Estrada Vs Rungvisai Rematch
Juan Francisco Estrada was a relative unknown when he moved down from flyweight to junior fly to fight a peak version of Roman Gonzalez in 2012 in Los Angeles.
Estrada, only 22 at the time, lost a unanimous decision to his seemingly unbeatable opponent but he made a strong impression. Everyone who saw that fight seemed to agree: This kid has a bright future.
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. The Estrada-Sor Rungvisai battle would take place next year, although boxing fans have been wanting to see 'El Gallo' Estrada unifying super flyweight belts in a thrilling blockbuster rematch. One of the best fights of 2018 will run it back one more time. WBC super flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai defends his title against Juan Francisco Estrada on Friday, April 26 at The Forum.
In the rematch, staged 14 months later, a combination of Estrada getting off to a faster start and Sor Rungvisai curiously electing to fight in an orthodox stance instead of his natural southpaw position aided Estrada in exacting revenge via unanimous decision.
They were right.
Estrada rolled over one quality opponent after another following the Gonzalez fight to win titles in two divisions and establish himself as one of the top small fighters on the planet, including a place on some pound-for-pound lists. He’s Boxing Junkie’s No. 10.
And after all this time his success could lead back to guess who? Yep, Gonzalez, who has had to overcome his own setbacks to remain a major player in the lower weight classes.
Estrada is scheduled to defend his junior bantamweight title against another rival, Carlos Cuadras, on Friday in Mexico City, where Gonzalez also will defend his belt against Israel Gonzalez.
If they both win, Estrada will have a chance to get his revenge.
“Eight years has passed,” the 30-year-old from Hermosillo told ESPN Deportes. “I hope no more time passes. We don’t’ get any younger. Right now we are in a great moment. We are the two champions, and it would be a unification fight, which is something I have always longed or in my career.
“It would be an extraordinary fight between two champions. It would be the best fight for me, and it would be the best fight for him.”
Of course, Estrada (40-3, 27 KOs) must get past Cuadras (39-3-1, 27 KOs) first. And, if history tell us anything, that won’t be easy.
Estrada and Cuadras met in 2017 in Carson, Calif. Cuadras, a quick, athletic boxer-puncher got off to a strong start but Estrada adjusted, took control of the fight midway through, put Cuadras down in Round 10 and won 114-113 on all three cards.
Had Cuadras remained on his feet, the fight would’ve been a draw. That’s how evenly the two were matched at the time.
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.
Cuadras lost a close decision in an upset against McWilliams Arroyo immediately following his loss to Estrada and then beat three second-tier opponents leading into Friday.
“I am excited to return to the ring,” said Estrada, who hasn’t fought since he stopped Dewayne Beamon in August of last year. “It has been tough months for the whole world, and we want to give a great show to all the fans of this sport.
“The first fight against Cuadras was a good fight. Without a doubt, this will be too.”
Gonzalez (49-2, 41 KOs) is expected to have an easier time with Israel Gonzalez, who has come up short in his biggest fights.
“Chocolatito” was written off by some after back to back to losses to Sor Rungvisai – the second a brutal knockout – in 2017, which cost him his No. 1 position on many pound-for-pound lists.
He took a year off and then stormed back, knocking out Moises Fuentes, Diomel Diocos and finally Khalid Yafai to regain a junior bantamweight title this past February, which made a high-stakes rematch with Estrada possible.
All Estrada and Roman Gonzalez have to do now is take care of business Friday. They’ve more or less come to terms on their second fight.
“Roman is a great champion,” Estrada said. “They said he was finished but he is champion again. He is a champion. The only difference is that I went down from flyweight to mini-flyweight to fight him.
“But we are both in excellent condition to have an excellent fight, better than the first one.”
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.
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.
***
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.
Estrada Vs Rungvisai Rematch Pacquiao
***
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.
***
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.
***
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.
***
THE FINAL TALLY
Estrada Vs Rungvisai Rematch
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai: 8-7 (5 KOs)
***
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)
Estrada Vs Rungvisai Rematch
Read more: