Opinions and Observations: Estrada-Rodriguez

We all know what utilizing angles in boxing means, or, at least we think we do. This is often defined as not coming straight in against an opponent, entering the pocket off a little bit to the side. A fighter who can do this on a consistent basis can have significant advantages over more stationary opponents. 

However, there is an even more advanced level to using angles, the ability to create additional punching opportunities at close range with subtle movement. This is far more than being clever on the way in. This is mastering body positioning while in an opponent's firing range. And there is no better fighter in boxing today than Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez with this skill. 

At just 24, Rodriguez has now beaten a Hall of Famer in Juan Francisco Estrada, an excellent champion in Sunny Edwards, and decorated former champions Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. More than his youth or power or boxing fundamentals, Bam's X-Factor is this mastery of angles in close quarters. Simply put, he can do things at an expert level that even great fighters can't do. 

Estrada (right) on his way to the canvas
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott/Matchroom

So, when watching Rodriguez against Estrada, who himself had some of the best movement in the sport over the last decade, I was immediately struck by Bam's quick pivots, subtle weight shifts, and resets in the pocket. In these instances, he created angles to land and executed on his punches before Estrada could defend them. More than anything else, this was the clear skill gap to me between the two. And Estrada was a fighter who sat comfortably on the sport's pound-for-pound list for many years; Bam was often dominating an elite opponent. 

It's worth mentioning that Bam had sparred with Roman Gonzalez in preparation for this fight. The great Chocolatito had a legendary three-fight series with Estrada. And Gonzalez had a similar advantage over Estrada with his ability in close quarters. Bam has picked up a lot from Chocolatito over the years and as fluid as Chocalitito was in close range, I don't think that he had Bam's athleticism. So, while Chocalitito understood all the angles and body positioning, he couldn't move as fast as Bam. Bam gets where he needs to go faster.  

Estrada-Rodriguez will be remembered for the three knockdowns in the fight, a perfect three-punch combination by Bam in the 4th, Estrada with his own three-punch combo in the sixth, and Bam with the uppercut to the body detonation in the seventh. It was a fight that had indelible moments. But in addition to those sequences, I will remember Bam bossing Estrada in the pocket, dominating many of the exchanges and hurting Estrada often with punches that Estrada couldn't see coming or didn't have the ability to react to them. 

After the fight, Estrada spoke about exercising his rematch clause. He repeatedly beat himself up about mistakes he made during the fight. I'm sure that there was a large dose of pride in his sentiments; it can be tough to admit a fighter's best is now in the past and to concede that an opponent is simply better. 

I will grant Estrada this, however: I think that he did fall victim to his success toward the end of the fight. The beginning of the sixth round was masterful stuff from the old warrior. Poking and prodding with one-twos, you could see Estrada gaining confidence with his ability to land. 

And then, he changed the sequence. He threw a double jab, one to the head and one below Bam's right arm, and then followed up with a straight right hand. The jab to body threw off Bam's defense, leaving an opening up top. In that sequence, Estrada showed Bam and the boxing world at large that he could still get one over on the young phenom. 

But then consider where Estrada was at the conclusion of the fight...losing an exchange of bombs at close range. Essentially, Estrada got sucked into Bam's fight. He was playing hero ball instead of conceding that his opponent had superior power at that range. It was a battle of machismo that Estrada lost. 

Rodriguez raises his hands after the final knockdown
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott/Matchroom

At his best Estrada had always mixed in significant stretches of movement outside the pocket to go along with his power punching. Now it's possible at 34 that he can't move like he once did, but he didn't even really use his legs in the fight. He was either so shook by Bam's power early in the fight that it took him out of his game plan, or he stayed in close trying to prove a point. That Estrada referenced his "mistakes" so often in the post-fight interview indicates that he believes that he could have boxed more intelligently. Maybe so. 

I wouldn't like Estrada' chances in a rematch. He will only have gotten older. Historically, 34 is ancient for the 115-lb. division, recent exceptions aside. And Bam most likely will continue to get better. 

As terrific as Bam's performance was, I hope that the sequence that led to him getting knocked down will be a point of emphasis for his next camp with trainer Robert Garcia. It's not that Bam got hit with a shot, that happens of course, but that sequence showed that he was outthought, that he was too exuberant. With one subtle change by Estrada, Bam lost defensive responsibility. And that's not a trivial matter. Estrada didn't land something outlandish for the knockdown. It was a simple double jab/right hand, the kind of combination that Bam has seen thousands of times before. But yet, in that moment, under the bright lights, with all the adrenaline flowing, Bam lost his defense.  

To the positive, Bam recovered very well after getting dropped. He continued to press Estrada and connect with his power punches. His final left uppercut in the seventh round might become the signature moment of his career highlight reel. 

If I'm being completely honest, I think that Bam's biggest weakness right now might also be one of his strengths. He's almost always around his opponent ready to pounce. This constant aggression makes him a beast to deal with, but it does make him hittable. Estrada is a solid puncher, with a respectable knockout percentage, but he's not a lights-out, one-shot guy. Bam is fortunate that he wasn't dropped by a harder hitter. 

Bam fights in a way that gives opponents opportunities. I think that a final step in his development will be to learn when to back off, to pace a fight a little better, to win slow rounds. He doesn't need to be full throttle as much as he is. His current style makes for truly captivating television, but he needs to exert a little bit more control. He has the aptitude, physical dimensions and technical skills to win rounds at all ranges.  

For the moment, the boxing world is Bam's oyster. Despite fighting at 115 lbs., he has already become a legitimate attraction in the U.S. boxing market. His fights are easy on the eyes and boxing fans don't need to be sold on his talent; it's obvious for everyone to see. 

Let's hope that he enjoys the ride and continues to make strides in the ring. The physical tools are all there. His boxing skills are sublime, but it's that final part of his development that needs a bit more refining. Brawls are fun, but dominating an opponent mentally, not just physically, is the final step. Estrada still fancies his chances in a rematch. He had enough success to believe that the rematch could be different. Bam left a little too much of himself on the table. He didn't remove hope. If he can reach that next precipice, there could be no stopping him. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook  

Pound-for-Pound Update 3-29-21

It's been many months since the last Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound Update and in the interim much has changed throughout the Rankings. To start at the top, there's a new sheriff in town as Saul Alvarez moves up to #1 after his note-perfect domination of 168-lb. titlist Callum Smith in December. He also stopped mandatory challenger Anvi Yildirim after three rounds in their fight in February. Canelo slides up one spot from #2 to #1.  

Elsewhere in the upper end of the Rankings, Juan Estrada defeated Roman Gonzalez by split decision to avenge his 2012 loss. Although many thought that Gonzalez had done enough to earn the victory, the fight was close and Estrada winning the fight was by no means a robbery, despite a poor scorecard from one of the judges. With the win, Estrada moves up from #6 to #4. In addition, Gonzalez, even at his advanced age, showed that he still has enough to compete with the elite in the sport. He rises to #14 from #18. 

Canelo, the New Saturday Night Boxing #1 Fighter
Photo Courtesy of Ed Mulholland

Staying in the junior bantamweight division, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai moves up one spot from #11 to #10 after stopping Kwanthai Sithmorseng, who was a former strawweight champion many years ago. Sor Rungvisai stopped his foe and fellow countryman in three rounds. 

And in another display of the fantastic talent at junior bantamweight, Kazuto Ioka knocked out three-division titlist Kosei Tanaka in the eighth round. Ioka, now a four-weight world titleholder, achieved the signature win of his career with that stoppage. He re-enters the Rankings at #15. With the loss, Tanaka, who had been #16, exits the list. 

In another change, Errol Spence moves up one spot in the Rankings after his unanimous decision victory over Danny Garcia. He ascends to #7.

The final change in this update sees Miguel Berchelt exit the Rankings after his tenth-round knockout loss to Oscar Valdez. Berchelt had been ranked at #19. It was a coin flip to me as to whether Valdez or Jermall Charlo should enter the Rankings. I picked Charlo, but both are deserving of praise. Charlo enters the list at #20. 

One final note, due to the COVID pandemic and the related difficulty around the world in putting fights together, I have not removed any boxers from the list who have been inactive for over a year. For the next update, that rule will be reintroduced and any applicable fighters who have been inactive and have nothing scheduled will be removed.

Here is the complete Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound List: 

1. Saul Alvarez
2. Naoya Inoue
3. Terence Crawford
4. Juan Estrada
5. Oleksandr Usyk
6. Teofimo Lopez
7. Errol Spence
8. Gennadiy Golovkin
9. Jermell Charlo
10. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
11. Artur Beterbiev
12. Manny Pacquiao
13. Tyson Fury
14. Roman Gonzalez
15. Kazuto Ioka
16. Vasiliy Lomachenko
17. Mikey Garcia
18. Josh Taylor
19. Kenshiro Teraji
20. Jermall Charlo

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.

Opinions and Observations: Estrada-Gonzalez II

The first seven rounds of Saturday's Juan Francisco Estrada-Roman Gonzalez rematch were terrific, with both world-class, 115-lb. boxers engaging in fierce combat and dazzling with memorable offensive sequences and fantastic power-punching displays. Estrada started the fight brightly with left hooks to the head and body, subtle (and brilliant) lateral movement and numerous crunching uppercuts underneath. Estrada did his best work of the fight in rounds six and seven where it looked like Gonzalez couldn't match the ferocity of his counters.

Gonzalez found his way into the fight with lead right hands from mid-range. He also showcased his considerable inside fighting skills, using his forearms and shoulders to protect himself, and create angles to throw power punches. It's his ability to fire on all cylinders in the trenches while finding a way to take steam off his opponents' best shots that is rarely found among his contemporaries in the sport. 

Gonzalez (right) landing an uppercut
Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland

In my opinion the fight changed for good in the eighth with Gonzalez deploying the first of two significant tactical adjustments. Uncharacteristically, Gonzalez boxed off the back foot and had a great round. Estrada looked uncomfortable leading and Roman, who is known as one of the best front-foot fighters of his generation, was having a lot of success picking him off with pot-shots, lateral movement and quick combinations. 

During the next round, Gonzalez made another adjustment to his offense. Instead of initiating attacks from mid-range and moving into the trenches, Gonzalez took a couple of steps back and started his offensive forays from the outside. This gave him an extra bit of steam as he came forward and also disrupted Estrada's timing for his counters. 

In the back third of the match, I thought that Gonzalez was consistently the better fighter. Estrada was still getting work done and connecting with solid shots here and there, but his punches lacked the sting of his earlier work. He started off the fight menacingly, but I would characterize the last part of his performance as workmanlike. He still was throwing lots of punches, but that little bit extra, that majesty, was missing. 

Estrada did have some spirited moments in the 11th and 12th, but Gonzalez's overall eye-catching shots most appealed to me. In the end I had Gonzalez winning the fight 115-113, sweeping the last third of the fight. There were several close rounds in the fight (I split the swing rounds) and I thought that two of the judges turned in scores (115-113 for Gonzalez and 115-113 for Estrada) that could have accurately reflected the action of the bout. But Carlos Sucre's 117-111 scorecard for Estrada was well off the mark. That he gave Estrada the last four rounds of the fight could not be more damning of his ability to be a professional boxing judge – that was Gonzalez's best sustained period of the fight. 

Estrada would win the fight by a split decision, which isn't a tragedy. It WAS a close fight. And if you have enough 7-5 type of fights, eventually you are going to win some and lose some – Estrada lost such a fight against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in their first matchup. The problem with Sucre's card is that it lacked competency, and ultimately damaged the legitimacy of the contest. If two judges had Estrada winning 115-113, that would have been a bitter pill to swallow for Gonzalez's supporters, but they would have swallowed it. 117-111 just wasn't conceivable with a neutral and competent judge. (Rumors are going around as I write this the day after the fight that Sucre has been suspended for his card, and I would welcome that decision.)

Estrada lands his own uppercut
Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland

Estrada and Gonzalez first met in 2012 back when Gonzalez was already among the best fighters in the sport and Estrada was a little-known fighter out of Mexico. That fight was contested at 108-lbs. Estrada performed ably in a competitive loss and that fight essentially announced him on the world stage. He subsequently defeated pound-for-pound fighters such as Brian Viloria and Sor Rungvisai, as well as tough hombres like Milan Melindo, Giovani Segura, Hernan Marquez and Carlos Cuadras (twice). 

Going into Saturday's title unification match, Estrada was a slight betting favorite. He had a three-year age advantage, looked more natural at the weight and had more consistent recent performances. 

Saturday's fight turned out to be better and more competitive than their first bout. Estrada, who often will take breaks in the action, only had one small stretch in the eighth where it looked like he needed a blow. He also was far more consistent offensively than he was in their first matchup. 

And while Gonzalez performed wonderfully on Saturday, it's not harsh to say that he's past his absolute peak. However, it's worth noting that even in a diminished physical state, he perhaps should have beaten one of the top fighters in the sport. That may be the best way to praise Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez. Even five or six years removed from his best, he still has enough to get it done against the elite. 

Now Gonzalez must wait for his next opportunity, but it will come. Entering Saturday's fight, the winner was mandated to fight Sor Rungvisai, who won his stay-busy match earlier in the day on Saturday in Thailand. But this is "Hashtag Boxing"; who knows exactly what will happen? A third Estrada-Gonzalez fight would still be the biggest money fight in the division. Maybe the powers that be will find a way for that to happen next. And either way, Gonzalez should have a meaningful fight with Estrada, Sor Rungvisai, or even titlist Kazuto Ioka in the near future. 

Estrada celebrates his victory
Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland

This era of super flyweights, with Estrada, Gonzalez, Sor Rungvisai, Cuadras and Ioka, has been the best grouping of talent in the weight class during my lifetime. There are two obvious Hall of Famers in the group with Gonzalez and Estrada and two others with Sor Rungvisai and Ioka who could be one big win away from getting there (Ioka has won titles in four divisions, as has Gonzalez, but without Roman's same strength of competition). 

Fortunately for fans of the sport, the boxing world is now hip to the little guys. Whereas fights such as Gonzalez-Estrada I and Sor Rungvisai-Cuadras were nowhere to be found among major U.S. broadcasters, now it would be inconceivable for fighters among this group not to have their major bouts televised. So, for as often as older boxing fans talk about how much better the sport was in the past (and in some ways they are right), we must also remember that the present holds many advantages. 

Gonzalez and Estrada have become staples of boxing programming. They have helped to illuminate a class of fighters that has been sensational and have provided many memorable nights of boxing. They have helped grow the sport. Nine years ago, no major network would touch their first fight, now the rematch was one of the signature events of a major boxing platform. 

In the end, I don't care as much that Gonzalez may have deserved to win against Sor Rungvisai in their first fight or against Estrada in the rematch, that Cuadras perhaps deserved more love from the judges against Gonzalez than he received, or that a judge had a bad scorecard in both Estrada-Gonzalez fights. What I will remember about this era is ferocious combat, exceptional competitors and the growing acknowledgement within the wider boxing community that these smaller-weight fighters are not just among the best in the sport but can be major entrees in the overall professional boxing menu. 

And they have done more than just grow the sport; they have changed it. They have shifted thinking. They have made boxing executives and many fans discard their prejudices against smaller fighters. Gonzalez and Estrada have expanded the possibilities for smaller-weight fighters and allowed a handful of top fighters at 115 lbs. and below a chance at making a solid living in the sport. It's not just that Roman Gonzalez and Juan Estrada are stars or elite fighters. Now networks will look for the next Gonzalez or Estrada. And that is a change that deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.

The Fight City Podcast

I joined this week's "The Weekend That Was" podcast with Alden Chodash of the Fight City to recap a great fight weekend, including Berchelt-Valdez, Flores-Velez and Kelly-Avanesyan. We also looked ahead to the Roman Gonzalez-Juan Estrada rematch. To listen to the podcast, click on this link:

https://www.thefightcity.com/weekend-that-was-podcast-no-10-valdez-flores-boxing-recap/

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Pound-for-Pound Update 11-9-20

It's been over seven months since the last full update of the Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound List, and with many top fighters in action in October, it's time to see how things stand. The most consequential shake-up in the Rankings can be attributed to Teofimo Lopez's unanimous decision victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko. With the impressive win, Lopez enters the Rankings at #5 while Lomachenko drops to #14.  

Jermell Charlo also makes his debut in the Rankings. With his knockout victory over Jeison Rosario, he now has three belts at 154 lbs., and a very impressive resume at the weight. He enters the Rankings at #9. 

Stopping Carlos Cuadras in a highly entertaining rematch of their 2017 fight, Juan Estrada moves up one place in the Rankings from #7 to #6. Estrada's 115-lb. rival, Roman Gonzalez, won a unanimous decision on the same card, defeating Israel Gonzalez. With the victory, Gonzalez, the former pound-for-pound king, moves up a spot to #18.  

Leo Santa Cruz and Josh Warrington dropped out of the Rankings. Santa Cruz lost by knockout to Gervonta Davis last month. He had been ranked #16. Warrington had been ranked at #20.  

Below is the complete Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound List:

1. Naoya Inoue
2. Saul Alvarez
3. Terence Crawford
4. Oleksandr Usyk
5. Teofimo Lopez
6. Juan Estrada
7. Gennadiy Golovkin
8. Errol Spence
9. Jermell Charlo
10. Artur Beterbiev
11. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
12. Manny Pacquiao
13. Tyson Fury
14. Vasiliy Lomachenko
15. Mikey Garcia
16. Kosei Tanaka
17. Josh Taylor
18. Roman Gonzalez
19. Miguel Berchelt
20. Kenshiro Teraji

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Pound-for-Pound Update 7-20-19

There have been a number of significant changes to the Saturday Night Boxing Pound for Pound List since the last update in April. Most notably, there's a new fighter at the top of the Rankings. Japanese dynamo Naoya Inoue has continued his impressive run of form, knocking out bantamweight titlist Emmanuel Rodriguez in the second round to pick up a major title in his third weight class. In Inoue's 11 fights for major world titles, only one has even gone the distance. He moves up from #5 to the top spot.

Juan Estrada was able to defeat Srisaket Sor Rungvisai by a competitive unanimous decision, turning the tables in their rematch from early 2018. With the victory, Estrada ascends from #12 to #7 while Sor Rungvisai slides from #4 to #8. 

In another fight with significant implications on the Pound-for-Pound list, Manny Pacquiao defeated welterweight beltholder Keith Thurman to win yet another world title. With the victory, Pacquiao moves up from #15 to #10. 

So far 2019 has produced a string of notable upsets; the most striking one was Andy Ruiz's seventh-round stoppage victory over Anthony Joshua. Although Ruiz doesn't yet crack the SNB Top-20, the victory pushes Joshua out of the Rankings. He previously was #13 on the list. 

In another notable fight on the boxing calendar, Julian Williams won a hard-fought unanimous decision over Jarrett Hurd. With the defeat, Hurd drops from #14 to out of the Rankings. 

This latest update features three fighters debuting in the Rankings. Daniel Roman defeated junior featherweight titlist TJ Doheny to become a unified titleholder in the division. He enters the Rankings at #18. 

At #19, Japanese light flyweight Ken Shiro enters the Rankings. He's now defended his title six times and beaten good competition. Only one of his title defenses has gone the distance.

Wanheng Menayothin debuts in the Rankings at #20. The Thai strawweight has now made 11 defenses of his title. Much has been made of Menayothin's record (53-0), but generally his level of competition hasn't been great. However, his consistency, durability and longevity at the top of the division warrant a spot in the Rankings. 

Here is the complete Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound List: 

1. Naoya Inoue
2. Vasiliy Lomachenko
3. Terence Crawford
4. Oleksandr Usyk
5. Saul Alvarez
6. Gennadiy Golovkin
7. Juan Estrada
8. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
9. Errol Spence
10. Manny Pacquiao
11. Mikey Garcia
12. Donnie Nietes
13. Kosei Tanaka
14. Leo Santa Cruz
15. Roman Gonzalez
16. Josh Warrington 
17. Miguel Berchelt
18. Daniel Roman
19. Ken Shiro
20. Wanheng Menayothin

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.  

Punch 2 the Face Podcast

In this week's Punch 2 the Face Podcast, Brandon and I cover the Canelo-Jacobs fights from all the angles. We give our keys to the fight and predictions. Also on the podcast we reviewed the great Sor Rungvisai-Estrada and Roman-Doheny card, trashed the horrid Easter-Barthelemy fight and previewed an intriguing matchup between Beterbiev and Kalajdzic. To listen to the podcast click on the links below: 

Blog Talk Radio link:

iTunes link:
Stitcher link:

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.
snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.

Opinions and Observations: Srisaket-Estrada II, Roman-Doheny

Friday's fight card at the Forum in Inglewood, California produced thrilling action, head-scratching decisions and world-class boxing at the highest level. In the main event, Juan Estrada boxed masterfully and survived a late threat by Srisaket Sor Rungvisai to avenge his 2018 loss, winning by unanimous decision and claiming a junior bantamweight title. And as entertaining as that fight was, the co-feature surpassed it. The junior featherweight unification bout between Daniel Roman and TJ Doheny checked off all the boxes: wild swings of action, knockdowns, adjustments, and two boxers fighting for their lives. Roman won by majority decision and scored two knockdowns, but he had to survive a hellacious seventh round where he was perhaps one or two shots away from getting stopped. Although Friday's card didn't sell out, those who attended witnessed a fantastic night of boxing.

The main event certainly delivered sustained action, but the most memorable aspect was Srisaket's unusual decision to fight the first eight rounds of the bout in an orthodox stance (he had not previously been known for switch-hitting). In another surprise, he tried to out-box Estrada at mid-range, neglecting the pressure style that had been such a significant factor in his success. These were baffling choices. Estrada is one of the elite boxers and what brought Srisaket to the dance wasn't his boxing ability. Srisaket became a world-class fighter because of his relentless pressure, unconventional punches from the southpaw stance, and crunching power. Although he still displayed heavy hands throughout the fight, the bone rattling right hooks and straight left hands were replaced by less effective punches from the orthodox stance. 

Estrada connecting on Sor Rungvisai
Photo Courtesy of Ed Mullholland

Belatedly Sriskaet returned to the southpaw stance in the ninth round and lo and behold, he started to have sustained success. Within moments he was landing his characteristic combinations, such as lead right hook to the head/straight left to the chest, right hook to the body. And as elite as Estrada looked throughout much of the first eight rounds of the fight, suddenly he appeared to be far less menacing.

Srisaket continued to succeed in the southpaw stance in rounds 10 and 11 and hurt Estrada with a couple of big shots, but in a telling sign, he eased off the pressure in the 12th round, the perfect punctuation for a confounding performance. Overall, when Srisaket fought as a southpaw, he was better than Estrada, but Estrada's victory was deserved. He was the more consistent fighter over 12 rounds.

I had a bad take on the match as I was watching it live. Paraphrasing here, I tweeted out that the fight will be remembered more for Srisaket losing it than Estrada winning it. And although there is some truth to that, it's essentially a misreading of the fight. Srisaket switched to an orthodox boxer because he was spooked from their first fight. It was Estrada's success at countering Srisaket and beating him to the punch that made Srisaket reconsider his approach. Even when he reverted to southpaw on Friday, one could sense his wariness of Estrada's straight right hand. The switch to orthodox was an attempt at neutralizing Estrada's lead rights down the middle. But unfortunately for Srisaket, Estrada has such an array of offensive weapons that the strategy failed. As a result, Estrada's jab and left hook became much more of a factor in the rematch, and they were shots that landed throughout the fight.

Estrada deserves all the credit in the world for the win. In a game of "chicken," he made his opponent blink first. Overall, Estrada's well-rounded skill set secured the win. He fought Sor Rungvisai so convincingly in the first fight that Srisaket turned a strength into a weakness. And once in the orthodox stance, Srisaket wasn't a match for Estrada. The final scores of the fight were 115-113, 115-113 and 116-112, but in a sense those tallies, although explicable and defensible, didn't fully capture the essence of the fight. Yes, Rungvisai made it close at the end, but he was already well behind. Srisaket's defeat can be attributed to Estrada's myriad skills and Sor Rungvisai's profound respect for them.

At 32 Srisaket is at an age when many smaller-weight fighters start to implode and there were signs of slippage against Estrada. He refused to apply his customary pressure throughout most of the fight and displayed an unwillingness to go to war. He lacked confidence trying to box from the pocket and he seemed a long way off from the destructive force of nature who knocked out Roman Gonzalez 19 months ago. It should also be noted that Srisaket is now making decent money, is married, and no longer faces the same type of abject poverty that drove him to become a world-class fighter. Once a garbage man trying to subsist, now he has ascended the socioeconomic ladder. He's met the Thai president on multiple occasions and is recognized around the country.

This is not to say that Srisaket is finished as a world-class fighter, but it would certainly be understandable if he didn't have the same desire that he once did. Srisaket is a success story. He accomplished what he set out to achieve. Will he still have the desire to train as he once did? Will his mind and body allow him to fight in the style that gives him the best chance to succeed?

As for Estrada, in a career marked with notable victories, valiant defeats, injuries, and false hopes, he has finally secured the signature win of his career. And although Estrada has now established himself as one of the top fighters in the sport, the junior bantamweight division is so competitive that there's no guarantee he will continue to win. Estrada is 29, but that might be an older 29. He's already had a lot of wars. Going into Friday's fight, Estrada boasted that his training camp was the first in years that he was 100% injury-free. But how many more training camps will he be able to remain fully healthy? Was Friday the beginning of a new chapter in his career or will it be the final reminder of his greatness?

Overall, Srisaket and Estrada have provided boxing fans with two wonderful fights and have served as terrific ambassadors for the lower weight classes. Selfishly of course I'd love to see a third fight to settle the score, but there's no need to be greedy. Even if they never face each other again, they have demonstrated their supreme quality in the ring and have displayed a willingness to compete against the best in the sport. Whatever next steps they choose, they have earned it. 

***

Unification fights are rare in boxing. And even rarer is a unification fight that didn't require a lengthy marination period. Refreshingly, there was no building to Roman-Doheny, no need for the junior featherweight champs to space out their tough fights and milk their titles. No, instead they wanted to get right to it. And although both Daniel Roman and TJ Doheny are mild-mannered outside of the ring, they displayed the type of venom and spite in the squared circle on Friday that led to a Fight of the Year contender.

Daniel Roman and TJ Doheny weren't on radar screens two years ago. They were not fighters destined to become champions. But both took advantage of their opportunities. They each won their world title in Japan and have mostly remained out of the limelight, happy to let other fighters luxuriate in notoriety and hype.

Prior to Friday's fight I had tried to interview Doheny, but it wasn't able to come together. Doheny is an excellent fighter, but so few had seen him. The bookies had made him a 5-1 or 6-1 underdog, which seemed absurd to me. The guy could really fight. I did speak with Doheny on Thursday, the night before the fight, and he was apologetic about not doing the interview weeks before. He said that he didn't like talking about himself and rarely fulfilled media requests. He characterized himself as shy.

Doheny (left) congratulates the winner Roman (middle)
Photo Courtesy of Ed Mullholland 

Well, shy or not, he put forward a fantastic performance on Friday, and Roman did too. Roman scored knockdowns in the 2nd and 11th rounds, which essentially put the fight out of reach for Doheny on two of the scorecards. The official scores were 116-110, 116-110 and 113-113 (I had it for Roman 114-112).

What led to Roman's victory were two adjustments that he made in the second half of the fight. After barely surviving the seventh round, where Doheny blitzed him with lead left hands, right hooks and left uppercuts, Roman dipped into his arsenal and brought out the left hook to the body and the uppercut. It was a counter left hook that sent Doheny to the canvas in the 11th, the type of menacing liver shot that few fighters can withstand. Somehow Doheny made it back to his feet, and even won the final round as he was going for the knockout, but the damage had already been done; Roman's versatility proved to be just a little too much. 

After the scores were announced, the Forum crowd gave a deafening cheer for Roman, their hometown champion. But in perhaps a more telling moment, the fans provided Doheny with a tremendous roar of appreciation during his post-fight interview. Doheny praised Roman's ability and expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to make a name for himself in front of Roman's fans. He hit all the right notes. 

Later on in the night Roman and Doheny, both busted up, bruised and bandaged, embraced and posed for pictures together. They understood the enormity of the moment, for Friday's fight changed their fortunes. Doheny won more fans in defeat than he had in the many wins he attained toiling in relative obscurity. His stock has certainly risen and he would be a welcome opponent against any top fighter at 122 lbs. Roman has now cemented himself as among the best junior featherweights in the world and is one of the few unified champions in the sport. With class in and out of the ring and an all-action style, he has a winning combination.

Roman-Doheny brought out the best in each fighter. In the end, what they acquired, as much as titles, trinkets or money, was respect – for each other, from boxing fans and from the industry. No longer will they ever be anonymous champions.  

Their battle was an advertisement for boxing at its best. And when a fight is that memorable, the notion of winning and losing becomes more important to the record keepers than those who were fortunate enough to witness the sublime. Victory and defeat occur every weekend. But special, now that's something infrequent and far more elusive. Special creates new fans. Special reaffirms our attachment to the sport. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

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