the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai MD12 Roman Gonzalez

I'm absolutely telling you no lies: i predicted in 2010 that when Roman Gonzalez eventually lost it would be to a southpaw, and that he would be "dragging his frame up" to 115lbs. I kind of almost said that Srisaket Sor Rungvisai would eventually beat him at that weight...kinda. Seven years later, it happened. Anyway, that's what happened though it wasn't easy for me to swallow. There are around 12 candidates but Roman Gonzalez might be my favourite fighter ever.

I don't think he lost this fight, but perhaps my original scorecard (which might even be in this thread) was coloured by EMOTIONS. Let's see.

No arguments about the first round; Gonzalez tests Wangek's guns and guess what, he gets dumped. It was a right hand that went in to the body, more a balance issue but Gonzalez appeared hurt, probably by the clash of heads; Gonzalez was warned repeatedly by straight punches, over and over again he had this shot flashing by and elected to trade. What he should have been doing (retrospectively) was jabbing and waiting, but that is very easy for me to say. Still, the punch involved in his being dropped was actually pretty sneaky in comparison and Wangek was edging the round anyway - but that is some punctuation.

This is not unfamiliar after the Cuadras fight, the difference is that Cuadras used his size to absorb rather than dominate. Here, Gonzalez is forced back, or at least denied any forward momentum. At 105 and 108, Gonzalez already would have stopped most guys, here, Wangek is equal to the job. Thrilling second, thrilling. Total nip and tuck too. I gave it to Gonzalez as close as can be. Jabs? We don't need no stinking jabs.

Gonzalez is badly cut on the corner of his right eye after a head-clash - it looks bad enough to stop the fight, corner must do very good work with it. I don't mean it looks bad enough now, I mean it's surprising, seeing it now, that it doesn't get much, much worse later. Wangek just about out-paces Gonzalez in the remainder of the third. What a rush back from Gonzalez in the fourth though - general that he is he is spending a lot of energy feeling Wangek out for the stoppage I believe, perhaps in reaction to the seriousness of the cut - what can his best provide? Interesting that Gonzalez lets Wangek all the way in and seeks the pocket himself, that's weird stuff given the cut. Gonzalez i sneakier and much more consistent at this range, Wangek looks a little like a workmanlike fighter here, throwing but in hope rather than expectation. That is what Gonzalez can do - make a man of a mountain. One of the great Gonzalez rounds, maybe the greatest. He complains about heads again at the end of the round.

Gonzalez wins the fifth on pure quality rather than volume, sneaking in uppercuts that jolt Wangek's head back. Wangek is stoic but shipping points; Gonzalez has made the decision to out-fight rather than out-box his man, which I love - outwork a guy who has a cut on him, though the cut is in good nick. Gonzalez looks, at this might, like he will win this fight. After six, I have him 4-2 up and Wangek has had a point taken off in the sixth for naughties with the heads. Given that the ref saw the cut headclash as being accidental, that feels a little harsh to me - he was strictly warned early in the round though. Wangek has some chin btw; he was thrashed. It's Gonzalez who is the bloody mess though.

It's the straight right of Gonzalez which has made the real difference early. It looked like that shootout might cost him in the first but he's dialled it in and made it pay. Let's see what the second half brings - Wangek has some heavy lifting to do. He has a good start to the seventh, his hands look heavy and we see his underrated variance - up-down, and that dipping straight to the sternum/gut, very good. Gonzalez keeps serving up that straight right, ouch. It's a very, very close round this - I'm giving it to Wangek but it's close - not that arguable though I think, Wangek has a very good 20 seconds that has swayed me. Gonzalez takes a clear eighth though meaning he needs just one of the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth. Wangek looked a little troubled for the first time (which is amazing given what he's been fed).

The ninth, perhaps a reflection of how the fight is poised is really weird; Gonzalez does the pinpoint shots, he lands more to my eye, but Wnagek is really trying to kill him in this round and I think that just eases him in front, if barely. It's a highly arguable round that i'm giving to Wangek but which could easily be scored for Gonzalez. Fascinating scoring conundrum, that round. Gonzalez wins a similar tenth, Wangek takes the eleventh but is carrying less into the twelfth which is a Gonzalez round.

I can't see the fourth, six, eighth or twelfth any other way than to Gonzalez. One is a clear Wangek round and probably so is eleven, I can't give any other rounds inarguable for Wangek. I don't care very much for the official decision, at all, but I can't quite bring myself to cry robbery - the ninth was weird, but I thought the second could have gone either way too and I gave that to Gonzalez.

The eleventh was interesting. It almost defies logic. Wnagek wins that round backing up. It was a strange, strange round out of the blue. The twelfth is not that dissimilar but there's more action inside and when Wnagek gives distance he loses exchanges. Wangek is also holding a bit for the first time. He's tired. Gonzalez won this fight.

Rungvisai:1*,3,7,9,11.
Gonzalez:2,4,5,6**,8,10,12.

*Gonzalez down.
**Wangek, point off for heads.

114-112 Gonzalez.

 

100% of media cards on mmadecisions (Which tracks these things) were for Gonzalez . That's extremely rare. Punchstats see the fight overwhelmingly for Gonzalez. I'm not big on punchstats but when they're so overwhelmingly in favour of one guy it's hard to ignore. Eye on the Ring rates the fight 70% controversial which is collosal.

The guys you've listed know how to score a fight, including yourself, and i'm not saying otherwise; but I don't like a card for Wangek here and nor did many ringsiders.

 

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai MD12 Juan Francisco Estrada

More delicious goodness.

One gorgeous straight right and a good control of the distance puts Estrada in control of the first for me. Wangek is taking his time this time, more respectful than we sometimes see him, careful coming in. Booming left from Rungvisai evens up the score - Estrada scores a booming straight right in return. Good grief. Close, difficult round, very good round - Estrada scores the last significant punch of the round, a clipping left and that's the punch that wins him the round. Narrowly. Great one-twos and another clipping left give him the second for me, too. Crowd is going utterly bonkers. "Precision, Jim! Precision!" - Andrew Ward.

So the first two have been pretty clear but there's a sense Wangek is going to come on - Estrada found himself rushed out of position a couple of times there. And here it is in the third. Wangek has measured Estrada's guns and found him wanting. Here he comes with very hard single shots, including to the body. Interesting listening to the HBO commentary team. This is their great weakness - it takes about 2 minutes to turn around the tanker. Estrada's getting the crap beaten out of him in this round and it took until 40 seconds remaining for them to mention it.

Fourth is an early key round.

Estrada fighs aggressively in spots, trying to reestablish his respect and it kind of works - but he looks uncomfortable, his guard has dropped a bit and i think he's disturbed to the body. Estrada has established he will not be steamrolled - but I don't think he likes what he's getting. Wangek wins a closer round on the body-attack and two big punches in the closing seconds. In the fifth though, I think Rungvisai was knocked down. He slipped too but a punch certainly went in. Big call that from the referee and it's a marginal one so i've no problem with it, but i thought it should have been scored. Estrada spent most of the rest of the round trying to establish a line and being driven back. Rungvisai takes the lead in the round for the first time but could have been a 10-8 the other way.

Estrada's jab is costing him. He may have to abandon it. Wangek is just allowing him to land it then countering him with a bigger punch. Runvisai is throwing to the body, leaving himself open, but judging it worth it to land the harder punches. Estrada has not solved the problem presented to him in the third. He tries to feint and wait; Rungvisai is patient with the distance and attacks suddenly. In the eighth, finally, Estrada closes the distance and lands the more meaningful shots only for a slip to cost him all the momentum he had built - they trade forrays down the final minute but Estrada won that round by getting closer. Spooky stuff, brave move in a fight-saving round.

Wangek wins the ninth - and that leaves Estrada leaving all remaining rounds. In the end he just looks the bigger more physical man and he has imposed himself. Estrada times his right hand well in the tenth but gets blasted by the hardest punch of the fight at the end of the round - i pick him in another close round and the fight is gone IMO. Estrada takes the 11th and 12th which is impressive after such a tough fight, but is meaningless in terms of the destination of the W. All the way through the fight he failed to tie two rounds together and he managed to do so only when it was too late.

Rungvisai:3,4,5,6,7,9,10.
Estrada:1,2,8,11,12.

115-113 Rungvisai.

Official: 114-114, 115-113, 117-111.

 

Juan Francisco Estrada UD12 Srisaket Sor Rungvisai

Impressive turnaround this.

Estrada's best round of the first fight was the twelfth, where he finally succeeded in slowing Wangek down - a bit. He did it by fighting him hard for as many seconds of the round as was possible. What's the strategy now? It can't be that. I will say this - it is spooky how useless Estrada's superior reach was in the first fight.

Estrada is out aggressively throwing punches early. He's also trying to use that reach to mark Wangek when he's on the way in. It's the left hook though that is the difference Estrada lands one to the body, one to the head, then reverses it both twopieces landing late in the first. That punch was not there for Estrada in the first fight, he looks ready to risk it here. Estrada absolutely dominated that round like neither man dominated a round in the first.

This is a total reversal of fortune. Estrda has decided HE will risk being hit to get his own offence over. And because he is faster and technically better this is working wonders. Wangek looks a bit cowed, which is not something I thought i'd ever write. This lasts for about forty seconds. Estrada's use of the jab is interesting here. He uses it when he's on the move and as an anti-resting punch, he's not seeking to build off it. This is because he was hit often off his own jab in the first fight. He makes a mockery of that statement in the third though - he is building off the punch now and effectively. Wangek gets his bodyattack moving in the fourth though which is ominous. Still, having failed to give Estrada any two rounds consecutively aside from 11/12 in the first fight i've given him a 4-0 lead in the second fight. Sounds like Wangek picked up the third on a lot of cards, but not on mine, so I have Wangek in trouble.

The fifth is more arguable but Estrada is SO much the boss sin there, he's defaulting any rounds that aren't clear. Wangek is actually waiting for him such is Estrada's dominance, he's frightened to consistently go first. What a turnaround. Estrada seems t obe momentarily buzzed in a duck though at the opening of the sixth, he soon reclaims his poise though and is soon box-punching Wangek's head off once more. Wangek is boxing orthodox, still trying to get his left hand across Estrada inside and it's bringing him some success. I us tdon't know where the Wangek rounds are going to come from.

Estrada wins seven and eight clearly; fight is over for me. I'm not sure i've seen a more impressive turnaround at this kind of level.

Estrada:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,12.
Rungvisai:9,10,11.

117-111 Estrada.

 

It's really hard when it's like that, gives you some idea of how difficult judging can be.