Srisaket ready for Estrada rematch
Champ says he wasn’t exhausted in round 12
WBC super-flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai says he is ready for a rematch with Juan Francisco Estrada.
The Thai beat the Mexican with a majority decision at the Forum in Inglewood, California, on Saturday.
Two judges scored it 115-113 and 117-111 in favour of the title-holder and the third saw it 114-114 after 12 rounds.
“The people are the judges and you can hear them say that I won,” Estrada said after the bout.
“I thought I won the whole time out. If the judges saw it that way, then that’s the way it is, but I thought I won the majority of the rounds.”
The 27-year-old said he wanted a rematch.
Srisaket (45-4-1, 41KOs) said yesterday: “If Estrada wants a rematch, I don’t have any problem. I can fight anyone in the 115pound division.”
Estrada (36-3-0, 25KOs) was clearly the better fighter in the final round when he almost finished off the champion.
“A large number of my fans may be afraid that I was running out of steam [in the final round]. But I’d like to tell you that I was not exhausted and I was confident that I was winning,” said the Thai, known in Thailand as Srisaket Nakornloung Promotion.
While Estrada was upset by the decision, Srisaket’s manager Surachart Pisitwutthinan was also surprised by the outcome. He said Srisaket, 31, should have won by a unanimous decision.
Surachart said he wanted Srisaket to next fight in Thailand before a mandatory bout.
Srisaket dethroned Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez with a majority decision last March. He then knocked out the Nicaraguan in the fourth round in the rematch in September.
Srisaket is scheduled to arrive in Bangkok this morning and hundreds of well-wishers are expected to greet him at Suvarnabhumi airport.
Srisaket, whose real name is Wisaksil Wangek, will get six million baht from his fight fee of US$250,000 (approximately 7.8 million baht).
“Sia Hui [Surachart] promised before the fight that he will give Phi Laem [Srisaket] six million baht if he beats Estrada,’’ his girlfriend Patchareewan Kanha said.
WESTGARTH DIES
British boxer Scott Westgarth has died after falling ill following a heavyweight bout on Saturday.
Westgarth looked uncomfortable as he was interviewed ringside after his points victory over Dec Spelman in Doncaster and was taken to hospital having deteriorated backstage.
The 31-year-old, who had been chasing an English title fight, died in Royal Hallamshire Hospital.
“God bless Scott Westgarth. To promote a boxing show and a young man doing a job he loves losing his life, I have no words,” Stefy Bull, Westgarth’s promoter, wrote on social media yesterday.
Spelman also reacted to the news. “Absolutely heartbroken and lost for words, all continue to pray for Scott’s family and the people close to him, rest easy my friend,” he said on Twitter.