Six months again, Roman ?Chocolatito? Gonzalez was the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, making a $550,000 purse to fight on the main event of an HBO card. But after a surprising defeat that most observers believe Gonzalez actually won, the 115-pounder gets his shot at redemption, as he faces Srisaket Sor Rungvisai again on HBO on Saturday night.
It?s the main event of a card featuring six of the best super flyweights in the world that includes fights between Gonzalez and Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue vs. Antonio Nieves, and Carlos Cuadras vs. Juan Francisco Estrada.
It?s not often that a fight card showcases so many super flyweights on the same card?or the lighter-weight divisions, in general?but Gonzalez has brought more attention to the weight class, first by fighting on Gennady Golovkin?s undercards and, more recently, headlining his own show. These aren?t well-known names in this country, but five of the fighters make up the top-five spots in the Ring magazine rankings. In essence, there are plenty of good reasons to watch these bouts. Here is one for each of fight.
Rungvisai (43-4-1, 39 KOs) vs. Gonzalez (46-1, 38 KOs): At the age of 30, Gonzalez seems to be slowing down. Despite what you think about the Rungvisai-Gonzalez decision from six months, it?s clear that Gonzalez isn?t quite the fighter he once was. Physical fights against Cuadras (Gonzalez won a unanimous decision against him in September 2016) and Rungvisai certainly didn?t help his freshness.
Gonzalez is still a healthy favorite at -400 (meaning you?d have to wager $400 to win $100), while Rungvisai is +300 (you?d win $300 if you bet $100). But Rungvisai will have more confidence, and we?ll get to see if Gonzalez is still one of the best in the division.
Inoue (13-0, 11 KOs) vs. Nieves (17-1-2, 9 KOs)
Inoue is probably the only fighter in the pound-for-pound list that you might not have ever seen on TV. He hasn?t had many fights, and he?s never performed outside of his native Japan. On Saturday night in Carson, California, though, he?ll have the chance to introduce himself to the U.S. audience. He?s got an exciting offense and a devastating left hook. He should run through Nieves with relative ease to potentially set up a fight with Gonzalez, but that doesn?t mean Nieves isn?t confident himself. ?If he is Godzilla, I?m Megalon and we?re just gonna have to fight,? Nieves told RingTV.com.
This might be the best bout of the bunch. Both have lost to Gonzalez?Cuadras made $250,000 while doing so, and he?s been vocal about wanting a rematch?but both are also standout fighters. And Cuadras isn?t afraid to talk about his gameplan. Namely, he wants to knock out Estrada as quickly as possible. ?The defeat from Chocolatito left me a great experience: that from the beginning the judges must know exactly who is the hardest, and the strongest fighter and not let things be decided afterwards,? Cuadras said, via Boxing Scene. The winner of this fight will get a mandatory title shot against the Rungvisai-Gonzalez rematch victor.
Going to the movies: If you want to watch the sold-out Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin matchup next week, you don?t have to spend $70 for the PPV telecast. Instead, much like the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight, you can just go to a local movie theater and watch it there.
To find the theater nearest you, log on to the Fathom Events website, type in your zip code and read the results.
As ESPN notes, the fight will be available at 400 theaters around the country. Prices will vary. As an example, where I live, you?d have to pay between $18 and $21.65 per ticket.
?Canelo versus Golovkin is a sure-fire, action-packed event that will leave fans on the edge of their seats, and what better way than to watch this event live on a big movie theater screen,? Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya said in a statement.
Canelo?s old sparring partner: As we get closer to the Alvarez-Golovkin fight, you might hear talk about how the two opponents once worked out and sparred together. It happened in 2011, and both reportedly got good work done against each other. But neither fighter?s camp seems to think that an old sparring session will mean anything next Saturday.
“Sparring is sparring. Canelo was just a young boy of 19 or 20 years when he and Gennady sparred,? Golovkin trainer Abel Sanchez said, via Boxing Scene. ?He’s progressed immensely since then. My impression of Canelo after that sparring session was that he was fast and smart, had nice combinations and good movement, but he was only five years into his professional career at that time. I thought he could be a champion or a star someday.?
Now, he is, as Alvarez and Golovkin rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the Forbes Boxing Pound-For-Pound Moneymakers list. And yet the sparring session from that long ago means next to nothing, even if it is an interesting storyline.
