Gonzalez loses unbeaten title in stunning defeat to Rungvisai

Mail online

Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai stunned previously unbeaten Roman Gonzalez, knocking down the Nicaraguan in the first round, bloodying his face with an unintentional headbutt in the third, then winning a majority decision for the WBC super flyweight championship.

Both men went to the hospital for observation after the vicious fight.

Even though Sor Rungvisai was docked a point in the sixth round for another headbutt – there were several in the brutal bout – he never backed off.

The two fought a controversial bout on the undercard to Gennady Golovkin vs Daniel Jacobs

Gonzalez was hampered by blood streaming down his face from an unintentional headbutt

He relentlessly attacked the cut over the right eye of Gonzalez, who clearly was hampered by the blood streaming down his face. The challenger carried the fight in the eyes’ of the judges through the latter rounds.

In only his second fight outside Asia, Sor Rungvisai improved to 42-4-1 with 38 knockouts. Gonzalez, considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, is 46-1.

One judge had the fight even at 113-113. The other two gave the Thai the nod 114-112 in the action-packed bout.

A sellout crowd of 19,939 vigorously booed the decision.

Gonzalez suffered from a cut above his eye and was restricted throughout most of the fight

Gonzalez went down from a hard right to the body in the opening round, but he then took charge – even after his face turned to a bloody mask in the middle rounds.

However, Sor Rungvisai landed enough punches and moved well enough to keep in it.

And then, despite being out punched decisively, with Gonzalez landing 441 to 284, the Thai got the surprise decision.