by Cliff Rold

Coming off the toughest win of his career, a grueling twelve round war with Mexico’s Carlos Cuadras, Roman Gonzalez could probably have tried to get away with an easy one. He opted not to go straight back to Cuadras but that didn’t add up to easy.

Rather than a rematch with Cuadras, Gonzalez will make the first defense of his fourth title against a former titlist in the class. Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai has waited almost three years since losing the WBC 115 lb. diadem on a technical decision to Cuadras, a fight he was still very much in when a cut sent them both home early.

Given how long he’s waited for another chance, one can expect Sor Rungvisai to bring everything he has. Can it be enough against perhaps the best fighter in the lightest weights in a generation?

Let’s go the report card.

The Ledger

Roman Gonzalez
Age: 29
Title: WBC super flyweight (2016-Present, 1st attempted defense)
Previous Titles: WBA Minimumwieght (2008-10, 3 Defenses); WBA Light Flyweight (2011-13, 5 Defenses); Lineal/TBRB/Ring/WBC World Flyweight (2014-16, 4 Defenses)
Height: 5’3
Weight: 114 ½ lbs.
Hails from: Managua, Nicaragua?
Record: 46-0, 38 KO
Rankings: #1 (BoxingScene, ESPN, Boxing Monthly, BoxRec), #2 (TBRB, Ring)
Record in Major Title Fights: 15-0, 9 KO (16-0, 10 KO including interim title fights)
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 9 (Yutaka Niida TKO4; Katsunari Takayama UD12; Ramon Garcia KO4; Juan Francisco Estrada UD12; Francisco Rodriguez Jr. TKO7; Akira Yaegashi TKO9; Edgar Sosa TKO2; Brian Viloria TKO9; Carlos Cuadras UD12)

Vs.

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Age: 30
Title: None
Previous Titles: WBC Super Flyweight (2013-14, 1 Defense)
Height: 5’3
Weight: 114 lbs.
Hails from: Si Sa Ket, Thailand
Record: 41-4-1, 38 KO, 2 KOBY
Rankings: #4 (Ring), #5 (TBRB), #6 (BoxingScene), #7 (BoxRec), #9 (ESPN, Boxing Monthly)
Record in Title Fights: 2-1, 2 KO
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 3 (Akira Yaegashi TKO by 3; Yota Sato TKO8; Carlos Cuadras L8 - Technical)

Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Gonzalez B; Sor Rungvisai B
Pre-Fight: Power – Gonzalez A; Sor Rungvisai A
Pre-Fight: Defense – Gonzalez B+; Sor Rungvisai B
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Gonzalez A; Sor Rungvisai B+

Both men enter this fight off longer layoffs than either is used to. Sor Rungvisai has been sitting on his mandatory since last August while Gonzalez makes his first start since that memorable September clash. Neither is the sort of layoff that should amount to a lot of rust. Which man is more rested?

Odds are that will be Sor Rungvisai. The Thai, while a consistent presence in the top ten since the Cuadras loss, has treaded shallow water. Fourteen consecutive wins have come against an assortment of local fare. The standout was a thrashing of two-time former title challenger Jose Salgado in 2015. It was Salgado’s first stoppage loss since 2009. It points to Sor Rungvisai’s real threat to Gonzalez.

The Thai southpaw can crack.

He’s got a potent right hook, a smashing straight left, and he goes to the body with authority. Against Cuadras, a body shot had the Mexican stylist in trouble and on his bicycle. Sor Rungvisai doesn’t work in the same volume as Gonzalez but he leverages shots well and knows how to put combinations together when he has someone hurt. Can he take the incoming?

The evidence suggests he’s got a solid beard. Cuadras never really bothered him but the sample size of opponents capable of hurting him is small. He’s been stopped before but that’s negligible in context. His two stoppage losses came in his first two pro fights. One of them came against future three-division titlist Akira Yaegashi, then already a former title challenger. Plenty of prominent Thai fighters have been stopped early in their careers; they learn on the job. Sor Rungvisai has learned well.

That doesn’t mean he’s seen anyone quite like Gonzalez. The Nicaraguan was pushed to the limit by Cuadras but the things that worked against him there aren’t factors here. Sor Rungvisai isn’t going to move the way Cuadras did and he doesn’t have the same sort of speed. He’ll bring the fight to Gonzalez and his aggression can work against him.

Gonzalez, under pressure, remains an effective defender inside, picking and rolling as he looks for openings for offensive salvos. He might be the best power combination puncher in boxing, a fluid, skilled bruiser with technical precision. That doesn’t make him invulnerable. Brian Viloria hurt him to the body and Sor Rungvisai is bigger. If Gonzalez stands in front of the challenger, he is at risk.

Gonzalez’s footwork then becomes crucial. Gonzalez is at his best when he isn’t just working in combination but also stepping around foes, turning them with his offense. He’s as good as any fighter in boxing in turning an attacking foe into his own offensive replies.

Against Cuadras, he got off to a hot start and the pace of the fight caught up as they went on. Against Sor Rungvisai, a measured start might be wise. The Thai has shown good stamina and carries his power through rounds. Gonzalez will want his strength as the fight wears on but he’ll also want to test how ready Sor Rungvisai is for a hard fight. He hasn’t been in with anyone to worry about for a while.

In terms of intangibles, the advantage has to go to Gonzalez. He’s more proven against a more consistent level of opposition. His last four fights have come against men rated in the top ten in his division by TBRB and Ring Magazine and this is another. He’s faced that level in five of his last eight fights in total. While Sor Rungvisai hasn’t been stopped since 2009, Gonzalez has never been down and was already well into his first title reign when Sor Rungvisai was turning professional. If this becomes a hard fight, Gonzalez has a lot to draw on.

The Pick

This isn’t an easy fight for Gonzalez but it should be winnable. If not for the battle with Cuadras, he might be a more prohibitive favorite. That fight raised some questions about how durable he will remain at 115 lbs. He took a lot of shots in that fight; more than his norm and the sort that add miles. Factor in his reported volume of sparring rounds, and the historical slide of the lightest weight fighters as they near 30, and an upset is at least possible.

It’s not the most likely scenario. Sor Rungvisai is a quality mandatory, and a real contender in a deep weight class, but he’s also the sort of fighter who can make Gonzalez look good coming off Cuadras. He’s not going to make Gonzalez chase him and he’s not a superior defensive fighter. If he can hurt Gonzalez, he can win but he’s pretty straight up and down and that could allow Gonzalez to work around him in volume for long stretches.

This has show stealing potential, as all Gonzalez appearances do, but if the tiny titan is going to lose it’s probably happening a fight or few from here. The pick is Gonzalez by stoppage after an accumulation of punishment that multiplies after the first four rounds.

Report Card and Staff Picks 2017: 4-4 

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