ROMAN GONZALEZ is likely to face Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in a rematch later this year as talks continue to finalise the fight.
Nicaraguan great Gonzalez was knocked off the pound-for-pound top spot by Sor Rungivsai back in March when the unfancied Thai fighter dropped and outpointed him in an absolute war.
The WBC, whose super-flyweight world title Sor Rungvisai won from ‘Chocolatito’, ordered a rematch after Gonzalez’ promoters appealed for one and things are progressing well.
“The WBC ordered that and we’re talking to both sides now about when we can put it together and the details. I think that’ll happen in the fall, that’s a fight that a lot of fans are looking forward to,” Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions told Boxing News.
Gonzalez was dropped in the first round of their March encounter and badly cut due to numerous head clashes. Sor Rungivsai was docked a point but used his size advantage to bully Roman at times.
Gonzalez never folded though and there were some breath-taking exchanges, making the contest a frontrunner for Fight of the Year.
As such, a rematch will headline a show of its own, whereas their first fight came as chief support to Gennady Golovkin’s win over Danny Jacobs.
The original plan had been for the Gonzalez-Sor Rungvisai winner to fight Carlos Cuadras – who Roman defeated last year to initially win the WBC super-flyweight crown, a world title in a fourth weight class for the Nicaraguan – however the WBC has changed that ruling.
Instead, Cuadras has been ordered to fight another Gonzalez victim, Juan Francisco Estrada, to determine a WBC ‘interim’ champion while Gonzalez and Sor Rungvisai serve medical suspensions after their gruelling affair.
Estrada was outpointed by Gonzalez in a 2012 barnburner before unifying two titles at flyweight and then moving to super-flyweight last year.
The WBC will then order the winner of these two respective fights to meet each other, setting up some mouth-watering bouts in what is arguably the most exciting weight class in boxing today.
