Amnat Ruenroeng: Could He Halt a Roman Empire?

By Cliff Rold

This Saturday, for the fifth fight in a row, Thailand’s 35-year old 2008 Olympian and current IBF Flyweight titlist Amnat Ruenroeng (15-0, 5 KO) will be in a fight he has a chance to lose. His challenger, 25-year old former IBF Light Flyweight titlist Johnriel Casimero (21-2, 13 KO) of the Philippines, enters the bout on a seven-fight winning streak. Five of those wins were inside the distance.

Casimero will travel for the opportunity. That’s nothing new for either man. Ruenroeng defeated Japan’s undefeated Kazuto Ioka and China’s undefeated Zou Shiming on their turf. Casimero won the interim IBF belt at 108 lbs. on the road against Argentine Luis Lazarte. His first two of four title defenses also came on the road, defeating Luis Rios in Panama and then-undefeated Pedro Guevara in Mexico. Guevara has since won a title in the division with a knockout of former 105 lb. and lineal Flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi.

Casimero also knows what it’s like to lose as the visiting team.

Consecutive losses to in his first two title opportunities came that way. He suffered a split decision loss to Ramon Garcia for an interim title at 108 in 2010 and was stopped in five by the too-forgotten Moruti Mthalane for the IBF belt at 112 in 2011.

He’s been on a roll since. He’ll have to stay on one this weekend to have a chance against the Thai champion. In a deep division full of thrilling fighters and potential wars, Ruenroeng stands out. He’s the cerebral element of the division. He wins with skill, patience, defense, guile, and without consistent drama.

Ruenroeng-Casimero might be the best matched fight of the weekend in terms of handicapping, but it’s far from a guaranteed barnburner. Ruenroeng isn’t always compelling viewing. He’s just a winner.

If he wins this weekend, is it time to start wondering if he could win against the very best the division has to offer?

Even with consecutive wins over veteran Rocky Fuentes (for the then-vacant title), Ioka, former Olympian McWilliams Arroyo (his closest fight), and Shiming, there is still a perceived separation in class between Ruenroeng and the top of his division.

At the peak of the class is 28-year old WBC and lineal champion Roman Gonzalez (43-0, 37 KO), finally being recognized in the English-language media for his talent. Gonzalez made a smashing debut on HBO against Edgar Sosa and is in his prime. Right behind him in almost every set of standings is 25-year old WBA/WBO unified titlist Juan Francisco Estrada (32-2, 23 KO) of Mexico. Estrada gave Gonzalez the toughest fight of his career in 2012 and avenged his only other loss, to Juan Carlos Sanchez, by knockout.

A win over Casimero wouldn’t erase the perception among Flyweight followers about the top of the class. It would further narrow the gap. It would build the question of what would happen if unification opportunities ever emerged.

In a division that receives sparing attention in the US, anything less than action stars are a hard sale. It might not be question television executives or many fans really want answered. Ruenroeng can sometimes be like a mini-Bernard Hopkins on a less entertaining Hopkins day. He holds, keeps fights from breaking out, and outfoxes guys with timed and measured offense.

Boxing is entertainment. That matters. It’s also a sport and the point of sports, at least eventually, is to find out who is the best. That doesn’t always happen in boxing. Disparate markets and a lack of structure keep men with belts apart more often than it brings them together. In the lowest weights, purse sizes and the strain of added sanctioning fees can be a deterrent to unification.

In terms of sport Ruenroeng might be, after Estrada, the biggest threat to Gonzalez. He’s unlike anything else Gonzalez has seen, the sort of style match that could provide insight into the full toolbox of the talented Nicaraguan. No one has outfought Gonzalez. Can someone outbox him?

Gonzalez is likely to fight later this year in Japan, with a possible second appearance on HBO before then. The name most commonly thrown about recently is Mexico’s former lineal and unified 108 lb.  champion Giovani Segura (32-4, 28 KO). There was a time where Gonzalez-Segura sounded like a great idea. In 2015, it would be a step down from Sosa. Sosa decisively defeated Segura in 2013, albeit in a damn good scrap. Estrada beat Segura silly last year. He hasn’t fought again since that loss. His multiple wars, defensive liabilities, and diminished reflexes aren’t a safe bet for improvement at age 33.

Gonzalez-Segura, on paper, looks like highlight reel enhancement.

Fights where the winner is a little more up in the air are better.

At Flyweight, the best fight money can by is Gonzalez-Estrada II. Their first was a classic and they’ve both gotten better.

If that rematch isn’t in boxing’s near future, other legitimate tests for Gonzalez exist. Flyweight is one of boxing’s best divisions right now for a reason. With a win this weekend over Casimero, Ruenroeng would strengthen his case as the next most legitimate test.     

Cliff’s Notes…

If you missed the Lee Selby’s title win at 126 lbs. a couple weeks ago over Evgeny Gradovich, it will be replayed on BeIn Espanol this Saturday at 8 PM EST…Mentioned above, South Africa’s Mthalane is the odd man out at 112 and it’s too bad. Perceived for several years as perhaps the best talent in the division, inactivity and some questionable business decisions put him far from the radar. Still only 32, his name belongs in the company of Estrada and Gonzalez and those would be well matched and exciting fights…Is Timothy Bradley-Jessie Vargas going to be a good fight? It’s hard to say going in but it’s time to find out if Vargas is better than average. We know Bradley is…Andre Ward’s comeback on BET produced paltry ratings numbers. Will HBO get him back on the air against anything less than a Golovkin or Kovalev?

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com