JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA UPSETS SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI TO CLAIM SUPER FLYWEIGHT TITLES
It was a thrilling night of action at The Forum in Inglewood, California, and around the world on DAZN. Pound-for-pound star Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Juan Francisco Estrada met at the site of their first fight, which was a leading contender for “Fight of the Year” in 2018, and continued their tremendous ring rivalry with an action-filled fight. Estrada (39-3, 26KOs) exacted revenge in the rematch and claimed the WBC and Ring Magazine Super Flyweight World titles from Rungvisai (47-5-1, 41KOs) via unanimous decision in the main event of the evening.
In the co-main event of the evening, Daniel Roman (27-2-1, 10KOs) and TJ Doheny (21-1, 15KOs) put on a show with a thrilling back-and-forth bout at 122 pounds. Roman bested Doheny en route to a close majority decision to unify the WBA and IBF Super Bantamweight World titles, scoring two knockdowns, one in the second round and another in the seventh round.
Opening the main card of DAZN’s stacked fight night, former two-division World Champion Jessie Vargas (29-2-2, 10KOs) made an impressive debut in the super welterweight division with an impressive sixth round TKO victory against veteran Humberto Soto (69-10-2, 37KOs).
JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA
On what this moment means to him: “I am happy. Thank you to all of the people in Mexico and here tonight for supporting me.”
On Rungvisai fighting out of an orthodox stance in the rematch:“He surprised me a bit by that. Because he is always lefty, it surprised me that he was righty tonight. But I felt him out well when he fought right handed.”
On trading shots with Rungvisai when he was far ahead on the score cards: “I needed to show the Mexican fans and everyone here tonight that I was going to win that belt.”
On whether he wants a third fight against Rungvisai: “If he wants a third fight, I will give it to him. I would prefer to fight some other champion first. That’s what I think is next.”
DANIEL ROMAN
On his strategy during the middle rounds: “TJ connected with a good shot and I knew I shouldn’t exchange with him. He’s a strong guy.”
On his body work: “Once I connected on two big body shots, I saw his conditioning going down and I jumped on it. I just kept it going.”
On whether he wants champion Rey Vargas next: “Give me Rey Vargas. I want the fight, we are two great champions. Let’s do it.”
TJ DOHENY
On the decision: “First off, I want to congratulate Danny. Not just him but his whole team. He is a great fighter but even more than that, he is an absolute gentleman, so all the credit in the world to him. The plan was to become the unified champion but that didn’t happen. My second plan was to go to war and put on a show for Los Angeles and we did it.”
On Daniel’s consistent body attack: “The body shots broke me down slowly. But I am an Irish fighter and we are warriors so we stick around until the end.”
On whether he wants a rematch: “My stock can only go up. It’s not like I lost to a guy, I was up against a world class operator. I said it all along, the winner is number one. If there’s a rematch, I will take it of course. I’d love the chance. But I just don’t want to be rebuilt. My stock can only go up from a war like that. Thank you to Eddie Hearn for giving me this amazing opportunity, it meant so much and I can’t wait to see what’s next.”
JESSIE VARGAS
On his performance: “Honestly, I was looking for the big shots, looking for body shots. But he is a crafty veteran and he proved that tonight. I just tried to dictate the pace but he was fighting in spurts and he would put together combos.”
On the accidental head butt and ensuing cut in the first round:“It was really frustrating. It’s the first round, it’s very frustrating. I get headbutt and get a cut. So then I am thinking constantly about his head movement and where he is at because I didn’t want another cut. And listen, I’m not saying it’s his fault or anything like that. I am scarred for life again but it’s because of this beautiful sport.”
On what is next for him: “I am ready for whatever is next. I am ready for anyone. I want a world championship. I will let Eddie find the right opponent. But man, I haven’t had a KO in almost three years and I got it. It feels great and it is a credit to Freddie Roach and the great three month camp we had out here in Los Angeles.”
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs. Juan Francisco Estrada II
12-Round WBC & Ring Magazine Super Flyweight World Title Bout @ 115 lbs.
Juan Francisco Estrada (39-3, 26 KOs) defeated Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (47-5-1, 41KOs) by unanimous decision.
(116-112, 115-113, 115-113)
Daniel Roman vs. TJ Doheny
12-Round WBA & IBF Super Bantamweight World Title Bout @ 122 lbs.
Daniel Roman (27-2-1, 10KOs) defeated TJ Doheny (21-1, 15KOs) by majority decision.
(113-113, 116-110, 116-110)
Jessie Vargas vs. Humberto Soto
10-Round Super Welterweight Bout @ 151 lbs.
Jessie Vargas (29-2-2, 11KOs) defeated Humberto Soto (69-10-2, 37KOs) by TKO at 1:48 of Round 6.
Boxing on DAZN returns tomorrow night from Lafayette, Louisiana, where rising star Regis Prograis will take on WBA Junior Welterweight World Champion Kiryl Relikh in the semi-finals of the World Boxing Super Series. Then next Saturday on DAZN, middleweight king Canelo Alvarez will take on fellow middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs for the WBC, WBA, Lineal, Ring Magazine and IBF Middleweight World Titles from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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