Roman Gonzalez-Srisaket Sor Rungvisai rematch to headline super flyweight triple-header on September 9
Former pound-for-pound king Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez (46-1, 38 KOs) will attempt to regain the WBC super flyweight title in a rematch with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (42-4-1, 38 KOs) on September 9, likely to take place in Los Angeles.
The rematch headlines an all super flyweight triple-header, which features the US debut of Japan's two-weight world champion Naoya "Monster" Inoue (13-0, 11 KOs), who will be defending his WBO 115 pound title against American challenger Antonio Nieves (17-1-2, 9 KOs).
A possible showdown between Gonzalez and Inoue is one of the most exciting fights that could be made in boxing and looks very likely in the future if both are victorious.
Also, former WBC super flyweight champion Carlos Cuadras (36-1-1, 27 KOs)) faces fellow Mexican and former unified flyweight world champion Juan Francisco Estrada (35-2-0, 25 KOs) in a world title eliminator to become the mandatory challenger against the winner of Gonzalez-Sor Rungvisai.
Gonzalez, the only fighter from Nicaragua to win world titles in four weight divisions, lost his WBC belt and status as the widely regarded pound-for-pound number 1 fighter in the world, when he lost to Thailand's Sor Rungvisai by majority decision in March.
In a brutal bout, Gonzalez battled back from a first round knockdown and two bad cuts from head clashes before losing by scores of 114-112 twice and 113-113, although most observers felt Gonzalez won the fight.
"I'm ready to go back into battle and reclaim my WBC championship from Sor Rungvisai on September 9," Gonzalez said. "I know what I have to do to become victorious and with God's help I will be champion once again."
If Gonzalez regains the world title, he looks set for another rematch in his next fight against either Cuadras, who Gonzalez outpointed in a competitve fight in September to win the WBC 115 pound title, or Estrada, who lost an action-packed bout to Gonzalez by unanimous decision in 2012.
However, Sor Rungvisai plans on beating Gonzalez again and keeping the belt.
"I'm honored to share the ring again and defend the title against Roman Gonzalez. He is a legend and the best fighter I have faced," said Sor Rungvisai. "I'm training hard to be the winner of this rematch. Boxing fans around the world will get to see another great fight between us, and I will win and take the WBC world championship title back for everyone in Thailand."
The venue of the card is yet to be determined.