The rematch between Juan Francisco Estrada and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on DAZN Saturday was a good one, but more than anything, it was just sort of… curious.
Let’s not bury a key fact here: Estrada took the junior bantamweight crown by scores of 116-112 and 115-113 twice.
And yet, it didn’t need to be that close. For either man.
Sor Rungvisai mysteriously fought in the orthodox stance nearly all night long. Once he switched to his normal southpaw stance, he had it his way. So why’d he take until the final rounds to do it? And why’d he switch back in the 12th? DAZN didn’t ask him, as we got no interview at all.
Estrada, meanwhile, boxed beautifully early, sweeping the rounds on this writer’s card. He was aggressive and intelligent at the same time. Sor Rungvisai couldn’t match Estrada’s rhythm, either because he was struggling with weight or had aged overnight or because Estrada was just that good or because, hmmm, maybe it’s because he was fighting in the wrong stance for no apparent reason?
And then, Estrada explained later, he let the Mexican machismo get the best of him. By the 9th round or so, he was swapping with the more powerful opponent. That’s how you end up with a couple just-barely-winning scorecards, brother. And you already had lost the first meeting when you probably deserved the win. The juice didn’t seem worth the squeeze, especially if, as he said multiple times in a post-fight interview, he hurt both of his hands.
Estrada also said he wanted another titlist next, which points toward Jerwin Ancajas or Khalid Yafai. Donnie Nietes sounds better, although it’s not like those fights are bad, anyway.
As solid as Estrada vs Rungvisai 2 was, the fight just before it stole the show. Junior featherweight Daniel Roman took a majority decision over T.J. Doheny in a gritty back-and-forth affair where Doheny got dropped twice but nearly dropped Roman himself, too. If you can pick only one fight to catch up on from this card, Roman vs Doheny is the one.
(poster via)
