Superfly 2 Post Fight Report: Srisaket Sor Rungvisai Edges Juan Francisco Estrada in a Battle!

By Rich “Lite It Up” Lopez

As expected the Superfly 2 card that took place on Saturday night did not disappoint. Fight fans once again were treated to a spectacular night of action. We saw a main event that lived up to its expectations between Rungvisai and Estrada. In addition, we saw a great comeback from McWilliams Arroyo and a display of great boxing skills from Donnie Nietes.

Any fight fan knew we were in for a treat once the Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs Juan Francisco Estrada was announced. It was the aggressive fighter Rungvisai vs the counter puncher Estrada. These guys did not waste time from the opening bell.

Rounds 1-3, Estrada was boxing very well and was the quicker of two fighters. He was landing his right hand against the hard charging Rungvisai and making him miss. In the 3rd round, Rungvisai did a better job of opening up and going to the body but Estrada still did enough to win the round. Rounds 4-7, Rungvisai finally started to do some good work and was busier of the two fighters. He applied a lot of pressure and started to land hard shots on his own. Round 7 was a closer round, but Rungvisai was still busier. Rounds 8 and 9, Estrada picked up the pace and he went back to countering well and throwing more punches.

Then in rounds 10 and 11, even though Estrada was doing well, Rungvisai picked up the pressure landing hard body shots. The Thai fighter stayed busy and outworked Estrada just a little bit more, even though the rounds were closer. In the final round, which could very well be a candidate for round of the year, both fighters put it all on the line. Estrada knowing the fight could have been very close started to land fierce combinations and it seemed at the moment that Rungvisai was finally slowing down. Towards the end of the fight, Rungvisai still was throwing back and fought with his heart. Both fighters closed the show once the bell rang. The question now was who won the fight? Judge Cathy Leonard scored the fight 115-113 and Judge Steve Morrow scored the fight 117-111 both for Rungvisai. Judge Dave Moretti scored the fight 114-114 even. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai won by majority decision and retained the WBC World Super Flyweight Title.

A couple of thoughts on the fight. I saw the fight 114-114 and agreed with Dave Moretti’s scorecard. I gave rounds 1-3, 8-9 and 12 to Estrada. I gave rounds 4-7, and 10-11 to Rungvisai. This was a close fight and had some close rounds that could have gone either way. Cathy Leonard’s scorecard was not so bad either as she gave Rungvisai 7 rounds and Estrada 5 rounds. I thought Steve Morrow’s scorecard was terrible giving Rungvisai 9 rounds and Estrada 3 rounds. HBO’s Harold Lederman analysis was not great either and tends to favor the guy who lands the harder punch. At the end, each fighter was a winner in my book and the fight fans were treated to a great fight despite the scorecards. We need to see a rematch!

In the co-feature, McWilliams Arroyo scored a majority decision over Carlos Cuadras in a 10 round bout. This was the upset of the night. Of course Arroyo has great boxing skills and it was not out of the question, he can beat Cuadras. But Arroyo did this coming back from a 2 year layoff which is why it’s an upset. Arroyo already had a great start to the fight and hurt Cuadras in the 1st round with a left hook. Some good body shots also hurt Cuadras too. Cuadras was gamed and battled back throughout the fight. He did have a good moment in the fight when he hurt Arroyo at the end of the 2nd round with a right hand. Cuadras fought well in the mid-rounds but then Arroyo took over in the late rounds. Towards the end of the fight Arroyo gained confidence and out boxed the tough Cuadras. We hope to see Arroyo more active now after this big victory. As for Cuadras, we still want to see him as he is never in a bad fight.

The opening bout of the HBO telecast, we saw Donnie Nietes stop former champion Juan Carlos Reveco in 7 rounds. A lot of people did not know who Nietes was but now they do. Nietes proved why he is one of the best fighters out there. He showcased his skills of speed and movement. Along with that he displayed good defense and was calm throughout the fight. The shorter Reveco was tough and aggressive but was being picked apart by the crafty Filipino. At the end of the 6th round, Nietes rocked Reveco with a right hand and Reveco was wobbly going to his corner. As the 7th round started, Nietes landed a right hand followed by a left hook that dropped Reveco. This prompted Reveco’s corner to throw in the towel. What a debut for Nietes and we hope to see him again soon.

On a quick note, what a shame for some fans in the crowd to “boo” during the Nietes/Reveco fight. There was action in the fight and they should appreciate the sweet science more. It takes guts to get in that ring.

Also on the undercard for the non-televised portion of the card, Artem Dalakian beat Brian Viloria by unanimous decision over 12 rounds. Dalakian won the vacant WBA World Flyweight Title and is now a player in the Flyweight division. The scores were all wide in favor of Dalakian. This might be the last time Viloria gets a title shot and could be the end of his career. Either way Viloria is well respected and always provided fan friendly fights.

Superfly 1 and 2 were great successes. Let’s keep the momentum going with a Superfly 3 card hopefully later in the year. How about these matchups for the next card:

Rungvisai vs Estrada 2 – A rematch is needed.

Gonzalez vs Cuadras 2 – Both fighters coming off a lost and their 1st fight was close.

Arroyo vs Inoue – Arroyo is now a top fighter in the division and Inoue needs a challenge.

Nietes vs Ancajas – Battle of the Filipinos. This one may be farfetched. This will only happen if Nietes decides to move up to the Super flyweight division and if Top Rank is willing to risk their fighter Ancajas against Nietes.

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