A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Jesse Rodriquez has repeatedly said that his goal is to be an exceptional fighter, not an average person. Well, there’s nothing average about this boxer.
Texan made the quantum leap from prospect to star thanks to two notable performances this year, decision on Carlos Cuadras in February and one Srisaket Sor Rungvisai’s beautiful knockdown on Saturday in San Antonio, Rodriguez’s hometown.
Cuadras and Sor Rungvisai have been 115-pound strikers for a decade. The naturally smaller Rodriguez doesn’t just beat them, he dominates them.
How did this happen?
Luck plays an important role. Rodriguez was scheduled to enter a 108-pound match on the Cuadras-Sor Rungvisai card on February 5. When Sor Rungvisai withdrew due to illness, Rodriguez agreed to move the two divisions to 115 on five days’ notice. and stunned everyone. outside of its own circle by winning a broad decision and WBC side title.
Rodriguez will be justified if he loses the weight again. Instead, he decided to defend his belt against a powerful puncher, who had wins against Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez (twice). Result? Rodriguez outperformed him, beating the Thailand star with his stellar technical ability and then sending him out of the 1/8 round.
Sor Rungvisai hasn’t been stopped since his second professional game, in 2009. Future Hall of Famers Estrada and Gonzalez couldn’t make it.
I hesitate to anoint Rodriguez (16-0, 11 KOs) the next great thing because he has only 16 pro games and both Cuadras (33) and Sor Rungvisai (35) are above their primes . At the same time, he had his sore eye checked and won two important back-to-back matches.
One person who has not been surprised by the events of the past four months is Robert Garcia, Rodriguez’s veteran coach.
“Look, we know what Bam is, we know his talent,” Garcia said on a radio Little Giant Boxing video. “…So when they suggested we fight, I never even doubted that we could beat him. … In the end, everyone gets to witness one of the best tournaments in the world. And he’s only 22. He’s a kid. “
A spoiled baby.
BAD
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai could not deal with Jesse Rodriguez. Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing
One must feel Sor Rungvisai (50-6-1, 43 KOs) when it becomes clear that his mission is impossible on Saturday.
He made it 1-3-1 at the start of his career to become a two-time junior bantamweight champion and a potential Hall of Famer. He lost a technical decision to Cuadras, split two matches against Estrada and had two wins over “Chocolatito”, the second in a brutal knockout in the fourth round that elevated him to stardom. .
I was in that match, which takes place at the Dignity Health Arena in Carson, California now. I left the arena in awe of Sor Rungvisai, whose punching power was rare for a man his size. He is also very special.
And he appears to be on track to get a winner in the much-anticipated third matchup between Estrada (WBC “franchise” champions) and Gonzalez, which could happen later this year. . All he has to do is beat Cuadras in February and then wait.
Well, we know what happened. He had to withdraw from the fight with Cuadras, which opened the door for the arrival of Rodriguez. And then he suffered the worst defeat since the early years of his career.
The look on his face between the seventh round, in which he was knocked down, and the eighth round said a lot. He seemed to be thinking, “Oh my, what did I bring myself here for? What do I do?” He’s basically powerless on that point, a beaten man.
It’s hard to see his enduring place among the top 115-pound athletes and his pride.
If we see him for the last time, he will surely be satisfied with his career. Two titles, victories over his rivals, the fact that he remained the elite 115-pound athlete for more than a decade. All of which has made him one of the greatest Thai boxers of all time, which is saying something to the boxing tradition in that country.
Sor Rungvisai simply ran into a spoiler on Saturday. In the end, with all his accomplishments, he won’t be judged by this one setback.
WORSE
Canelo Alvarez is a sensitive guy.
He didn’t like the fact that his September 17 opponent Gennadiy Golovkin called him a drug chat after Alvarez failed a drug test before their second game in 2018, which led to Alvarez suspended and postponed the match.
Alvarez blamed positive test results on tainted meat but athletes are responsible for everything that goes into their bodies, which lends credence to Triple-G’s comments.
They seemed to have settled their differences when they shook hands after the second game, but apparently, that was not the case.
Alvarez didn’t like that Golovkin accused Alvarez of avoiding him after that second meeting, a close victory for Mexico following a draw the previous year. Golovkin is said to have earned his third battle. And Alvarez do fought mostly smaller opponents mid-2018 and his defeat to Dmitry Bivol in May.
However, Alvarez called Golovkin a “hole” in kick off press conference. And he has vowed to retire the famous 40-year-old Kazakh star with a knockout, which is a bit harsh given the level of competition of their first two matches and Triple-G’s career track record. his decoration.
Maybe Alvarez is just trying to sell the war, which may need a boost given the perception that Golovkin is on the decline. Or maybe Alvarez is just revealing thin skin as Golovkin suggests.
“If he says he still has something against me,” Golovkin said, “…that’s his problem, not mine.”
BAGS DOLL
Unified Junior Featherweight Champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev (11-0.8 KO) looks sharp in his defense against the veteran Ronny Rios on Rodriguez-Sor Rungvisai’s card, especially with what he said was his first hand injury during the game. Nampaw from Uzbekistan attacked and defeated a good boxer before finally stopping him in round 12order and the final round. I don’t think he will beat Stephen Fulton if they meet for all 122 pound titles but he is good enough to push his opponent. And congratulations to Rios (33-4, 16 KOs) on a good career. The Southern California boxer has been performing at a high level for a long time. … Undisputed Welding Weight Champion Jessica McCaskill (12-2, 5 KOs) isn’t much of a technician but she has good health and good boxing instincts, which is enough to make her a star in the female ranks. She blows away Alma Ibarra (10-2, 5 KOs) of Mexico with the card Rodriguez-Sor Rungvisai, stopping her after three innings on one side. McCaskill has come a long way since taking a broad decision to Katie Taylor in 2017. She’s racked up seven straight wins since, including two against the future Hall of Famer. Cecilia Braekhus. I hope McCaskill gets the fight she wants, one against the £140 title holder Chantelle Cameron. … Skillful feather class candidate Raymond Ford (12-0-1, 6 KOs) easily eliminated Richard Medina (13-1, 7 KOs) in the 10th round with the card Rodriguez-Sor Rungvisai. Ford will be extremely hard to beat if he stays focused and avoids gunfights. He’s good when he’s at his best.
