After the fight: Boxing trifecta of Chocolatito, Estrada, and Sor Rungvisai

Super flyweights Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, and Srisaket Sor Rungviasi will be intertwined in boxing history. 

After their epic March 13 rematch, Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez will be forever linked, but Srisaket Sor Rungvisai is also a vital part of their legacies.

In Estrada vs. Gonzalez 2, both men combined to throw a division record 2,529 total punches, according to CompuBox. It was a tug-of-war affair that saw both men pushed to the brink in a possible Fight of the Year candidate and one of the better boxing matches you will see.

The two fought long ago in 2012 as light flyweights where Gonzalez got the better of Estrada. The interval between their first and second fights made that rivalry cool down as third-party opponents separated the two.

After their ecstatic and controversial rematch, Estrada and Gonzalez’s trilogy narrative dominates the news cycle, but people have short memories and live in the now. Sor Rungvisai was tops in the super flyweight division in 2017, but one loss made his memory fade in boxing fans’ minds.

Sor Rungvisai almost erased Gonzalez from the division after back-to-back victories in 2017. His shocking round 4 knockout of Gonzalez in their rematch made Gonzalez look like a faded star who was on the decline after years of absorbing punishment in the ring.

Sor Rungvisai looked like he would go on to rule the super flyweight division. However, a controversial majority decision victory over Estrada in 2018 and a unanimous decision loss in their 2019 rematch depleted Sor Rungvisai’s control.

After Estrada’s win over Gonzalez, he should be considered the best super flyweight in the world, but his win has an asterisk next to it in fans’ eyes. Based on anecdotal social media reaction and the spectators in attendance at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, most thought Gonzalez deserved the victory.

Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai can go on fighting one another without a clear winner in sight.

Two judges differed over the winner with scores of 115-113 for each, but the egregious 117-111 score by judge Carlos Sucre caught everybody’s ire. Sucre’s awful scoring soured the result and rallied fans around Gonzalez’s performance.

Sucre’s score received so much backlash that WBA President Gilberto Mendoza temporarily suspended Sucre in a move that’s a rarity in boxing. Estrada benefitted from a close decision this time around, unlike his first fight with Rungvisai. The forces of karma swung in his favor, but the negative reaction to his win stings as much as a loss. The legitimacy of his triumph is tainted and questioned.

Estrada is the WBA and WBC super flyweight champion, but Gonzalez is the people’s champ. His rebirth from his 2017 knockout loss to Rungvisai is the feel-good story that endears people to a fighter and makes them loyal backers. Gonzalez is more popular now than ever.

Sor Rungvisai looks like the third-place member of this triumvirate of current and former Super flyweight champions, but he’s likely to receive a contest with Estrada before Gonzalez. If Sor Rungvisai won their trilogy bout, then he would be back on top, and a trilogy fight with Gonzalez with be the popular ticket.

What if styles really make fights, and each man has the qualities to defeat one member of this triad, but not both? The number three is so important with this trifecta of super flyweights. They all owe the other a trilogy bout to settle a score but could still wind up not being able to clear this field.

It’s an interesting puzzle that may not be able to be solved but is a fascinating combination of three boxers who are blocking each other’s dominance in the most entertaining of ways. They should all complete a trilogy bout with each other, and if it’s a stalemate at the end, then so be it. The fans win in the end regardless, and their legends will grow too.