Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez set a Jr. bantamweight record in defeat: 372 power shots. | Stats: CompuBox
The world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on countless top 10 lists had an early scare in the co-feature as Roman Gonzalez was dropped for the first time in a decade. Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai delivered powerful right hook to the body, forcing the Nicaraguan superstar to tumble back and onto the seat of his trunks. And when Gonzalez climbed back to his feet, he was clearly shaken by the body blow.
The scare would not last long, however, as “Chocolatito” eventually stormed back into the fight with his trademark pressure and ruthless punching power. Gonzalez (46-1, 38 KOs) slammed dozens of punches to the head and body and turned the tide in the showdown. Sor Rungvisai was staggered several times in the middle stages of the contest and it seemed as though he was on the verge of being stopped a few times. Even with blood streaming down Gonzalez’ face from a nasty gash on his right eyebrow that was born from a clash of heads, the defending WBC junior bantamweight champion swarmed his foe relentlessly.
But it wasn’t a one-sided affair in the least; Sor Rungvisai (42-4-1, 38 KOs) never wavered and stood right in the trenches with the champ as he traded power punches with power punches every step of the way. Sor Rungvisai withstood the pressure and was never taken off his feet and even though he had a point deducted by referee Steve Willis in the sixth for repeated head butts, he continued to stalk and attack the champ. “Chocolatito” was running on fumes in the final stages of the battle and though he clubbed the Thai with several missiles in the final round, Sor Rungvisai’s late rally allowed him to pull off the upset. When the smoke cleared from the wild brawl, Sor Rungvisai walked out the ring with Gonzalez’ belt via majority decision; he won via tallies of 113-113 and 114-112 (twice).