'Chocolatito' looks to avenge shocking loss against Sor Rungvisai
With blood streaming down his face, Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez was fighting for his WBC super flyweight title, his perfect record, his No. 1 pound-for-pound ranking and, most of all, for the respect he's commanded throughout his stellar 12-year career.
Despite the blood, and the fact that the Nicaraguan world champion was knocked down in the first round, he finished strong in his slugfest in March against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, a little known super flyweight boxer from Thailand, who shocked the Madison Square Garden crowd and HBO audience with the performance of a lifetime.
Rungvisai came away with a razor thin majority decision, and Gonzalez's 46-0 perfection and ultimately, his top pound-for-pound ranking, was over. Many in the media, including Paste BN Sports, felt Chocolatito's strong finish, and the fact that he was the defending champion, earned him a close victory. The judges felt otherwise.
Gonzalez, 30, has waited for six months for his chance to avenge the loss, and on Saturday, at a venue known for spectacular fights, the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., and an HBO audience (10:15 p.m. ET), he will step into the ring for the rematch against Rungvisai (43-4-1, 39 KOs), the 30-year old southpaw who likely will not yield an inch against the future Hall of Famer.
Gonzalez left his beloved Nicaragua and relocated to Japan to train for this fight, which is crucial for his future in the sport, and he knows exactly what is at stake.
“We had a great camp in Japan, it was very peaceful and we were able to work on a very good strategy to win on Saturday night,” he said. “After fighting him once I know what he does well and I know how to combat that.”
Hopefully that includes dealing with Rungvisai's constant pressure, and the fact that his awkward head-first style caused several headbutts in the first fight, leading to the bleeding that undoubtedly affected Chocolatito's vision and his game plan.
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"I’m very excited to fight Roman again. Many people did not believe I won but I know that I was victorious and will prove again that I am better on Saturday night,” said Rungvisai.
“The headbutts were not intentional at all. He was bending over also and I’m a southpaw and he’s orthodox, sometimes that happens. I’m not a dirty fighter at all.”
For Gonzalez, it's all about redemption. He had held titles in four different weight divisions since 2008 before losing for the first time in his second title fight at super flyweight against Rungvisai. He desperately wants his title back.
"As soon as the last fight was over I wanted the chance to regain my title,” said Gonzalez, who is headlining a card for the second time in his career. He has been the co-featured fighter several times on Gennady Golovkin cards.
Golovkin, of course, fights a week from Saturday at the sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a highly anticipated middleweight title bout against Canelo Alvarez.
While Rungvisai remains confident he will retain his title, he also remains humbled yet calm by the magnitude of Saturday's showdown.
“I don’t feel any more pressure at all, it’s just the two of us fighting, hopefully I’ll have more fans after I win the fight this time,” Rungvisai said. “When I go into the fight on Saturday, I’m not the champion anymore. The title is vacant when I enter the ring and I have to win it again. The belt will be with the WBC supervisor and I have to challenge for it again.”
Saturday's card features six of the top super flyweights in the world. In addition to the Rungvisai-Gonzalez rematch, the co-feature pits highly regarded Naoya "Monster" Inoue (13-0, 11 KOs) of Japan making his American debut against Antonio Nieves (17-1-2, 9 KOs), and former WBC super flyweight titlist Carlos Cuadras (36-1-1, 27 KOs) facing fellow Mexican and former flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada (35-2, 25 KOs) in a 12-round WBC super flyweight title eliminator.
Cuadras has defeated Rungvisai and lost a close matchup against Gonzalez. The winner of this fight will be in line to face the winner of Rungvisai-Gonzalez.
“It’s an honor to be part of such a great card with these champions," Gonzalez said. "The fans will definitely get their money's worth on Saturday night.”