By Jim Dower: The big punching WBC super flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (45-4-1, 40 KOs) showed surprisingly excellent defensive skills in defeating former flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada (36-3, 25 KOs) by an unpopular 12 round majority decision in front of an angry crowd on Saturday night in the SuperFly2 card at The forum in Inglewood, California.
Estrada looked like he was afraid to let his hands go in many of the rounds. He got off to a quick start, but then Rungvisai took over and Estrada had no real answers to his bigger punches that kept landing all night long. It was a close fight in the respect that Estrada fought well enough to win 3 or 4 rounds, but it wasn’t close enough for anyone to say it was a robbery. The decision went to the right guy. Estrada fought as hard as he could in the last 4 rounds to rally, but he still wasn’t able to overcome the punching power and the boxing skills of Rungvisai. He was too good for Estrada.
The pro-Estrada crowd booed the results of the fight when they were announced afterwards. The fans wanted to see their hero 27-year-old Estrada be given the win, although he clearly didn’t do enough to deserve the win. Rungvisai was the bigger puncher and appeared to win 8 of the rounds tonight. The scores were 117-111, 115-113 for Thailand’s Rungvisai and 114-114. Boxing News 24 had Rungvisai winning 116-112.
You can possibly make it 117-111 in favor of Rungvisai, because a lot of the rounds in which Estrada did well, he was getting nailed with tremendous shots. Rungvisai’s massive punches made it difficult to give Estrada rounds even when he landing a little bit more. All things being equal, the fighter that was landing with a lot more power should have rightfully been given the rounds, and that’s what the judges did in giving the 31-year-old Rungvisai the victory.
In the final punch stats, Rungvisai landed 194 of 879 shots for a 22 percent connect rate. Estrada landed slightly less at 189 of 671 punches for a 28 percent connect rate. In the power connect department, Rungvisai landed 186 of 773 punches for a 24 percent connect rate. Estrada landed 147 of 443 shots for a 33 percent connect rate. Rungvisai threw more power punches, and those shots impressed the judges. He was landing with greater power as well with his power punches than Estrada. That has to be factored in with the scoring of the fight. The judges were influenced with the bigger punches from Rungvisai. That’s just the way it is.
There was no controversy about this fight. It’s hard to comprehend what the boxing fans were booing about at ringside. Rungvisai had clearly won the fight with his better work rate ad his harder shots. If the fans wanted Estrada to win, they should have told him to throw more punches because he was given the round away by not being busy enough.
Rungvisai’s win further cements him in as one of HBO’s biggest stars. He’s incredibly exciting to watch with his brawling style of fighting. He’s like a miniature Gennady Golovkin. The boxing fans can’t get enough of him.