Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs Juan Francisco Estrada Preview Feb. 24th
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand will be defending his WBC Junior Bantamweight Title at the Forum in Inglewood, California this Saturday, Feb. 24th when he takes Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico. Rungvisai, who’s also known as Wisasksil Wangek, pulled off an upset last March when he beat Roman Gonzalez by a controversial majority decision. He then defended the crown against Chocolatito in their rematch in September by a fourth-round stoppage. Estrada also last fought in September when he beat Carlos Cuadras by unanimous decision. The 12-round bout can be seen live in North America on HBO while fans in the UK can catch the action on BoxNation.
Rungvisai vs Estrada Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Juan Francisco Estrada -118
- Srisaket Sor Rungvisai -102
My Pick
The 31-year-old Rungvisai enters the contest with a fine mark of 44-4-1 with 39 Kos. His four losses have come against Cuadras by eighth-round technical decision in May of 2014, a 10-round unanimous decision to Kenji Oba in February of 2010, a third-round Ko to Yushin Yafuso in June of 2009 and a third-round TKO to Akira Yaegashi in March of 2009. Those two stoppages came in his first two pro fights and he drew his third outing when he went six rounds with Sean Patavikorngym in August of 2009.
Rungvisai has lost just once since 2009 and is currently enjoying a 17-fight winning streak with 14 of those outings coming by way of knockout. However, until meeting Gonzalez, Rungvisai had been taking on questionable opposition as his previous three opponents were making their pro debuts and the two before had limited and losing records. In fact, most of his last 17 opponents have had losing records and 14 of his 48 fights have been against boxers making their pro debuts.
Rungvisai turned pro in 2009 and he has 185 rounds under his belt since then. Other than beating Gonzalez, his biggest wins have been against Yota Sato, and Jose Salgado. He’s a southpaw who stands 5-feet-3-inches tall with a reach of 63.5 inches. Rungvisai definitely has good power regardless of the opposition as his current knockout ratio stands at an impressive 82 per cent. His two wins over Gonzalez proved he’s a legitimate champion and he’s taking on the toughest opponent he could find in Estrada.
The 27-year-old Estrada enters the ring with a record of 36-2 along with 25 Kos. He’s a former WBO and WBA Flyweight Champion who’s now seeking a world title in a second weight class. He’s 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 66-inch reach meaning he’s an inch taller than the champion with a 2.5-inch reach advantage. Estrada turned pro back in 2008 and has boxed 223 rounds since then. He’s never been stopped with his two losses coming by way of unanimous decision to Gonzalez in 2012 in his first attempt at the WBA title and to Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. by an eight-round unanimous decision in 2011.
Estrada also has better-than-average power with a current knockout ratio of 66 per cent and has won 10 fights in a row. His biggest wins have been against Cuadras, Hernan Marquez, Giovani Segura, Milan Melindo, Brian Viloria, Rommel Asenjo and Richie Mepranum. Both Rungvisai and Estrada are fast, heavy-hitting boxers who are riding hot streaks and also have pretty solid chins. This should be another fan-friendly and exciting bout in the super flyweight division.
Prediction…
The lack of quality opponents definitely didn’t hurt Rungvisai in his two fights with Gonzalez as he had enough energy, skill and power to take and then retain the title. He’s in for another stiff challenge against Estrada and this will be another-see-saw battle which could go either way. However, I think the champion will retain his belt when it’s all said and done by win or draw by going to the body and dictating the pace.
This is as close as they come.
Play: Rungvisai -102 @ BetOnline.ag
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Juan Francisco Estrada betting • Srisaket sor Rungvisai betting