Srisaket edges Estrada to retain title
PM lauds fighter for making Thais happy
LOS ANGELES: Thai dynamo Srisaket Sor Rungvisai retained his World Boxing Council title by beating challenger Juan Francisco Estrada on Saturday (yesterday morning Thai time), holding on in the later rounds to come out with a close majority decision.
Srisaket compiled a big lead by winning almost all of the first seven rounds in the 12-round super flyweight title fight at the Los Angeles Forum.
But the hard-hitting 31-year-old couldn’t get the knockout he was hoping for against the Mexican, and even looked the more tired of the two in the final round.
“Estrada was a very strong fighter,” Srisaket said in the ring following the decision. “I love his style. It was a tough fight.”
Srisaket, who improved to 45-4-1 with 40 knockouts, won by a score of 117-111 on one judge’s card. Another judge had him winning 115-113 and Las Vegas judge Dave Moretti scored it a draw, 114-114.
Still, the victory was impressive enough to validate his status as a bonafide star in the super flyweight division, especially after beating former champ Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez twice in 2017.
The pair traded heavy punches in the middle of the ring throughout the thrilling fight, especially at the end of the first and fifth rounds. Srisaket, a southpaw, threw 879 punches overall while the challenger threw 671.
The hard-punching Srisaket built up points by dominating the early rounds of a fight that showcased the contrasting but effective boxing styles of the two fighters.
Estrada, a counterpuncher, served notice in the second round that he wasn’t going to let Srisaket impose his will on him, by landing two solid punches near the end to win that round.
In the fourth, Srisaket landed a bomb on the nose of Estrada to send him staggering backwards towards the ropes.
Srisaket excelled through the middle rounds but something happened in the eighth that turned the momentum in Estrada’s favour.
Realising he hadn’t done enough in the early rounds to win without a knockout, Estrada went to work, dancing around the ring and counterpunching effectively.
In the 12th, both fighters were tired but Srisaket, who despite feeling exhausted, still flailed away with windmill punches. Both were raised by their cornermen in anticipation of a victory after the bell.
“I felt I won the fight clearly,” Estrada said. “I boxed him all night long, and then I attacked him the last three rounds. I landed great shots at the end. I don’t know what the judges saw.”
This was the first fight of 2018 for Srisaket after a spectacular 2017.
His two wins over Gonzalez gained him plenty of attention and respect, as his ragsto-riches story prompted comparisons to Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao.
“I was very confident of winning this fight,” Srisaket said. “I wanted to bring this victory back to Thailand.
“I had the support of Thais and I am thankful to all the Thai people who came out.”
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, a self-professed fan of the sport, congratulated the champion on his second defence and for making Thai people “happy.”
“He’s got a lot of heart,” Prayut said of Srisaket. “The Mexican challenger is a great boxer. He’s a very strong and tenacious fighter. To win this fight showed that Srisaket has patience, determination and great skill.”
The PM added Srisaket’s victory made his countrymen happy and they are all very proud of him.
“He made Thai people happy. Everyone here in Thailand who watched the fight is very proud of him.
“All the youngsters should look up to him and follow in his footsteps. I hope his success inspire the younger generation to become the better version of themselves in whatever field they are in,” Prayut added.