Srisaket vows to knock out challenger
Mexican Diaz confident of dethroning ‘great champion’ in super-flyweight title fight tonight
>> WBC super-flyweight title-holder Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and challenger Iran “MagnifiKO” Diaz of Mexico are ready for their championship fight at Muang Thong Thani tonight.
It is the main event of ONE Championship: Kingdom of Heroes which also features several MMA bouts.
Both made the weight limit in yesterday’s official weigh-in with Srisaket tipping the scales at 114.6 pounds and Diaz at 114.8 pounds.
The 115-pound king has a 46-4-1 (41KOs) record and the 28-year-old Mexican is 14-2-3 (6KOs).
Srisaket said: “I feel very strong and I have trained very hard for this fight. My weight is on point and I am expecting a tremendous showing this Saturday night [tonight].
“I am definitely looking to finish him within the distance. This will not go to a judges’ decision.
“Everyone who knows me, and is a fan of mine, knows what I bring to the table. They all know how I fight. Every time I step into the ring, my mind always think about knockout. This time will be no different. I’m looking to put on a show for my hometown fans!”
Diaz said: “This is the biggest opportunity of my career, and I have worked extremely hard for this fight.
“Srisaket is a great champion, and he is well-loved by his compatriots. But I’m here looking to seize the moment. This is my time to shine. I have the best team in my corner. They have helped get me ready to capture the title.
“I feel so strong and ready. Making weight was no problem for me. I have one thing on my agenda, and that’s to take the belt back home to Mexico.
“The champion better be ready, because I’m coming at him with my best.”
It is Srisaket’s third defence of the title since dethroning previously unbeaten Roman Gonzalez with a majority decision win at New York’s Madison Square Garden in March 2017.
The 31-year-old Thai, known in his country as Srisaket Nakornloung Promotion, then knocked out the Nicaraguan in a rematch in California last September.
He beat Mexico’s Juan Francisco Estrada, also in California, in February this year.
Meanwhile, the WBC has given its stamp of approval for ONE Championship to use its five-rope ring for Srisaket’s bout against Diaz.
ONE Championship is hosting the first professional boxing bout in its seven-year history.
“We are thrilled to work with ONE Championship for the upcoming event. Our association with a world-class organisation like ONE Championship satisfies our goal in nurturing the legacy of boxing across the globe,” said WBC vice president Kovid Bhakdibhumi who is also WBC Asia president.
SPORT’S FUTURE IN PERIL
Boxing risks being thrown out of the Olympics unless the sport’s ruling body addresses “grave” concerns regarding its governance, the International Olympic Committee executive board said.
A strongly worded IOC statement warned that the International Boxing Association (Aiba) must tackle governance issues at its upcoming congress or it could face sanctions.
“The Executive Board of the IOC expressed its ongoing extreme concern with the grave situation within the International Boxing Association (Aiba) and its current governance,” the board said in a statement.
“These include the circumstances of the establishment of the election list and the misleading communication within the Aiba membership regarding the IOC’s position.”
The executive board, meeting in Buenos Aires where the Youth Olympic Games begin today, said the troubles in the Aiba affect “not just the reputation of Aiba and boxing but of sport in general”.
“Therefore, the IOC reiterates its clear position that if the governance issues are not properly addressed to the satisfaction of the IOC at the forthcoming Aiba Congress, the existence of boxing on the Olympic programme and even the recognition of Aiba as an international federation recognised by the IOC are under threat.”
The IOC warned in July that boxing could still be axed from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if the Aiba did not put its house in order.
In February, the IOC said they were worried by the nomination of Uzbek businessman Gafur Rakhimov for the Aiba’s interim presidency.
However, Rakhimov, who has been linked to organised crime by the US Treasury Department, is now the only candidate for the presidency to be voted on at the Aiba Congress in Moscow next month.