Nine world title fights.
Eight times the WBC Super Flyweight title was on the line.
One unification bout.
Two knockouts.
10 fights that range from good, to great, to absolute classics.
The Super Flyweight quartet of Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (50-3, 41 KOs), Juan “El Gallo” Francisco Estrada (42-3, 28 KOs), Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (50-5-1, 43 KOs), and Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (39-4-1, 27 KOs) have provided fans with some of the best fights of the last decade.
Fights that are brutal back and forth affairs and others that are high-level technical chess matches. Sometimes both.
They are this era’s fabulous four.
In March, Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez engaged in what is the current frontrunner for the best fight of 2021.
The aftermath of the bout resulting in Estrada winning a disputed split decision in which judge Carlos Sucre’s 117-111 scorecard for Estrada caused an uproar in the boxing community.
Sucre would be temporarily suspended by the WBA due to what was universally deemed an inept scorecard. The WBC (World Boxing Council) responded by announcing a Superfly tournament.
By establishing the tournament, the WBC has elevated Estrada to Franchise champion of the division, making way for mandatory challenger Rungvisai to fight for the vacant WBC Super Flyweight championship.
A rubber match between Estrada and Gonzalez has been approved to take place, and Rungvisai will face Carlos Cuadras with the winners set to meet to determine the one true WBC and overall champion of the weight class.
In an era where superlatives are thrown around like candy, these four pugilists have delivered every time they have stepped inside the ring against one another.
We will take a look back at the 10 fights between them and rank them based on what was at stake, match quality, and the decision delivered by the judges.
This list will be plagued somewhat by personal bias putting the most significant emphasis on match quality. It’s recommended for all boxing fans to watch all 10 fights as they are required viewing for anyone that follows the sweet science.
10. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs. Carlos Cuadras
WBC Super Flyweight title – May 31, 2014
The bout that the average boxing fan is least familiar with is the encounter between Cuadras and Rungvisai for the Thai fighter’s WBC title. Ironically, this match is the one that, of all 10 fights, should have had the quickest turnaround for a rematch.
This match is also one of only two bouts that took place outside of the United States in Mexico.
Rungvisai was attempting the second defense of his WBC Super Flyweight title that he won the year prior, scoring an eighth-round technical knockout over Yota Sato in his native Thailand. For Cuadras, this would be his first major world title opportunity.
The bout with Cuadras would also mark the first time Rungvisai fought outside of Thailand and Japan.
Similar to every fight that will be on this ranking, Cuadras and Rungvisai provided an exciting, action-packed bout. Cuadras played the role of the matador utilizing his lateral movement to keep himself out of harm’s way.
In the fourth round, a clash of heads caused a terrible cut over the left eye of Cuadras. Per WBC rules at the time, referee Jay Nady deducted a point from Rungvisai for the accidental head butt.
After the cut, the fight changed completely, with Rungvisai applying effective pressure and hurting Cuadras with body shots.
The bout’s momentum was entirely in favor of the Thai fighter until another clash of heads caused the fight to be stopped after eight rounds.
The judges saw the fight in favor of Cuadras with scores of 77-74, 77-75, and 78-73.
In an unprecedented move, Rungvisai would fight nine times in 2014, mostly against fighters with a losing record; however, his commitment to staying busy between title fights is rare in this era.
Cuadras would go on to hold the WBC Super Flyweight title for over two years making a total of six defenses.
9. Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai II
WBC Super Flyweight title – April 26, 2019
The second encounter between Juan Francisco Estrada and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai was one of the most highly anticipated of the ten fights on this ranking, as it would crown the number one fighter at Super Flyweight with no debate.
The primary reason this match is this low on the list falls mainly on Rungvisai. Throughout the first eight rounds, the usually southpaw fighter fought in an orthodox stance as a strategic move that ultimately backfired.
The majority of the credit for how this fight played out belongs to Estrada, who made it a point to start faster than in the first bout. Estrada was able to counter Rungvisai almost every time the Thai fighter attempted to mount an attack.
Rungvisai began to close the gap in the last four rounds by turning back to the southpaw position. The change from orthodox to southpaw allowed Rungvisai to be more effective in exchanges landing the harder punches.
Unfortunately, the late-round surge from Rungvisai wasn’t enough to put him ahead on the judge’s scorecards.
Estrada walked away, earning a unanimous decision victory with scores of 116-112 and 115-113 twice. The rematch with Rungvisai may have been Estrada’s most exemplary performance of his career.
8. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs. Roman Gonzalez II
WBC Super Flyweight title – September 09, 2017
The main event of HBO’s first SuperFly show was the rematch between Roman Gonzalez and Rungvisai after their controversial first match in March 2017.
If this ranking were to look strictly at the significance of the victory, this fight would be ranked right at the top. While most observers believed Gonzalez should have been awarded the win in their first encounter, the rematch turned out to be a completely different fight.
In the first right, Rungvisai had the element of surprise as he came in as a massive underdog; for the rematch, he had something to prove.
From the start, Rungvisai was landing the cleaner and heavier punches that had an immediate visible impact on Gonzalez. The Nicaraguan looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in the squared circle.
In the fourth round, Rungvisai scored two knockdowns with vicious right hooks, the second of which ended the fight emphatically.
The manner in which Rungvisai won was unexpected and brutal, giving the impression that this was the end of Gonzalez’s career.
For a relatively unknown fighter in most boxing circles to score a dramatic knockout victory over a fighter that was beforehand ranked at the top of most pound-for-pound lists is rare and stands out within the ten fights between Cuadras, Estrada, Gonzalez, and Rungvisai.
7. Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Carlos Cuadras I
WBC Super Flyweight title eliminator – September 09, 2017
The only non-title fight on the ranking was the co-main event to HBO’s first SuperFly show as a WBC Super Flyweight title eliminator between Juan Francisco Estrada and Carlos Cuadras.
On the scorecards, the fight was one of the closest, with all three judges scoring the match with just one point difference.
As a fight between two elite Mexican practitioners, many fans were expecting an all-out war in vain of the first Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales bout; what they got was more like Barrera-Morales II.
Initially, when first viewed, the fight seemed extremely close, but on re-watch, the fight favors Estrada, whose punches were cleaner and harder in contrast to Cuadras’ sloppy slapping style arm punches.
Each round was competitive, with a few swing rounds that could have been scored for either fighter. Estrada put an exclamation mark on the fight in the 10th round scoring a knockdown that ultimately made the difference on the judge’s scorecards.
All three judges scored the bout 114-113 for Estrada.
Estrada-Cuadras I falls into the category of fights similar to James Toney-Mike McCallum from the early 1990s as an exciting technical boxing chess match.
In a rare occurrence, Estrada-Cuadras I may best be known for ring announcer Michael Buffer having a Steve Harvey moment announcing Cuadras as the winner only to correct himself moments later announcing Estrada as the victor.
6. Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Carlos Cuadras II
WBC Super Flyweight title – October 23, 2020
The first fight in the ranking to fall within the COVID-19 restrictions was the rematch between Estrada and Cuadras that far exceeded their first match.
Estrada-Cuadras II took place at the TV Azteca television studio in Mexico with no audience. It’s possible that with a live audience, this fight could have ended up higher in the ranking, but both men put on stellar performances.
The second match picked up at a much faster rate than their first meeting, with both fighters landing punches in combination. In the third round, Cuadras landed a right uppercut-left hook combination that sent Estrada to the canvas.
Estrada responded in dramatic fashion in the next round resulting in one of the best rounds of 2020. The remainder of the bout followed a similar pattern of Estrada applying pressure while landing combinations to the body that slowed Cuadras down.
For his part, Cuadras was always competitive, landing flurries of punches; however, many of his combinations didn’t seem as effective.
In the 11th round, Estrada was finally able to put Cuadras down with a series of right hands.
After two knockdowns, the referee put a halt to the match while Cuadras was still standing to stop him from receiving further punishment.
The circumstances surrounding Estrada-Cuadras II may have taken away somewhat from the fight; however, both men left everything in the ring resulting in one of the most memorable matches of the COVID-19 era.
5. Roman Gonzalez vs. Carlos Cuadras
WBC Super Flyweight title – September 10, 2016
The most historically significant fight in the ranking belongs to Roman Gonzalez and Carlos Cuadras.
At the time, Gonzalez was a three-division champion, having held titles at Strawweight, Light Flyweight, and Flyweight, having made 12 title defenses between all three-weight classes.
When Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired in September 2015, Gonzalez was moved up to the number one pound-for-pound position by most publications. When Gonzalez made the move up to Super Flyweight, he was setting his sights on making history as the first fighter to win titles at 105, 108, 112, and 115 pounds.
He was also attempting to become Nicaragua’s first four-division world champion.
To accomplish this, Gonzalez took on the man considered to be the second-best Super Flyweight who was looking to make the seventh defense of his WBC Super Flyweight title.
For Gonzalez’s first fight at Super Flyweight, he came out the gates blazing-fast, almost jogging while applying pressure on Cuadras.
The first four rounds were a clean sweep for Gonzalez as he out-worked Cuadras while using effective aggression.
However, in the fifth round the momentum of the match changed as Cuadras began to land more punches as Gonzalez’s defense began to collapse. The Mexican was also landing some brutal body punches that began to take their toll on Gonzalez.
In the sixth round, Cuadras cut Gonzalez over his right eye with a series of punches that visibly bothered the Nicaraguan.
Gonzalez would make a late-round surge in rounds eight, nine, and 10 to further his grip on the scorecards. However, Cuadras would take the final championship rounds by outworking Gonzalez landing the cleaner punches.
Due to Gonzalez taking the vast majority of the early rounds, all three judges awarded him the victory with scores of 117-111, 116-112, and 115-1113.
When a fighter is able to make history in a great fight, it can elevate the bout’s significance. The crowd at the Forum in Inglewood, CA, further added to the match as the fans seemed to hang on to every punch thrown.
4. Roman Gonzalez vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai I
WBC Super Flyweight title – March 17, 2017
At the world’s most famous arena Madison Square Garden, Roman Gonzalez attempted the first defense of his WBC Super Flyweight title against number one contender Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
The story behind the fight laid the foundation for what may have taken place inside the ring.
Gonzalez’s longtime trainer Arnulfo Obando passed away in late 2016 after suffering from a brain aneurysm. The death of his trainer seemed to greatly impact Gonzalez, who had all he could handle against the Thai fighter.
In the first round, Rungvisai scored the first knockdown on Gonzalez in 10 years after a shot to the body left him off balance sending him to the canvas.
The fight’s high ranking is primarily due to the quality of the in-ring action.
The bout featured many ebbs and flows with momentum shifts; however, Gonzalez did have the advantage in most rounds as he outworked Rungvisai while landing the cleaner punches.
Throughout the fight, Rungvisai’s southpaw stance led to numerous head clashes during exchanges.
In the sixth round, referee Steve Willis deducted a point from Rungvisai for head butting, giving Gonzalez a boost on the scorecards to match the knockdown he suffered in the first round.
The second half of the fight featured plenty of swing rounds that had intense action.
In numerous rounds, there were moments where Rungvisai’s power punching seemed to be slowing Gonzalez down, only to see him bounce back with a barrage of punches that pushed the Thai fighter back.
The 12th round was exceptional, with Gonzalez putting all his energy in an attempt to take out Rungvisai.
The judges, however, controversially gave the fight to the underdog Rungvisai via majority decision with scores of 113-113 and 114-112 twice.
Most observers felt Gonzalez deserved the victory. The CompuBox numbers favored Gonzalez landing 441 out of 1014 punches and Rungvisai landing 284 out of 940 punches.
While calling Gonzalez-Rungvisai I a robbery is overreaching, the decision does slightly diminish the matches standing.
3. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs. Juan Francisco Estrada I
WBC Super Flyweight title – February 24, 2018
The first bout between Juan Francisco Estrada and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai is a perfect example of how a crowd can add an extra ingredient to make a fight that much better.
In front of a pro-Mexican crowd, Estrada and Rungvisai put on an absolute classic that was a fight of two tales.
In the first half of the match, Rungvisai’s aggression and power punching earned him a large majority of the first seven rounds. Utilizing a swivel jab and making sure that he was always the first to attack, Rungvisai was at times outboxing the Mexican technician.
In between the seventh and eighth rounds, Estrada’s corner urged him to be more aggressive as they sensed he might be behind on the scorecards. Estrada listened to his corner and began to take over the fight in the eighth round.
Estrada’s change in tactics included attacking first, allowing him to dictate the pace of the fight. The exchanges between the two fighters were furious, with neither man willing to give up ground.
The final stretch of the fight favored Estrada, who was landing the cleaner punches; however, Rungvisai’s lead in the first half of the bout ultimately led to him getting the decision.
Rungvisai earned a majority decision with scores of 114-114, 115-113, and 117-111. Judge Steve Morrow’s scorecard of 117-111 was erroneous at best and not an indication of what took place inside the ring.
On this night, a fighter who just one year before was unknown to the majority of the boxing public had now gained victories over two of the best Super Flyweights of the last 20 years in Estrada and Gonzalez.
The reign on top didn’t last long, but for a time, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai stood on top of the Super Flyweight division.
2. Roman Gonzalez vs. Juan Francisco Estrada II
WBA and WBC Super Flyweight titles – March 13, 2021
The following two entries could be switched depending on the day asked. Still, ultimately the second fight between Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez got the second spot on the ranking.
The most anticipated match on the list took place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, in front of an intimately small crowd of over 2300 fans.
The fight should have taken place in California at an arena like The Forum in Inglewood; however, the rematch took place in the COVID-19 era with limited attendance.
Unlike the first bout, Estrada-Gonzalez II had the highest stakes possible as a unification match for Estrada’s WBC and Ring Magazine Super Flyweight titles and Gonzalez’s WBA Super Flyweight title.
The rematch was a crossroads bout with Gonzalez bouncing back from his losses against Rungvisai and winning the WBA title from the United Kingdom’s Khalid Yafai.
Estrada was at the height of his powers as the number one fighter in the division, looking to get revenge on Gonzalez. With a victory, Estrada will have defeated every fighter who has stepped in the ring with him.
The fight lived up to expectations, with both men combining to throw an incredible 2,529 punches.
Estrada landed 314 out of 1212 punches, and Gonzalez landed 391 out of 1317 total punches.
The fight was a piece of boxing artwork with both pugilists exhibiting a high level of skill while providing non-stop action.
Numerous rounds could have been scored for either fighter. Still, Gonzalez looked to be at an advantage in exchanges. He was able to parry and pick off many of Estrada’s punches while coming forward and delivering accurate counter punches.
The fight, in many respects, was a masterpiece until the decision was announced.
This wasn’t a robbery, but a great fight deserves a fair decision. The judges awarded Estrada a split decision with scores of 117-111, 115-113, and one judge scoring for Gonzalez 115-113.
Judge Carlos Sucre’s scorecard of 117-111 became the focal point after the fight and was one of the worst scorecards of the last 20 years.
Gonzalez turned the clock back to put on a performance reminiscent of his prime, and unfortunately, it’s unlikely if he’ll be able to duplicate it in a third bout.
Regardless, a third fight is rumored to take place this upcoming September or October.
1. Roman Gonzalez vs. Juan Francisco Estrada I
WBA Light Flyweight Title – November 17, 2012
The Godfather. Jaws. The Exorcist. Alien. The Terminator.
In film, the original entry is hard to beat. Boxing is no different.
The first bout between Roman Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada is the only fight on the ranking that took place outside of the Super Flyweight division.
The fight was for Gonzalez’s WBA Light Flyweight title, and Estrada would move down in weight from Flyweight for his first title opportunity.
On a rainy night at the now-defunct Los Angeles Sports Arena on the undercard to a Flyweight unification match between Brian Viloria and Hernan Marquez, Gonzalez and Estrada went to war for 12 rounds.
This was a fight for the hardcore boxing fan.
Estrada started quickly, letting the crowd and Gonzalez know that although this was his first title fight, he was there to win.
The fight followed a pattern of Estrada winning the first minute of each round only for Gonzalez to come back and avalanche the young Mexican with punches.
The middle rounds belonged to Gonzalez, whose experience and combination punches seemed to overwhelm Estrada. However, in the championship rounds, Estrada proved himself to be championship material by responding with large segments of non-stop combinations.
If it weren’t for Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez’s fourth bout, Gonzalez-Estrada would have been the 2012 fight of the year.
Ultimately, Gonzalez had done enough to escape with a unanimous decision with scores of 118-110 and 116-112 twice.
It must be stated; Judge Barry Druxman’s scorecard of 118-110 for Gonzalez belonged in the trash. There is no argument for either fighter winning by that margin.
The action in both Gonzalez-Estrada fights are comparable, as both should be considered classics. Despite each fight having one scorecard that should be ignored, the first fight had the correct winner in Gonzalez.
Essentially Gonzalez has more of an argument for winning the second fight than Estrada has for winning the first fight.
Boxing at its best tells stories on a violent platform.
Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman Gonzalez, Carlos Cuadras, and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai are warriors that have given fans a taste of a lost era of the sport where scores are settled inside the ring rather than on social media.
The Super Flyweight Fab Four are fighters fans should be grateful for, as it’s unlikely that we will see something like them again anytime soon.
