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The Super Flyweight division takes center stage this upcoming Friday as WBC and Ring Magazine Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (47-4-1, 41 KOs) takes on Mexico’s Juan Francisco Estrada (38-3, 26 KOs) in a highly anticipated rematch.
The two men first met in the ring in February 2018 in the second rendition of HBO and Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions SuperFly series. The bout ended up being one of the best of that year in a fight that could have been scored for either fighter.
Rungvisai, who hails from Thailand, won a majority decision with scores of 115-113, 114-114, and 117-111. The 117-111 scorecard turned in by judge Steve Morrow became a topic of controversy, as it did not reflect the action that took place inside the ring.
The CompuBox statistics for the fight showed how closely contested the match was and that very little separated the two pugilists. In total punches landed, Rungvisai landed 194 out of 879 at a 22.1 percent connect rate and Estrada landed 189 out of 671 at a 28.2 percent connect rate.
In power punches landed, Rungvisai was able to land 186 out of 773 at 24.1 percent connect rate. Estrada landed 147 out of 443 at a 33.2 percent connect rate.
Only five punches separated Rungvisai and Estrada. The volume of punches thrown by the Thai southpaw may have led to him getting close rounds over Estrada’s accuracy.
The nature of their contest was somewhat nostalgic with its similarities to one of the greatest rivalries of the past era.
The Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez series of fights that ranged from 2004 to 2012 provided fans with some of the most exciting battles in boxing history.
At the time they were taking place the focus was put on the scoring of the bouts just as much as the action that took place in the ring.
The first three of their four overall bouts were filled with controversial scoring. Their first bout in 2004 was scored a draw due to judge Burt Clements being unaware that he could score a round 10-6 as he should have when Pacquiao scored three knockdowns in the first round against Marquez.
Pacquiao won their second bout in 2008 with a razor-thin split decision that was decided by one point on one of the judges’ scorecards.
At the height of Pacquiao’s superstardom in 2011, he was awarded the most controversial decision of his fights with Marquez winning a majority decision in their third match. The bout would win Ring Magazine’s Robbery of the Year for 2011.
While the similarities between Rungvisai-Estrada and Pacquiao-Marquez are vast, their journey’s to get to the point of a rematch were vastly different.
Rungvisai has had a tough road to get the point of headlining a show in California. The Thai fighter’s first listed professional bout was against Japan’s Akira Yaegashi who held titles at 105, 108 and 112 pounds. He would lose to Yaegashi via third-round stoppage in Japan.
Rungvisai would lose two more bouts in Japan before stringing enough victories together to earn a title opportunity in May 2013. He would face Japan’s Yota Sato in his native Thailand and win the WBC Super Flyweight championship by eighth-round technical knockout.
The 32-year old southpaw would defend his title once in Thailand against Japan’s Hirofumi Mukai before heading to Mexico to defend his title against Carlos Cuadras in May 2014.
Against Cuadras, Rungvisai would lose his title due to a cut over Cuadras’ left eye from an accidental head butt. Due to the WBC’s accidental headbutt rule, Rungvisai was deducted a point for the foul and wound up losing a decision after eight rounds.
It was an unfortunate turn of events for Rungvisai who had begun to press and wear down Cuadras.
Rungvisai would not get another title opportunity for almost three years. In between his world title fights, like many Thai fighters, Rungvisai stayed busy.
In 2014, Rungvisai fought a total of nine times, and in 2015 and 2016 he stepped in the ring six and five times. The competition was not world class, in fact before getting his next title shot he faced three fighters in a row who were making their professional debuts.
In March 2017, Rungvisai could not have asked for a better title opportunity when he faced then-undefeated and pound-for-pound king Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (47-1, 39 KOs) at Madison Square Garden on HBO pay-per-view for the WBC Super Flyweight title.
The bout with Gonzalez would be Rungvisai’s United States debut. With a 0-4 record outside of his native Thailand, many were surprised by his performance against Gonzalez.
The fight was a war from the start with Rungvisai scoring a knockdown off Gonzalez via a body shot. The knockdown would be a huge difference maker in the scoring, as Gonzalez would rally in the championship rounds.
Rungvisai ended up winning a majority decision over Gonzalez to the surprise of many observers. There was controversy over the scoring of the bout as most fans in attendance and those watching at home felt Gonzalez had done enough to retain his title.
A rematch was then set at the then StubHub Center in Carson, California as the main event on the inaugural SuperFly event.
This time there would be no controversy as Rungvisai scored a career-altering fourth-round knockout to end any doubts of his superiority over Gonzalez.
On the undercard of that SuperFly show, Estrada won a close decision over Cuadras winning on one point on all three scorecards (114-113 three times) with a knockdown scored in the 10th round making the difference.
Estrada also watched the man he had long been chasing in Gonzalez get taken out brutally in the main event.
The man known as “El Gallo” first began boxing at the age of 13 in Mexico and would amass a 94-4 amateur record. Even at the beginning of his professional career avenging losses was of utmost importance to Estrada.
In 2011, he suffered his first defeat at the hands of Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr losing an eight round unanimous decision. Five fights later that same year he stopped Sanchez in a rematch in 10 rounds.
Although fighting mostly in the Flyweight and Super Flyweight divisions, Estrada’s first title opportunity would take place in the Light Flyweight weight class.
In November 2012 at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California Estrada challenged Gonzalez for the WBA Light Flyweight championship.
The match ended up being one of the best of the year in a highly competitive bout that highlighted both men’s skill sets. Estrada lost a unanimous decision, but making his United States debut in such a fantastic fight put him on the radar of many boxing fans.
Estrada like Marquez before him would spend years seeking a rematch with Gonzalez in the same way Marquez chased Pacquiao.
The Sonora, Mexico native would not have to wait long for another title opportunity.
Estrada would face Hawaii’s Brian Viloria for the WBO and WBA Flyweight titles at Cotai Arena in Macao, China in April 2013.
Viloria at the time was considered one of the best Flyweights in the world, but Estrada would not be denied winning a split decision to become a world champion finally.
From this point, Estrada would go on the best run so far of his career putting together five successful title defenses. Estrada’s performances against top contenders Giovani Segura and Hernan Marquez were stellar scoring dominant stoppage victories over both.
Estrada’s reign from April 2013 to October 2016 gave many the ammunition to call him the best Flyweight in the world.
Gonzalez’s newfound success being featured on HBO gave Estrada the leeway to follow him to the Super Flyweight division where he would eventually meet Rungvisai in the ring.
A rematch between Gonzalez and Estrada is likely out of reach for now due to Gonzalez having knee surgery at the end of 2018.
Unfortunately for both Rungvisai and Estrada they will likely be underrated and underappreciated due to the weight class they occupy.
There will always be a segment of boxing fans that will not give them the respect they deserve due to their size.
Sometimes a rivalry that produces great fights can surpass the notoriety the individual fighters achieve. Arturo Gatti cannot be mentioned without bringing up his fights with Micky Ward. Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales’ careers are defined by their rivalry and trilogy of fights.
Rungvisai and Estrada will battle for Super Flyweight supremacy this Friday night. However, much more will be on the line as a victory here could define the direction their careers head from this point.
A rivalry can push a fighter beyond the limits he has set for himself and bring out the best in any opponent.
The sequel to Rungvisai-Estrada could prove to be better than the first, but more importantly, it could be what they are remembered for when they hang up their gloves.
Rungvisai-Estrada II will be shown live on the DAZN app this upcoming Friday at 9:00 pm, ET.
