INCREDIBLE SCENES
Srisaket upsets Gonzalez in an exceptional fight, writes Paul Wheeler
Roman Gonzalez is in the fight of the year so far, and the biggest upset
WHILE the upset did not ultimately occur in the Gennady Golovkindaniel Jacobs clash – despite the unfancied challenger’s sterling effort – there was a huge turn-up in the co-feature, as Thai southpaw Srisaket Sor Rungvisai – in only his second fight outside of Asia – inflicted a first ever defeat upon Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. Prior to the bout, the 29-year-old Nicaraguan was widely regarded as the No. 1 poundfor-pound fighter on the planet, but he endured a nightmare start in the first defence of his WBC super-flyweight title – a belt that Srisaket had held from 2013-14.
There was an audible sense of shock in the arena as a right hand to the ribs caught the popular Gonzalez off balance and sent him down in the opening round. Not much had happened in the session other than the knockdown, but from the second frame onwards, the contest developed into a breathtaking war of attrition, with both boxers tearing into each other at close quarters. The intensity and speed of the strikes was simply spellbinding.
Looking visibly larger than Gonzalez, Srisaket’s left hook-cum-uppercut was a dangerous weapon. He enjoyed success with this punch in the third – a round in which Roman suffered a gash on his right eyebrow from what referee Steve Willis deemed was an accidental clash of heads.
Incredibly, the ferocity of the frenetic two-way action appeared to increase with every passing stanza. Whenever one man seemed to be gaining the upper hand, the other would battle back.
In the sixth, Srisaket, 30, was penalised for twice headbutting Gonzalez – the docked point cancelling out the 10-8 round that had gone in the challenger’s favour when he scored a knockdown in the first frame. Other than these two
sessions, it was difficult to separate the duo throughout.
With Srisaket bleeding from a wound by his right eye, and the entire right side of Gonzalez’s face smeared in scarlet, the ringside physicians checked the condition of both fighters ahead of the ninth. Having been cleared to continue, the two relentless punching machines went back to the trenches once again, although Srisaket did attempt to get on his toes more in the final six minutes, as Gonzalez galloped after him like a man possessed.
I felt that Roman’s strong finish had swung the fight in his favour at the conclusion, but it was Srisaket who was awarded the majority decision over the now-former four-weight world champion. The scores were 113-113 (Waleska Roldan) and 114-112 twice (Glenn Feldman and Julie Lederman). Both competitors were taken to hospital as a precaution after what was arguably the Fight of the Year so far. EX-WBC super-flyweight belt-holder
Carlos Cuadras – a past victim of Gonzalez and previous conqueror of Srisaket – engaged in a keenly contested 10-round Mexico City derby with twotime WBO 115lb title challenger David
Carmona. It was a tough bout to call, with Cuadras displaying impressive variety, and Carmona targeting the body effectively and moving smartly. When Cuadras was announced as a unanimous victor – by tallies of 96-94 (Eric Marlinski) and 97-93 twice (John Poturaj and Robin Taylor) – the crowd heartily booed the verdict. Nevertheless, I agreed with the judges, as Cuadras was one point up on my scorecard at the end. Ron Lipton officiated.
In his first appearance since losing the WBO middleweight strap to Billy Joe Saunders in December 2015, Ireland’s Andy Lee had a rust-shedding exercise against Birmingham, Alabama’s
Keandrae Leatherwood. The eight sessions were largely uneventful, but the scoring punches came from Lee, usually in the form of long jabs and cuffing hooks. The London-based southpaw cruised to victory by marks of 80-72 (Mr Marlinski), 78-74 (Mr Poturaj) and 79-73 (Ms Taylor). Mr Lipton was the referee.
Cleveland, Ohio’s Ryan Martin looks like one to watch. The rangy lightweight showed flashes of real quality during his scheduled 10-rounder with Port Chester, New York’s Bryant Cruz.a decent operator himself, Cruz fought very gamely against his quick-fisted opponent, who connected with some sharp and accurate combinations, including jabs followed by body blows. In the eighth, Martin cornered Cruz and unloaded a thumping flurry of shots, forcing referee Harvey Dock to halt proceedings at 0-45.
Mr Dock also oversaw the four-round heavyweight contest between Glaswegian teenager Jay Carrigan-mcfarlane and Oceanside, California’s Matt Mckinney. The young Brit bulldozed his way forward from the off, roughing Mckinney up and working well on the inside. The American snuck in some solid counters, yet Carrigan-mcfarlane seemed to have done enough to win on points. It was not to be, however, as Mckinney took the majority decision with scores of 38-38 (Mr Marlinski) and 39-37 twice (Mr Poturaj and John Basile).
On the evidence of his stoppage of tough Miami-based Cuban Yasmani Pedroso, aggressive welterweight Serhii
Bohachuk appears like a useful addition to top trainer Abel Sanchez’s stable. The Ukrainian – who lives in Los Angeles – dropped Pedroso with a heavy right cross in the third, before flooring him again with a clean left hook. Referee Lipton waved the bout off after 2-28. It had been set for four.
THE VERDICT What a fight!