Notebook: Sor Rungvisai in action while awaiting Chocolatito-Estrada II winner
Benavidez looks ahead; Herring-Frampton update; Beterbiev card details; new Parker trainer; Quick hits, Show and tell
Former two-time junior bantamweight titlist Srisaket Sor Rungvisai is aiming to take care of business by beating Thai countryman Kwanthai Sithmorseng and then sit back and watch Saturday night’s Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez-Juan Francisco rematch to unify junior bantamweight titles.
The reason is because if Sor Rungvisai wins his fight on Friday night (DAZN, 9:30 ET) at Workpoint Studio in Bang Phun, Thailand (where it will be Saturday), he is next up as the mandatory challenger for the Gonzalez-Estrada II winner. In fact, Sor Rungvisai, who is Estrada’s WBC mandatory challenger, stepped aside to allow Estrada to face Gonzalez again first.
“I am not only preparing to fight Kwanthai, but also for the Estrada and Chocolatito winner,” said Rungvisai, who weighed in at 114.7 pounds to Sithmorseng’s 114.9 “I’m not overlooking Kwanthai, but I’m confident that I will beat him.
“He’s a very well-rounded boxer with great experience, who has fought at world level, but I am confident that my 50th win will be impressive. I am the stronger man, but I can’t afford to overlook him.”
Sor Rungvisai (49-5-1, 42 KOs), 34, a southpaw, owns two wins against Gonzalez, a disputed majority decision to claim a junior bantamweight title in a slugfest in 2017 followed by a massive fourth-round knockout win in the immediate rematch later that year.
Sor Rungvisai has split two bouts with Estrada, winning a majority decision to retain his title in 2018 and losing the belt to him by unanimous decision in April 2019.
“Both of my fights with ‘Chocolatito’ were extremely entertaining,” Sor Rungvisai said. “If I am to fight him next for a third time, I’ll do it again and become a three-time world champion. My second fight against Estrada was very close. I accept the judges favored him, but if it’s him for the trilogy I will beat him.”
While he would have liked to be in the ring challenging Estrada, he was willing to step aside and bide his time against Sithmorseng (50-7-1, 27 KOs), 38, who briefly held a strawweight world title in 2010, in part for the good of boxing.
“They are legends of the sport. It’s great for the division the best fight the best and I obviously include myself in that list. It can only help elevate the 115-pound division to become one of the more popular weight classes in the game.”
Estrada delves deep
It has been more than eight years since Juan Francisco Estrada, a relatively unknown at the time, dropped down from flyweight to junior flyweight to challenge Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, who was 33-0, for his world title.
Estrada would lose a competitive decision in a classic battle that challenged for 2012 fight of the year honors. Many have wanted to see a rematch since but the fighters went their separate ways, each moving up in weight and winning various world titles.
They became friends and Estrada even once went to Nicaragua to visit Gonzalez at his invitation a few years ago. But now, with the circumstances right and both holding junior bantamweight world titles, they finally are set to meet again in a must-see title unification bout on Saturday (DAZN and PPV, 8 p.m. ET) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Estrada could not be happier to finally have a chance to avenge his loss as he has already avenged his two other career defeats. I spoke to Estrada at length recently about the rematch, his friendship with “Chocolatito” and his future, and wrote about for the Ring magazine website. Please read that story here: https://www.ringtv.com/619021-juan-francisco-estrada-sets-friendship-aside-to-avenge-loss-to-roman-gonzalez/
Benavidez looks ahead
Former two-time super middleweight world titlist David Benavidez faces Ronald Ellis in a WBC semifinal title elimination bout that headlines a Showtime-televised tripleheader on Saturday (9 p.m. ET) at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. But Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs) believes he will crush Ellis (18-1-2, 12 KOs) and is looking ahead to bigger and better fights.
“I don’t see too much of a threat,” Benavidez said. “He doesn’t have too much power. Not too much speed, so I think I’m going to go in there and do whatever I want to do and I’m expecting to have a spectacular KO.”
What Benavidez really wants is to fight opponents such as unified champion Canelo Alvarez, middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo and even rising super middleweight knockout artist Edgar Berlanga. I had an extensive interview with Benavidez in which we discussed it all. I wrote about it for The Ring magazine website. Please read that story here: https://www.ringtv.com/618951-david-benavidez-dismisses-ronald-ellis-challenge-i-dont-see-too-much-of-a-threat/
The fighters all made weight on Friday. Here are the weights: Benavidez 167.25, Ellis 167.25; Isaac Cruz 134, Matias Romero 134.75 (lightweight title eliminator); Terrell Gausha 154.5, Jamontay Clark 154.5.
Herring-Frampton official
Top Rank announced the long-delayed fight between junior lightweight titlist Jamel Herring (22-2, 10 KOs), a Coram, New York, native, and two-division titlist Carl Frampton (28-2, 16 KOs), of Northern Ireland, will take place on April 3 at Caesars Bluewaters Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and stream on ESPN+ in the United States (3 p.m. ET main card, 1 p.m. ET preliminaries).
“This is a fight that’s been in the works for a very long time, and I expect both Jamel and Carl to be at their best,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “It’s an even matchup, and I am pleased that fans in the United States can watch it live on ESPN+.”
The co-feature is a 10-round junior welterweight bout between Kazakhstan’s Zhankosh Turarov (24-0, 17 KOs) and Northern Ireland’s Tyrone McKenna (21-2-1, 6 KOs).
The prelim stream will include the return of former four-division titlist Donnie Nietes (42-1-5, 23 KOs), of the Philippines, who has been idle for more than two years, against a foe to named in a 10-rounder at junior bantamweight, and lightweight prospect Keyshawn Davis (1-0, 1 KOs), of Norfolk, Virginia, versus an opponent to be named in a six-rounder.
Herring, who will be making his third defense, was originally scheduled to face Frampton last summer in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but that was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Then it was scheduled for Feb. 27 in London but postponed again when Frampton announced he had a hand injury.
Parker teams with Lee
Former heavyweight titlist Joseph Parker, who recently split with longtime trainer Kevin Barry, will now be trained by former middleweight titlist Andy Lee, who will take on Parker as his first notable fighter.
“Great guy and has a lot of boxing knowledge. Will learn a lot from him,” Parker told Fight Freaks Unite about Lee, who was trained by the legendary late Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward.
Parker said the suggestion he work with Lee came from heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who a cousin of Lee’s.
“I spoke to Tyson Fury last week. He said Andy would be a great trainer,” Parker said. “Spoke to Andy and next thing I’m on the plane to where he is. Fast move, good move.”
Parker (28-2, 21 KOs), 29, of New Zealand, is coming off a unanimous decision win over countryman Junior Fa in long-simmering rivalry bout on Feb. 27 in Auckland. Next up, Parker is likely to fight Dereck Chisora (32-10, 23 KOs), 37, of England, in May in the United Kingdom.
Beterbiev-Deines card details
Top Rank on Friday made official that the oft-delayed fight between unified light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs), 36, and fellow Russia native Adam Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs), 30, now scheduled for March 20 at Megasport Arena in Moscow, will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and simulcast on ESPN+. The televised main card begins at 3 p.m. ET. Coverage on ESPN+ will begin with preliminary bouts at 1 p.m. ET.
In the co-feature, welterweight Alexander Besputin (13-0, 9 KOs), 29, of Russia, will face Maximiliano Ricardo Veron (12-3-1, 4 KOs), 32, of Argentina, in a 10-rounder.
Besputin has not boxed since Nov. 30, 2019 in Monte Carlo, where he won a unanimous decision against Radzhab Butaev to claim the WBA’s vacant secondary welterweight title. However, Besputin tested positive for the banned substance Ligandrol in his A and B samples, was stripped of the belt and the decision was overturned to a no contest. He was also suspended for six months by the WBA.
There are two bouts scheduled for ESPN+ during the preliminary portion of the card. Russia’s Khariton Agrba (4-0, 1 KO), a 2019 European Games silver medalist, will fight Venezuela’s Jesus Cuadro (19-7, 15 KOs) in a 10-rounder for a regional belt and Azizbek Abdugofurov (13-0, 5 KOs), of Uzbekistan, will defend his regional super middleweight belt against Pavel Silyagin (6-0, 4 KOs), of Russia, in a 12-rounder.
Quick hits
Weights from Dallas for Saturday night’s Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN: Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez 114.8 pounds, Juan Francisco Estrada 114.8 (rematch, junior bantamweight title unification); Jessica McCaskill 144.6, Cecilia Braekhus 145 (rematch, for McCaskill’s undisputed women’s welterweight title); Hiroto Kyoguchi 107.6, Axel Vega 107.2 (for Kyoguchi’s junior flyweight title); Raymond Ford 126.8, Aaron Perez 127.2; Austin Williams 162, Denis Douglin 161.6; Souleymane Cissokho 159.4, Daniel Echeverria 167.
Unified junior featherweight world titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev (8-0, 6 KOs), 26, a southpaw from Uzbekistan, will make his first defense against interim titlist and mandatory challenger Ryosuke Iwasa on April 3 (DAZN) in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, the country’s National Olympic Committee announced at a news conference on Thursday. Akhmadaliev has been idle since winning a split decision over Daniel Roman to claim two belts on Jan. 30, 2020 in Miami. Iwasa (27-3, 17 KOs), 31, of Japan, claimed a vacant interim belt in his last fight by knocking out Marlon Tapales in the 11th round on Dec. 7, 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The card will also include other top Uzbekistan fighters who generally fight in the United States, such as junior middleweight Israil Madrimov (6-0, 5 KOs), junior welterweight Shakhram Giyasov (10-0, 8 KOs) and heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov (7-0, 7 KOs).
Triller has announced the televised undercard bouts for the Jake Paul-Ben Askren pay-per-view card on April 17 (FITE) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. As expected, former junior welterweight titlist Regis Prograis (25-1, 21 KOs) will face Ivan Redkach (23-5-1, 18 KOs) in a welterweight fight. Also, former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver (31-6-1, 22 KOs), 52, who has not fought since 2015, will box former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, 41, who is making his boxing pro debut, in an eight-round heavyweight fight and light heavyweight Joe Fournier (8-0, 8 KOs) will face pro debuting music star Reykon in an eight-rounder.
Montreal super middleweight David Lemieux (42-4, 35 KOs), 32, a former middleweight world titlist, has a new opponent for his April 17 fight at the Videotron Center in Quebec City. Lemieux was due to face Poland’s Robert Talarek (24-13-3, 16 KOs) but he withdrew for unannounced reasons and has been replaced by Ronny Landaeta (17-3, 11 KOs), 38, of Spain, Eye of the Tiger Management announced. Lemieux, one of boxing’s fiercest punchers, will be facing an opponent who has never been stopped.
Show and tell
There will be three Ring magazine titles at stake on the Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN on Saturday night in Dallas: Juan Francisco Estrada-Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez II, which is a junior bantamweight unification fight with Estrada also defending his Ring title, the Jessica McCaskill-Cecilia Braekhus rematch for the undisputed women’s welterweight title, and junior flyweight champion Hiroto Kyoguchi defending against Axel Vega. The last time there were three Ring titles up for grabs on the same show was on a big Don King pay-per-view card in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in December 2003. There was a record eight world title bouts on the show, three of which were for Ring championships: Bernard Hopkins-Williams Joppy (middleweight), Cory Spinks-Ricardo Mayorga (welterweight) and Rosendo Alvarez-Victor Burgos (junior flyweight). There was a great promotion for the card and I was ringside for what was a fun show. Here is a promotional pin from the event in my collection.
Estrada-Gonzalez photo: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing
I can't wait! I say Estrada edges Chocolatito!
Chocolatito is still good enough to beat Yafai and Jiga Gonzalez however imo he's in decline and I doubt that he can beat Estrada now - but as a Chocolatito fan I'd love him to prove me wrong.