothing contrived about Gonzalez’s world title victories at four weights over the course of nine years. This was not a big man boiling down to a weight that he should never be fighting at either. Gonzalez has always been a genuine small fighter. This is not a featherweight posing as a flyweight.

First meeting with Rungvisai

Unfortunately, last night the indications were that ,Gonzalez’s pugilistic honesty had come face-to-face with the harsh reality of boxing, and left him flat on his back, a beaten man. As had been feared since he first moved up and out-pointed Carlos Cuadras last September, to capture the WBC world super-flyweight title, and become one of the few fighters to win world titles at 4 different weights, it was a weight too far for ‘Chocolatito.’ Despite the victory over Cuadras, ‘Chocolatito’ had been given one of the hardest fights of his career, and shipped an unusual amount of punishment, which left him battered and bloody at the end, while Cuadras was relatively unmarked. The clues then were that giving away such a significant amount of natural weight, to the likes of Caudras, was going to be a major difficulty for Gonzalez.

Any thoughts that Gonzalez (46-2, 38koes) would find things easier as he settled into the higher weight were dispelled six months ago when he was dethroned by Rungvisai (44-4-1, 40koes). Although the decision itself seemed to be unjust, and the new champion had been guilty of some flagrant use of the head, the fact remained that once again ‘Chocolatito’ did not look himself. He once more lacked his usual speed and sharpness, and took far more punishment than was usually the case for him.

Last night was supposed to be the night that ‘Chocolatito’ returned to his best, and prove that he was still boxing’s pound-for-pound, number one.

Alas boxing is indeed a cruel endeavour, and perversely it often seems to be its cruellest to those who have graced it the best. The rematch between Gonzalez and Rungvisai was not so much a rematch, as it was a demolition. ‘Chocolatito’ never seemed to be himself, from the pre-fight screening of his being gloved up in his dressing room, to the fight itself, this fighter, who usually entered the ring with the relaxed air that only the greats can carry, seemed tense and troubled.

As he was (before their first fight six months ago), Gonzalez looked highly emotional during the ring introductions, and it was disturbing to see him in such a state just as he was about to go into action. It is well known that Gonzalez has been deeply affected by the sudden death of his trainer, Arnulfo Obando, last November. One can only wonder how much that loss has contributed to ‘Chocolatito’s’ sudden decline.

Photo: AP

When the action began, it was clear from the beginning that this was not the ‘Chocolatito’ whom we have come to admire so much for the best part of the last decade. He seemed hesitant, uncomfortable, and agonisingly slow of both hand and foot, while the defending champion quickly took the initiative, and with it, the first round. There was again a clash of heads between the two, as in the first fight, and although no damage was done, it only added to Gonzalez’s visible discomfort. Things were much the same in the second round, as Gonzalez barrelled forwards, and attempted to take the play away from Rungvisai, but it was the defending champion who was connecting with the more punches as Gonzalez looked to be having trouble getting his punches off, and when he did land his blows lacked their usual spark of power.

The third was a better round for Gonzalez as he showed some brief glimpses of his former form, turning up the pace, and going toe-to- toe with Rungvisai. Yet ‘Chocolatito’ seemed to be forcing himself into the fire, and while his punches seemed to just be bouncing off Rungvisai, and the champion's own blows looked much heavier. The punches seemed to be having a much more telling affect, as they visibly moved Gonzalez when they landed.

It was revealed in the 4^th round how effective Rungvisai’s punches were, and it was revealed in the 4^th round, when after the two continued as they had left off in the 3^rd, a right hook to the chin dropped ‘Chocolatito’ heavily. Although he bravely beat the count, the writing was on the wall. Rungvisai showed no mercy as he landed another vicious hook, to drop ‘Chocolatito’ once more, this time flat on his back, where he made no attempt to beat the count.

The sudden destruction of Gonzalez was met with a shocked silence from the pro-Gonzalez crowd. It was painful to see Gonzalez beaten in such a manner. He went out on his shield, just as all great champions tend to do, yet, it is always disturbing to see a great fighter suddenly become mortal, seemingly overnight.

Photo: Orange County Register

While Rungvisai seems on the verge of some exciting and hopefully lucrative showdowns, the plain truth is that they will not carry the same attraction now that they would have had Gonzalez regained his throne. Gonzalez now needs to take a long look at where he goes from here, and whether or not he should carry on fighting. The indications are that the rise in weight, coupled by the loss of his trainer and mentor, plus the rigours of a decade at the top, have all taken a toll upon ‘Chocolatito.’ How much of this decline is reversible only time will tell. At the age of 30, Gonzalez may be able to recoup after a long rest and regain some of his old brilliance, and a move back down to his more natural weight of flyweight could help him achieve this.

However after he has done so much already during his career, does Gonzalez still have the fire and right mental attitude to retrace his steps at 112 pounds, and rebuild his career almost from scratch. More importantly, does his body still have the reserves to allow him to achieve such a return. If he never fights again, Gonzalez can be proud of his achievements inside of the ring. His mixture of technical brilliance and his all-action fighting style brought attention to weight divisions that are usually disregarded by the general boxing public. Perhaps, just as importantly as his achievements inside the ring, Gonzalez has always carried himself with grace and honour outside the ring. Much the same way as his mentor, and idol, Alexis Arguello did during his illustrious boxing career. ‘Chocolatito’ will not be defined by his two defeats to Rungvisai, but rather everything that went before, when he proved himself over the course of a decade to be one of boxing’s all time greats.

The undercard of Rungvisai vs Gonzalez 2, featured two outstanding performances by Juan Francisco Estrada and Naoya ‘The Monster’ Inoue, who both won their respective contests, and announced themselves to the wider boxing public at the same time.

Juan Francisco Estrada (36-2, 25koes) has been one of boxing's best kept secrets since 2012, when he went the distance with a then peak, Roman Gonzalez, for Gonzalez’s World light-flyweight title, losing a close decision after giving ‘Chocolatito’ the toughest fight of his career up to that point. Estrada then moved up to flyweight, and reigned impressively as WBA and WBO world flyweight champion, for over two years almost unnoticed. Now however, after this triple 115-pounder bill, Estrada’s time might be coming, and at the age of 27, he looks to be at his peak and ready to take full advantage of this new exposure.

Estrada out-pointed another ex-foe of Gonzalez, Carlos Caudras (36-2-1, 27koes) in what was undoubtedly the fight of the night. Both men were so well matched that the action ebbed and flowed throughout the 12 rounds. Yet, the ultimate difference was that Estrada was the more accurate and solid puncher, even if at times he seemed to be outworked by the faster hands of the shifty Cuadras.

Photo: Mickey Bonilla

If there was any doubt about the winner, Estrada underlined his general edge over Cuadras with a knockdown in the 10^th round. It was to prove the decisive moment of the contest, as Estrada emerged the points winner by scores of 113-114, three times. Estrada was only awarded the fight after Cuadras was originally announced as the winner, amid some rather chaotic, and surreal scenes. Cuadras, to his credit, took the loss of what at first seemed to be a victory with good grace and this match was close enough to merit a rematch between the two in the future. Cuadras showed that he still has much to offer the 115 division himself.

Estrada is now the mandatory challenger for Rungvisai, and would enter that contest with a clear edge. Although he has moved up in weight himself, Estrada has the frame to carry the extra weight and unlike Gonzalez, he seems to have taken his punch up with him. His mixture of power and technical boxing ability should prove to be too much for the powerful, but less skilled, Rungvisai, when they meet, but it should be another exciting, all action contest and Rungvisai is unlikely to give up his title easily.

While Estrada was cementing a shot at the WBC title Naoya Inoue (14-0, 12koes) impressed with his first appearance in America, as he gave a ‘Monstrous’ display in retaining his WBO world super-flyweight title, with a 6^th round stoppage of Antonio Nieves (17-2-2, 9koes).

At only 24 years of age, and despite having just 14 professional contests, Inoue has already nine world title fights to his credit, and is a two weight world champion. Against Nieves, Inoue lived up to his nickname of ‘Monster’ as he dominated the brave yet outgunned challenger, with an impressive display of both power and technique. Inoue is very heavy handed, and strong at the weight, but he is also very technically adept as well. Nieves tried to fight back in the early rounds, but by the 4^th he was just trying to survive. When his corner pulled him out after the 6^th round it was a wise decision.

Inoue is already a big star in Japan, and the signs are that he could become much bigger yet worldwide. With future showdowns with Rungvisai, Estrada or perhaps Cuadras, a possibility for the future, the profile of one of boxing’s lightest divisions could yet continue to rise in popularity.

All in all, it was a great night for the boxing connoisseur, despite the sadness of Gonzalez’s defeat, and showed that for all its flaws, the sport still has some rich veins of gold to mine, if one knows where to look.

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The Boxing Glove Big Fight Preview: Srisaket Sor Rungvisai Vs. Roman Gonzalez

By Peter Silkov

If you have been casting a jaded eye over the general media and social networking world over the past week, you may well have been left wondering whether Conor McGregor has indeed lived up to his pre-Mayweather fight threat, to ‘take over boxing’ even after his one-sided defeat at the aged hands of the ‘Money Man.’

Indeed it seems that some writers and fans just cant get enough of Mayweather vs McGregor, even after the dust has settled from their lukewarm encounter.

In the wake of this near hysteria over what in reality resembled a polite spar, if not something altogether more cynical, the biggest losers have been those boxers who are truly stepping up to the plate with real competitive fights, the kind of that the sports real fans have supposedly been demanding for so long.

A couple of weeks ago, Terence Crawford destroyed Julius Indongo to become boxing’s first undisputed world champion in over a decade, almost unnoticed.

In two weeks time, Gennady Golovkin will finally meet Canelo Alvarez in the middle of a ring, in a fight, which has been three years in the making. Yet in the wake of Mayweather vs Mcgregor, the attention given to Golovkin vs Alvarez has been polite at best. Here is a fight to decide the best 160-pounder in the world, in what promises to be the most exciting middleweight clash since Hagler vs Hearns, yet, many fans and media still seem more concerned by the next move of Conor McGregor.

If Golovkin vs Canelo has been ill treated by the boxing world at large, there is another boxing event coming up next week, which has been almost totally ignored in the recent pantomime.

In six days, on September 9, at the Stub Hub Center, Carson, California, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (46-1, 38koes) will seek to regain the WBC world super-flyweight championship, which was so controversially ripped from his head six months ago by Srisaket Rungvisai (43-4-1, 39koes.) It was a defeat that not only cost ‘Chocolatito’ his world title, but also his proud unbeaten record, and in many people's eyes, his status as the world's number one fighter pound-for-pound.

After all, many fans will say, how can you be the best if you have just been beaten?

Gonzalez was very unlucky not to come out of his first meeting with Rungvisai (who is also confusingly known as Wisaksil Wangek) the victor. While the fight itself was a terrific action-packed clash, with the added drama of Gonzalez bleeding from two severe cuts, most observers felt that Gonzalez scored with the better punches, and kept up a higher workrate for most of the fight. Rungvisai himself lived up to his name as a' little iron man', and put up an impressive performance of heart, and resilience.

Yet, Rungvisai also showed himself to be a rough, if not altogether dirty fighter, with both of Gonzalez’s cuts being caused by headbutts, several of which seemed to be delivered blatantly.

The fact that Rungvisai’s infringements seemed largely to escape the referee’s notice, and were never punished by any point deductions, has been one of the main topics of controversy surrounding the fight.

Had Rungvisai’s seemingly blatant butt in the 6^th round, at a point when he seemed to be in severe trouble at the fists of Gonzalez, been penalised by a point, which it surely should have been, then Gonzalez would have ended the night still world champion, despite the wayward score cards.

It is also undeniable that Gonzalez never looked to be totally relaxed against Rungvisai. He entered the ring without his usual relaxed demeanour, and this may well have been due to the recent loss of his trainer, Arnulfo Obando, who died last November after suffering a stroke. The loss of Obando undoubtedly hit Roman hard, as he had been with Arnulfo since 2010, and the trainer had been credited for helping Gonzalez develop into a brilliant fighting machine, and arguably one of the few complete boxers in the world today.

Against Rungvisai, while Gonzalez produced his usual tremendous work-rate, much of his work seemed to be forced, compared with his former performances. The expected ‘Chocolatito’ smoothness was missing almost from the start, and as the rounds went by, ‘Chocolatito’ barrelled forwards constantly, but shipped much more punishment than usual, as he seemed to forsake the usual technical nuances for that he has become well known. One of Gonzalez’s main assets, in addition to his potent punching and his formidable pace, has been his ability to box, as well as slug, and his skill at being able to slip punches while going toe to toe with an opponent.

Gonzalez has also let it be known recently that he has been increasingly frustrated by the size of his purses, in comparison to those of his heavier peers. This dissatisfaction has grown since Gonzalez has been given more exposure by HBO on the undercards of Gennady Golovkin fights, yet, that exposure has not increased his purses, compared to his heavier counterpart.

In many ways, Gonzalez is the complete antithesis of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Outside of the ring he is quiet and humble, with the kind of demeanour akin to that of his mentor Arguello, who was known as one of the gentlemen of the sport during his heyday.

Unfortunately for Gonzalez, it seems that he is operating in an era where what you do inside the ring is increasingly less relevant, to the noise that you make outside of it.

Chocolatito’s frustration is understandable after a career, which saw him win his first world title in 2008, and then go on to become Nicaragua’s first 4-weight world champion. A feat, which saw him fulfil the dream of his idol and former mentor, Alexis Arguello, whose own quest for a world title at a fourth weight came up short at the fists of Aaron Pryor.

It is possible though that Gonzalez’s achievement in winning his 4^th world title, when he captured the WBC world super-flyweight title from Carlos Cuadras a year ago this month, may proved to be a double-edged sword for ‘Chocolatito.’

Although he won, Gonzalez’s match with Cuadras turned out to be one of the toughest fights of his career, and there were even some who disagreed with the points verdict in Gonzalez’s favour. Add this to his performance against Rungvisai and the implications are clear. Gonzalez seems to no longer have that dominating edge that he enjoyed at his former weights. Part of this can be attributed to the level of his opposition, both Rungvisai and Cuadras are battle-hardened world class fighters. Cuadras especially is a huge talent, with great speed and skill, who was unbeaten in an 8 year, and 36-fight career when he met Gonzalez last September.

Add to this the fact that Gonzalez is not a ‘big’ man who is really moving up to his ‘natural’ fighting weight, like so many of today's fighters, then it is easy to see why he is finding things more difficult at the higher weight.

There is also the possibility that at the age of 30, after 9 years of world championship fighting, and 16 world championship fights, that Gonzalez is passing his peak.

With these questions hanging over him, the rematch against Rungvisai stands as the most important fight of Gonzalez’s career so far. Much has been made recently over unbeaten records and the now ludicrously mythical 50-0 mark. Yet, it should not be forgotten that many of the rings greatest-ever exponents reached their heights by overcoming defeats along the way. It could even be argued that the true measure of a fighter has not been seen until he has had to deal with the setback of defeat.

All time greats such as Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Roberto Duran and Joe Louis, to name just a few, enjoyed some of their greatest, and most career defining moments, when coming back from defeats.

After all, it is easy to look good when you are winning, but altogether different when you have lost. Once you have lost the true mettle of a man's spirit is exposed. The great fighters have always rebounded from defeat to win again.

Perhaps this is why there are so few truly great fighters around today, in an era where that unbeaten 0 is so important.

Hence why victory is so important for ‘Chocolatito’ this Saturday. Two defeats in a row would be a huge set back for Gonzalez at this point in his career. An impressive victory should see Gonzalez restored to his rightful position as the best boxer pound- for-pound in the world. Defeat however, would see him fall down a notch, and lose out on the possible big fights that seem to be brewing at super-flyweight.

Gonzalez should be able to win this time against Rungvisai. He is undoubtedly the superior boxer technically, but he needs to rediscover some of the finer points of his boxing skills that he seemed to neglect in their first clash. Of course Gonzalez’s discomfiture was not helped by the severe cuts that he had to cope with due to Rungvisai’s headbutts. Especially the badly cut right eye, which bled heavily from the 3^rd round on.

Saturday's rematch seems destined to be another terrific barn-burner. Rungvisai is as tough as they come, but a stoppage victory for Gonzalez is not impossible, as he had Rungvisai in trouble several times in their first fight, most notably in the middle rounds and in the final stanza.

If Gonzalez can rediscover his best form, then he should secure a hard fought victory on Saturday, and revenge for his only career defeat, either by a clear point's decision or else a late stoppage. There remains though the subject of Rungvisai head, and his over zealous use of it in the heat of battle, and it is to be hoped that this time around, the referee officiating the contest is a lot sharper in punishing any dirty tactics, and that Gonzalez does not have to deal with the kind of blatant fouls that left him covered in blood in their first encounter.

Victory for Gonzalez will place his career back on track, and give him revenge for the first defeat of his boxing career, following 46 professional wins and an unbeaten amateur career of 88 contests.

If the prospect of Gonzalez vs Rungvisai isn’t enough to wet your appetite, then Saturday's undercard also contains two more exceptional matches in the super-flyweight class.

In what is his first appearance in America, Naoya Inoue (13-0, 11koes) defends his WBO world super-flyweight championship against the talented Antonio Nieves (17-1-2, 9koes.) Inoue is already a superstar in Asia, and may be on the road to becoming one of the greatest fighters to come out of Japan. He has won world titles at two weights, and competed in 8 world title fights, despite his mere 13 professional contests.

Nicknamed ‘Monster’ due to his prodigious punching power, Inoue is also a highly proficient technical boxer. It is perhaps not surprising that there has been talk of an Gonzalez vs Inoue ‘superfight’ and this would certainly be a very exciting and fascinating clash that would go a long way to bringing much more attention to boxing's lighter weights.

Yet, Inoue is still unknown to most boxing fans. You won’t find his name in many fans pound-for-pound top tens, even though his resume and skills should guarantee him a place. However, that may now be about to change now that he is arriving in America. Such recognition is important for a match with Gonzalez to be viable.

The fact that Inoue is making his American debut on this card offers a clue that such a clash with ‘Chocolatito’ may be close, should Gonzalez regain his world title.

First though, Inoue has to retain his own world title against Nieves, in what promises top be a fascinating contest. Nieves is fast, clever, and should bring the best out of the Japanese champion. Inoue will be looking to defend his title in style, and underline his claim to being the premier boxer at 115 pounds, as well as stoking up interest in a match with Roman Gonzalez.

I feel that Inoue will announce himself on American soil with an impressive, and decisive victory over Nieves, either on points or via a late stoppage.

The second important 115-pound match on the Gonzalez vs Rungvisai rematch undercard, is a possible fight of the night clash between Juan Francisco Estrada and Carlos Cuadras. Estrada is the former WBA and WBO world flyweight champion, who is now making an impact on the super-flyweight division after vacating his flyweight title and moving up. Cuadras is the former holder of the WBC world super-flyweight title, which he lost to Roman Gonzalez in September of last year, after a hotly contested encounter.

Estrada himself is also a former Roman Gonzalez opponent, having been beaten on points by Gonzalez in 2012, when he challenged Gonzalez for the WBA world light-flyweight championship, while still only 22 years old. It was a clash ,which until recently, had been remembered as one of Gonzalez’s hardest fights.

Both Estrada and Cuadras have a rematch with Gonzalez as a prime target, and the winner of their match, which is being billed as a world title eliminator by the WBC, should be in line to face the winner of Gonzalez vs Rungvisai.

This match itself is very much a ‘pick em’ encounter. Both as fast and clever box-fighters. Cuadras is more of a mover, with excellent footwork and very fast hands, which gave Gonzalez some severe trouble in their fight in 2016. Estrada is more of a puncher, although Cuadras own power is not to be discounted. Estrada can also box and has excellent technique.

Cudras has been the more active boxer recently as Estrada had a over a year out from 2015 to 2016 due to a hand injury. Yet, this could also work in Estrada’s favour as he may just be that little bit fresher.

Here is a fight that is genuinely hard to find a winner. It looks like being a very close and competitive encounter, and the winner of will be in a prime position for a shot at the WBC world super-flyweight title.

My feeling is that Estrada has a slight edge overall, with perhaps his extra strength, and single punch power proving decisive in the end. These are two very talented fighters, but Estrada has been boxing's best kept secret since his 2012 encounter with Roman Gonzalez. Saturday may well be the way when he finally comes to the notice of boxing fans outside of his native Mexico.

I’m going for an Estrada win on points after another memorable contest.

This whole bill is a very promising endeavour, showcasing as it does some of boxing’s lightest champions. It is to be hoped that these fights will grab the attention of the average boxing fan, and show them just what they have been missing. Those in the know have understood for years that the lighter weights in boxing often provide the heaviest action. It is about time that champions like Roman Gonzalez and Naoya Inoue stopped being the poor relations to their bigger and heavier counterparts, just because of their size. 

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